Seraphina’s POV

I walked back toward the pack house, my lips still tingling from Julian’s kiss. Whatever was happening was bigger than he could share with me. That much was clear.

But I refuse to sit on the sidelines. I am the Alpha of Nebula Fang and Luna of this one. I won’t hide while some woman tries to steal my pack and my mate. Roxanne warned me that Cordelia was after Julian, but she picked the wrong fight.

I followed her scent toward the training grounds. This was supposed to be a place where warriors pushed themselves to their limits, where discipline ruled. But as I got closer, I heard something different. Cheering that sounded more like worship than encouragement.

I stepped through the gate and found a massive crowd. Warriors, teenagers, even some of the pack elders had gathered in a tight circle around something in the center. The energy in the air felt electric, dangerous.

I shoved my way through the crowd, ignoring the protests.

"She’s incredible," one warrior breathed, his eyes glazed with admiration.

"Never seen speed like that," a woman whispered beside him. "No man could touch her, let alone another woman."

"Maybe she should be our Luna," someone muttered, and rage exploded through my veins.

My people. My pack. They were staring at her like she was some kind of deity. These wolves who were supposed to be loyal to me were completely enchanted by this intruder.

I finally reached the inner circle. In the center of the ring, Mark lay flat on his back in the dirt. He was one of our strongest warriors, and he was groaning while clutching his ribs like they were broken.

Standing over him was Cordelia. Not a single drop of sweat on her perfect skin. She wore a smug, arrogant smile that made my teeth clench. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder and addressed the crowd like she owned them.

"Is this really the best you can offer?" she taunted, her voice carrying across the training ground. "Who wants to try next? Who thinks they can actually beat me?"

The warriors exchanged nervous glances. Fear flickered in their eyes. Not one of them stepped forward.

"No one?" Cordelia laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "I guess that makes me the strongest wolf here."

"I’ll fight you."

My voice cut through the noise like a blade.

The entire crowd gasped. Every head turned toward me. The sea of bodies parted instantly, creating a clear path to the ring.

I walked into the center slowly, deliberately. I didn’t acknowledge the crowd. I kept my eyes locked on Cordelia, watching as her confident smile flickered for just a moment before returning stronger than before.

"Seraphina is a White Wolf," Cordelia announced to everyone watching. "She has special powers. If she shifts into her wolf form, she’ll crush me instantly. That wouldn’t be a fair fight. It would be bullying."

The crowd murmured agreement, nodding along with her words.

"She’s right, that’s not fair," someone whispered. "She has magic."

I pulled off my jacket and dropped it on the ground.

"Fine," I said, my voice carrying across the silent training ground. "I’ll make it fair."

I stared directly into Cordelia’s eyes.

"I promise I won’t shift," I announced loud enough for everyone to hear clearly. "I’ll stay in human form. No fur. No claws. No wolf. Just me."

Cordelia’s eyes lit up with triumph. She thought she had already won. She thought that without my wolf, I was just another ordinary woman. She thought defeating me would be easy.

"Deal," she said, grinning widely. "Let’s do this."

She dropped into a fighting stance, showing off her form. She looked confident, bouncing on her toes to display her speed and agility.

I just stood there. I let my arms hang relaxed at my sides. I didn’t even raise my fists.

"Come on then," I challenged her calmly.

Cordelia lunged forward. She was fast, I had to give her that. She aimed a vicious kick directly at my head. The crowd gasped, certain they were about to watch me get knocked unconscious.

But I didn’t move my body. I simply looked at her approaching leg. My aura, invisible and crushing, slammed into her ankle like a brick wall.

Cordelia’s leg jerked violently in the wrong direction. She missed me completely, spinning around and crashing face-first into the dirt with a loud thud.

The entire crowd fell silent.

Cordelia scrambled to her feet, her face flushed red with embarrassment and confusion. She looked around at the ground, trying to find what she had tripped over. But there was nothing there except flat sand.

"Clumsy," I said dryly.

"I slipped!" she snapped defensively.

She attacked again, this time throwing a hard punch aimed at my stomach. I didn’t dodge or block. I just focused my mind again, sending a burst of energy straight into her chest.

To everyone watching, it looked like I hadn’t moved at all. But Cordelia flew backward as if she had been hit by a speeding truck. She landed hard on her back, sliding across the dirt.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, scrambling back to her feet. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" I asked innocently. "I’m just standing here. You keep falling down."

"You’re doing something!" she yelled, her voice rising with panic.

"I haven’t touched you," I said, holding up my empty hands for the crowd to see. "Look. No touching."

The crowd was whispering now, confused and amazed by what they were witnessing.

Cordelia roared with pure rage. She charged at me like an enraged bull, throwing everything she had into one final attack.

I hit her with wave after wave of invisible force. She doubled over, gasping for air. She looked like she was fighting a ghost, swinging at empty air while getting beaten down by nothing.

I walked toward her slowly. With every step I took, I hit her again with my power.

She tried to kick me. I swept her legs out from under her with a wave of energy. She crashed to the ground hard, dust flying around her.

She tried to get up, but I pressed her back down with my mind. It was like a giant invisible hand was crushing her into the dirt.

She was panting heavily now. Her lip was bleeding. Her perfect training clothes were covered in dust and dirt. She looked completely pathetic.

I stood over her, not a single scratch on my body. I hadn’t even broken a sweat.

"Get up," I ordered coldly.

"I can’t," she wheezed. "You’re cheating."

"How?" I asked. "I promised I wouldn’t shift. I didn’t shift."

I knelt down beside her and grabbed her hair, pulling her head up so she had to look directly at me. Her eyes were full of fear now. All the arrogance was completely gone.

I leaned in close to her ear, speaking so only she could hear me.

"You were really stupid," I whispered.

She trembled under my grip.

"You thought that just because I promised not to shift, I would be weak," I hissed. "But you forgot who I am."

I tightened my grip on her hair. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Why would I be a White Wolf if I couldn’t use my power in human form?" I asked her. "My wolf isn’t just a fur coat, Cordelia. My wolf is my soul. Her power is my power. I can crush you without lifting a finger."

I released her hair. She slumped back into the dirt, completely defeated.

I stood up and looked at the crowd. They were staring at me with wide eyes, no longer drooling over Cordelia. They were looking at me with fear and respect.

Julian can’t be angry with me because he asked me to gain everyone’s respect, and after this display, they’ll have no choice but to respect me.

"Does anyone else want to fight?" I asked calmly.

Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed.

"Good," I said.

It was easier when I was just Seraphina, but I’m a White Wolf now. I know how to control my power, and most importantly, I’m an Alpha. Nobody can challenge me even if they wanted to.

My fight with Cordelia today was a lesson. Whatever she’s planning needs to stop because I will destroy her.