Chapter 393: When Loyalty Draws the Line II

Chapter 392: When Loyalty Draws the Line II

Holly glared at him, but he didn’t even spare her a glance. She was being delusional after all. Someone like Sophia couldn’t be a demon. Nothing about her screamed demonic. He was very certain that Holly was the one trying to project her character onto Sophia. To him, Holly was the demon and not Sophia.

Laia stepped forward too. "I’m going with you. If I stay near that thing," she said, pointing at Holly, "I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep her alive until I see my friend again. Even breathing the same air as her annoys me."

Several others murmured agreement.

Orion studied them carefully.

"You all still have a test ongoing," he reminded them.

"The test has already been cut short, and I’m sure the examiners will use what they have to judge us," Uther said.

"And besides," Dren added, "if we fail, we’ll just take it again. But I’d rather Sophia be safe and sound."

Bianca nodded. "Exactly."

Miles folded his arms. "If that’s the price, I don’t care."

Genevieve adjusted the strap of her medical kit on her shoulder and stepped forward, eyes steady and focused. "If she’s injured, she’ll need medical attention. I’m coming."

Orion watched them all.

The determination in their faces was unmistakable.

He wasn’t even surprised that Sophia had this much pull on people she had just spent a few hours with — not counting her friends. Her friends knew her from the beginning, but her teammates, no. They had just gotten to know her and they were already willing to sacrifice their necks to save her if she was in trouble. Orion couldn’t deny that he felt a burst of pride at seeing what Sophia could do in just a few hours.

He could actually see that with time, even those who opposed her in the pack would change their stance... well, except Holly. She was far gone, and as far as he was concerned, she was not a part of the pack anymore.

Orion was about to speak when suddenly a voice cut through the moment.

"Well, if you guys want to go ahead and kill yourselves for someone, then please do so without me. I’d rather go back to the pack compound away from the eyes of any beast who thinks I’m appetizing enough for them to eat," he said.

All eyes turned to the speaker.

The trainee who spoke stood near the back — his face swollen and wrapped in fresh bandages from earlier injuries.

His jaw was set with stubborn resolve.

"I’ll stay behind and watch Holly in the dungeon," he suggested.

Nia snorted. This was the same trainee who had insulted Sophia when she was sick — the same one who had told Dren that Sophia was some slut. Nia and Micah were the reason his face was swollen, but even he had no idea. They had worked together to make sure that the trainee — Pete, though they referred to him as Pig — didn’t leave the test grounds unscathed.

He could not insult Sophia and think that just a broken finger from Dren was enough.

Nia gave him a look of disgust. "So you can send her away when she’s clearly a criminal because you would rather kiss Holly’s ass? No way." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Cat nodded. "Yeah, no way."

The trainee frowned. "Why not?"

Nia gave him a disgusted look. "Did you not hear what I just said?" she asked him. "I’m certain you’d let Holly go before Sophia gets back, so we are not going to do that."

Pig’s eyes widened in shock. "I didn’t—"

"Actions speak louder than words," Cat told him.

Micah gave Nia a nod and she returned it firmly. They were not going to allow someone they didn’t trust to watch over Holly — not even for a second.

"Instead of Pig watching over Holly, I’ll do it," Nia said to Orion with a determined glint in her eyes.

"I’ll stay with Nia. I’ll make sure the thing that calls others a demon doesn’t escape," Cat added.

Pig exhaled sharply. "I can do it. I can watch her."

"Then we’ll all work together, Pig," Nia told him.

"My name is not Pig," Pig snarled at her.

"You pink. According to my mother, only pigs do so," Cat told him.

Nia nodded. "Looks like one, acts like one — he’s a pig."

Most trainees laughed at that, making Pig red in the face.

Orion rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

"Fine," he said. "Nia. Cat. And Pig... sorry, Pete." That sent another burst of laughter through the group.

Orion continued. "You’re responsible for making sure Holly stays secured. She does not leave that dungeon under any circumstances."

Both women nodded sharply. "Understood."

Orion turned back to the others.

"If you’re coming with me," he said gravely, "understand this is no longer a test. There will be no safety measures. No observers. No reset. Whatever’s out there is real, and it won’t hesitate to kill you."

None of them flinched.

"We don’t care," Dren said simply.

Uther spoke next, his deep voice steady. "Sophia risked her life to protect me, Bianca, and Joren. If this is the only way I can repay that, then I’ll do it."

The others murmured agreement.

Orion exhaled slowly.

He nodded.

"Then stay close."

They nodded again.

Orion turned toward the remaining trainees. "Return to the compound. Wesley, make sure you meet Daniel and brief him immediately."

Wesley inclined his head. "I will."

The clearing began to split into motion — some moving toward safety, others preparing for something far more dangerous.

Orion stepped forward, drawing in a deep breath.

The forest at large called to him with the steady, insistent tug of the mate bond — pulling at his core like a living compass.

He welcomed the shift.

Bones cracked and reformed.

Muscle surged and stretched.

Fur erupted along his skin in a violent, seamless rush as Noctis took over fully, massive and powerful, paws biting into the snow.

His senses exploded outward.

The bond flared brighter.

Without hesitation, Noctis lunged forward into the forest, tearing through the snow and trees, following the pull of the mate bond straight toward Sophia.

Behind him, the others shifted in rapid succession and sprinted after him, their forms blurring into streaks of motion as they followed him into the depths of the forest — a direction different from where the test had taken place.