The Gate of Strength
Evelyn’s POV
The trial hall was quiet when I entered.
The room was wide and circular, with tall stone pillars that reached the ceiling. A soft blue flame burned in the center—cold, not warm. It flickered without smoke.
The higher council members were seated in a half-circle. The Queen sat in the middle, her silver robe smooth as ice. Her face didn’t change when she saw me. Not even a blink.
Sebastian stood beside her seat, jaw tight, arms crossed. His eyes locked on mine.
I didn’t look away.
I couldn’t.
A single doorway stood across the chamber, carved into the wall. It shimmered faintly, like a mirror made of water. That was the first gate. The Gate of Strength.
I stepped forward, keeping my back straight.
One of the gatekeepers—a pale, tall wolf with black eyes and a long coat—nodded once and came to my side.
“Do you accept this trial, Evelyn Darkmoor?” he asked softly.
“I do.”
His hand touched my shoulder.
The cold shot through my bones before I could even breathe.
And then—
The world vanished.
Inside the Gate
I opened my eyes slowly.
The sky was red.
Not with sun—but with smoke, fire, clouds that churned like boiling blood.
The ground below me cracked as I moved, like stone that had been burned too many times.
Nothing around me looked real.
And yet I felt the pain in my chest like I had been punched.
This wasn’t a dream.
This was the trial.
The Gate of Strength didn’t just test the body. It tested your will to fight. To live.
I heard a sound behind me and spun around—
And saw it.
A creature stepped out of the smoke.
It was tall, twisted, wrong. Its skin was black and gray, like cracked glass. Its eyes glowed gold, but not like wolf eyes. There was no soul behind them.
It growled once—low, deep, and hateful.
I braced myself. My wolf should’ve come. She should’ve risen inside me, ready to shift.
But she didn’t.
My chest squeezed. I tried to call her again.
Nothing.
No change. No shift.
Panic crept into my throat.
What was happening?
I couldn't shift too in my past life Or was something wrong with me?
The creature lunged.
I jumped back, barely dodging the swing of its arm. Its claws tore through the air beside my face.
I ran.
Not because I was afraid—but because I needed space. Time to think.
I found a wide ledge and turned, ready to fight.
The thing charged again, and I met it head-on this time, ducking low and jamming my shoulder into its gut.
It stumbled.
But only for a second.
It hit back—hard.
My back slammed into the stone behind me.
Pain exploded in my ribs.
I gasped.
My body screamed.
This wasn’t normal pain.
This was worse.
I couldn’t heal here. The rules of the trial were different.
The creature came closer, slow now, like it knew I couldn’t run anymore.
My wolf still wouldn’t answer.
I was alone.
My vision blurred.
I heard something—
A voice.
Not in the air. In my head.
"You were never strong enough."
It sounded like Lucas.
I gasped.
"No—"
"You were nothing but a tool. A thing I used. And you let me."
Tears filled my eyes.
The creature stepped closer, golden eyes staring into mine.
I crawled back on bloody palms, shaking.
The fire sky spun above me.
I wanted to scream.
To give up.
To vanish.
What was the point of surviving, if I was still this weak?
Still just a shadow of someone else's power?
I closed my eyes.
And saw it.
Sebastian.
His smile. His hands holding mine.
I heard his voice—real this time.
"You were never weak. You just forgot who you are."
And something inside me snapped.
Not fear.
Fury.
I didn’t come back just to die again.
I didn’t come this far just to break.
I had survived betrayal.
I had buried the girl they tried to destroy.
I'm no longer the Evelyn they ruined.
I'm now Evelyn Wolfe.
And I'm still standing.
I pushed up, hand over hand, blood dripping down my arm.
The creature moved to strike again—
I ducked under its swing and slammed my elbow into its ribs.
It grunted.
I kicked low, then punched high.
Hard. Again.
It staggered.
But I was shaking now. My vision was dim. My legs heavy.
I couldn’t last much longer.
But I didn’t need to win.
I just needed to survive.
I screamed and rushed forward—one final push.
I leapt, grabbed the creature's neck, and dragged it backward with all I had.
We hit the edge of the stone.
And fell.
The Trial Hall – Outside the Gate
Dante POV
Everyone watched in silence.
The shimmer of the gate showed Evelyn’s trial like a dream—blurred, smoky, half-lit.
But they saw her.
They saw the creature.
They saw her fall.
Sebastian stood at the front now, jaw clenched. His hands were fists.
“She’s not breathing,” Reyna whispered.
“Wait,” Rowan said.
Soren glanced at the Queen. She gave no order. No signal.
Then—
Light burst from the gate.
Everyone shielded their eyes.
The shimmer cracked.
And Evelyn’s body dropped out of it—bloody, shaking, barely conscious.
The gatekeeper caught her before she hit the floor.
“She’s alive,” he said. “Barely. But she passed.”
Sebastian was the first to reach her.
He dropped to his knees, lifting her into his arms. Her skin was ice-cold. Her lips were pale.
But her chest moved.
Slow.
Steady.
Alive.
Her hand twitched against his shirt.
She was still fighting.
I don't know what to do just stood and watch.
Evelyn POV
Later – At The Healer’s Wing
I woke to the sting of something pressed against my ribs.
A healer was there, whispering soft words I couldn’t understand.
I looked around. White sheets. Soft light.
Sebastian sat in the chair beside me. His shirt was wrinkled. His hair a mess.
His eyes were open. Watching me.
“You scared me,” he said.
I tried to speak. My throat was dry.
He held a glass to my lips and helped me drink.
“You didn’t shift,” he said. “Why didn’t you shift?”
I shook my head. “I… I tried.”
His brow furrowed.
“It was like she was gone,” I whispered. “My wolf. I called her, but nothing came.”
He leaned forward, his hand on mine. “You still beat it. Without shifting.”
I blinked slowly.
I didn’t feel strong.
I felt broken.
But his eyes told me something else.
“You passed the first gate,” he said. “The second one’s in three days.”
Three days.
I nodded once.
Then closed my eyes.
I had survived this.
But barely.
What if I wasn’t ready for the next one?