Chapter 8 Rivalries Escalate

Luna made it back to her dorm without getting caught.

She collapsed into bed still shaking from the forest encounter. Nova didn't wake. Luna didn't sleep.

By morning, her body ached. Her mind raced with images of red eyes and golden eyes and creatures that shouldn't exist.

She said nothing to Nova about where she'd been.

Training started at six AM as usual.

Luna dragged herself to the grounds. Ryder was already there. Waiting.

"You look terrible," he said.

"Good morning to you too."

"I'm serious. What happened?"

"Bad night. Couldn't sleep."

Ryder studied her. His eyes narrowed. "You went into the forest."

Luna's stomach dropped. "What? No. I—"

"Don't lie to me. I can smell it on you. Pine. Earth. Something else. Something that doesn't belong on campus." He stepped closer. "What did you encounter out there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Luna." His voice went hard. "The forbidden forest is forbidden for a reason. Students die in there. First years especially. What were you thinking?"

"I needed to know what I could do. You're always telling me to control my wolf. But how can I control something I don't understand?"

"By listening to your mentor. By following rules designed to keep you alive." Ryder's jaw tightened. "Did you shift?"

"Partially. I had to. Something chased me."

"What chased you?"

"I don't know. It looked like a wolf but wrong. Black fur. Red eyes. It was fast. Strong. I barely made it to the wards."

Ryder cursed under his breath. "That was a shadow wolf. Corrupted by dark magic. They hunt marked students. Feed on our energy. If you'd fully shifted out there, it would've killed you."

"I didn't fully shift. I controlled it. Like you taught me."

"You got lucky. Next time you might not." Ryder grabbed her shoulder. Not rough. But firm. "Promise me you won't go back in there alone. Not until you're ready. Not until you're strong enough."

Luna wanted to argue. But the memory of those red eyes stopped her.

"I promise."

"Good. Now get ready. We're working on combat today. Hand-to-hand. No shifting. Just skill."

They trained for an hour. Ryder pushed her hard. Harder than usual. Punishment for her recklessness, Luna realized.

By the time other students arrived for group training, Luna was sweating and exhausted.

Professor Thorne called the class to attention. "Today we're working on pack combat. You'll pair up. One offense. One defense. Switch every five minutes. Questions?"

Students paired off immediately. Luna looked for Nova but she was already partnered with another first year.

"Luna Eclipse."

She turned. Darius Kane stood behind her. Tall. Confident. Smiling in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Partner with me."

It wasn't a request.

"I'd rather not."

"Too bad. Professor Thorne just assigned partners. He put us together." Darius raised his voice slightly. "Didn't you, Professor?"

Thorne looked over. His expression was carefully neutral. "Yes. Kane and Eclipse. You're up first in the center ring. Everyone else, watch and learn."

Luna's mark pulsed. Warning.

"This is a setup," she whispered to Ryder as she passed him.

"I know. Don't let him get in your head. Fight smart, not angry."

Luna stepped into the chalk ring in the center of the training ground. Darius followed. The other students formed a circle around them.

This wasn't just training. This was a spectacle.

"Rules are simple," Thorne announced. "No shifting. No claws. No teeth. Hand-to-hand combat only. First person to step outside the ring or tap out loses. Begin."

Darius didn't wait. He lunged immediately.

Luna barely dodged. His fist grazed her shoulder. Hard enough to sting.

"Too slow, Eclipse."

He came at her again. Faster this time. A combination of strikes that forced Luna backward.

She blocked most of them. But he was stronger. More experienced. Each impact jarred her bones.

"Is this really all the famous Eclipse bloodline can do?" Darius's voice carried across the training ground. Loud enough for everyone to hear. "Disappointing."

Luna's temper flared. Her mark heated.

Focus. Don't let him provoke you.

She changed tactics. Stopped retreating. Ducked under his next punch and swept his legs.

Darius stumbled but didn't fall. He recovered instantly and grabbed her arm.

Pain shot through Luna's shoulder. He was trying to dislocate it.

She twisted. Used his momentum against him. Broke his grip and created distance.

"Better," Darius admitted. "But still not good enough."

He pressed forward relentlessly. Testing her. Pushing her limits.

Luna's training with Ryder kicked in. She stopped thinking. Started reacting. Blocked. Dodged. Struck when openings appeared.

She landed a hit to his ribs. Not hard enough to hurt. But enough to prove she could.

Darius's smile faded.

The fight intensified. No more toying. No more testing.

Real combat.

Luna's body moved on instinct. Her wolf rose just beneath the surface. Not shifting. Just enhancing. Making her faster. Stronger. More aware.

She saw Darius's strikes before they landed. Adjusted. Countered.

She was keeping pace.

Barely.

But keeping pace with a fourth-year Alpha as a first year was impressive.

Students around the ring started murmuring. Surprised.

Darius noticed. His expression darkened.

"Enough playing."

He came at her with real force. No holding back now.

Luna blocked. Struck. Blocked again. Her arms ached. Her legs burned.

But she didn't back down.

Didn't tap out.

Didn't step outside the ring.

Darius went for a grapple. Luna slipped underneath. Came up behind him. Struck the back of his knee.

He dropped. Just for a second. But long enough for Luna to create distance.

They stood on opposite sides of the ring. Both breathing hard. Both bloodied. Both refusing to quit.

"Time," Thorne called. "That's enough. Both of you, step back."

Darius straightened. His eyes locked on Luna. No more smiling. No more taunting.

Just cold assessment.

"You're better than I thought," he said quietly. Only she could hear. "That makes you more dangerous. Remember that."

He walked out of the ring without another word.

Students parted for him. Whispers followed.

Luna stood in the center. Shaking. Exhausted. But standing.

Ryder appeared at her side. "You held your own against a fourth-year Alpha. In front of everyone. Do you understand what you just did?"

"Survived?"

"You proved yourself. Earned respect. That fight changes things. Other students will see you differently now."

"Darius will see me as more of a threat."

"Yes. Which means he'll escalate. Be careful, Luna. Darius doesn't like losing. Especially not publicly."

The rest of training passed in a blur. Luna partnered with other students for drills. None of them pushed her like Darius had.

By the time Thorne dismissed them, Luna could barely walk.

She headed toward the equipment shed to return her training gear. Most students had already left. Only a few stragglers remained on the grounds.

Luna opened her locker in the shed. Her gear was inside where she'd left it that morning.

But something was wrong.

The leather straps on her sparring gloves were frayed. Almost cut through. If she'd used them during training, they would've snapped. Left her hands unprotected during strikes.

Luna checked her other equipment. The laces on her boots had been loosened. The padding in her protective vest had been removed.

Someone had tampered with her gear.

Sabotage.

Luna's mark burned. She turned slowly. The shed was empty. But she felt eyes on her.

Someone had been here. Someone who wanted her hurt. Or worse.

"Darius," she whispered.

But was it? Or was it someone else? Someone who'd been watching her since she arrived.

The golden eyes from the forest flashed in her mind.

Luna gathered her sabotaged equipment. She'd need to report this. Show Ryder or Thorne or someone.

But as she left the shed, doubt crept in.

What if no one believed her? What if they thought she was making excuses? Trying to get Darius in trouble?

She had no proof who'd done it.

Only the certain knowledge that someone at Silverwood wanted her gone.

And they were willing to play dirty to make it happen.