Chapter 58
Vanya
The library of Thalvion smelled like old parchment and effort—centuries of knowledge locked behind worn covers and fading ink. I sat tucked away in the far corner, surrounded by a fortress of books on battle strategy, political history, and advanced Lycan anatomy. A small lamp illuminated my table, casting gold over pages I was too anxious to properly absorb.
The written portion of the Alpha Trials was just days away.
The Alpha Trials themselves—my real test, the one I’d spent my life preparing for—loomed right behind it. Every breath I took carried the weight of what was coming. I had made it this far. Through the humiliation, the secrets, the constant fear of being exposed.
And now, the end was in sight. The beginning, too.
If I passed—when I passed—there’d be no d
