Chapter 47: A Challenge!
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And then came the laughter. Thin. Mocking. Cracked like burnt wood.
Ayan’s voice floated from the healing ward: "Lowly Hollowback’s master... First, I will beat you to near death. Then I will sleep with that girl in front of your eyes. Then I will kill you with my own hands."
A few moments later... inside their room.
Star leaned into his leg then, his scaled shoulder pressing against Zephyr’s thigh. The heat radiating from the drake was faint but steady. A silent vow. A promise of fire yet to come. Fenna was creating healing paste for Star.
Zephyr glanced down, letting his hand rest on the curve of Star’s head.
In his mind, he replayed the battle again. Star had fought despite being wounded. They’d won but barely. If Dorian Slate had used another attack, or if Star’s wing had faltered midair... Zephyr would have lost. Worse, Star could have got a permanent injury.
Another truth burned inside his mind, hotter than anything else. He had punched Ayan and won a fistfight but if that had been a beast duel with Ayan and his shadow-leopard in the pit...
They wouldn’t have stood a chance. That knowledge settled in his gut like molten iron. He needed to get stronger. Not for pride. Not for ranking. For survival. And for Fenna.