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Third Person’s POV
The arena was alive with energy as the first rounds of the competition began. The stands were packed, filled with wolves of every rank, their eyes glued to the battle unfolding below. The grand stage had been set for a spectacle, and all eyes were on Bianca.
She stood at the center of the ring, her back straight, her face a mask of nervousness. Dressed in light armor, she
looked every bit the royal heir she had been groomed to be. As the horn sounded, announcing the start of the first challenge, the crowd erupted into cheers, and Bianca’s opponents–two of the palace knights–moved to engage.
Her movements were stiff, controlled, but there was something missing. There should have been a flare of
power,
, an energy that would mark her as the true princess. But there was nothing.
The first knight lunged toward her, his sword raised high. Bianca parried, her strike lackluster, too slow. The crowd fell silent as her opponent pressed forward, landing a solid hit against her side. Bianca staggered back, breathless, but didn’t fall. Her face flushed with frustration. She clenched her fists and tried again, but the same
thing happened. Her movements were sluggish, her strikes weak.
“Come on, Your Highness!” Daisy’s voice cut through the silence from the stands, a false cheer ringing in her tone “Show them what you’re made of!”
Bianca’s lips pressed together in a tight line as she turned to face her opponent once more. But this time, her opponent had no mercy. The knight’s sword came down in a swift arc, catching Bianca in the shoulder. She g
gasped,
stumbling backward, her armor torn, but she remained standing, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.
The
crowd began to murmur. There was an unease in the air, a growing realization that something wasn’t right. Bianca’s strength was fading, her power nonexistent.
Remi watched from the edge of the ring, her eyes narrowed as she studied Bianca’s every move. She could feel the tension in the air, the shift in Bianca’s energy. There was nothing. No royal power, no royal wolf’s strength.
As the fight dragged on, Bianca’s movements grew slower, more desperate. She tried to summon her power, to show the strength she was supposed to have as the princess, but nothing came. The knight in front of her advanced, his sword flashing through the air as he aimed for her chest.
And then it happened
Bianca collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her as her breath caught in her throat. Her body crumpled to the ground, unconscious before she even hit the dirt.
The crowd went still. The arena, once full of cheers, fell into a stunned silence. The realization settled over them like a dark cloud: the princess, the one they had all expected to be the strongest of them all, had failed.
The knights rushed to Bianca’s side, lifting her limp body from the ground. Laurent pushed through the crowd, his eyes locked on the fallen figure of Bianca. He knelt beside her, his hand gently brushing through her hair as he checked for any signs of injury. There was nothing physical, but the exhaustion in her face was clear.
“She’s too weak,” one of the knights murmured, his voice low.
Laurent stood.. “Get her to the healer. Now.”
He glanced over at Remi, who had been watching the entire scene unfold from the edge of the arena. Her eyes met his, and in that brief moment, they shared an understanding.
The murmur of voices began to grow louder as the reality set in. The princess, their supposed powerful royal, had failed in front of them all. There was no royal strength, no aura of power. She was just like any other wolf,
vulnerable and weak.
Remi’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Laurent take charge, his voice firm as he instructed the knights to move Bianca to safety. She could see the seriousness on his face.
And then, as the murmur of the crowd began to rise again, Remi’s attention snapped back to the present. She could feel the eyes of the pack on her, the weight of their expectations.
But this wasn’t about them. This wasn’t about what anyone expected from the princess.
“I can’t believe a royal lost!”
“She’s too weak.”
“Is she even the real princess?”