1
Rorik
“Thisis your enemy.”
Sheba snarled the words as she jabbed the piece of paper with a sharp claw. She was in her animal form—a polar bear—just like everybody else gathered in her audience. It kept us strong, and filled the room with instinctive, bloodthirsty energy.
My gaze narrowed on the paper. A grainy but recognizable figure was printed on it: a huge long-necked reptile with leathery bat wings.
A dragon. Our clan’s greatest enemy.
Just the sight of it fueled me with anger. My muscles tensed beneath my thick pelt, eager to rake my four-inch claws across the paper.
There were seven images taped up to the wall. Seven dragons of various colors, living in isolation on a remote island. The pictures were blurry, as if someone had taken film photos of a boxy TV screen, but clear enough to recognize the horrible reptiles.
A skinny arctic wolf named Sorrel growled beside me. “Those bastards killed Konrad,” he muttered.
At the front of the room, Sheba sighed and drew her paw over her chest in a solemn gesture. Konrad was an alpha, and our previous clan leader. He was Sheba’s brother, as well as the older brother of our current leader, Knox.
Thinking of Konrad filled me with dread and regret. I couldn’t recall that day without my blood turning to ice. If I closed my eyes, I could see every moment of it replayed in my mind, as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.
The dark dragon. The hot, acrid flames it shot from between its fangs. The cold chill of its wing beats, and the avalanche that had crashed down upon us in its wake… Our clan was forever changed that day.
“Rorik.”
I snapped to attention dutifully as Sheba called my name. “Yes, ma’am.”
Sheba dropped to all fours as she sauntered up to me. Her expression was stern and serious. When she rose to her hind legs, she still had to crane her neck upwards to meet my eyes. I was easily the largest creature in the room. In the entire clan.
“You are our strongest fighter,” Sheba began. “If any one of us can kill a dragon with our bare paws, it’s you.”
Her praise thrilled me. Sheba was an alpha—just like Knox—and second in command. It was rare for our highest-ranking clan mates to celebrate anyone, even an accomplished fighter like me. We were punished for bad behavior; never congratulated for the opposite. In that sense, her comment made me feel slightly uncomfortable, like I was about to be backhanded for standing out.
“You’ve trained for years to hone your strength,” she went on. “And now, it’s time to unleash it.”
My heart raced as Sheba’s voice grew louder, building in momentum. A mix of confusion and excitement permeated the room. I stood still, not letting my anticipation show, but I knew something big was about to happen.
“Miss Sheba.” It was the wolf, Sorrel, who spoke, as if mustering all his courage. “I have a question.”
I cringed internally. We didn’t ask questions. We just obeyed.
Sheba swung her snarling muzzle towards him. “It had better not be a stupid one.”
The wolf was an omega, like me, but weaker and smaller. He swallowed.
“If we’re finally going to take revenge on the dragons,” he said slowly, “shouldn’t all the clan’s fighters be involved?”
Sheba cuffed him over the ears. Despite it happening right next to me, I didn’t flinch. It wasn’t the worst punishment in the world. She didn’t even use her claws.
“You think dragons won’t notice an entire clan of bears and wolves launching an attack?” she barked.
The wolf stammered. “I—”
“And how exactly do you thinkeveryonewill arrive at this hypothetical battle? Think before you speak,” Sheba snapped.
Sorrel went silent. That was the smart move. If he’d stayed quiet in the first place, his ears wouldn’t be smarting right now.
I didn’t know how I’d get to the dragons, either. But it wasn’t my place to figure that out. Knox and Sheba handled everything. I was simply a weapon in their paws.
