Nyx's POV
The Council grounds had never looked more intimidating.
I stood at the edge of the main training arena—a massive circular space enclosed by stone walls, with raised seating where Council members and other observers could watch from above. The morning sun cast long shadows across the dirt floor, making the space feel even larger than it was.
Empty now, except for Kael and me. Frost did not come with us because the council specifically stated that they need to see me control my magic. They probably felt that her presence could make my magic appear bigger than reality. But they underestimate how deep my bond with Frost is.
"Stop catastrophizing," Kael said from beside me. "I can feel your anxiety through the bond. It's making my hands shake."
"Sorry." I tried to calm my racing thoughts. "I just—what if I freeze up? What if I can't perform under pressure?"
"You've been performing under pressure for three days." He gestured at the arena. "This is just a bigger audience. The skills are the same."
"Walk me through it again," I said to Kael. "What exactly will they want to see?"
He'd explained this twice already, but repetition helped calm my nerves.
"They'll start with basic magical control," he said patiently. "Creating constructs, demonstrating precision, showing you can call and dismiss your power at will. Then they'll move to combat assessment—forms, footwork, basic technique. Finally, full sparring with me, weapons and magic combined."
"And they'll be grading me the whole time."
"Evaluating, yes. But Nyx…" He turned to face me fully. "You don't need to be perfect. You've had a few days of training.M. Most candidates train for months before their first real combat assessment."
"Then why do I feel like I'm going to vomit?"
"Because you are nervous. That's normal." He paused. "For what it's worth, I'm nervous too."
That surprised me. "You are?"
"Yeah." He said with a small smile.
Somehow, knowing he was nervous too made me feel slightly better.
"We should practice," I said. "One more run-through before they arrive."
"We've practiced enough. More drilling will just tire you out." He checked the sun's position. "We have two hours. You should eat, hydrate, and center yourself mentally. Trust in the work we've done."
He was right. I knew he was right. But that didn't stop me from being anxious.
A few moments later, I stood in a preparation room adjacent to the arena, trying to regulate my breathing.
I'd changed into the formal training clothes my mother had made—still simple, but clean and new. My hair was braided tightly. Grandmother's necklace hung at my throat like a talisman.
Through the walls, I could hear voices. The Council members were arriving. Other observers—how many, I couldn't tell, but enough that the murmur of conversation was constant.
'They came to watch the cursed North girl fail,' part of me whispered. 'To see proof that the legendary wolf made a mistake.'
'Or,' Frost countered, 'they came to see something unprecedented. The first legendary bonding in two thousand years. Either way, you will show them what you are capable of.'
A knock at the door made me jump.
"It's me," Kael's voice called.
"Come in."
He entered, and I was startled to see him in formal clothes. He was on dark pants, a midnight-blue coat with silver threading, his family crest visible on the breast. His hair was neatly combed for once.
He looked every inch the prophesied prince he'd been raised to be.
"You clean up nice," I said.
"So do you." His eyes swept over my training clothes, the neat braid and inhaled sharply. "Ready?"
"No. But I don't think waiting longer will help."
"Probably not." He moved closer. "Listen to me. Once we're out there, I can't help you. I can't coach you or guide you through the bond. This is your demonstration. But remember, you know this. We've practiced every single thing they'll ask for. Your body knows the forms. Your magic knows the shapes. You just have to trust yourself."
"And if I can't?"
"Then trust me. Trust that I wouldn't put you out there if I didn't believe you could do this." His storm-gray eyes were intense, certain. "You're ready, Nyx. I promise you're ready."
I breathed in.
"Okay." I took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Walking into the arena felt like stepping into a different world.
The stands were full. And it was not just the High Council, but dozens of other observers. Minor Council members, prominent pack leaders, even some of the candidates from my bonding ceremony, now with their wolves at their sides.
All of them were silent and staring as I entered.
I kept my chin up and my stride steady, the way Kael had taught me.
High Councilor Veron stood in the center of the arena floor. Beside him was High Councilor Theron and two others I didn't recognize—combat assessors, probably.
"Nyx North," Veron's voice carried across the space. "You stand before this Council to demonstrate the progress you've made under Kael Stormborn's instruction. Do you understand what will be asked of you today?"
"Yes, High Councilor." My voice came out stronger than I felt.
"Then we begin." He gestured to one of the assessors—a woman with sharp eyes and a Beta wolf by her side. "Councilor Mira will conduct the magical assessment. You will follow her instructions exactly."
Mira stepped forward, all business. "Create an ice wall. Ten feet high, six feet wide, stable enough to withstand impact."
I took a breath and reached for the magic within me.
The ice responded immediately—too immediately. I caught it before it could explode outward, channeling the emotion into controlled formation instead.
Fear drives the magic. Accept it. Use it.
The wall rose from the ground, crystalline and solid. Exactly the dimensions requested.
"Good." Mira's expression didn't change. "Now create three spheres. Each one foot in diameter. Hold them suspended for thirty seconds."
This was harder. Multiple constructs required divided focus.
I created the first sphere easily. The second took more concentration. The third wavered as I tried to maintain all three simultaneously.
Breathe. You've done this a hundred times in practice.
The third sphere stabilized. I held all three, counting silently to thirty.
"Adequate." Mira walked closer, examining the constructs. "Now dismiss them simultaneously. Controlled dissipation, not explosion."
I practiced this specific skill yesterday. Drawing the magic back in rather than just releasing it.
The spheres dissolved into mist together, the power flowing back into me smoothly.
In the stands, I heard murmuring. I couldn't tell if they were impressed or disappointed.
Possibly the latter.