Caitlyn's POV
When Karma's hand touched the statue, a golden glow echoed around the entire figure, but this phenomenon lasted only a brief moment.
Immediately afterward, a burst of golden light erupted at the location of the wolf's head, causing the clan members in the front row to shield their eyes from the blinding light.
Karma stood in the center of the ball of light, gazing at her palm with incredulity.
"I did it!" Her face lifted into a delighted smile as she stood on the spot, bouncing up high. The arcs of her chest rippled suddenly, causing the young werewolves around her to gulp.
"Weird, right? Karma's ability potential clearly wasn't that strong during the last test, so why is it this time?" Zed frowned and couldn't help but smack his lips.
"Is it possible for a werewolf's potential to grow this much in a short period?"
"Generally speaking, it doesn't, but this world is so vast that it wouldn't be a surprise if anything remotely outrageous happened," Zed answered truthfully.
As Karma returned to Kayn, she bragged about the accomplishments she had gained. Kayn nodded in relief while turning her attention to the group.
"I'd like to see just how far a troublemaker like her can turn the tide," Karma said contemptuously, extending a middle finger farther toward me.
"Next, Caitlyn."
With the announcement from Azir, who was on a raised platform, the eyes of the room once again focused on me. After all, Karma and I had just argued, and there was no doubt in everyone's mind about what Kayn had in mind.
However, Zed had sworn earlier that I was the hope for the future of the pack.
If I didn't possess a bloodline that convinces the crowd, this would undoubtedly be a significant blow to Zed's position as an Alpha.
"Relax, it's nothing," Azir seemed to sense my thoughts and smiled at me, telling me to relax.
"Yeah, grandpa, I know," I nodded toward Azir before letting out a soft sigh.
Step by step, I ascended the stairs and stood in front of the massive wolf head statue, feeling the pressure emanating from it as if I was being stared down by a ferocious and hungry wolf.
"Wait to be humiliated," Karma jeered from below, eliciting a roar of laughter.
I slowly raised my hand as everyone watched. The moment my palm touched the wolf head statue, my body shuddered violently. I could sense a faint tingle in my fingers, signaling the process of drawing blood I heard from Zed before.
According to Zed, this should have been a swift process. However, to my surprise, as my palm covered the wolf head statue, I discovered that it possessed a significant suction force. It was akin to a voracious wolf biting into the neck of its prey, steadily drawing my blood.
I wanted to break free but realized I couldn't escape the suction force in any way. Equally astonished was Azir, standing next to me. It seemed like that after years of testing, this was the first time he had witnessed such an unusual sight.
Based on past experience, the tester's hand would trigger the statue to light up immediately. However, at this moment, the statue remained unlit, as if in slumber.
"I was right! How can this human-werewolf hybrid surpass me? There's no light at all. Does that not imply she has no abilities whatsoever? It's possible that she's not Gwen's child," Karma declared, pointing at me in the center, unleashing a maniacal laugh.
Unnoticed by her, a number of human-werewolf hybrids around her were slowly staring at her with displeasure.
"Karma!" Kayn scolded, perhaps sensing the reactions of the others around her.
Slightly disconcerted by her father's rebuke, Karma was about to say something when she suddenly noticed that the wolf head statue was slowly beginning to illuminate.
As the suction of the wolf head statue ceased, I observed a glimmer of fluorescent light emerging from the former location of the wolf's teeth.
I inwardly sighed. It was evident that I had significantly fewer chances of prevailing against a pure werewolf compared to someone with a bloodline.
Upset and prepared to apologize to Zed, I turned around just as the statue behind me began to tremble violently.
The people around me stared in disbelief at the unfolding spectacle. Initially, it was a mere glimmer of light, but it intensified, rapidly spreading from its origin and, in the blink of an eye, enveloping the entire wolf's head statue in a golden-colored radiance.
"This... this is impossible!" Karma exclaimed, covering his mouth, his voice slightly shaky. Nevertheless, the light continued to expand, floating towards the sky above. In an instant, it surpassed the light from Karma's previous test.
The dazzling brilliance compelled everyone to instinctively shield their eyes. Those closer to the light mass even prostrated themselves on the ground to avoid it. The mysterious pressure emanating from the light mass mirrored that of the earlier wolf head statue, causing wolves with impure bloodlines to kneel respectfully.
I, on the other hand, stood at the center of the light mass without any discomfort. The light behind me imparted a warm sensation, and the power within my body gradually surged.
The intense glow persisted for a considerable duration before gradually subsiding. As the werewolf statue reverted to its original form, the entire room appeared as if its occupants had been petrified.
Their mouths hung open, their faces etched with disbelief, the skepticism in their eyes transformed into reverence.
"She's the fated Gamma!" someone in the crowd shouted, triggering a deafening howl that echoed throughout the room.
Standing amidst the crowd, I glanced over at Zed, who stood tall, his smile extraordinarily bright as he looked back at me.