Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 189: Finally A Place In Shadowclaw Pack

Tiana's POV

I was required to fight for my place by the Alpha even after being cleared as not being a spy. I said a silent prayer to the moon goddess to help me through this because I was already exhausted from duelling this morning with Peter.

Something within me was telling me that Alpha Roman knew I was exhausted, and that's why he chose for me to duel again. He wanted to make sure I did not have the energy to win two men in a fight, hence dismissing him from his palace.

I would prove him and every one of the elders wrong.

Talia Rook was not to be messed with.

I stood in the middle of the training grounds, my muscles tense and ready. I could feel an intense pressure from everyone's stares— the warriors, the high-ranking officers, and Peter. He stood off to the side, his arms crossed and his face expressionless.

Two warriors stepped forward, both bigger than me. They looked eager to prove something. I was the outsider, the suspected spy, and the woman who had almost beaten Peter in a fight.

Now, they wanted to show me my place in the Shadowclaw hierarchy. They wanted to remind me that I didn't belong. If only they knew who I truly was.

Tiana reincarnated in the body of Erika. Now posing to be an ordinary girl.

I was far from ordinary.

Peter's voice cut through the tension. "You win, you earn a place in the warriors' quarters. You lose, you pack your things and get out. Understood?"

I gave a small nod, rolling my shoulders. "Understood."

The first warrior attacked before I had even fully positioned myself. A cheap shot, but I was ready. I ducked low, his fist slicing through the air above me, and retaliated with a swift kick to the side of his knee. He stumbled, just slightly, but it was enough for me to seize the moment. I pivoted, landing a sharp blow to his ribs before rolling away to avoid his partner, who had charged in.

They weren’t bad. But they weren’t good enough.

The fight dragged on longer than I expected, sweat dripping down my spine as I manoeuvred, dodged, and struck them. One went down with a sharp elbow to the temple. The other, to his credit, lasted longer, but I ended it with a well-placed kick to his chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground, breathless.

Silence.

I looked up, locking eyes with Peter. His expression didn’t change, but I caught the flicker of recognition of was it disbelief?

He wiped his face clean of it before I could be sure.

"Pathetic," he muttered, shaking his head as he looked at the two fallen warriors. "You should be ashamed."

I exhaled because I had won. I had earned my place.

Peter turned to me. "You’ll be assigned a room in the warriors' quarters. Training starts at dawn. Don't be late."

I gave a small nod, ignoring the angry glares I received from the men I had bested.

The space they gave me was small and bare. A simple bed shoved against the wall, a tiny bedside table, and nothing else. It wasn’t a prison cell, but it wasn’t exactly welcoming either. I sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my damp hair, feeling the exhaustion settle into my bones.

I began to notice that anytime I stepped into the common area, some warriors avoided me. Others muttered insults just loud enough for me to hear. And then there were the ones who weren’t satisfied with just words.

I caught the shift in movement just before the punch landed. I ducked, grabbing the arm of the man who had tried to punch me from behind. With a sharp twist, I sent him stumbling forward.

"What's the matter?" I asked coolly. "Still upset about the fight?"

"You got lucky," he spat, shaking off the impact.

"Lucky?" I let out a short laugh. "Tell yourself that if it helps you sleep at night."

He lunged again. I sidestepped, but before I could retaliate, a sharp voice cut through.

"Enough."

Peter.

The room fell into silence as he strode in, eyes cold as steel. He didn’t look at me. Instead, he glared at the men. "Are we really so pathetic that we have to gang up on someone because we lost a fight? Maybe I should have you all spar with her again. Since you seem eager to embarrass yourselves further."

No one dared speak.

"Get out," he barked.

The men filed out reluctantly, shooting me lingering glares. Peter finally turned to me, his expression unreadable. "I told you training starts at dawn. Try not to get into fights before then."

"I didn’t start it," I pointed out.

His jaw clenched, but he said nothing more before walking off.

Peter's POV

I gritted my teeth, arms crossed over my chest as I watched the fight unfold before me. It shouldn’t have been this close. The two warriors she faced were trained, and experienced, and yet she danced around them like she had been doing this her whole life. Every dodge, every strike—it was precise. Efficient. A part of me wanted to dismiss it as mere skill, but my gut told me otherwise.

The way she shifted her weight before attacking. The way she twisted at the last second to avoid a counterstrike. It was familiar. Too familiar.

And the moment she delivered the final blow, knocking the second warrior flat on his back, I knew I had been right to keep an eye on her.

Silence fell over the training grounds.

I let out a slow breath, forcing my expression to remain blank as I stepped forward. My eyes flickered to the fallen warriors, irritation curling in my chest. "Pathetic," I muttered, shaking my head. "You should be ashamed."

Neither of them looked at me. Good.

I turned to her. She was breathing hard but steady, her face unreadable.

"You’ll be assigned a room in the warriors' quarters," I said flatly. "Training starts at dawn. Don’t be late.”