Scarred Wolf Queen Chapter 78

**Briony's POV**

By the time training wrapped up, we were all coated in mud and sweat. Gross as it was, I felt strangely satisfied. Fighting with people who matched my skill level was something I'd missed. Not just teaching moves, but actually learning from others too. I couldn't wait to tell Layla all about it tomorrow.

Dinner was weirdly quiet. Maybe my fight with Conrad had made an impression, or maybe everyone was just wiped out from hours of shifting. Either way, I welcomed the silence.

"Whenever you're ready to talk about those scars," Sophia said between bites, like she was asking about the weather, "I'd really like to hear the story. Makes me wonder if they're what made you tough, or if you were tough enough to survive getting them."

I didn't answer right away, just ducked my head and kept eating. Her question hit me in an unexpected way. Most people either stared and never asked, or pretended not to notice. Almost nobody looked at them as something that might have shaped me rather than just damaged me.

I woke up the next morning in a surprisingly good mood, eager to see Layla. I grabbed my stuff and headed downstairs to get breakfast from Jenny.

For once, I was actually looking forward to school. Normally I'd pick training over classrooms any day, but I desperately needed to see Layla. It felt like forever since we'd really talked, and I needed someone who knew me from before - especially after yesterday's drama with Seraphina and my scars being on display.

Standing in front of that ancient building, I still couldn't get over how impressive it was. I pushed through the heavy doors and headed for my locker. Before I could even start sorting my books, familiar arms wrapped around me from behind.

"God, I miss seeing you every day!" Layla squealed. "We need to figure out how to hang out more. This sucks!"

**Layla's POV**

When I spotted Briony at her locker, I couldn't help myself. I sprinted over and threw my arms around her.

"We could study together," she turned and hugged me back, her face breaking into a genuine smile. "As long as I tell them where and when ahead of time. Oh man, and I've got crazy news."

She filled me in about Queen Selena's invitation, promising to send pics of the dress fitting. We speculated about whether she'd run into Prince Derek there, though tradition said guys weren't supposed to be around during fittings.

"Since you left, I haven't heard from Ethan," I sighed. "The Queen had me call the guys once to let them know you were okay, but they're not allowed to contact anyone either. That must be the worst part, right? Being cut off from your friends. At least their training ends in summer, but yours goes on for years."

I watched her face fall. Even as she'd grown more independent, those boys had been her emotional safety net in Polaris. Having that suddenly yanked away would mess with anyone.

"Any chance you could write to them?" I suggested carefully. "At least to Noah? Then you'd know how they're doing. I bet they miss you like crazy, especially since you guys just made up before... you know."

"Don't remind me," she winced. "I feel so crappy about how I treated them, and then we just got... separated like that."

"Hey, don't think like that!" I said firmly. "Victoria and her little minions did this." Just saying that witch's name made me want to personally kick her ass.

"I can't remember much about that day," she frowned, looking troubled. "I remember getting beaten up, then waking up in the royal hospital. Everything in between is just... gone. Your parents ran all those tests but never really explained why. I should probably talk to them about it."

I stared at her, surprised. "They haven't told me anything either. But let's talk about something else. What kind of dress do you think the Queen will pick out?"

**Briony's POV**

We spent lunch talking dresses and possible scenarios for the royal visit. I couldn't care less what I wore - I was more focused on convincing the Queen to let Layla come along for the fitting. If she could be there with the Queen choosing stuff while I just stood around like a mannequin, that would be perfect. I just wanted time with my friend. We didn't have any classes together, so these breaks were all we got.

"You should definitely wear deep jade," Layla and her friend Rose insisted. "It would make your eyes pop and look amazing with your skin."

"It's insane that Prince Derek picked you!" Scarlett gushed. "I heard he's turned down everyone for like three years! Is it because you knew each other before?"

"We're just friends," I shrugged. "He probably picked me because I'm already here. Convenient."

"But you don't actually like him that way?" Scarlett looked shocked. "He's gorgeous, and with his status... don't most girls dream of being queen?"

"I'm pretty realistic," I said honestly. "Being Queen takes serious diplomatic and political skills, which I definitely don't have. I'm better at punching things than navigating fancy parties."

With the Queen meeting set for tomorrow, I headed back to the training center. Friday's training was brutal - Seraphina acted like I didn't exist, which made team challenges nearly impossible. We lost almost every competition by tiny margins. And from what I could tell, failure wasn't exactly common in Sentinel training.

It was ridiculous how much she let personal grudges mess with work. And I had no idea how to fix it. I didn't even know what I'd done to piss her off so badly. Maybe it was her weird hero worship of Taric? Though other trainers talked to me too, saying I was still under "observation."

What more could they possibly be observing? Our training was basically the same every day. I participated in all the team stuff but still couldn't figure out how to make things work with Seraphina. If it was just between us, I wouldn't care, but it was affecting the whole team.

Eventually people would resent her, or me, or both of us. I didn't want that. If I could find Taric, I'd definitely bring it up. But I hadn't seen him all day - probably on some mission for the Alpha King.

Then again, I felt ridiculous even wanting to talk to him about it. He definitely didn't need to hear some sixteen-year-old whining about how the other kids didn't like her. He had actual important stuff to deal with.

But he did specifically tell me to let him know about anything that happened. So should I follow his instructions or avoid bothering him with stupid teenage drama? The question kept circling in my head, driving me crazy.

Between the Queen meeting tomorrow, Seraphina's issues, and trying to navigate relationships at the training center - everything was tangled up in my brain, leaving me feeling completely lost.

What should I do?