Jamie POV
The air was silver with stillness when I stepped outside.
Dawn hadn't broken yet—not fully. The sky wore a veil of pale indigo, stars dissolving like sugar in tea, while the world around me seemed to wait. A hush cloaked the forest as though the trees themselves held their breath. Even the wind whispered softer, its breath cool against my neck as I followed the worn path toward the lake.
Dew clung to the grass beneath my boots. Somewhere in the distance, a bird began its morning trill—timid, like it wasn't sure if it was allowed to break the silence.
I wasn't dressed for comfort.
Andrew had made it very clear: "No distractions. No softness. We train like you're going to the Trials tomorrow."
So I wore snug black joggers and a fitted long-sleeve shirt, breathable but tight enough not to get caught on anything. My boots were heavy but grounded me. And over it all, Andrew's scent clung to the leather straps of the training gauntlets he'd given me.
By the time I reached the lakeside, the sun had begun to peek through the trees, casting golden fingers across the water. It was the same clearing where I had first seen him shift. Lilith had appeared like a curse in the dark. Not far from the treehouse that now held more memories than I could count.
Andrew was already waiting.
He stood barefoot on the dewy grass, dressed in combat pants that hung low on his hips and a sleeveless charcoal shirt that clung to his broad chest like a second skin. His hair was slightly damp, pushed back from his face, and his eyes-those fierce, golden eyes—were already glowing faintly.
His wolf was close.
Closer than I'd seen since the battle.
"I thought you might sleep in," he said, voice teasing, but his expression was unreadable.
"You told me warriors don't sleep."
"Correct," he replied. "They rise with the moon still watching."
I offered a tired smile, but there was no warmth in his stance. He was here, but his wolf was leading today. I could feel it. Every movement he made was precise. Every word clipped with purpose. His scent was sharper, too—earthier, dominant.
He wasn't training a lover this morning.
He was training a potential warrior.
And I… I tried to match that energy.
"Alright, student," he said, circling me like I was prey. Today, we cover basic defence. Tomorrow? You're dodging arrows."
"Sounds fun."
"Keep that same energy."
He didn't hold back.
We started with stances—where to plant your feet so you wouldn't be knocked over. Then, how to brace for a blow. How to roll out of a hit, how to use someone's weight against them. I was winded within the first ten minutes.
But I didn't quit.
Andrew didn't coddle me, didn't soften his blows—though I noticed, in the way his wolf flickered behind his eyes, that it wasn't cruelty. It was trust. He trusted me to take the hit. To rise. To fight back.
More than once, I caught that glimmer in him—that part of his wolf that was bonding through each movement. Like every dodge, every failed counter, every gasping breath I took was weaving something deeper between us.
It wasn't just training.
It was a vow.
After what felt like forever—arms aching, shirt clinging to sweat-soaked skin—he called for a break.
I dropped to the grass, chest heaving, while he tossed me a canteen. The water tasted like heaven. The silence stretched between us, easy now. Companionable.
But I couldn't help it.
The question had been pressing against my ribs since the lake. Since her.
"Can I ask you something?"
Andrew looked over at me, brow lifted. "You don't need permission."
"Lilith."
His body tensed, barely perceptible. But I caught it.
"We… never really talked about her," I said, eyes on the lake. "After that night."
A pause.
Then he sighed and leaned back on his elbows, legs stretched in front of him. "She was a childhood friend. My first. We trained together. Ran through the woods. Got in trouble more times than I can count."
I stayed quiet. Let him talk.
"Everyone assumed we'd be mated," he said. "Hell, I assumed we'd be mated. It felt… inevitable back then."
"But it wasn't," I murmured.
He turned to look at me, and something softened in his gaze. "No. It wasn't. And when I met—when I saw you—none of that mattered anymore."
I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep my voice steady. "Do you ever wish I were more like her?"
Andrew's head snapped toward me so fast it startled me.
"Beautiful. Strong-willed. Fierce." I shrugged. "I'm just saying. You're going to be Alpha. You could've had anyone."
His jaw tightened. "Jamie."
"Don't," I whispered, suddenly vulnerable. "I know I'm not her. Or any of them."
Andrew moved closer, grabbing my chin between his fingers—not hard, but firm. "You're not her. You're not supposed to be. And no, I don't wish you were anyone else."
My heart beat wildly.
"You are exactly who the goddess chose for me. And I hate myself every day for how long it took me to see that."
The words landed with a weight that pulled me toward him.
"I see you now," he said. "And I'm not looking away."
I leaned in.
And he met me halfway.
The kiss wasn't sweet.
It was hungry.
Mouths crashing. Hands in my hair. His body pinned me back into the grass, muscles tense as if he were holding back a hurricane. Our tongues tangled, breath stolen between kisses that went deeper, rougher, desperate. His teeth grazed my bottom lip, and I let out a sound I didn't recognise.
We kissed like we wanted to disappear into each other.
Like we'd waited lifetimes.
His hand slid beneath my shirt, palm searing against my skin, and I arched into him without thinking.
"Andrew," I whispered.
But then—
A voice.
"Well, well."
We froze.
Andrew snarled instantly, lips pulling back from his teeth as he turned, placing his body between me and the intruder like a shield.
Lilith.
Dressed in black. Boots are silent on the grass. Eyes as sharp as knives as she tilted her head at us, lips curled in amusement.
"You really shouldn't be so… open with your lovebirds," she said smoothly. "Not when the whole forest can see."
Andrew stood, radiating fury. "What do you want, Lilith?"
Her smile didn't falter. "What, can't a girl take a walk in her own territory?"
She looked at me when she said own. Like, I didn't belong.
And I shivered.
She saw it.
She liked it.
Andrew scoffed, eyes glowing now. "You're lying."
Lilith's smile dropped. Her tone turned razor-sharp. "I know what you're doing. Training him. Strengthening him. Trying to bring out his wolf before the Trials."
Then, her voice deepened with something that chilled my spine.
"But it won't matter. It won't save him."
I swallowed.
"He'll be dismissed," she said, stepping closer. "Because he won't return."
The words echoed. Dark. Prophetic.
Then, just as suddenly, she recomposed herself, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear like she hadn't just carved fear into the earth.
Andrew stepped forward, but I placed a hand on his arm.
Lilith's gaze locked on mine. Cold. Calculating.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, wolf-less boy," she said sweetly. "The full moon is just around the corner."
Then she turned and walked away—darkness wrapped in silk and steel.
Andrew's fists trembled.
And I…
I couldn't breathe.