FLASHBACK... Two Years Ago.
The council chamber had been colder than usual that day.
I remember the bite of the stone beneath my knees as I knelt, my head bowed before the Elders.
I hadn't even turned eighteen yet, just seventeen. My wolf hadn't awakened and my mark hadn't shown.
But I'd felt the bond, and so had Kade.
He stood tall before them, hands behind his back, a statue carved from steel. His expression was overly calm... but his silence was louder than any snarl.
"You are sure, Alpha?" Elder Mari asked.
"Yes." Kade's voice was flat.
The words hadn't registered at first because they couldn't be real. I looked up, my throat burned.
"Kade…"
He flinched... barely. Just a flicker. Then his eyes found mine. Not with tenderness, and not with regret.
Just… ice.
"I reject you, Lyra Calhoun, as my mate." He said.
A crack sounded through the bond. The rupture tore straight down my spine, and I gasped, like I'd been stabbed.
Well, I was.
I remember scrambling to my feet, searching his face for anything, anything that said this wasn't happening. That he'd been forced to do it, that he didn't mean it.
But he didn't even blink.
"You can't," I whispered. "Why?"
"You're not strong enough for me," he said and walked away.
I didn't believe that silly excuse at that moment but I was still shattered... woefully.
END OF FLASHBACK...
Back to present, the training field was slick with dew and rage.
I stood barefoot in the grass, sweat slicking my spine as I stared down the Alpha who'd ruined my life.
Kade looked like he hadn't slept. Good.
He wore black tactical pants and a fitted shirt that clung to every muscle, but I wasn't here to admire the view.
I was here to prove I didn't need him. Never had.
"You're slow," he said, circling me. "Your stance is weak. Again!"
I lunged at him without warning, claws flashing, but he dodged like he'd seen it coming.
"Predictable," he said with a sneer.
"Argh!" I bared my teeth. "You want unpredictable? Here it comes."
He didn't see the elbow coming. I landed the hit to his ribs, hard enough to make him grunt.
My wolf howled with satisfaction and his eyes flared gold.
"You really want to test me? Huh?"
"You... you brought me here, remember?" I panted. "So train me or go meet your fling!"
He then moved faster than I expected. One second, I was gloating. The next, I was flat on my back in the grass, winded.
Kade stood over me, chest heaving.
"Don't ever let your emotions blind you," he growled. "That's how wolves die."
"I didn't die," I said through gritted teeth. "You left me, and I survived."
For a heartbeat, something flashed in his eyes. Guilt? Regret? No, it couldn't be. I must have imagined things.
"Again," he said, voice colder now. "Get up!"
I did and we continued...
An hour later, I was bruised, exhausted, and still full of spite. And that's when he showed up.
Luca Morrison, the Beta of Crescent Hollow. Tall, broad-shouldered, with sun-kissed skin and warm, watchful eyes.
He wasn't as sharp-edged as Kade, but there was steel beneath the surface. He carried it in the way he walked, calm but capable.
He approached the edge of the field, arms crossed, watching us spar which made Kade tensed immediately.
"Thought you were on border duty," Kade called.
"Finished early," Luca replied. "Thought I'd check on your… trainee."
His eyes met mine, and a flicker of gentleness passed between us.
"You okay?" he asked, softer now.
My throat tightened. Not because I was weak, but because no one had asked me that in two years.
"I've had worse mornings," I muttered with a grin.
Seeing my smile, Kade instantly stepped between us, blocking Luca's view. "We're in the middle of something."
"Doesn't look very productive," Luca said casually. "You're bleeding."
I glanced down and my palm was split open from one of our last clashes. Blood dripped lazily down my wrist.
Before I could move, Luca stepped forward and offered a cloth from his pocket. I blinked at it.
"You're not going to bite me, are you?" he joked.
"Not unless you ask nicely," I responded and took the cloth from his hand.
Kade growled low in his throat, and I stiffened. He hadn't reacted like that before. Luca noticed too and gave his Alpha a sideways look.
"Any problem?"
"Not that I know of," Kade uttered and stepped back. "She's fine," he added.
"Didn't look fine when you slammed her that tough into the dirt."
"She can handle it."
"I'm sure she can," Luca said with a pointed glance. "But that doesn't mean she should have to."
I almost smiled.... almost. But Kade's eyes were locked on Luca now, cold and terrifying.
"Get back to your post, Beta," Kade snapped. Yet, Luca didn't move.
"You sure you're not the one who needs a break?"
"Luca," Kade warned, voice low and lethal.
Something unspoken passed between them, too fast for me to catch. Then, finally, Luca nodded and backed off.
But not before giving me one last glance. A reassuring one. I watched him walk away, then turned to find Kade glaring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You're letting him get too close."
"Seriously?" My brow lifted. "I'm sorry, Alpha... I didn't realize I am your property."
"You're not."
"Then stop acting like you own me."
He looked away, jaw flexing.
"I'm marrying Evelyn in a month," he said suddenly. The words hit like ice water but I masked it with a scoff.
"Congratulations... I'm sure your Luna will love hearing you're jealous every time your Beta breathes near me."
"I'm not jealous," he said sharply.
"No?" I stepped closer. "Then why are your claws out every time someone looks at me like I'm not garbage?"
He didn't answer. Very typical of him.
"You're afraid of me," I continued. "Afraid I'll prove you wrong. That I am strong enough now, right?"
"I know you're strong." His golden eyes flared again. "But that's not what this is about."
"Then what is it about?"
There was silence before he suddenly turned away. "Training's over for today."
Without waiting for my response, he left.
I headed toward the pack house alone, muscles sore, mind racing. Luca had seen me. Really seen me.
And Kade?
He didn't know what he wanted. But the bond between us wasn't dead. It hummed beneath the surface, angry and unspoken. The harder we fought it, the stronger it seemed to pull.
Then a vibration buzzed in my bones. Something was wrong and I stopped walking.
The wind shifted.
My senses screamed... wolf scent, unfamiliar, just beyond the trees a few feets from where I stood.
Not Crescent Hollow.
I swirled slowly and a figure stepped out at the edge of the woods. Tall, hooded and eyes glowing silver in the twilight.
Not a rogue. It was something else.
They stared at me. Not moving and not speaking. But I felt it in my gut... they were here for me...