Kira's POV
Kira's hands clench around the training sword so hard her knuckles go white.
Ezra is in the courtyard again. Not training with the pack like he used to. Not pushing himself to be stronger. He's just standing there looking at the east wing where she is. That broken, pathetic Omega who arrived three days ago and somehow convinced the most powerful Alpha in the territories that she's his fated mate.
It's insane.
Kira has trained beside Ezra for five years. Five years of sweat and blood and proving herself on every battlefield. Five years of positioning herself as the perfect Luna. She's strong. She's capable. She's beautiful. She's everything a future Luna should be.
And he's never looked at her the way he looked at that scarred girl.
"You're overthinking this," her father says, appearing beside her. He's the head warrior, all muscle and experience. He studies Ezra like he's trying to understand his Alpha's sudden weakness. "Fated bonds fade. They always do. Once the novelty wears off, he'll realize what he's missing."
"He's obsessed," Kira says bitterly. "He sits outside her door at night. He brings her food personally. He barely sleeps."
Her father nods slowly. "Then we wait. And we remind him what strength looks like."
But waiting feels impossible.
Kira watches Ezra turn away from the east wing and head back to his office. He doesn't even glance at her as he passes. For five years, she's been trying to catch his attention. For five years, she's been the only female strong enough to train beside him, fast enough to keep up with him, brave enough to challenge him.
And he's never once looked at her like she matters.
Until she arrived.
That night, Kira makes a decision. She needs to see what makes this Omega so special. Needs to understand what spell the girl cast on their Alpha.
She finds Mira in the hallway near the medical wing. The Omega is alone, which is unusual. Normally Lyanna is hovering around her like a lost puppy. Today, Mira is by herself, moving slowly toward what looks like the bathing room.
Perfect.
Kira steps into the hallway, deliberately blocking Mira's path.
The Omega freezes immediately. Her body goes rigid with fear. Her violet eyes widen as she sees Kira, and she tries to back away.
"Not so fast," Kira says. She keeps her voice calm and controlled, the way warriors do when they're about to deliver bad news.
Mira presses herself against the wall, trying to make herself smaller. It's pathetic. Everything about this girl screams weakness.
"I'm Kira Thornfield," she says, circling Mira slowly like a predator. "Head warrior's daughter. Trained since I was a child to be the perfect mate for an Alpha."
Mira doesn't respond. Just watches Kira with those terrified violet eyes.
"I've spent five years earning Ezra's respect," Kira continues. "Fighting beside him. Proving myself. Building a partnership based on strength and capability." She stops directly in front of Mira now. "And then you show up. Broken. Useless. Terrified of everything."
"I—" Mira starts.
"Don't speak," Kira cuts her off. "You don't get to speak. You get to listen."
Mira's mouth closes. She shrinks further into the wall.
"Ezra brought you here out of pity," Kira says coldly. "He thinks he's found his fated mate. Maybe he has. Biologically, sure. But biology isn't love. Biology isn't partnership."
She leans in closer, her voice dropping to something almost conversational. Almost friendly. Which somehow makes it worse.
"He'll get bored," Kira says. "In a few weeks, maybe a month, he'll realize you're just a broken girl who screams at shadows. He'll realize you can't stand beside him as Luna. That you're not strong enough. Not fast enough. Not worthy."
Mira's breathing gets shallower. Her hands start to shake.
"And when he does," Kira continues, "when he finally accepts that you're just a charity project, I'll be here. Waiting. Strong. Ready. Everything you could never be."
She steps back, giving Mira space.
"So here's what I suggest," Kira says. Her voice is almost kind now, which might be the cruelest part of all. "Leave. Go back to Silverpine or wherever broken Omegas go. Save yourself the humiliation of watching Ezra realize his mistake. Save yourself the pain of knowing you were never good enough."
Mira's entire body is shaking now. She looks like she might fall.
Kira feels something close to satisfaction watching the girl suffer.
"Ezra deserves an Alpha's equal," Kira says. "Not some tortured victim who flinches when the wind blows. He deserves someone who can fight beside him. Someone who can stand proud as his mate."
She's about to turn away, about to leave Mira crushed in the hallway where she belongs, when something shifts.
Slowly, inch by inch, Mira straightens her shoulders.
Her eyes lift from the floor to meet Kira's.
And in those violet eyes, Kira sees something that makes her blood run cold.
Defiance.
It's small. It's fragile. It's barely there. But it's real.
"Ezra doesn't need another warrior," Mira says quietly. Her voice shakes but she keeps speaking. "He needs someone who understands what it means to be broken. Someone who knows what it takes to keep fighting even when everything hurts."
Kira's hands clench. She's not used to being challenged. Not used to prey that fights back.
"You think you're stronger than me," Mira continues. Her violet eyes hold Kira's now, refusing to look away. "But strength isn't just about muscles or speed. It's about surviving things that would destroy anyone else."
"You survived nothing," Kira spits. "You were a victim."
"I survived three years of torture," Mira says. Her voice gets slightly louder. Slightly stronger. "I survived every single day wondering if that would be the day he killed me. I survived knowing no one in the pack cared if I lived or died. And I'm still standing."
Something flickers across Kira's face. Uncertainty maybe. Or rage.
"Ezra needs someone who understands darkness," Mira says. "Someone who's been to the bottom of hell and clawed her way back. You've never been broken. You've never had to choose between dying and surviving. So maybe that's what you're really angry about. Not that Ezra chose me. But that he chose someone whose strength comes from a place you'll never understand."
Kira moves fast. She grabs Mira by the throat and slams her back against the wall.
It's a mistake.
The moment her hands close around Mira's neck, the Omega's entire body goes rigid. Her eyes go wide with primal fear. She's back in Silverpine. Back with Ronan. Back in the worst moment of her life.
Kira feels the resistance leave her. She's not fighting back. Isn't trying to break free. She's just... surrendering.
It breaks something in Kira's rage.
She releases Mira and steps back.
"If you ever speak to Ezra," Kira says, her voice low and dangerous, "if you ever try to tell him about this, I'll make sure everyone in this pack knows exactly what you are. A broken victim playing at being Luna. Everyone will know you're not worthy of being his mate."
Mira slides down the wall slightly, her breathing ragged and panicked. Her hand goes to her throat.
"Stay away from me," Kira says. "And stay away from Ezra. You're temporary. Remember that."
She walks away, leaving Mira alone in the hallway.
Behind her, she doesn't see Mira slowly straighten. Doesn't see the girl's hand drop from her throat. Doesn't see the spark of something dangerous ignite in those violet eyes.
Defiance.
Not broken. Not defeated.
Just waiting.