Chapter 16: Steel Over Softness

Chapter 16: Steel Over Softness
Ivy’s POV

The sun hung high overhead, its heat relentless as it baked the training grounds. Sweat dripped down mybspine, soaking through the simple shirt I wore. My muscles screamed in protest, my arms trembling from the weight of the wooden staff I gripped with both hands

I was exhausted. Sore. Filthy

And yet, I’d never felt more alive.

I lunged forward again, swinging hard, my staff meeting the thick wooden post with a satisfying thud. The impact jarred through my arms, but I didn’t stop. Again. And again. Until my palms burned raw, until my chest heaved, until I dropped to my knees, panting

"Good form," one of the warriors muttered as he passed, but he didn’t stop. None of them did.

They didn’t know what to do with me. The quiet girl from nowhere who had been escorted in like a criminal and locked away like a secret. Lucien may have vouched for me, but they hadn’t. And I didn’t expect them to.

Let them whisper

Let them stare.

They weren’t the first to think I didn’t belong, and they probably wouldn’t be the last

I stood slowly, ignoring the ache in my knees, and retrieved my staff. My fingers curled around it again, tight and determined. I glanced around the training grounds, most of the others had begun wrapping up for the day. Warriors chatted casually as they sheathed weapons, towels slung over their shoulders.

But I wasn’t done.

I moved to the far edge of the ring and dropped into a defensive stance. I began again, practicing every drill I could remember. Every move Lucien’s guards had shown me. My body was slow now, sluggish from fatigue, but I forced it to obey.

Because every strike was a promise.

Every jab was a vow

I will protect my baby. Even if it kills me.

When I finally stopped, the sun had begun to dip toward the trees, casting long golden shadows across the field. I bent at the waist, hands braced on my knees, and sucked in air like it might vanish if I stopped breathing.

My fingers instinctively brushed across my abdomen.

Still flat. Still unnoticed.

But I knew the truth.

You’re in there, I thought, lips parting in a soft whisper. And I won’t let anyone hurt you.

The Blackwood Pack was behind me now, but their shadows still clung to my skin. I still saw Selene’s sneer. Still heard Kael’s cold indifference. Still remembered the feel of the cold rain as I’d run barefoot and helpless, almost drowning.

A breeze passed over the grounds, soft against my flushed skin, but it didn’t soothe me. My body ached, but it wasn’t the bruises that kept me awake at night, it was the bond

That cursed, invisible tether that tugged at me in the quiet moments, when I wasn’t strong enough to block it out.

I could still feel him.

Kael.

Even though he rejected me.

Sometimes I’d turn a corner, convinced I’d see him standing there, arms crossed, eyes bored, looking through me.

I hated that he still lived somewhere inside me. Hated that some part of me, deep and stupid and stubborn, still wanted answers to why he rejected me. Still wanted him to see me.

But he never would.

He never had.

He had Selene now, perfect, powerful, golden-haired Selene.

And I had a reason to become something neither of them ever expected.

I took one last glance around the training field, now empty and quiet. My knuckles were raw, my arms limp, my feet barely steady. But I didn’t fall.

I didn’t collapse.

Instead, I straightened up slowly and tilted my head back, eyes closing as the last sliver of sun warmed my face.

I had survived.

And tomorrow, I’d fight again.

Because iif Kael ever found me.…

If he ever came for the child he never wanted, the mate he threw away….

He won’t find the same girl he rejected.

He’ll find someone sharper. Stronger. Someone forged from the very pain he left behind
.......

I ran the comb through my damp hair, watching as strands clung to my fingers. The shower had helped soothe the tightness in my limbs after a full day of training, but the bruises beneath my skin still pulsed with a dull ache. I didn’t mind. Pain meant progress.

I tugged on a soft grey dress, simple, loose enough to hide the slight swell I had begun to feel if I pressed hard enough against my stomach.

A knock came at the door, just as I finished tying my hair up.

"Come in," I called.

One of the familiar maids entered, her hands oddly empty. No tray. No covered dishes. They always brought my meals for me in my room

I blinked, confused. “Where’s the food?”

Her lips twitched. “Alpha Lucien asked me to inform you that your dinner will be downstairs tonight. With him.”

I stared at her. “With.… him?”

She nodded politely, then turned and left before I could ask anything else.

My heart thudded softly in my chest.

Alpha Lucien rarely spoke more than a few words to me at a time. He had taken me in, yes, fed me, given me shelter, training access, but he didn’t hover. He wasn’t like Kael. He didn’t make himself the center of the room. Lucien moved like a shadow with a spine of steel, his authority unshakable, his presence quiet but commanding.

I had always been grateful that he left me alone.

But now…. dinner?

I took one last look in the mirror and pulled on a cardigan to cover the faint bruises on my arms before I padded downstairs. My bare feet made soft sounds against the cool polished wooden floors as I followed the faint scent of roasted meat and herbs wafting from the dining hall.

The doors were already open.

Lucien stood near the head of the long table, dressed casually in a dark navy shirt rolled at the sleeves, revealing forearms dusted with faint scars. He didn’t look like royalty. He looked like a man who’d won wars.

His gaze lifted when I entered. Calm. Assessing.

But his lips curved, just slightly. “Glad you came.”

“I wasn’t aware I had a choice,” I said before I could stop myself.

To my surprise, he chuckled. “Fair.”

He motioned for me to sit at the table, across from him, not beside

A respectful distance. That eased some of the tightness in my chest. I slid into the chair as a few servants brought in covered dishes and poured wine into two goblets.

Lucien didn’t speak until they left.

“You’re progressing fast in training,” he said as he sliced into a thick piece of venison.

I shrugged, reaching for the bread. “It’s survival. I don’t have the luxury of being weak.”

He glanced at me, something unreadable in his eyes. “No. You don’t.”

I looked down at my plate, unsure how to respond. We ate in silence for a few moments. The food was warm and rich, honey-glazed carrots, herbed potatoes, and a roast that practically melted on my tongue.

“Today was brutal,” I said after a few bites. “In the morning, Dorian made me spar with him until I couldn’t lift my arms.”

“Dorian doesn’t go easy on anyone.”

“He nearly knocked the wind out of me with that spinning kick.”

Lucien raised a brow. “You let him land a kick?”

He laughed again, and it wasn’t cold. It wasn’t mocking. It was.… light. Like it surprised even him.

I found myself smiling. “I got him back later. Flipped him flat on his back.”

He sat back, tilting his head as he studied me. “I’m impressed.”

“I want to earn my place here,” I said before I could stop myself.

He nodded slowly, his tone gentler than I expected. “You are already doing that.”

I swallowed hard, warmth rushing to my face. It was strange, haaving a man look at me without cruelty, without disdain. Kael had made me feel like a shadow. Lucien.… made me feel seen.

I wasn’t foolish. I knew better than to fall into any false sense of safety. This could all be temporary. A kindness with an expiration date. I hadn’t told him my secrets. He didn’t know what I carried.

Still, as I met his eyes again across the flickering candlelight, a part of me, small, wounded, but hopeful, whispered

Maybe not all Alphas are monsters.