Chapter 14 Chapter 14
The bruises didn't fade. Not quickly, anyway. But neither did I. I rose before the sun now, long before the whistle blew across the training grounds. Alone in the chill of morning, I practiced every stance, every motion drilled into my bones over the past few weeks. Muscle memory hadn't come easy. My body still ached with reminders of every mistake but I moved anyway.
I had to live, to survive in this pack, I had to do my best, or else I'd look like a weak girl. I wasn't trying to impress them anymore not the warriors, not Dahlia who mocked me, and definitely not the alpha. I was trying to survive.
And for the first time in years, I was just surviving for myself. Not thinking about a pack or a mate or anyone but I made a friend even though I didn't want one after Marie. I knew if I wanted to survive in this unknown territory I needed at least one person. I had found that friend in Lina.
Lina's belief in me had become a lifeline. Every soft-spoken encouragement, every patch-up after training, every silent moment of support had begun stitching me back together. I wouldn't show weakness again not when someone finally saw more in me than the rogue label they slapped on my back. I wouldn't be weak. Not ever again.
And when I entered the field now, head held high and limbs steady, the others noticed. They still didn't welcome me. They made fun of me with their leader but they noticed my new changes.
Even Dahlia. Especially Dahlia.
Our eyes met like clashing blades each morning, unspoken tension thrumming between us. Dahlia didn't taunt me as much these days. Not openly. Not when I started keeping up, even if barely but the hostility remained ice thin and ready to shatter.
I could feel his eyes sometimes, too. The alpha even though he never showed himself. I could feel stares digging into my back. Watching from his perch above the grounds, always at a distance. He never spoke to me, but I knew when he was there. My skin would prickle, my wolf would stir, and that magnetic heat the one that both infuriated and confused me would ignite in my chest. I hated how it made me feel unsteady and I hoped no one had noticed how my body reacts when I'm around the alpha. I had not been accepted yet and I don't want any speculations about me and the alpha. I channeled that fire into my fists. Into every movement I made.
Until sweat dripped from my brow and my lungs burned and still I pushed harder. I would become something more, something stronger. Something no one could tear down again. When next I'll meet Lorcan or Marie they'll see that I'm not that girl anymore.
'Don't think about them' I told myself. They were not worthy of my thoughts.
We rested after the drills and I went back to eat. I ate quietly in the corner avoiding eye contact with everyone. I wished Lina was here with me but she was eating with the servants and the warriors ate together. When I was done I went back to my room to rest and I slept off almost immediately. I was woken by a howl first and I jumped up. I was trying to make sure I heard clearly the first time and then came a roar.
'There is an attack' my wolf said urgently and immediately I ran out of my room.
It was already dusk. Chaos erupted beyond the walls. Shouts, growls, screams. Warriors flooded from their rooms, half-dressed, grabbing weapons, and shifting mid-run. I followed them on instinct, my heart pounding. The scent hit me before I saw them....rogues.
Dozens.
They tore through the forest edge, shadows with claws and fangs, some shifted, some not. It was a coordinated ambush. A full assault. I didn't stop to question it.
The warriors met the rogues head-on. The shadow moon pack, male and female alike, forms a protective line around the heart of the territory. The Alpha's voice rang out across the field, powerful and commanding. For a second, the sound of it nearly froze me in place but I ran towards it. Now was not the time to worry about the bind.
Fighting broke out in flashes of fang and steel. I grabbed a short blade from a fallen pack member and ducked into the fray. The world became a blur of snarls, blood, and instinct. I'd never fought before even in my old pack. I'd only trained but this was different.
This wasn't about escaping. This was about defending.
I saw Lina, cornered by a rogue with wild eyes. I tackled the attacker from behind without thinking, the blade sinking deep into fur and flesh. Lina screamed my name, my real name but I didn't stop. The rogue yelped and fled.
Another came. Then another. I fought beside the others, barely noticing when they stopped glaring at me and started fighting beside me
But then.... I heard a cry. High, frantic. Not warrior-born. Not a warrior. A child.
I turned sharply, blood smeared down my arm, and vision blurred, but I saw him more than eight or nine, cowering behind a broken cart near the stables. A rogue loomed over him, too close. Too fast. Everyone else was too far.
No. I broke from formation and sprinted toward him, lungs screaming, legs burning. The rogue raised its claws ready to sink it into the child. I threw myself between them.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs as I
crashed into the rogue mid-leap. They rolled and slammed into the dirt, and I felt claws rake down my back. Pain exploded through my spine but I didn't let go.
I drove my blade into the rogue's throat, snarling through gritted teeth. Blood sprayed my face, hot and sharp. The rogue collapsed beside me, twitching.
The boy sobbed, still hidden behind the cart, unharmed.
But my body... wouldn't move. My legs felt like stone. Something warm soaked down my side. Blood. Too much. Voices rang out in the distance, but they felt far away. The stars were coming out. I blinked at the sky.
Funny. I always thought I'd die alone. But not tonight. Tonight I saved someone and for the first time... I felt like a warrior. I smiled at the thought of saving someone. I was proud of myself.
Everything went quiet. Then I heard the alpha voice shout my name. My real name, I really wanted to see his face as he shouted my name but my body betrayed me and then everything went black.