Chapter 17: Standing my Ground

Elara

Well, well... so this is the Alpha's new pet!"

I turned to see a stunning woman stalking toward us. She moved like a runway model in skin-tight training clothes, her long red hair swinging behind her. But her beautiful face was twisted with contempt as she looked me up and down.

I sighed internally. Drama was the last thing I needed right now. But something in her tone made Snow stir restlessly inside me.

Be careful with this one,Snow whispered in my mind. She reeks of jealousy and ambition.

.....

The woman stopped a few feet away, her green eyes glittering with malice. "I don't see what all the fuss is about," she sneered. "She doesn't look very special to me."

"Scarlett." Alpha Acheron's voice carried a clear warning. "This doesn't concern you."

She turned to him with a pout that I'm sure worked wonders on most males. "But Alpha, I'm just curious about our new... guest." The way she said 'guest' made it sound like a dirty word. "After all, it's not every day you personally train someone. You've never even trained me, and I'm—"

"Leaving," he finished for her, his tone brooking no argument. "Now."

Her face flushed red, clashing with her hair. She shot me one last venomous look before spinning on her heel and storming away.

"Ignore her," Alpha Acheron said quietly. "Rest well. Training continues tomorrow at dawn."

As I followed the guard to my new room, I couldn't help wondering what I'd gotten myself into. A mysterious silver wolf, intense training sessions with the most feared Alpha in the territories, and now apparently a jealous she-wolf who clearly wanted me gone.

*We will face it together,* Snow assured me. *We are stronger than she knows.*

I hoped she was right. Because something told me this was just the beginning of my troubles in the Blackmoon Pack.

My new room turned out to be surprisingly nice – spacious and well-furnished, with large windows overlooking the pack grounds. But I couldn't help noticing that those windows didn't open, and when the guard left, I heard the distinct click of a lock.

Still a prisoner then, just in a prettier cage.

I sat on the comfortable bed, one hand resting on my stomach where my tiny pup grew. "What do you think, little one?" I whispered. "Should we trust them?"

No answer, of course. But as the sun set outside my window, casting long shadows across my new room, but my thouughts were filled with those silver eyes again.

The way they watched me during training – intense but not cruel. The way his voice stayed patient even when I stumbled or failed.

Maybe, just maybe, there was more to the feared Alpha of Blackmoon Pack than the stories said.

I just hoped I'd live long enough to find out what that something was.

....

The next morning came far too early. My muscles protested every movement as I pulled on fresh training clothes that had appeared in my room sometime during the night. Everything still matched Alpha Acheron's black and gray color scheme, making me wonder if the whole pack dressed this way or if it was just his preference.

*He watches you closely,* Snow observed as I got ready. *But not like a jailer watches a prisoner.*

"What's that supposed to mean?" I muttered, trying to tame my long dark hair into a braid.

*You will understand in time,* she replied, maddeningly cryptic as usual.

A knock at my door announced the guard's arrival. Same routine as yesterday – through the pack grounds to the private training area. But this time I noticed more details: the way pack members bowed their heads respectfully as we passed, the modern technology mixed with traditional pack life, the obvious prosperity of the territory.

Alpha Acheron was already waiting, his hair tied back again, his silver eyes tracking my approach. "Your form is stiff," he observed. "We'll start with stretching today."

The next hour was both heaven and torture as he guided me through various stretches designed to loosen my sore muscles. I tried very hard to focus on the exercises and not on the way his hands occasionally steadied me or adjusted my position.

"Better," he said after a particularly challenging stretch. "Now, let's work on—"

"Alpha!" A young wolf came running up, slightly out of breath. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's an urgent matter requiring your attention. Border dispute with the River Pack."

A muscle ticked in Acheron's jaw. "Very well." He turned to me. "Continue practicing the forms I showed you yesterday. I'll return shortly."

As soon as he disappeared into the trees, I heard a now-familiar mocking voice.

"Alone at last."

Scarlett emerged from the shadows, two other female wolves flanking her. All three wore expressions that promised trouble.

"I don't want any problems," I said quietly, taking a step back.

Scarlett laughed, but it wasn't a friendly sound. "Too bad. Because you became a problem the moment our Alpha took an interest in you." She stalked closer, her green eyes flashing. "Do you really think you're special? That your mysterious silver wolf makes you worthy of his attention?"

"I never asked for his attention," I protested. "I didn't ask for any of this!"

"Liar!" she snarled. "I've worked for years to catch his eye. Years! Then you show up out of nowhere, and suddenly he's spending hours training you personally?" She was right in front of me now, practically vibrating with rage. "And pregnant with another wolf's pup, no less. You're nothing but damaged goods."

The words hit like a physical blow, but something else stirred inside me. Not just Snow this time, but a deep well of anger I didn't know I possessed.

"Back off," I warned, my voice lower than usual.

Scarlett's eyes widened in mock fear. "Ooh, the little bitch wonder thinks she can threaten me? How cute." She reached out as if to shove me. "Let me show you what a real wolf can—"

Several things happened at once.

Snow surged forward in my mind with a roar that seemed to shake the very air. My vision sharpened, colors becoming impossibly bright. And my hand shot out to catch Scarlett's wrist before she could touch me.

Silver light seemed to dance along my skin as I held her arm. Scarlett's face changed from smugness to shock to fear in the space of a heartbeat.

"I said," I growled in a voice that was mine but also somehow Snow's, "back off."

"What's going on here?"

Alpha Acheron's voice cut through the tension like a blade. I immediately released Scarlett's wrist, the silver light fading as Snow retreated to the back of my mind. But I didn't miss the way Scarlett and her friends practically fell over themselves backing away from me.

"Nothing, Alpha," Scarlett said quickly. "We were just... welcoming the new pack member."

His silver eyes narrowed. "Leave. All of you." The command in his voice was impossible to resist. The three she-wolves practically ran away.

Then those eyes turned to me, and I fought the urge to step back. "What happened?"

"She... they..." I struggled to find the words. "Snow... I felt her, but it was different than before. There was this light..."

He was in front of me in two long strides, one hand tilting my chin up so he could study my face. "Your eyes," he murmured. "They're still glowing silver."

I jerked away from his touch, my heart pounding. "What's happening to me?"

For a long moment, he just looked at me. Then: "The training ends here for today. Go back to your room and rest. We'll continue tomorrow."

"But—"

"That's an order," he said firmly. But as I turned to leave, he added more quietly, "You did well, little wolf. Standing up for yourself... that was good."

I felt his eyes on my back the whole way across the training ground. Just before I reached the trees, I heard him speaking quietly to someone.

"Double the guard on her room. And find out everything you can about silver wolves in the old records. Everything."

*He suspects what we are,* Snow whispered in my mind.

"And what exactly is that?" I whispered back.

But as usual, she gave no clear answer. I was starting to think that was going to become a pattern in my new life – questions piling up faster than answers could be found.

At least one thing was certain, between my mysterious wolf, Alpha Acheron's intense interest, and Scarlett's obvious hatred, life in the Blackmoon Pack was going to be anything but boring.

I just hoped I was strong enough to survive it.