Chapter thirty six

The air in the barracks was thick with unease. Even in the dim candlelight, Kai could see the tension carved into every shadowed face, the way the wolves of Orion’s camp moved with purpose but not freedom. Every step was calculated, every breath controlled. This wasn’t a pack—it was an army, bound by something far stronger than loyalty.

And Orion was the chain that held them together.

Kai lay awake on his bunk, listening to the restless breathing of those around him. Kieran was on the cot beside him, his golden eyes faintly reflecting in the dark. Rhett was near the entrance, stretched out as if he had not a single care in the world, though Kai knew better. Anna sat up on the edge of her bed, fingers rubbing at her arm, at the mark Orion had left behind.

Something about the camp felt wrong. It wasn’t just the controlled soldiers or the eerie quiet despite the number of wolves gathered here. It was the presence lingering in the air, suffocating, pressing down like invisible hands tightening around their throats.

Anna exhaled sharply.

Kai sat up immediately. “Anna?”

She didn’t respond.

Instead, her fingers dug into her skin, her breathing quickening as her entire body tensed.

Kai swung his legs over the edge of his bunk, already moving. He caught her hands before she could claw at herself, gripping them firmly.

“Breathe.”

Her head snapped up, and for the first time since they’d arrived, Kai saw fear in her eyes.

“I—I can feel him,” she rasped, her voice barely a whisper. “He’s pulling.”

Kieran was already beside them, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. “You’re stronger than him,” he murmured. “Don’t let him in.”

Anna shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “It’s not—it’s not like before. He’s closer. It’s like—” She inhaled sharply, her body trembling. “It’s like he’s already inside my head.”

Kai clenched his jaw, shifting his grip to cup the sides of her face. “Look at me.”

Anna’s lashes fluttered, her pupils blown wide, unnatural.

Kai felt the pulse of Orion’s influence, like a dark thread coiling around her mind.

No.

Not again.

Kai pressed his forehead against hers. “You are not his.”

Her breath stuttered.

Kai pushed back, channeling every ounce of strength he had into that bond—not his Alpha strength, not his wolf, but himself.

“You are Anna,” he whispered fiercely. “You are not his puppet.”

A choked gasp tore from her throat. Then, suddenly, the energy snapped, the pressure lifting.

Anna collapsed against him, shaking.

Kieran placed a hand on her back, his warmth grounding her. “He’s afraid of you,” he murmured.

Anna let out a weak, bitter laugh. “Then why does it feel like I’m still losing?”

Kai exhaled, pulling back slightly. “Because Orion doesn’t let go.”

Anna’s eyes flickered with something dark. “Neither do I.”

A beat of silence passed between them before Rhett’s voice cut through the moment.

“We’ve got company.”

Kai looked up, following Rhett’s gaze toward the entrance.

Selene.

She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Kai’s stomach twisted. How long had she been watching?

Selene smirked. “Touching,” she mused. “But I didn’t come here for a sob story.”

Kai’s hackles rose immediately. “Then why are you here?”

Selene’s dark eyes flicked to him, sharp as a blade. “I have questions.”

Kai’s fingers curled into fists. “I’m sure you do.”

Selene studied him for a moment, then tilted her head. “You’re not like the others.”

Kai forced his expression into something bored. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Selene’s smirk widened. “It means I want to see what you can do.”

Kai went still.

Kieran straightened. “That sounds like a threat.”

Selene shrugged. “It’s a test. Orion doesn’t take in the weak, and I don’t trust any of you. So…” Her gaze settled on Kai again. “You fight me.”

Kai’s pulse spiked.

He forced himself to remain neutral. “And if I refuse?”

Selene’s smirk turned cruel. “Then I start thinking you’re hiding something.”

The room fell silent.

Kai knew what this was.

A trap.

A challenge.

An opportunity.

He let out a slow breath. “Fine.”

Selene’s grin widened, and before Kai could so much as blink, she attacked.

He barely dodged in time, rolling across the floor as her claws sliced through the air where he had just been standing.

Fast.

Too fast.

Selene was already moving again, closing the distance in an instant. Kai threw up an arm to block, his forearm colliding with hers in a bone-rattling impact.

The room erupted as wolves gathered to watch, some cheering, others whispering.

Selene didn’t slow.

Kai was on the defensive, forced to block and evade as she came at him with relentless speed. She fought like someone who had never lost, her strikes precise, deadly.

Kai’s breath hitched as she faked left, then spun—her leg slamming into his ribs.

Pain exploded through him, sending him skidding across the floor.

Kai barely caught himself, his body screaming from the impact.

Selene smirked. “Disappointed.”

Kai’s vision blurred at the edges. But something inside him snapped.

He wasn’t going to lose.

Not to her.

Not here.

A slow smirk curled at his lips. “You hit like a Beta.”

Selene’s expression darkened.

Kai moved.

Faster than before.

Faster than she expected.

This time, he was the one attacking.

Selene barely managed to block as Kai twisted, bringing his elbow down hard against her ribs. She stumbled back, surprise flashing in her eyes.

Kai didn’t stop.

He pressed forward, matching her step for step, trading strike for strike.

The crowd around them grew louder, the energy in the room shifting.

Then, suddenly—

Kai saw an opening.

He dropped low, sweeping her legs out from under her.

Selene went down.

The second her back hit the ground, Kai was on her, pinning her with one knee against her chest, his claws pressed to her throat.

Silence fell.

Selene stared up at him, her breathing ragged.

Then, slowly—she laughed.

Low and amused.

“Not bad.”

Kai didn’t move. “You lost.”

Selene smirked. “And now you have his attention.”

Kai’s pulse stopped.

Selene’s eyes glowed in the dim light.

“He’ll be watching you now, Kai.”

A shiver crawled down Kai’s spine.

Because he knew exactly who she meant.

Orion.

And Kai had just stepped right into his sights.