Chapter 68 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
SEBASTIAN’S POV
The word challenge keeps echoing in my head like it’s carved into my skull after Alisander assures me all is well with him.
I would be fighting against winners of the other packs.
Alphas.
My hands won’t stop shaking in trepidation.
I’m seated on the edge of the bed in Ragnar’s quarters, staring at my palms as if they belong to someone else.
They look the same as they always have, slim and scarred in places from menial work and stress.
These are not the hands of someone meant to stand against Alphas and win.
Across the room, the armor stand has been dragged out and laid open. Ragnar’s ceremonial gear is half assembled, dark metal catching the low torchlight like a warning.
It looks heavier than usual tonight, everything including my chest.
I swallow hard.
“So,” I say finally, my voice cracking despite my effort to steady it. “I’m going to be facing the winners of the pack challenge.”
Ragnar stiffens.
He doesn’t turn around.
After he came back from seeing his Father, he's been awfully reticent and quiet.
“Yes,” he says after a moment.
That single word makes my chest tighten painfully.
“They’re… seasoned,” I continue, the words tumbling out now that I’ve started.
“They’ve fought Alphas and some of them have actually killed reigning Alphas before. These aren’t just ceremonial duels, Ragnar. These are wolves who’ve been preparing their whole lives for this.”
Still, he doesn’t face me.
My heart sinks.
“And I’m–” I let out a shaky breath. “I’m a recessive Omega, I’ve barely trained. Whatever Alisander can do or whatever strength he has, it doesn’t change the fact that this body, my body, breaks easier.”
Inside my head, something shifts.
“You are not weak,” Alisander says, his voice calmer than I feel. “You are unprepared. There is a difference.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” I mutter aloud.
Ragnar finally turns then in confusion.
The look on his face makes my stomach drop.
I’ve seen Ragnar furious.
I’ve seen him commanding armies and staring down at wolves even twice his size without blinking.
But I’ve never seen him look like this.
Guilty.
It sits on him like a weight he doesn’t know how to shed from.
“This wasn’t supposed to involve you directly,” he says quietly.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Nothing ever is. Until it is.”
He flinches.
That hurts more than I expected but I'm feeling a sick satisfaction at it.
I push myself to my feet, pacing despite the trembling in my legs.
“They’re not just challenging you, Ragnar. They’re going to use me, they’ll aim for me. They’ll push until either I break or you do and disregard the rules.”
“They won’t touch you without consequence,” he snaps automatically.
I stop pacing and turn on him. “You think that will somehow stop them?”
His jaw tightens.
“You think rules protect Omegas?” I press. “You think honor or some good wolf bullshit does?”
The words come out harsher than I intend, but I don’t take them back.
Because we both know the truth.
He exhales slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. “Sebastian…”
“You’re the Alpha of Alphas,” I say, my voice dropping. “You don’t get to pretend this is just another test of dominance for you. This may be a stressful week of politics for you but to me it's a life or death situation.”
Inside me, Alisander stirs again, stronger now.
“I told you this realm rots beneath its laws, he murmurs. But we will adapt.”
“How?” I whisper, more to myself than to the both of them.
Alisander’s presence presses closer, like a steadying hand at my spine. “Through training.” He replies.
“Through control and proper strategy. We refine what little time we have.”
“There’s only so much training an Omega can do,” I say aloud, echoing the thought that’s been clawing at me all day. “Especially against Alphas.”
Ragnar takes a step toward me. “You don’t have to fight.”
I stare at him.
“What?”
“I can bar you from the grounds, even fire you if necessary,” he continues quickly. “Place you under guard. Declare you non-combatant.”
“And confirm every rumor they’ve whispered?” I shake my head. “That you’re hiding your weakness? That I can’t even stand beside you?”
His silence is answer enough.
The bond aches.
“I don’t want to be your downfall,” I say quietly.
His eyes darken. “You’re not.”
“Everyone else seems to think so.”
Something ugly flashes across his face looking like anger, shame and helplessness tangled together.
“This pack,” he says slowly, “this realm… it was built on the idea that power must be solitary and that love is a liability.”
“And if you do what you say, you’re just proving them right,” I whisper.
The words land like a blade.
Ragnar closes the distance between us in two strides, gripping my arms gently but firmly. “No,” he says. “I’m proving them afraid.”
I search his face, desperate for certainty, for reassurance strong enough to anchor me.
All I see is a man realizing it a little too late, what the cost of his choices will cost me.
“You didn’t think they’d come for me like this,” I say softly.
His grip tightens.
“No,” he admits. “I didn’t.”
That confession breaks something in me.
Inside my head, Alisander bristles. “Regret changes nothing,” he says sharply.
“Then train me,” I say, lifting my chin. “Whatever you can do. Whatever he can do.” I tap my temple lightly. “We don’t have the luxury of pretending this isn’t happening.”
Ragnar hesitates.
That hesitation tells me everything.
He’s afraid.
Not of the challenge.
But of losing me.
I wonder why that is for him.
It's not like he likes me or something.
“I’ll be there,” he says finally. “Every moment. I won’t let them–”
“You can’t protect me from everything,” I interrupt gently. “And if you try, you’ll tear yourself and this pack apart.”
His eyes soften painfully. “You shouldn’t have to bear this.”
“No,” I agree. “But I am.”
The room falls quiet again.
Inside, Alisander steadies.
“We will survive this,” he says steadily but not gently. “Even if they do not expect it.”
I close my eyes, briefly breathing through the fear lodged tight in my chest.
When I open them again, Ragnar is watching me like he’s memorizing my face.
Like he’s afraid this is the last calm moment we’ll ever have.
And it's true. The next few days were about to either be the best or the worst for me.