Chapter 13 Training and Whispers

Chapter 13 Training and Whispers
Clara's POV

"Keep your guard up. A Bloodfang won't wait for you to be ready."

I raise my arms higher, trying to copy the stance that Mira showed me five minutes ago. My muscles already ache, and we've barely started.

Mira circles me like a predator studying prey. She's one of Kael's warriors, lean, strong, with dark hair pulled back in a tight braid. When Kael asked her to train me, she looked at me like he'd asked her to teach a rabbit how to hunt.

"Hit me," she commands.

"What?"

"You heard me. Throw a punch."

I swing awkwardly, and she dodges easily. Too easily. Like I'm moving through water while she's made of air.

"Again."

Another swing. Another miss.

"You're telegraphing your moves," she says, not unkindly. "Your whole body announces what you're about to do before you do it. In a real fight, you'd be dead already."

The words sting, but she's right. I'm terrible at this.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask, lowering my arms. "You don't want me here. None of you do."

Mira stops circling and looks at me directly. "The Alpha asked me to train you. I follow orders."

"That's not an answer."

She considers me for a moment, then sighs. "My daughter is three years old. If something happened to me, if the Bloodfangs attacked and I wasn't strong enough to protect her, I'd want someone to teach her how to fight back. Even if the odds were bad."

"So you think my odds are bad."

"I think you're human trying to survive in a wolf's world." She gets into position again. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Now, again. This time, don't think about the punch. Just throw it."

I try to clear my mind and swing. My fist connects with her shoulder, not hard, but actual contact.

"Better," Mira says. "Again."

We work for another hour. By the end, my arms feel like lead and sweat soaks through my shirt. But I've managed to land three actual hits, and Mira hasn't looked at me with pity in at least twenty minutes.

"Tomorrow, same time," she says as we finish. "And Clara? Don't expect this to be easy. If you want to survive here, you'll have to work harder than you've ever worked in your life."

"I know."

She nods and heads toward the main house. I stay behind, trying to catch my breath and stop my hands from shaking.

The training grounds sit on the edge of the property, surrounded by thick forest. It's quiet here, peaceful even. I'm about to head back when I hear voices coming from the trees.

I should leave. Should mind my own business. But something in their tone, angry, secretive, makes me pause.

"...getting worse every day," a male voice says. "The Alpha barely leads anymore. He's too busy chasing a cure that doesn't exist."

"Thorne says we need to force his hand." A woman this time. I recognize her voice from pack dinners but can't place her name. "Make him choose between the human and the pack."

"And if he chooses her?"

"Then we choose a new Alpha."

My blood turns cold. They're talking about overthrowing Kael.

"That's treason," a third voice argues. "Kael has led us for over a decade. You'd throw away his leadership because of one woman?"

"It's not about the woman," the first man says. "It's about his judgment. He's putting his personal wants above pack safety. That's not leadership… that's selfishness."

"The Bloodfangs are getting bolder," the woman adds. "Three border violations this week alone. They're testing us, seeing if we're weak. And what does our Alpha do? He locks himself in his study researching fairy tales."

"What do you suggest?" the third voice asks.

"We talk to others who feel the same way. Build support. When the time comes, we present Kael with a choice…send the human away, or step down."

"And if he refuses both?"

Silence stretches between them. Then the woman speaks again, her voice hard.

"Then we do what's necessary to protect the pack. With or without his permission."

I back away slowly, careful not to make noise. My heart pounds so loud I'm sure they can hear it. But the voices continue talking, and I make it back to the training grounds without being spotted.

The walk to the main house feels endless. Every wolf I pass could be part of the conspiracy. Every greeting could be fake. How many of them want Kael gone? How many blame me for the problems in the pack?

Inside, I head straight for the guest wing, but Helena blocks my path.

"Clara." She looks me up and down, taking in my sweaty clothes and tired face. "Playing warrior now?"

"Learning to defend myself," I correct her.

"How noble." Her smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Though I wonder what you're defending yourself from. The Bloodfangs? Or the pack that's supposed to protect you?"

The words hit too close to home. "What do you want, Helena?"

"To give you advice." She steps closer, lowering her voice. "Go home, Clara. Back to your human life where you belong. Every day you stay here, you make things worse. For Kael. For the pack. For yourself."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's the truth." She moves past me, then pauses. "You're not stupid. You must feel it… how fragile things are right now. One wrong move and everything breaks. Do you really want to be responsible for destroying an entire pack?"

She leaves before I can respond.

In my room, I sink onto the bed and let the weight of the day crush me. My body hurts from training. My heart hurts from the whispered plot I overheard. My head hurts from Helena's words that ring with truth.

I'm the problem, being here, and staying despite the danger, me refusing to leave even though it would solve so many issues.

But leaving means abandoning Kael, accepting that I'm too weak for this world, and giving up the first real choice I've made in years.

I think about Mira, teaching me to fight even though she probably thinks it's pointless, the wolves plotting against their Alpha because of me. About Kael, torn between his duty and his heart.

What am I trying to prove? That I'm strong enough to survive here? The evidence says otherwise. I can barely throw a punch, can barely understand pack politics without causing disasters.

Maybe I am a liability.

But giving up isn't in my nature. I became a doctor because I wanted to save lives, to fix what was broken. And right now, this pack is broken, partly because of me, but also because of ancient curses and old grudges and power struggles that existed long before I showed up.

Running away won't fix any of that.

So I'll train. I'll learn. I'll prove that I'm not just some weak human who needs constant protection.

Even if part of me suspects they're all right, that I'm fighting a battle I can't possibly win.

At least I'll go down fighting.

Better that than running away again.