15

15
Jane.
“What’s wrong, Jane?” Amira asked, her voice filled with concern. “Ever since we left the club, you’ve been unhappy and moody. What happened in there?”
My chest felt tight, the weight of pain I couldn’t say out loud pressing against my ribs until I could barely breathe. How could I tell her?
How could I explain that seeing him again had torn open wounds I thought were finally getting better? That his words—those mean, had made me want to scratch at my own skin just to feel something other than this heavy emptiness?
“I’m fine,” I replied, trying to sound convincing. “Please... don’t worry about me.”
“No.” Amira’s eyes probing mine as she grabbed my hands, her touch warm against my cold fingers. “I won’t take that answer. I can see you falling apart right in front of me. Please, Jane. Let me in. Let me help carry whatever’s hurting you so bad.”
My throat burned with tears I wouldn’t let fall, and when I finally spoke, my voice was barely a whisper. “I saw him, Amira. My... my supposed mate. The one who crushed my soul and threw it away like trash.” I paused before adding.
“And he... Goddess, he tried to make me feel small all over again. Like I was nothing. Like I’ve always been nothing.”
“Oh, my God.” Amira’s face twisted with anger and heartbreak, tears filling her eyes. “What kind of monster does that? What kind of heartless beast rejects someone and then comes back to hurt them more?”
Her voice got louder with protective anger. “I wish I’d been there. I would have torn him apart with my bare hands. I would have made him pay for every tear he’s made you cry.”
A tiny smile touched my lips, the first real feeling I’d had since leaving that horrible room. “I already put him in his place. I slapped him so hard his head snapped back. He never saw it coming.” The memory sent a rush of satisfaction through my body. “For once in my life, I fought back.”
“Yes!” Amira’s eyes lit up with pride, her grip on my hands getting tighter. “You’re so much stronger than you know, Jane. You’re a fighter, even if you can’t see it yet.” Her face got dark again. “But that slap isn’t enough. That monster deserves so much worse for what he’s done to your heart.”
After we talked, I tried to bury the memories, to lock them away where they couldn’t hurt me anymore. But the pain stayed like a real ache in my chest.
I needed something to fight for, something to prove—not to him, but to myself—that I was worth more than his rejection.
That I could be strong even without a wolf, even without a mate, I would become a warrior.

Standing outside Alpha Tommy’s office, my heart pounded in my chest. My hands were wet with sweat, and I had to force myself to breathe.
What if he laughed? What if he told me I was crazy? What if he said what Richard had said—that I was nothing but a weak, pathetic girl?
“Come in,” his voice called after my shaking knock.
I stepped inside, feeling like I was walking toward either being saved or being crushed one last time.
“Jane.” His kind eyes met mine, and I saw no judgment there, only gentle curiosity. “What brings you here, child?”
“I’m sorry for coming without telling you first, Uncle Tommy,” I began, my voice barely louder than a whisper. The words I’d practiced a hundred times suddenly felt impossible to say.
“It’s okay. What do you need?”
I took a shaking breath, my whole future hanging on these next words. “I want to be strong. I want to be a warrior. I want to be able to protect myself, to fight back against anyone who tries to hurt me. I want to prove that I’m not weak, that I’m not nothing.” My voice broke on the last word, tears wanting to spill over. “Please. I need this. I need to know I can be more than what they said I was.”
Alpha Tommy looked at me for a long moment, and I held my breath, waiting for the crushing blow of being told no. Instead, his face softened with understanding.
“Is that all you want, Jane?”
“Yes, Alpha,” I replied quickly, hope rising within me. “I want to be strong. I want to be a warrior.”
“Then I promise you this,” he said, his voice firm with belief. “I will make you into the warrior you’re meant to be. You have my word.”
I almost fell down with relief, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. “Thank you,” I choked out. “Thank you for believing in me.”
Walking back through the pack grounds, I felt lighter than I had in months. For the first time since that horrible night, I had hope. I had a purpose.
“What’s got you glowing like the sun?” Ella asked, stopping me with a knowing smile.
“The Alpha said yes,” I breathed, unable to contain my joy. “He’s going to train me. I’m going to become a warrior.”
Ella’s face lit up with pure happiness. “Oh, sweetheart! This is wonderful news. You’re going to be incredible—I can feel it. Go show the world what you’re made of. I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.”
“Thank you, honey.”
Later that day, I ran into Scott and Jack, my heart warming at the sight of them. They’d become the brothers I’d never had, filling an empty space I hadn’t even realized was there.
“How’s our little sister doing?” Scott asked, his smile real and warm.
“Better than I’ve been in a long time,” I admitted, and it was true. Around their easy love, I felt... safe. Valued. Like I belonged somewhere.
We chatted for a while, even Jack smiled at his brother’s jokes, and seeing that rare look on his usually serious face made my heart flutter. He was beautiful when he smiled—gentle and kind beneath his quiet outside.
“Goodnight, brothers,” I said finally, my heart full as they each kissed my forehead with brotherly love.
“Sleep well, sister,” they replied, and I carried their love with me into my dreams.