Chapter 8 Chapter 8
Sabrina’s POV
I followed Kael out of the cabin.
Moonlight spilled onto the ground. The forest rustled in the wind.
"Why is Derek so desperate to find you?"
His question was direct.
"I don't know," I said. "He rejected me three years ago, chose my sister. He should have forgotten about me."
"Men don't offer five thousand dollars for a woman they've 'forgotten'," Kael pressed, stepping closer. "You have something he wants. What is it?"
Five thousand dollars?
Derek put a $5,000 bounty on me?
My heart sank.
"Answer me." Kael's voice was colder.
"I really don't know!" I took a step back. "Maybe he just doesn't want me alive to expose his scandal? I know he and Scarlett were sleeping together while we were still mates—"
Kael suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling me close.
His "gaze" locked on me, as if he could see into my soul.
"You're lying."
My heart hammered.
This man might be blind, but his perception was sharper than anyone's.
I tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron.
"Tell me," Kael commanded.
I sighed, realizing this secret couldn't be kept.
"My daughter..." I said. "Derek doesn't know she exists."
Kael released me, stepping back.
"You were pregnant? Before he rejected you?"
"The day I found out I was pregnant was the day I caught him with Scarlett," my voice trembled. "I never told anyone. If Derek knew, he would take her from me."
Kael was silent.
"An Alpha's child," he sneered. "No wonder Derek is frantically searching. Scarlett can't conceive?"
I whispered, "Yes. She's never gotten pregnant."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll learn to fight from Mira," Kael said.
"What? I don't have a wolf—"
"It's precisely because you don't have a wolf that you need to learn to protect yourself," Kael cut me off. "Exile's Rest has no dead weight, and no victims. You either get strong, or you die."
He turned and left.
His footsteps grew fainter, then disappeared.
I looked at the moon, speechless.
I thought I had escaped. I thought Abigail and I could be free.
But I had just jumped from one cage into another.
No one cared what I wanted.
I stood up and slowly walked back to the cabin.
Abigail was still sleeping. She rolled over, her small hand clutching the blanket.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her.
She was so small, so innocent.
But in this world, the weak had no choices.
I remembered Kael's words.
"You either get strong, or you die."
He was right.
I had been running. But running didn't solve problems.
If I wanted to protect Abigail, I had to become strong.
I had to learn to fight.
---
A knock on the door jolted me from a light sleep.
It wasn't fully light yet. Only a faint glow outside the window.
Another knock, louder.
"Coming," I called.
I opened the door. Mira stood outside, expressionless.
"Five minutes. Training ground. One minute late, you don't eat breakfast."
She turned and left.
I looked at Abigail. She was still asleep, hugging her bear.
I scrambled to get dressed.
I kissed Abigail's forehead.
"Mama loves you," I whispered.
A young girl was standing outside the door. About sixteen, blond hair, small.
"I'm Lily," she said shyly. "Kael asked me to watch your daughter during the day."
My heart warmed.
"Thank you."
"You should hurry," Lily said. "Mira doesn't like to wait."
I dashed to the training ground.
My legs were still weak, but I forced myself to run.
The training ground was in the center of the camp. An open space, the ground covered in gravel and dirt.
Mira was already waiting. She wore a black tank top and tactical pants, her muscles clearly defined.
"Ten seconds late," she said coldly. "Ten burpees."
"What?"
"Now."
I gritted my teeth and started.
Squat, hands to the ground, legs back, push-up, legs in, jump up.
After ten, I was already out of breath.
"As a wolfless, you have no speed, no strength, no healing," Mira circled me. "Your only advantage is that you're alive. Now, attack me."
I froze.
"What?"
"Attack me."
I hesitated.
Mira swept her leg out.
Before I could react, I was on the ground. My knee hit the gravel, and pain shot through it.
"Get up!" Mira barked. "In a real fight, the enemy doesn't wait for you to be ready!"
I struggled to my feet.
"Again. Attack me."
I rushed her, trying to hit her.
She easily caught my wrist, twisted it. I fell again.
"Too slow. Too obvious," Mira said. "Again."
The next two hours were pure torture.
Mira taught me basic footwork. Left foot forward, right foot back, center of gravity low, always ready to move.
"Watch my eyes, not my fists," she said. "The eyes will tell you your opponent's next move."
Then came dodging.
She attacked again and again, and I fell again and again.
"To the left! Not backward! Moving back just makes you lose balance!"
"Use your weight! You're lighter than me, but you can use inertia!"
"Attack vital points! Eyes, throat, groin! Don't waste energy hitting the shoulder!"
My clothes were soaked with sweat. My body was covered in bruises.
Mira never held back.
"You think this is cruel?" she sneered. "Wait until the enemy gets you. Then you'll know what cruel is."
She threw me a wooden stick.
"You always have a weapon. A rock, a stick, broken glass, your keys. Anything can kill, if you know how to use it."
She demonstrated. The stick jabbed at the throat, swept at the knee, slammed into the temple.
"Your turn."
I held the stick, awkwardly mimicking her movements.
"Again. Faster. Harder!"
After two hours, she finally said, "Enough. Go eat. At 1400, Garrick will teach you how to shoot."
I dragged my body to the mess hall.
It was a large cabin with long tables and benches.
Sarah was there, serving food to her two kids.
"Sabrina!" she waved. "Come sit here."
I sat. On the table was oatmeal and bread.
"First day of training?" Sarah asked with a smile.
"Yeah."
"Mira is tough. But she's doing it for your own good," Sarah said. "She's wolfless, too. She knows we have to work twice as hard to survive."
I looked at Mira. She was sitting in a corner, eating alone.
"She's wolfless?"
"Yes," Sarah said quietly. "She was exiled from her pack at eighteen. Because she didn't have a wolf, she was seen as a disgrace. She wandered for five years, nearly died. Kael saved her."
"Well, then, he sounds great," I gave her a fake smile.
---
At 2:00 PM, Garrick came for me.
He was a big man, with a long scar on his face. But his eyes weren't fierce; they were almost gentle.
"Come with me."
He took me to the edge of the territory. There was an open area with several targets in the distance.
"This is a Glock 19," Garrick put the pistol in my hand. "Fifteen rounds, semi-automatic."
The gun was heavy, cold.
I had never touched a gun.
Garrick adjusted my grip.
He stood behind me, correcting my stance.
"Feet apart, knees slightly bent, arms straight but not locked."
His hand covered mine, helping me aim.
"Breathe. Aim. Squeeze the trigger. Gently, don't jerk it."
I did as he said.
The gun fired. The recoil stung my wrist. The bullet went flying into the sky.
"Again," Garrick said. "Relax your shoulders this time."
The second shot, the third, the fourth.
All missed the target.
"It's okay," Garrick said. "It's like this the first time."
He gave me another magazine.
"Slowly. Feel the weight of the gun, feel the resistance of the trigger."
I took a deep breath, aimed again.
This time, the bullet hit the target. The edge, but at least it hit.
"Not bad," Garrick gave a rare smile. "We'll continue tomorrow."
---
That night, I dragged my broken body back to the cabin.
Abigail had already eaten dinner and was drawing.
"Mama!" She ran over and hugged me. "Look what I drew!"
She held up a piece of paper. On it were crooked houses and people.
I knelt and hugged her.
"It's beautiful, baby."
Lily was clearing the dishes.
"She was very good today," Lily said.
A basin of hot water and clean bandages sat on the table.
"Mira said it was your first day of training, and this would help," Lily said.
My eyes welled up.
"Thank you, Lily."
After she left, I started cleaning my wounds.
The blood on my knee had dried. My elbow was scraped raw. My back was a mass of bruises.
I wiped them with hot water, then wrapped the bandages.
Abigail snuggled up next to me.
"Mama, you were brave today," she whispered.
I kissed her hair.
"Mama will always be brave."
I lay down on the bed. Abigail fell asleep quickly.
But I couldn't sleep.
Every muscle in my body was screaming.
I thought about today's training. Mira's cold face, Garrick's gentle guidance.
I thought about the weight of the gun.
I thought about falling, again and again, and getting up, again and again.
I didn't cry.
I couldn't cry.
Tomorrow, it would continue.
---
One month later.
Training became routine.
5:00 to 7:00 AM, combat training. Mira taught me more skills. How to use my knees, how to counter a chokehold, how to flip an opponent in a ground fight.
Morning, shooting and weapons. Garrick taught me different guns. Handguns, rifles, shotguns. Also knives, axes, and bows.
Afternoon, physical conditioning and tactics. Running, climbing, carrying weights. Also team coordination, how to cover each other in a fight.
Evening, taking care of Abigail, mending gear.
My body gradually adapted.
The first week, I woke up in agony every day.
The second week, the pain lessened.
The third week, I could complete all training without collapsing.
The fourth week, I started to get faster, stronger.
Calluses formed on my hands. Where I held the gun, held the knife, the palms of my hands from push-ups.
Bruises turned into muscle. My arms were firmer, my legs stronger.
Fear turned into focus.
I no longer flinched at Mira's attacks. I learned to anticipate, to counter.
I no longer feared the gun's recoil. I could fire shot after shot, hitting the mark.
I was getting stronger.
After another day of training, I dragged my exhausted body back to the cabin.
The sun was about to set, the sky a crimson orange.
I walked to the door and found it open.
A bad feeling rose up. My heart stopped.
"Abigail?"