Xavier has been ignoring Bella — only speaking to her during harsh training, cold and distant. After one of those nights, when Bella feels broken and restless, she can't sleep. She goes outside for some air, and that's when she finds Laura by the fire.
Here's your revised version of the chapter with that change included:
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Chapter Seven – Of Wolves and Blood
Bella's POV
Days had begun to blur together.
Wake up. Train. Get bruised. Repeat.
Xavier rarely spoke to me outside the training field. He'd give me orders — sharp, clipped, emotionless. "Again." "Faster." "Get up." His voice was always cold, like the sound of steel striking stone.
He never looked at me for more than a second. And when he did, it was as if his eyes could slice right through my chest.
I didn't understand him.
He saved me, then imprisoned me. Trained me, then ignored me. Some nights, when the pain in my arms throbbed too much to sleep, I wondered if he wanted to turn me into one of them — or just break me entirely.
That night was one of those nights.
The moon hung low and wide, the sky pale with silver light. The whole packhouse had gone quiet, though I could still hear faint howls echoing from deep in the forest. I rolled over again and again in bed, but sleep wouldn't come.
Frustrated, I slipped out of my room and padded down the hallway. The wooden floorboards groaned under my feet. The air outside was cold enough to bite, but at least it was free — something I rarely felt anymore.
As I walked past the training grounds, I caught a faint glint of firelight flickering from the back of the east wing.
Laura was there, sharpening a blade beside a small fire. The flames threw warm gold across her skin, catching in her dark hair.
"Laura," I called softly.
She looked up, smiled faintly. "Can't sleep again?"
I gave a tired laugh. "How can anyone sleep here? I can still hear his voice in my head — 'Get up, Bella.' 'Do it again.'"
Her smile faded, eyes soft with sympathy. "Xavier trains you hard."
"He doesn't train me," I said bitterly. "He punishes me."
"Maybe both," she murmured.
I sank down beside her, hugging my knees to my chest, staring at the fire. "Laura, can I ask you something? Everyone keeps saying things I don't understand. About wolves, packs, omegas… even a Moon Goddess. I don't get it. What does any of that mean?"
Laura's hands stilled on the blade. She stared into the flames for a long time before speaking.
"We are not just people, Bella. We are the children of the Moon Goddess herself. She gave us life, power, and the bond that ties us together. We're wolves — not cursed, not monsters — wolves born of her light."
I frowned. "You mean… real wolves?"
Her eyes flicked up to me. "Yes. When a wolf comes of age, their second nature awakens. They can shift — body, mind, everything. We live by instinct, by loyalty. That's why the packs exist. Every pack has an Alpha who leads, a Beta who supports, warriors who protect, and Omegas who keep the peace."
I tried to take it all in, but it felt like she was describing another world — one I didn't belong to.
"Then… what makes the Alpha so special?"
"The Alpha is more than a leader," she said softly. "His strength comes from the Moon Goddess herself. He can command the pack through the mind-link — a shared bond that lets us hear and feel each other's thoughts."
I blinked. "Wait… he can read minds?"
Laura chuckled lightly. "Not exactly. But he feels what we feel. Our fear, our pain, our lies. To command a pack, you have to be tied to it. Xavier carries that weight every day."
Something in her voice made my chest ache.
"Then… who carries his weight?" I whispered.
"The Luna," Laura said, eyes soft. "The Alpha's mate. She balances him. Keeps his wolf steady. Without her, an Alpha's power turns wild. Dangerous."
I sat silent, staring at the flames licking upward.
The word mate burned in my mind.
"Laura," I said slowly. "If that's true… then why am I here? I'm not a wolf. I don't have a bond, or a mind-link, or any of this. Why did Xavier bring me here?"
She looked at me for a long moment. The fire crackled between us, throwing shadows across her face.
"I don't know everything, Bella," she said finally. "But I know Xavier doesn't act without reason. You might not see it yet, but he brought you here for something. Something important."
I shook my head, tears stinging behind my eyes. "But I'm just a human. I'm nothing like you."
Her expression softened, almost pitying. "Then ask him yourself. Ask Xavier what you are to him."
Her words lingered in the air, heavy and daring.
I didn't reply. I couldn't.
But as I looked into the fire, I realized something — maybe I wasn't just a prisoner here.
Maybe I was a question Xavier himself was too afraid to answer.