Trust, Aria learned, was harder than power.
The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of dew and stone. The training ground had been rearranged overnight. Narrow paths cut through the courtyard, dotted with jagged stone markers and blind corners. Shadows stretched between them, bending in the sunlight, alive with movement—or anticipation.
"This is not a spar," Kaelen said, his tone precise, cold but not unkind. "It is a coordination test."
Riven's brow arched. "Which means someone's going to get frustrated."
Lucian ignored him. "You will not act alone," he told Aria, his voice quiet but firm. "Today, you move as part of us."
Darius remained slightly apart, arms crossed, gaze steady and anchored. "Your power reacts to ours. If you don't trust the connection, it will fracture."
Aria swallowed, glancing at the four alphas. She could still feel the threads from the night before—faint, but insistent. They hummed quietly beneath her skin, waiting, patient, urging her to listen.
Kaelen took his place to her left, still and precise. Riven drifted to her right, restless and unpredictable. Lucian remained behind her, his presence grounding, like a tether to calm waters. Darius stepped forward, placing himself directly before her.
"You respond to my movement," he said. "Not your instinct. Not theirs. Mine."
Her chest tightened. There was an edge in his voice, subtle but undeniable. Something that made her pulse quicken in more ways than one.
He moved.
Fast.
Aria felt the thread between them pull sharply, tugging her chest forward, urging her to follow. She ducked under Kaelen's shifting form, spun as Riven crossed her path, her senses stretched wider than ever before.
It wasn't sight that guided her.
It was connection.
"Good," Lucian murmured behind her.
Then Riven changed pace.
Too fast.
The thread between them flared—erratic. Energy surged dangerously near the surface, dancing across her skin like fire threatening to ignite.
"Riven," Kaelen snapped sharply.
"What?" Riven shot back. "She needs to—"
"She needs stability," Kaelen interrupted, voice cutting through the air like steel.
The threads tangled violently, tugging at her chest. Aria gasped, her breath stuttering. Her mark pulsed white-hot, threatening to flare uncontrolled.
Darius reacted instantly.
"Enough."
The word cracked through the courtyard.
Everything stilled.
He reached for her wrist, grounding her. The chaotic energy collapsed, condensing into a controlled pulse that sank back into her chest.
Her breathing slowed, shallow but even.
Darius didn't let go immediately. His gaze flicked toward Riven and Kaelen, sharp as blades.
"You cannot pull her in different directions," he said, voice low but lethal. "She is not a weapon yet."
Riven's jaw tightened, but he nodded once, resigned.
Kaelen inclined his head slightly. "My error," he admitted, tension in his jaw.
Lucian stepped closer, voice quiet, almost intimate. "You did not fail," he said. "You felt the fracture before it broke."
Aria nodded, though her hands still trembled faintly.
A hush settled over the pack.
Kaelen's head snapped up. "Do you hear that?"
Aria felt it first.
A subtle tremor in the air. Not close. Deliberate.
Scouts emerged from the tree line moments later, tense, alert.
"No breach," one reported quickly. "But… signs. Tracks. Fresh."
Red-stained bark marked the ground and trees—too precise to be accidental.
Lucian's eyes darkened. "They are mapping us."
Riven glanced toward the forest, smirk replaced by seriousness. "Testing response time."
Darius's grip on her wrist tightened slightly. "Then this was never just training."
Aria straightened, resolve settling in her chest. Her fingers tingled faintly where the threads lingered, connecting her to each alpha.
"They're watching," she said. "Not attacking. Not yet."
Kaelen's gaze studied her closely. "You feel them."
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
Lucian's voice softened. "Good. Awareness keeps you alive."
The scouts retreated silently, but the unease remained. It lingered over the courtyard like a shadow that refused to lift, subtle but insistent.
As the alphas discussed patrol adjustments, Aria's eyes returned to the forest edge.
The threat was unseen.
But unmistakable.
Her mark pulsed faintly, silver light brushing along her skin.
Somewhere beyond the boundary, someone had confirmed the truth.
She was real.
She was powerful.
And worth waiting for.
A distant rustle of leaves teased her awareness, barely noticeable, but her instincts flared in response. The threads vibrated subtly, a reminder that her bond, her connection, her very presence, was no longer just hers.
Far beyond the mountains, red eyes gleamed in the shadows, patient and calculating.
Varik had acknowledged her.
And he would not wait long before acting.