The dawn didn't bring light; it brought a cold, suffocating fog that clung to the black stone of the Obsidian fortress. I woke up with a start, my hand instinctively flying to my chest. The bond was there,a low, rhythmic thrumming that felt like a second heartbeat, tethering me to a man I barely knew.
Kaelen had left a set of clothes at the foot of the bed: boiled leather leggings, a charcoal tunic, and a pair of sturdy boots. No silks. No pack colors. Just the attire of a soldier.
I had barely dressed when the heavy wooden door swung open. It wasn't Kaelen. It was Vara, the scarred warrior from the previous night.
"Move, little bird," she spat, her eyes raking over me with disdain. "The Alpha is at the training pits. He wants to see if you're worth the air you're breathing, or if he just wasted a Blood-Bond on a corpse."
"I told him I'm an Omega," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I don't know what he expects."
Vara laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "In the Obsidian Pack, we don't have Omegas. We have those who fight, and those who feed the earth. Follow me."
The training pits were a sunken arena of packed dirt and bloodstains, located at the base of the cliffs. Dozens of wolves were already there, the air thick with the smell of sweat and the sound of bone hitting bone. In the center stood Kaelen. He was shirtless in the freezing fog, his skin glistening. He moved with a terrifying, fluid grace, parrying the strikes of three large Enforcers simultaneously.
He saw me the moment I stepped onto the overlook. He didn't stop fighting, but his golden eyes locked onto mine, a silent Command that made my knees weak.
With a sudden, explosive burst of power, he sent all three Enforcers sprawling into the dirt. He didn't offer them a hand up. He simply turned and walked toward the edge of the pit, vaulting up the stone wall in one clean motion.
"You're late," he said, his voice a low rasp.
"I didn't realize I had a schedule," I countered.
A few of the nearby warriors hissed. No one spoke to the Savage King like that. Kaelen's lips thinned into something that wasn't quite a smile. He reached out, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck. His thumb brushed the sensitive skin behind my ear, sending a jolt of electricity through the bond that made my breath hitch.
"The Silvermoon taught you to hide," he whispered, leaning down so only I could hear. "They taught you that being small means being invisible. But in my pack, if you don't stand tall, you get trampled."
He turned to the crowd of warriors. "This is Elara. She is under my protection. Any challenge to her is a challenge to me."
A murmur went through the crowd. Then, a massive wolf,a man with shoulders like an ox and a nose that had been broken more than once,stepped forward.
"Alpha," the man grunted, his eyes fixed on me with pure mockery. "With respect, she's a Silvermoon stray. She smells of weakness. If she's to be under your protection, she should prove she can at least hold a blade. Or is she just here to warm your furs while our brothers die of the Rot?"
The silence that followed was deafening. I felt Kaelen's grip on my neck tighten, his muscles coiling like a spring. I knew that in another second, he would tear this man's throat out.
But if he did, I would forever be the "pet" of the Alpha. I would never be more than the girl who was rejected.
"I'll fight him," I said.
The words left my mouth before I could think. Vara snorted. Kaelen froze, his eyes snapping to mine, searching for a sign of madness.
"Elara," he warned, his voice a low growl. "He will break your ribs before you can draw breath."
"Then let him break them," I said, stepping out from under his hand. My heart was screaming, but the hollow space in my soul was filled with a cold, sharp anger. "I've spent twenty-one years being broken by people who claimed to love me. I think I can handle a man who hates me."
Kaelen stared at me for a long beat. The bond flared,he was testing my resolve. I didn't blink. Finally, he stepped aside, his jaw tight.
"Give her a training dagger," Kaelen commanded. "First blood. No shifting."
The warrior, whose name was Torin, stepped into the pit with a predatory grin. He didn't take a weapon. He didn't think he needed one.
I hopped down into the dirt, the weight of the leather-wrapped hilt in my hand feeling alien. I was small, yes. I was an "Omega." But as the archivist of the Silvermoon, I had spent years watching every training session from the shadows, memorizing the footwork of the Alphas while Jace was too busy flirting with Selene to notice.
Torin lunged.
He was fast, but he was arrogant. He swung a heavy, telegraphed fist at my head. I didn't try to block it; I dropped low, the mud staining my new leggings, and rolled between his legs.
The pack roared,some in surprise, most in derision.
"Run, little rabbit!" Torin taunted, spinning around.
He came at me again, more serious this time. He was a blur of brute force. I dodged one strike, then another, the wind of his fists whistling past my ears. My lungs burned. My inner wolf was pacing, frustrated, still unable to break through the cage of my "Omega" status.
*Use the bond,* a voice whispered in the back of my mind. It sounded like Kaelen, but it was coming from inside me.
Torin grabbed my shoulder, his fingers digging into my collarbone. I felt a pop, a flash of white-hot pain. He pulled me in, his other hand cocked back to end it.
I didn't pull away. I leaned into him.
As his chest met mine, I reached for that golden thread of the Blood-Bond. I didn't ask for Kaelen's strength,I stole it. A surge of raw, ancient power flooded my veins. My eyes didn't turn yellow; they flashed a brilliant, blinding white.
In that split second, the world slowed. I saw the sweat flying off Torin's brow. I saw the opening in his guard.
I drove the dull training dagger into the soft meat of his thigh and twisted it. At the same time, I brought my forehead up, smashing it into his nose with a sickening *crunch*.
Torin howled, stumbling back, blood spraying from his face. He hit the dirt, clutching his leg, his eyes wide with shock.
I stood over him, my chest heaving, the white glow in my eyes slowly fading. The training pit was silent. Even the birds in the trees seemed to have stopped.
I looked at Kaelen. He was leaning against a stone pillar, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look surprised. He looked satisfied.
"First blood," Kaelen announced, his voice carrying across the arena.
I looked down at Torin, who was still groaning in the mud. I didn't feel pity. For the first time in my life, I felt a spark of something dangerous.
"I'm not a rabbit," I said, my voice cold. "And I'm not a stray."
I climbed out of the pit, my shoulder screaming in pain, but my head held high. Vara watched me pass, her expression shifting from disgust to a wary kind of respect.
Kaelen fell in line beside me as we walked back toward the fortress.
"You used the bond," he said quietly.
"I did what I had to do."
"You shouldn't have been able to tap into my power yet," he mused, his golden eyes scanning the forest. "Not for weeks. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless your blood is already changing," he said, his hand finding the small of my back, guiding me. "The Oracle doesn't just see the future, Elara. She commands the present. But be careful. Power like that draws eyes. And Jace's scouts were spotted at the border an hour ago."
My blood ran cold. "He's here?"
"He's at the river," Kaelen said, his grip tightening. "He's demanding a parley. He wants his 'stolen property' back."
Kaelen stopped and turned to face me. His face was a mask of savage intent. "He thinks he's coming for an Omega. Do you want to show him what he actually threw away?"
I looked at the blood on my hands,Torin's blood,and then at the dark, looming silhouette of the Silvermoon mountains in the distance.
"I want him to regret every breath he took since the moment he rejected me," I said.
Kaelen's smile this time was real,sharp, dark, and utterly terrifying. "Good. Then let's go give your mate his rejection in person."