redith.
The walk back to the main house felt longer than it should have.
My arms still trembled faintly from gripping the training sword, and the weight of Draven’s words settled like an ache between my shoulders.
As I stepped into the hallway, cool stone under my boots, I nearly collided with Wanda.
She was pacing—phone pressed tightly to her ear, red-painted lips parted in sharp, clipped words I couldn’t quite catch. Her free hand twisted the edge of her dress, a gesture too raw for the perfectly polished witch I’d grown used to.
She looked up, caught watching. For a mont, sothing flickered in her eyes — annoyance, maybe, or sothing closer to fear.
Then she stopped pacing, turned her back slightly, and muttered sothing low into the phone before hanging up.
Without missing a beat, she brushed past , perfu sharp in the air between us.
I didn’t move or speak. Things were better off this way.
Since the day I had warned her at breakfast, Wanda hadn’t said a single word to . I had no idea that my threats would affect her and keep her away from for an entire week.
Silence was easier, cleaner and safer for both of us.
---
Upstairs, my room felt like a refuge.
The door had barely clicked shut before my maidservants descended, eyes wide, voices overlapping:
"My lady, how was it?"
"Was it very hard?"
"Did the Alpha go easy on you?"
I set the practice sword gently against the wall and shook my head. "He didn’t. And it was... hard," I admitted.
Though I hadn’t expected Draven to easy on . There was still Valmora watching my actions and attitude towards this training.
I couldn’t afford to slack off.
Their faces fell a little, worry pooling in their eyes.
"I will shower first," I added quickly, peeling off the damp training top. "On my own."
Deidra opened her mouth to protest, but Azul gently tugged her arm, nodding once.
The warm water stung against the raw patches on my palms and the bruises blossoming along my arms.
By the ti I stepped out, the steam had settled, and my limbs felt heavy—but lighter, too.
Azul waited quietly with a small jar of pale ointnt. Her hands were careful, cool, and gentle as she dabbed them over each bruise.
"These will fade soon," she murmured, almost to herself.
"They will," I agreed softly, though in truth, I knew they had be gone by evening. My wolf would see to that — even if Valmora still refused to speak most of the ti, or show herself fully.
But I didn’t tell them. I couldn’t until I got a signal from the Wolf Queen.
So secrets needed to stay caged a while longer.
---
Lunch was brought up on a tray: warm bread, roasted at, a small bowl of broth.
My stomach growled louder than I liked to admit, and I cleared the plate quickly, barely tasting each bite.
Deidra, eyes amused and faintly worried, tilted her head. "My lady... shall I ask for more?"
I wiped my mouth, nodding, the last of the broth warming my chest.
"Yes, but later," I murmured, rising unsteadily and walking to the bed.
Azul pulled back the covers, and as I lay down, muscles still sore and heart oddly light, I let out a slow breath.
"I will eat more... when I wake up," I whispered, voice already fading.
The last thing I felt was Deidra gently tucking a stray lock of damp hair behind my ear before everything went quiet.
---
~**Draven**~
The morning sun had risen higher by the ti I turned from the training grounds, wooden sword still in hand.
Dennis fell into step beside without a word at first, his boots crunching lightly over the gravel.
redith had done better than I had expected. At least she hadn’t dropped the sword. It was a good impression.
Dennis cleared his throat lightly, hands tucked in his pockets.
"Father called yesterday," he said, his voice carrying just enough weight to show it wasn’t a casual ntion.
My gaze shifted toward him. "And?"
"He asked if there was any progress with our plan," Dennis replied, glancing at from the corner of his eye.
"What did you say?" I asked, my voice even.
"I told him there was nothing yet," Dennis answered. "And that we would reach out to him when there was sothing worth sharing."
I nodded once. "Good."
Dennis tilted his head. "He didn’t sound pleased. But when does he ever?"
"He can wait," I muttered, the words low. "Rushing it won’t change the outco. And he was the one who told to protect you."
We reached the steps leading up to the main house. Dennis paused, resting one hand on the stone railing, the smirk he wore earlier replaced by sothing closer to thoughtfulness.
"Now, he is treating like so incompetent teenager who can’t handle himself," he said, his voice quieter.
I t his gaze fully. "He is only worried about you. And besides, you are his last child."
Dennis nodded once, then his expression lightened. "Well, brother, try not to break your little wife before you finish training her," he teased.
"Go away," I muttered, though my voice lacked real bite.
He chuckled, stepping back, and I continued up the steps alone.
In my bedroom, I stripped off the training shirt, which was damp with sweat and clung to my skin. Then, I turned the water in the shower to cold.
The shock bit into my muscles, washing away heat, sweat, and sothing heavier: the frustration that lingered under my skin.
redith was too thin and too easily winded. Her body wasn’t yet prepared for this.
While drying off the water from my body with the big towel, a thought settled into place, sharp and clear:
If I wanted her to keep up, it wasn’t just the training. Her diet had to change as well. More strength, more stamina.
She would finish a certain portion for every al of the day. And she would keep eating until her body caught up.
She’d likely argue, but she would do it since the training seed very important to her.
I dressed quickly.
By the ti I buttoned the last cuff, the plan had already taken shape: als were calculated, and training sessions were balanced between strength and technique. Pushing her, but not to breaking.
She would break if I pushed too far.
---
Downstairs, I walked into my ho office, morning light falling across the desk.
Papers waited, reports and requests from the estate, and sowhere among them, the unspoken weight of what ca next.
I shut the door behind and walked straight to sit behind my desk.
Next, I picked up the landline on my right and dialled Jeffery.
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