Draven.
The door clicked shut behind Wanda, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
I leaned back in my chair, the wood creaking faintly under the shift of my weight.
My gaze drifted over the scattered parchnts and a half-emptied crystal glass on the desk, but none of it held my attention now.
Wanda’s words still hung in the air like the echo of a blade drawn in challenge.
"Let train her. Just one session."
I steepled my fingers, pressing them lightly against my lips.
I could already see the truth behind Wanda’s smooth, honeyed tone. She didn’t want to train redith. She wanted to break her—to humble her, humiliate her. Maybe even worse.
And yet... I couldn’t dismiss the thought so easily.
Wasn’t that, in a way, what redith needed too?
I sat in silence, wrestling the conflicting thoughts.
redith had been showing fire lately at the training grounds—standing her ground, pushing past pain, even trying to throw a punch back at .
But that was just a goal.
She hadn’t yet faced soone truly ruthless, soone who wouldn’t hold back. And Wanda... Wanda had cruelty carved into her bones like a second nature.
With a quiet exhale, I reached inward, brushing the restless presence coiled deep in his mind.
"Rhovan," I murmured across the link. "What do you think of Wanda’s offer?"
He stirred, his growl soft but edged with dark amusent.
"Our mate won’t like it," he replied, voice like gravel against steel. "But perhaps it’s what she needs. To finally awaken sothing inside her."
"A reality check, then?" I prompted.
"Call it whatever you like," Rhovan rumbled. "Fear can temper steel, Draven. And she must beco steel if she is to stand beside us in the storms ahead."
My jaw tightened as I let Rhovan’s words settle in.
I thought of redith’s face: the soft stubbornness in her gaze, the quiet way she clenched her fists when pushed, the unspoken fear behind her determination.
A part of —too large a part, perhaps—wanted to protect that spark. To keep her fighting, but never truly bleeding.
And yet...
For soone like redith—soone without a wolf, still learning her body’s limits—she should train even harder than anyone else.
To compensate. To survive.
"Perhaps I have been too soft with her," I admitted silently.
It wasn’t indulgence; it was instinct. But instinct, as Rhovan had reminded before, could also be a weakness.
It was a surprise that he stepped back from pushing to protect redith on this one.
Wanda’s suggestion burned like acid in my mind, but even poison could serve a purpose in small doses.
I thought about what redith would see in Wanda’s eyes on the training ground: contempt sharpened to a blade.
What it would force her to do.
How it might strip away illusions, reveal gaps in her strength, her resolve.
"She won’t understand at first," I reflected, lowering my gaze. "But better for her to bleed under watchful eyes than to fall in battle unprepared."
Another sigh slipped from my lips, rougher this ti as I raked my fingers through my hair, then let it fall to the polished wood.
"Very well," I told myself, voice quiet.
I will let Wanda train her. But not yet... first, I will watch redith today. See if it’s truly needed.
The decision settled on my shoulders like a heavy cloak.
Not cruel, I reminded himself. Necessary. It was better to be hardened by an enemy than destroyed by one.
I rose from my seat, the quiet scrape of wood on stone grounding in the mont.
My gaze swept over the papers—plans, notes, dark strategies on my desk and I crossed the room and went for the door.
Pulling it open, I stepped out into the corridor where pale sunlight spilt across the stone floors.
Almost at once, I spotted Azul carrying fresh linens in her arms, her steps asured and careful.
"Azul," I called.
She turned at once, bowing slightly. "Yes, Alpha?"
"Go to your mistress," I instructed. "Tell her to be ready for combat training by 5 this evening."
Azul bowed again. "Yes, Alpha. Right away." Then, she turned and left.
I waited until she disappeared down the hall, the scent of fresh laundry trailing faintly behind her. Then I exhaled, slowly, deeply.
Though I had made my decision, it did nothing to erase the coil of tension in my chest.
This evening, I would observe redith closely.
If she showed the readiness I’ve been hoping for, perhaps Wanda’s cruel little ga could be avoided.
But if not...
Then it was ti for her to face sothing uglier than drills and soft correction.
Sothing that might finally awaken the wolf’s spirit within her, even if no wolf answered back.
---
~Several Hours Later~
redith looked determined. Too determined.
Her brows were drawn tight, and her mouth was straight like a hard line. Every inch of her seed to be wound around a single goal: landing a hit on .
I saw it instantly. The single-minded focus that blinded her to everything else.
I circled her slowly, letting my boots crunch over the packed dirt.
"Again," I ordered.
She lunged at aiming a punch my chest. I shifted aside easily, her fist cutting through empty air.
"Left side. Wide open," I said flatly.
redith spun, throwing another punch and I imdiately blocked it with a flick of my wrist.
"Right rib. Exposed."
Frustration burned in her eyes, but still, she pushed forward, trying to throw a kick to my face with her right foot and then trying to land another punch after failing.
I stepped aside again, my hand brushing against her arm to guide her past .
"Back. Completely open."
She breathed harder now, sweat dripping down her temple, but her gaze stayed locked on , still chasing that single mont where she could land a hit.
I was furious.
"Again," I ordered.
She ca at , faster this ti, swinging wide. I deflected, barely moving. I could have struck her throat, ribs, or stomach a dozen tis over, but I didn’t.
redith kept pushing, anger flashing across her face every ti I blocked her. And she hadn’t even noticed the change in my mood.
Finally, I raised a hand. "Stop."
She froze, chest heaving, sweat staining her shirt. "What? I almost had you," she shot back just like in our last training.
But the difference with today was that I wasn’t in that sa mood.
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