Aurora’s POV

The next few days passed in a steady rhythm.

In the morning, Alpha Gray and I trained together. Sometimes we worked with the soldiers. Sometimes it was just the two of us.

“Show me your water control first,” he said one day in the courtyard.

I lifted my hand. A thin stream of water rose from the bucket at my feet and twisted into the air. I shaped it into a ring, then a line, then a small shield.

He watched closely. “Your focus is good,” he said. “Your hands are ...