Ember’s POVThe knock came before sunrise, sharp as a blade against stone. I was already awake. I hadn’t closed my eyes since Jayden’s words had cleaved through me the night before. His cold declaration still echoed in my bones: You will survive if you prove useful. If not, you are nothing.The door creaked open without invitation. A warrior stepped inside, scarred across the jaw, his eyes flat with boredom. “Up. Training grounds. Now.”My stomach clenched. Training? I had expected to be locked away, ignored, maybe paraded like a trophy. Not thrown into the pit with wolves bred for blood.Still, I rose. I wouldn’t give him the pleasure of dragging me. My father’s pendant on my neck, reminded who I had once been—the Beta’s daughter, not the discarded omega Silvercrest spat out.The corridors of the Black Fang fortress smelled of smoke and steel. Warriors lined the way, muttering, sneering, some outright laughing as I passed.“Look at the offering,” one jeered. “Silvercrest’s trash.” “She won’t last an hour.”Each word landed like a lash, but I forced my chin high. If I broke now, I was dead.The training grounds stretched behind the fortress, a ring of packed dirt surrounded by jagged pikes driven into the earth. Wolves already filled the edges, watching with sharp, hungry eyes. The air reeked of sweat, blood, and dominance.And on the raised platform above it all sat Jayden.His presence hit me harder than the cold wind. He hadn’t moved from his seat, yet he filled the space as if every shadow bent toward him. His gray eyes flicked down once, brushing over me like a blade, then he gestured. A silent command.The warrior who had dragged me here shoved me into the circle. “Let’s see if the Silvercrest girl bleeds the same color.”A ripple of laughter surged through the pack.Another warrior stepped forward—massive, scarred from temple to collarbone, eyes burning amber. He cracked his neck with a grin that promised pain.“Your opponent,” someone announced unnecessarily.My heart lurched into my throat. They wanted a spectacle. A test. A humiliation.The warrior lunged without warning.I stumbled back, instinct screaming. His fist sliced the air where my face had been. Dust bit my throat as I dodged again, barely keeping ahead of his blows. The crowd jeered, every miss fueling their frenzy.“Pathetic!” “Run, little omega!”My wolf whimpered, but beneath the fear there was something else, anger. Hot, sparking anger that spread through my chest, curling into my fists.I waited and watched as he swung his blade wide, overconfident. This time I didn’t retreat. I ducked under his arm and drove my elbow into his ribs. The thud was solid, the grunt real.The crowd gasped.He snarled, eyes flashing. Now he came harder, faster. I couldn’t match his strength, but I didn’t need to. I dodged, rolled, used speed instead of force. His frustration mounted with each miss.For a moment, just a heartbeat, the balance shifted. I wasn’t prey anymore.Then his hand closed around my throat.The world tilted as he lifted me off the ground, his grip iron. Spots danced before my eyes. My wolf clawed weakly inside me, fighting to the surface. My nails dug into his arm, useless against his strength.“Enough.”The word cracked like thunder.Jayden hadn’t moved until now. He stood slowly, and the warrior froze, hand still at my throat.“Drop her,” Jayden said, voice low, lethal.The warrior obeyed instantly, releasing me. I hit the dirt hard, coughing, dragging air back into my lungs.Jayden’s eyes locked on me. Cold, assessing. “Not useless.”Murmurs rippled through the crowd.“Not yet,” he added, and turned away.The fight was over. Just like that.The warriors muttered, disappointed at the abrupt end, but none dared challenge their Alpha. I pushed myself to my feet, swaying, my throat raw. My entire body trembled, but I forced myself to stand tall.Jayden hadn’t dismissed me yet.He spoke again, this time for the pack. “She trains. Every day. If she breaks, she breaks. If she survives…” His gaze flicked to me, unreadable. “We will see.”The crowd reacted with a mixture of derision and intrigue. A few laughed, betting how many days I’d last. Others looked thoughtful, calculating.I scanned their faces, memorizing. Not all were mocking. A young warrior near the edge—broad-shouldered but barely older than me—watched with clenched fists and a tight jaw. He didn’t join the jeers. He didn’t look away, either. I filed his face away.An ally? Maybe. Someday.When the crowd dispersed, I was dragged back to the quarters they’d assigned me—bare stone walls, a single cot, no window. A cell is more than a room.My throat burned. My body ached. But worse than all of it was the silence of my wolf.“You saw him,” I whispered into the stillness. “You felt it. We’re still alive.”A flicker answered—soft, trembling. Then a low growl, faint but real.Hope pricked inside me.I curled onto the cot, clutching my father’s pendant. My mind spun with everything I’d seen—the scars of the warriors, the cracks in their loyalty, Jayden’s strange restraint.Why hadn’t he let the warrior finish me? Why test me at all?The questions circled like vultures, but exhaustion pulled me under.I woke to shadows stretching long across the room. The door creaked open. Heavy footsteps approached.Jayden stood in the doorway.The air thickened, pressing against my skin. His gaze swept over me, lingering on my bruised throat, my raw hands.“You lasted longer than they expected,” he said. His voice was quieter now, but no less sharp.I sat up slowly. “And longer than you expected?”A pause. Then, “Perhaps.”He stepped closer, each movement deliberate, controlled. “Fear keeps most people honest. But you… you fight even when you know you’ll lose. Why?”The question hit me harder than any blow. I swallowed, meeting his gaze. “Because if I don’t fight, then I’m already dead.”Something flickered in his eyes—quick, gone too fast to name.He turned, hand on the doorframe. “Tomorrow, you train again. With weapons this time.” He glanced back once, gray eyes unreadable. “If you survive the week, perhaps you’ll be worth more than Silvercrest thought.”The door closed behind him, leaving me alone.But not broken.For the first time since my world had shattered, I felt something spark inside me.Not hope. Not yet.Defiance.And it was enough.