Maya Pov

I walk out before he can stop me. Up the stairs, into my room, door locked.

I lean against it, breathing hard, my cheek throbbing.

We should have fought back, Nina snarls.

And what? Get thrown in the cells for attacking the Beta? Great plan.

At least we'd have our dignity.

Dignity doesn't keep us alive.

I go to my bathroom and look in the mirror. A red handprint blooms across my left cheek. By tomorrow it'll be purple.

I open the drawer under the sink and pull out the makeup kit Luna Ava gave me last year. "For when you need it," she'd said, her eyes sad.

I cover the mark as best I can. It'll fade by tomorrow anyway. My wolf is already healing it.

A text comes through on my phone.

Jade: Hey! Just checking in. You get home okay?

I stare at the message. No one has checked in on me since Mary left.

Me: Yeah, I'm fine.

Jade: Cool. Still on for 4 am tomorrow?

Me: Maybe you shouldn't come.

Jade: Why not?

Me: Just trust me. It's better if you train with the regular group.

Three dots appear, disappear, appear again.

Jade: Is this about what happened today?

Me: It's about everything. People who hang around me get hurt. You should stay away.

Jade: What if I don't want to?

Me: Then you're stupid.

Jade: Probably. But I'm still showing up at 4. If you're not there, I'll just train alone until everyone else shows up.

I don't respond. What's the point?

She's going to do what she wants. And then she'll learn what everyone else learns—that being near me is poison.

I finish my homework in silence. Dad doesn't call me down for dinner. Lucas doesn't check on me. Normal.

At midnight, when the house is quiet, I change into dark clothes and slip out my window. Nina surges forward, excited.

We shift mid-jump, my body reshaping in seconds. Bones crack and reform. Muscles stretch. Fur erupts across my skin.

Then I'm running.

Four legs instead of two. The forest opens up around me, full of scents and sounds humans miss. Nina is happy, free, finally allowed to stretch.

We run the border patrol route, the same one I've memorized over months of secret runs. Past the north marker, along the creek, through the dense pines, around the southern ridge.

Halfway through, I catch a scent that doesn't belong.

Rogue.

Nina growls, going on alert. We follow the scent to a break in the fence line. Fresh damage. Someone cut through.

Should we report it? I ask.

And admit we were out here? Dad would lock us in the house.

But if a rogue got through—

Then the morning patrol will find it. We can't help without exposing ourselves.

She's right, but it feels wrong. This is literally my job as Beta blood—to protect the pack.

We keep running, making a mental note of the location. Maybe I can anonymously report it somehow. Leave a note for the patrol.

By the time I circle back home, it's almost three in the morning. I shift back to human and climb through my window, exhausted.

Nina settles in my mind, content.

That was good, she murmurs. We needed that.

Yeah.

I set my alarm for 3:45 and fall asleep in my clothes, too tired to change.

When the alarm goes off, it feels like I just closed my eyes.

I drag myself out of bed, pull on training clothes, and head out. The sky is still dark. The forest is silent except for nocturnal animals finishing their hunts.

The training grounds are empty. I use my key to unlock the gate and head for the outdoor equipment.

I'm halfway through a warmup when I hear footsteps.

Jade appears from the tree line, wearing black leggings and a dark hoodie. Her hair is pulled back in a braid.

"Told you I'd come," she says.

"You're early."

"So are you."

We stare at each other for a moment. Then Jade grins.

"So. You going to teach me how you move that fast, or do I have to figure it out myself?"

Despite everything—Dad's threats, the bruise on my cheek, the rogue at the border—I smile.

"Fine. But if you can't keep up, that's not my problem."

"Deal."

We train in the dark, just the two of us, and for the first time in years, I'm not alone.

---

Jade is relentless.

We've been sparring for forty minutes, and she hasn't slowed down once. Every time I take her down, she's back up immediately, asking what she did wrong, how to counter it, what she should watch for.

It's exhausting. It's also kind of amazing.

"Again," she pants, getting into stance.

"We should rest. Everyone else will be here soon."

"One more round."

I sigh but get ready. "Fine. But this time, watch my feet. You keep focusing on my hands."

"Your hands are fast."

"My feet are faster."

We circle each other. Jade feints left. I don't fall for it. She tries a low sweep. I jump over it and use her extended leg as a springboard, flipping behind her and sweeping her legs out from under her.

She goes down hard, and I immediately feel bad.

"Sorry, I—"

"That was AWESOME!" Jade sits up, eyes bright. "How did you do that flip thing? Can you teach me?"

"It's just momentum. You learn to use your opponent's energy against them."

"Show me again. Slower this time."

I help her up, and we walk through the movement step by step. Jade's a quick learner. By the third try, she's got the basic concept.

"This is so cool," she says. "Where did you learn this stuff?"

"Commander Drake. Luna Ava. The patrol warriors sometimes let me train with them."

"The Luna trains you personally?"

I realize my mistake too late. "Sometimes. When she has time."

"That's a big deal, Maya. The Luna doesn't train just anyone."

"She's nice to everyone."

"Being nice and personally training someone are different things." Jade's looking at me funny. "There's something you're not telling me."

The sound of voices cuts through the quiet. The five o'clock group is arriving.

"We should go," I say quickly.

But it's too late. Commander Drake is walking through the gate, followed by Lucas, the twins Finn and Felix, Sam the future Delta, and Oliver the future Gamma.

The future leaders of our pack.

Drake sees us and stops. The others nearly crash into him.

"Maya? Martinez?" His voice carries across the training ground. "How long have you two been here?"

"Just got here, sir," Jade lies smoothly.

Drake's not buying it. I can see it in his eyes. But he doesn't push. "Good initiative. Warm up while we wait for the others."

We move to the side as more wolves arrive. The advanced training group—warriors, elite guards, ranked members and their mates.

Brittany shows up wearing full makeup and jewelry. She's not here to train. She's never here to train. But her boyfriend Sam is, so she sits on the bleachers and watches like she's at a show.

She sees me and smiles. That smile that means trouble.

"Alright, listen up!" Drake's voice booms across the grounds. "Today we're working on pack coordination. That means learning to move as a unit, anticipate your teammate's actions, and protect each other's weaknesses."

He splits us into groups of four. Jade and I end up with two warriors I don't know well—Marcus and Bethany, both in their twenties, both serious fighters.

"Your goal is simple," Drake explains. "Each group will face me one at a time. Work together to land a single hit. Any hit counts. You have three minutes."

Murmurs ripple through the crowd. Drake is the head warrior. He's trained for decades. He's fast, strong, and doesn't go easy on anyone.

"First group, you're up."

Lucas's group goes first—him, Finn, Felix, and Sam. The future leaders working together.

They last ninety seconds before Drake has them all pinned.

"Too predictable," Drake calls out. "Your attacks were individualistic. You weren't working as a pack. Next group!"

Group after group tries and fails. Some last longer than others, but no one comes close to landing a hit.

Then it's our turn.

"Marcus, Bethany, Martinez, Rivers. Let's go."