(Remi’s POV)

The training grounds are quiet except for the rhythmic clang of weapons and the low grunts of soldiers pushing through their drills. I stand at the edge, arms folded, eyes fixed on the sparring pairs. It’s been three days since the rogue attack. Three days since Atlas’ vow,one way or another, I’ll make you talk.

He’s kept true to his word. Not in words, but in presence.

Everywhere I turn, he’s there.

At the training fields, his eyes flick toward me between every command he barks.

At the council hall, his hand lingers too long when he passes me scrolls.

Even at dawn, when I slip out to the forest to train alone, I catch the faint scent of pine and storm,his scent,lingering in the wind.

He’s not pressing me with questions anymore. No direct confrontation. But his silence feels heavier than any interrogation could. He’s studying me, peeling away layers I didn’t even know I had.

“Focus, Remi.”

Kieran’s voice cuts through my thoughts as his blade whistles past my shoulder.

I dodge it easily, flipping backward and sweeping his legs out from under him. He lands with a groan, clutching his side.

“That’s the fourth time this week, Kieran,” I tease. “You’re losing your edge.”

He grins despite the dirt on his cheek. “Or maybe you’re just angrier lately.”

The smirk fades when he notices the tension in my jaw.

“I’m fine,” I mutter, sheathing my dagger.

“Sure,” he says, dusting himself off. “And the Alpha shadowing your every move has nothing to do with it?”

I glare at him, but Kieran only chuckles. He’s one of the few who dares joke about Atlas in front of me.

“He doesn’t trust me,” I say finally. “He thinks I’m hiding something.”

“Are you?” Kieran asks quietly.

The question hangs between us, heavy as lead.

Later that evening, I sit by the ridge overlooking the valley. The moonlight stretches silver across the forest below. The world looks peaceful from up here, untouched by the chaos that’s creeping closer each day.

Footsteps approach behind me,steady, deliberate.

“Do you ever rest?” Atlas’ voice rolls like thunder,calm, commanding, and far too close.

I don’t turn around. “Do you ever stop following me?”

He moves beside me, lowering himself to sit on a flat rock. His presence fills the space, massive and unyielding. “If I were following you, you wouldn’t notice.”

I snort. “You’re not as subtle as you think, Alpha.”

He studies me in silence for a while. The night air hums between us.

“When the rogues attacked,” he says finally, “you fought like you’d seen their tactics before. Like you knew their rhythm.”

I freeze. My pulse spikes, but I keep my face blank. “I’ve fought rogues before.”

“Not like those,” he counters softly. “They weren’t wild. They were trained. Coordinated. And they came for you.”

I stiffen, the memory flashing sharp behind my eyes,the way one of the rogues had looked straight at me before lunging, his words echoing in my skull. The girl with the mark.

“Maybe I was just in the way,” I say coolly.

Atlas turns to face me fully now. His eyes, silver like moonlight on steel, pin me in place. “You’re not just in the way, Remi. You’re in the center of something you’re not telling me.”

My breath catches. For a moment, the air between us feels charged,like a storm about to break.

Then I push to my feet, brushing dust from my hands. “If you want answers, Alpha, try asking someone who owes you loyalty.”

I walk away.

But I don’t get far.

His voice stops me cold. “Loyalty isn’t given,” he says. “It’s earned. And I intend to earn yours, Remi,even if it takes tearing down every wall you’ve built.”

I turn, meeting his gaze across the moonlit ridge. There’s no threat in his tone this time, only quiet determination. The kind that makes my chest tighten painfully.

“You can’t fix what you don’t understand,” I whisper.

Atlas stands, his silhouette tall and sharp against the stars. “Then help me understand.”

For a heartbeat, I almost do. I almost tell him everything,the mark, the visions, the bloodline I wish I could forget.

But the truth would destroy us both.

So instead, I turn away and vanish into the trees.

Behind me, the Alpha doesn’t follow.

But his vow echoes in my head long after his scent fades.

One way or another, I’ll make you talk.