As soon as the men are gone, it's just me and him in the room, a heaviness filling my chest as he watches me. He doesn't say anything to me at all; instead, he continues to watch me, analyze me, every detail of me. A frown suddenly appears on my face as I try to decipher what could be going in through that sick head of his, and when I've finally had enough of the silence, I decide to speak up.
"What the hell do you want with me?" I demand, breaking the silence. I've had enough of this—enough of their glares, their questions, their assumption that I owe them anything. "Speak, damn it." He raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Be silent." The command is cold, like ice water down my spine, but I hold my ground. I then watch him as he slowly walks around his desk and approaches me. "You're a rogue, clearly..." he continues, as if I'm not even worth the effort of conversation. "But there's something about your scent... something different from all the rest..." he tells me and that's when I stare at him with a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out whatever exactly he could be talking about. I don't react. I won't give him anything, but inside, his words send a chill through me. Different. That's what everyone always said... That my scent was.. different, but never quite able to explain why... I keep my face blank, meeting his gaze with a steady glare. "Tell me what pack you belonged to before you became a rogue," he says, his tone more of a demand than a question. I feel a flash of anger, the defiance rising up in me like fire, suddenly becoming defensive as I think of my family. "I will never tell you." I snap at him He squints his eyes at me and crosses his arms, his expression unchanged as he continues to look at me. "Very well. You have one last chance to tell me why you ended up here. ." I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay calm. "I told you before. I was simply passing through. It's not like there are signs that tell me I'm on Raven Moon territory. I have no business with your pack." I can feel the tension building in the room, like a storm about to break. "You can interrogate me for days if you want, trust me, I've been through much worse. But I'm telling you the truth." He watches me, his eyes dark and unreadable, but there's something in his gaze—a flicker of something I can't name, something that makes my skin prickle. Finally, he nods, his voice calm, almost contemplative. "Hm... it seems you are." I feel a sliver of hope, a sense of victory that I've made him believe me. "So... does that mean you're letting me go?" His lips curl into a faint, humourless smile. "No... not at all." The words hit like a slap, wiping away any trace of relief. I grit my teeth, the anger bubbling up again. "Why not? You just said I was telling the truth. Or is that not enough for the almighty Alpha of Raven Moon?" He stands, moving around the room with slow, deliberate steps, his gaze never leaving mine. I tense as he gets closer, but I refuse to back down, refuse to show even a hint of weakness... "Let me make something clear, Kaida," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "Truth or not, you're a rogue. And rogues don't walk freely in my territory. You're here because I allow it. You breathe because I allow it. You may have stumbled onto my land by accident, but your choices are now in my hands." I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms, almost forgetting about the injuries in my hands just as I feel a growl rumble in my throat. I find myself stepping up to him, looking him dead in the eye. "I don't care who you think you are," I snap, my voice sharp. "I don't owe you anything. I don't answer to you..." His eyes narrow, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. "You'd do well to reconsider your attitude." "And you'd do well to let me leave," I shoot back, lifting my chin. "If you don't have a reason to keep me here, then let me go. Otherwise, I promise you—I'll make it my mission to make your life hell." A silence falls, tense and unbreakable, and for a moment, I wonder if I've gone too far. But I don't back down, even as his gaze hardens, his expression turning colder than I thought possible. "You adorable aren't you?" His tone is mocking and I blink at him, not being able to believe a word he's just said. Does he think this is a fucking joke? "You genuinely believe you're a threat." He suddenly laughs as he shakes his head at me. "You're nothing but a lone wolf who got caught where she shouldn't be. You're no threat to me, Kaida…” For some reason his words sting and I feel a rage course within me, one I haven’t felt in a long time. It causes another growl to rip through my teeth and before I know it, I throw a punch at him. He swerves out of the way with ease, but I don’t stop there, instead, I unleash a flurry of attacks on him, throwing my injured fists towards him as I shriek out loud. He is able to evade all my attacks, making it look like I’m simply hitting the air and soon, I feel him grab hold of my forearms, gripping onto them carefully just as I hiss quietly in pain, feeling my hands continue to sting. His silence is answer enough. He doesn't intend to let me go. Not now, maybe not ever. "You're staying," he says finally, his voice final. "For as long as I see fit. And you'll obey my commands, or you'll face the consequences." I glare at him, my pulse racing, every instinct screaming to fight, to resist. But I know it won't do any good. Not here, not against him… "You can keep me locked up here," I say, my voice low. "But you'll never break me." He smirks, as if my defiance is nothing but a mild annoyance as he brings me closer to him, our faces only inches apart. "We'll see…”K A I D AThere’s a shift in the air the next morning.It’s subtle—just a change in the wind, a pressure against the skin that doesn’t quite belong. But I feel it the second I wake up.Something’s coming.I sit up in bed, blink against the gray light filtering through the stone shutters. My room in the Admosian stronghold is spartan—stone walls, thick furs on the bed, a table covered in maps and weapons. Nothing personal. Nothing soft.It fits.I rise and start moving, pulling on my gear piece by piece—black armor fitted to my form, reinforced with woven silver in the joints, lightweight but strong. Battle gear.By the time I tie my hair back, there’s a knock at the door.It’s Korra.Her eyes meet mine, and I know she feels it too.“Something’s shifted,” she says.“Yeah. I feel it.”We head to the war hall together. The corridors are filled with warriors. Tension hangs like a storm cloud above us all—silent, brewing. They feel it too.Inside the hall, Octavius is already standing with
K A I D AYou’d think preparing for war would feel like chaos.But this?This is silence.The kind that vibrates in your bones before the storm hits.The kind of silence that makes your breath feel too loud, your thoughts too sharp.I stand at the top of the eastern wall, looking out over the valley. The air up here is crisp, sharp with the bite of winter. Below, the Admosian warriors move like clockwork—unloading crates, sharpening blades, reinforcing the perimeter of the fortress.The sky is a washed-out gray. No birds. No sound.It’s like the world knows something’s coming. And it’s holding its breath.Behind me, the doors to the fortress creak open, and footsteps echo across the stone.Korra’s voice cuts through the quiet. “They’re here.”My heart skips once. Then it steadies. Of course they’re here.The first of the allied packs.I follow her down the stairwell, through the arching halls until we reach the courtyard—where the outer gates are wide open, and the first group enters
When the meeting finally wraps up, Octavius dismisses the gathered wolves with a curt nod just as I watch everyone disperse around me. The tension in the room doesn't fade completely, though. Everyone knows the stakes tomorrow, and no one wants to be the one who screws it up... and I don't want that to be me.I hang back, not quite ready to face him, but knowing I don't have a choice. My mind is still reeling from hearing that name—the Tyro Pack.Of all the damn packs.Lucas glances at me, his brows knitting together when he notices my silence. "You okay? You've been awfully quiet."I then look to him, finding him looking down at me curiously, right before I shake my head and try to keep my head together."I'm fine," I answer, a little sharper than I intend. His frown deepens, but he doesn't press me. I'm grateful for that, at least at him and the others don't give me as much trouble as before."I'll see you later Lucas." I tell him, walking off before he even has the chance to respon
K A I D AThe bruises haven’t even faded from the last trial when Kita calls us back to the courtyard.No rest.No congratulations.Just silence and the weight of whatever comes next.Korra walks beside me, silent. Focused. There’s a tension in her shoulders that I recognize—because it mirrors my own. It’s not just about survival anymore. It’s about legacy. About preparing for whatever monster Lucien is planning to unleash next.Kita stands beneath the stone archway, dressed in armor that looks like it belongs in a history book. A long black coat trimmed in silver. A blade on her back that pulses faintly with energy I can feel from ten feet away.I stop in front of her. “What now? Trial three?”She nods once. “The final one.”Korra crosses her arms. “Let me guess. We’re jumping into lava or battling demons from the underworld?”“No,” Kita says, her voice unusually low. “This one… is different.”That alone is enough to put me on edge.She gestures for us to follow her, and we do, throu
K A I D AThe bruises haven’t even faded from the last trial when Kita calls us back to the courtyard.No rest.No congratulations.Just silence and the weight of whatever comes next.Korra walks beside me, silent. Focused. There’s a tension in her shoulders that I recognize—because it mirrors my own. It’s not just about survival anymore. It’s about legacy. About preparing for whatever monster Lucien is planning to unleash next.Kita stands beneath the stone archway, dressed in armor that looks like it belongs in a history book. A long black coat trimmed in silver. A blade on her back that pulses faintly with energy I can feel from ten feet away.I stop in front of her. “What now? Trial three?”She nods once. “The final one.”Korra crosses her arms. “Let me guess. We’re jumping into lava or battling demons from the underworld?”“No,” Kita says, her voice unusually low. “This one… is different.”That alone is enough to put me on edge.She gestures for us to follow her, and we do, throu
K A I D AThe bruises haven’t even faded from the last trial when Kita calls us back to the courtyard.No rest.No congratulations.Just silence and the weight of whatever comes next.Korra walks beside me, silent. Focused. There’s a tension in her shoulders that I recognize—because it mirrors my own. It’s not just about survival anymore. It’s about legacy. About preparing for whatever monster Lucien is planning to unleash next.Kita stands beneath the stone archway, dressed in armor that looks like it belongs in a history book. A long black coat trimmed in silver. A blade on her back that pulses faintly with energy I can feel from ten feet away.I stop in front of her. “What now? Trial three?”She nods once. “The final one.”Korra crosses her arms. “Let me guess. We’re jumping into lava or battling demons from the underworld?”“No,” Kita says, her voice unusually low. “This one… is different.”That alone is enough to put me on edge.She gestures for us to follow her, and we do, throu