Midnight torture

The Academy was silent, the stone corridors lit only by the flickering glow of ancient torches and modern security beams. At precisely 22:00, the heavy iron doors of the Sovereign Training Chamber groaned open.

The air inside was different—colder, pressurized. Linus stood in the center of the massive, reinforced arena, his arms crossed over his chest. Sol was already there, stripped to his combat trousers, his bronze skin glistening under the gym’s halogen lights.

"Tonight, we stop dancing," Linus rumbled. "The Eclipse doesn't fight in human skin. They fight with teeth and fire. Shift. Now."

I didn't hesitate. I didn't need to strip or prepare. With a surge of heat that radiated from my core, I called to the wolf. Usually, a shift is a violent, garment-shredding affair, but the High Alpha line had its perks. My clothes didn't tear; they simply vanished into the shift, merging with my essence.

In a flash of blinding violet light, I stood on four paws.

I heard Sol’s breath hitch. My wolf was massive—easily twice the size of a standard Alpha wolf, her fur the color of moonlight and winter storms. But it was the markings that drew the eye: intricate, glowing purple swirls that pulsed along my ribs and down my haunches, vibrating with the power of the Goddess's mark.

Linus walked around me, his hand resting briefly on my shoulder. "You’re getting bigger, Aella. And you’ll keep growing. As your pack expands and your assets stabilize, your wolf will reflect that power. You aren't just a shifter; you’re a living manifestation of your territory."

Sol didn't stay human for long. With a roar that shook the very foundations of the tower, he shifted.

The air grew scorching. A giant, serpentine form unfurled, scales of deep aqua, blood-red, and molten gold shimmering as they caught the light. He was a terrifying masterpiece of evolution—muscular, winged, and topped with horns that looked like they were forged in the sun.

He towered over me, a predator of the skies, his golden reptilian eyes locking onto my violet ones.

"Begin!" Linus barked.

Sol didn't hold back. He lunged, a gout of low-heat blue flame intended to herd me into a corner. I moved like a streak of silver lightning. My size didn't make me bulky; it gave me a stride that covered the arena in heartbeats.

I leaped over his sweeping tail, my paws skidding on the stone as I pivoted. I wasn't just fighting a dragon; I was outmaneuvering a god. Sol snapped his massive jaws, but I was already beneath him, my shoulder slamming into his chest to throw off his balance.

He let out a surprised huff of smoke, flapping his wings to regain his footing. He swiped with a claw that could have sliced a tank in half, but I rolled, my violet markings flared bright as I absorbed the kinetic energy of the room.

I sprang from the wall, a blur of silver and purple, landing squarely on his back. I didn't bite—this was tactical—but I pressed my weight into the junction of his wings, pinning him to the floor using the gravity-defying strength of my line.

Sol let out a low, vibrating growl of submission—or perhaps, it was something else. He shifted his head back, his golden eye meeting mine.

"Enough!" Linus shouted, though he looked satisfied. "Aella, your agility in that size is a nightmare for a flyer. Sol, you're relying too much on your fire. If she gets inside your guard, you're a luxury rug."

We both shifted back simultaneously. I stood there, fully clothed in my training fatigues, while Sol had to retrieve a robe from the sidelines. He walked toward me, his hair a mess of copper, his chest still heaving from the exertion.

"You're a monster, Queen," he rasped, a genuine, breathless laugh escaping him. "I've never seen a wolf move like that. Those markings... they’re beautiful."

I wiped a bead of sweat from my temple, my wolf still humming under my skin. "They're a responsibility, Sol. One I don't take lightly."

He stepped closer, his hand hovering near my shoulder, his voice dropping to that low, intimate register. "Well, if that’s how you fight when you’re 'busy with pack business,' I’d hate to see you when you actually have a free weekend."

I smirked, finally feeling the weight of the day settle in. "Don't worry, Sol. You'll get your chance to find out"

"Enough with the chatter!" Linus’s voice cracked like a whip through the cavernous chamber. He stepped into the light, his massive gorilla silhouette looming over us. "If I wanted to watch a mating dance, I’d go to a nature reserve. This is a tactical session. Stop flirting and get back into positions!"

Sol’s smirk didn't fade, but he moved back into a crouch, his aqua and gold scales rippling as he prepared to lung again. "You heard the man, Aella. Back to work."

"I wasn't flirting," I snapped, though the heat in my cheeks suggested otherwise. I paced back, my massive paws silent on the stone. "I was evaluating the structural weaknesses of his wing joints."

For three more hours, we tore through the arena. Sol tried to corner me, his massive heat radiating off him like a furnace, but I remained a phantom—always an inch out of reach, a blur of silver and glowing purple.

Every time Sol shifted back and reached out a hand to steady me or offer a taunting pat, I recoiled as if his skin were molten lead.

"You're jumpy tonight, Queen," Sol remarked during a brief reset, his golden eyes narrowing as he noticed me pulling my sleeves down over my knuckles. "I don't bite unless I'm asked."

"I just don't like being touched," I lied, my voice cold.

Linus watched us from the sidelines, his eyes tracking the way I avoided Sol's reach. He knew exactly what I was doing. He knew the weight of a second-chance bond and the terror of it snapping shut on the wrong person.

"Again!" Linus shouted, denying us even a moment of peace.

By the time the session ended at 3:00 AM, my muscles were screaming and my brain felt like it was melting. I walked back toward my room, Sol trailing a few paces behind me.

"Go to sleep, Aella, we have a busy day tomorrow," Sol said softly, his voice devoid of the usual teasing.

I slipped into my room without a response and locked the door, leaning against the cold wood until my heart finally slowed down.