Chapter 8

LYRA

The girls were wrong. 

I didn't make it two days; we're on day seven, and by some miracle, I am still here. And I am now ranked ninth. 

My number one critique is still “disobedience”, for not shifting, but screw it. No way I’m doing that. Mother would hate me for it. Dad would turn in his grave.  And these warriors would probably kill me for it.

Zane definitely would.

Plus, being ninth on the ranking list improves my chances of staying. I just need to keep my ranking. And ace the elimination. Which shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?

I fight a smile as we line up for morning roll call.

Who would’ve thought I’d actually want to stay? A week ago, I would have laughed if anyone told me I’d actually want to keep training for seven hours a day, living in a barracks, and eating meals alone.

Okay, no, scratch the last one. Eating lunch alone sucks. Even though we get breakfast when we come back from our run, it’s usually a sandwich or something on our way to the training hall. Wouldn’t want to train on a full stomach or some shit like that. And I have dinner with Talia while the others eat in the dining hall. 

Is it messed up? Probably.

Do I need her moral support? Absolutely 

So until someone calls me out on it, I’ll enjoy my girl time with her. 

Luckily, there haven’t been any other fiascos that drove me to wine. 

But I have to admit it, working toward something matters. Having a purpose. A goal. A real reason to keep my beast on a tighter leash… which, surprisingly, is easier here than anywhere else.

Having to earn my place. To fight for it. To move freely without someone hovering over my shoulder. And most importantly, not being handed anything just because I’m the Alpha’s sister.

It’s more than satisfying.

It’s empowering.

The biggest reason I have moved up in ranks is that I have actually made a ‘friend’. Okay, perhaps not in the traditional way, but going up to Nessa and asking her what the fuck is her problem, has earned me the spot as her training buddy. Just unfortunately not her lunch buddy, but small victories, right?

“You’re way cooler than you realise, sis.” 

That was her response. I didn’t question more, and she didn’t say more. But since then, we run together, side by side, every morning before other training sessions. And she hasn’t asked me why I don’t shift. 

We do our other training together too… we’re now spotting each other during weight training. Which, okay, is really embarrassing. 

The woman benches more than I weigh for fuck sakes.

And having to restack the weights as we take turns with our sets takes up a lot of our time, but hey. 

She’s not complaining, and I sure as hell won’t. 

Unfortunately, since she started training with me, she lost her number one spot in the ranks. Which, yeah, I feel really shitty about. But she keeps reassuring me that she prefers it this way. 

I still think she’s bullshitting me, and I still can’t figure out why. 

The only information Talia could dig up is that Nessa comes from a pack in Scotland, her father is a head trainer - surprise, surprise - and her mother passed away a while ago. 

I haven’t asked Nessa about it, or why she’s giving up so much to help me, and even though I really want to, I don’t want to push away the only friend I’ve made. I have a feeling that running a background check on her when she’s given me my privacy, won’t exactly go over well. 

New friend aside, the training has been soul-crushingly boring. Seven days of waking up, running, and doing drills.

Thank the goddess, there has been no marching bullshit yet, but we have been hit with PT galore. The weapon drills were actually surprisingly fun. Even if I am a terrible shot. Give me arrows, guns, knives to throw… nope, definitely not my forte.

I've only seen Zane in passing, which I should be fucking happy about. But every afternoon, when Maria 'sneaks' off towards the Alpha’s home, I can’t help that tinge of something in my chest. It’s impossible to identify the reason for it. And I refuse to believe it’s anger. Or hurt. Or gods forbid,  jealousy. 

Hell no.

I try pushing the thought out of my mind as I run faster. I am so excited to get this run over with today; my feet barely touch the ground. Fuck whoever sees.

Today, finally, all my patience pays off. It was announced this morning that this week will be close combat training. 

And we will be sparring every day after our run.

***

I head directly from the forest to the training hall, and the moment I walk in, I spot Talia already waiting. Her arms are crossed, and her expression is calm. It's the first time I've seen her during a training session, and it's amazing.

I give her a quick hug, and she holds me for a second longer.

“Good luck not breaking anyone,” she whispers in my ear, and I smirk, even as my stomach churns.

Dragging my attention away from her, I sweep my gaze over the rest of the room, which is a fucking feast for the eyes. The male warriors are all huge. Muscled. Deadly. And so goddess-damn sexy I’m tempted to trip over my own feet just for the chance to land in one of their arms.

One in the back especially catches my attention.

Dark brown hair and chocolate eyes.

And… a face that looks weirdly familiar.

Too familiar.

I narrow my eyes.

No. Don’t even go there.

I shake the thought from my head and refocus on the sea of testosterone in front of me.

Finally. A challenge.

Don’t get me wrong, Arcane-Oracle has skilled warriors. But sexy, fresh blood is always welcome.

I take a step forward, already plotting which one I want to spar with first when one of the clearly higher-ranking males steps out and gestures to the side.

“The Alpha ordered you to start with the female ranks.”

I blink.

The females? I glance over to where my fellow cadets look unnecessarily serious. I know they're tough and definitely trained. From the weights I’ve seen them push, the stamina during HIIT training, yes, it’s impressive as hell.

But let’s be honest: If my beast surges forward, I could take any of them blindfolded. In heels. Most of the males, too. And I could do some real fucking damage. Even though the males here are clearly experienced warriors. Definitely no cadets among them.

My jaw tightens. 

I hate this part. The prove yourself part. But if this is the game they want to play, if they want me to beg for a seat at their precious boys’ table… Then let the games begin.