Chapter 4

Three months earlier

Zahra's POV

“Focus, Larkin.” Instructor Montrose barks from the edge of the arena, her voice cutting across the sand. “You need to stay vigilant at all times. Try again.”

I square up to the swinging target. The weight of the dagger sits warm and familiar in my palm; three more ride easy in the sheaths at my belt. I breathe in, let the breath drop low, and release.

Throw. Thud.

Throw. Thud.

Throw. Thud.

The target jerks on its chain, each blade buried clean. Moving targets used to rattle me. Now they feel like drills in a children’s book. Short of live opponents, this is as close as the academy gets.

Montrose’s mouth quirks, the closest she gets to a smile. I give her a pointed look back. We both know I did not need the pep talk. Weapons were the steepest climb when I arrived. I had never handled any before. But when everything else came too easily, I poured the extra hours here. I learned to love steel. To respect distance. To make speed do the work my arms could not.

I am lethal now. In a long sword match a bigger opponent can still grind me down with raw power, but if I finish it fast, I win— and I almost always finish it fast. Edwardo is still the only person I cannot beat one hundred percent of the time, and he is currently making sure my arms stop being the weakest link. Vale’s programme has me bulking up nicely. At this point it is mostly biology arguing with me.

“When do you leave for graduation and your trip home?” Montrose asks, voice softened in that way she reserves for the rare moments she is not a taskmaster. She has always been one of my favourites. Brutal, fair, and honest about the work.

“Tomorrow morning, ma’am. I can’t wait.”

She nods. “Good. Have a solid summer, Miss Larkin. I will see you in September.”

With that, she turns and strides away. For a second, I just stand there, confused she cut the session short— until I spot Edwardo and Henry walking toward me across the grass.

Both of them are smiling. It makes me nervous. 

“How are you this morning, Zahra?” Edwardo asks. Neither of them has ever called me "Miss Larkin."

“Good, sir.”

He tips his head toward the tree line. “Walk with us.”

We fall into step on the path that winds toward the lake. The grounds are quiet this early. Somewhere deeper in the woods a unit is out running, feet drumming through the loam.

“Zahra,” Edwardo says after a beat, “I know you head home tomorrow for your graduation, and that you plan to spend the summer in Blood Moon.” He pauses.

My stomach tightens. They are not about to pull my leave, are they?

‘They can’t do that. Everyone else is going home,’ Zanthe snaps. She is as ready to bolt for pack territory as I am.

“I know this would be your first proper break in three years,” Edwardo goes on, then stops with Henry on his other side, both of them facing me now.

“Zahra, there is a special programme we run at the Elite academy,” he says. “It is only for our best warriors, and we would like to invite you to attend. Normally we wait until your official induction next summer. However, this course is only run every few years, and it starts next week.”

For a heartbeat all I can hear is the lake lapping against the stones.

He said it like it is a given that I am joining the Elites next year. And did he just lump me in with the best?

'Well, duh. You have been running circles around Anderson and Henry for three years. They know exactly where you sit compared to the rest of the Elites. that's Hardly a surprise.'

Edwardo clears his throat. “The course starts on the tenth. I have personally recommended you. I hope you will consider attending.”

I just stare at him for a beat, brain blank. “Where is the course?”

“I cannot tell you that,” he says, unruffled. “You will present yourself at the Elite Training Centre at eight a.m. on the morning of the tenth.”

“When will it finish?”

“We cannot be certain. The course ends when it is completed. We expect you to be ready to return to the academy at the beginning of September without issue.”

“So… the whole summer?”

He hesitates, a flicker of discomfort. “Most likely. Yes.”

My mouth goes dry. He wants me to Miss it? My first summer home in three years?

“I know it is a lot to ask,” Henry says gently. “But this is an incredible opportunity. I will also be attending. It is the first time they have run it since I joined five years ago. If you pass on this one, it could be another five. years”

That, lands. At least there will be one friendly face. “What will we be doing?” I ask Edwardo.

“I cannot tell you that,” he says again, the ghost of a smile in his eyes. “But it will be worthwhile.”

I swallow and let the decision settle. “All right. Thank you for considering me. I would love to accept.”

Edwardo’s smile breaks clean and quick. He claps my shoulder once and turns back toward the path. Henry lingers.

“Honestly, I don't think you will regret it,” he says. “I’ve been excited since I heard it was running this year.”

“I am guessing Eli is not invited?” The question slips out before I can stop it.

Henry’s brow creases. “Has he been accepted to the Task Force yet? First years do not often get invited to this course. So… I doubt it.”

My stomach knots. He’s not going to like this.

'Don't tell him. Go home for graduation, then ghost him. He won't be here next year. He will never know you were on the course and he won't know you're ignoring him.

'I can't do that, Zanthe. He is my boyfriend.'

She huffs and turns her back on me. Eli is the only subject we ever truly fight about.

I cut back across the lawn toward the main building, thoughts crowding each other. A few cadets call out as I pass the doors. I tip a hand in greeting and keep moving. The gym is blessedly empty. Technically I still have a session block on my schedule, so I rack a bar and get to work. If I cannot quiet my head, I can at least make my muscles burn instead.