CHAPTER THREE

The snow didn’t care who you were.

Alpha, Omega, or something in between… it bit through skin just the same. Sharp, bitter, and unrelenting. It's called Frost Pack for a reason.

I gritted my teeth as I scrubbed the stone floor of the training grounds, fingers raw and red. Beside me, Mira worked in silence, her sleeves rolled high over her elbows, her breath fogging in short puffs. Her eyes were shadowed from lack of sleep.

“Don’t slow down,” I muttered without looking at her. “They’ll say we’re slacking.”

“I’m trying,” she whispered. “Didn’t sleep.”

None of us did, not really. Omegas rose before the moon dipped and stayed up long after it climbed back again. That was the rule. That, and survive.

Boots crunched across the courtyard snow, steady and familiar.

“Rowan,” Mira breathed, and I looked up.

He was wrapped in a thick brown cloak, sword slung casually over one shoulder. His short blond hair was wind-tousled, and even in the harsh light, his face looked annoyingly flawless. Smooth-skinned, sharp-jawed, perpetual smile, and eyes that always seemed too kind for this place.

He wasn’t a noble or ranked, but he was respected. Twenty two now, still training as a guard, and still somehow not mated. No one in the quarters knew why but they said he still had time.

“You two look like you’re trying to dig through the floor,” he said as he crouched beside me, eyebrows raised.

“Isn’t that the dream?” I said. “To escape into the abyss?”

He chuckled softly. “And leave me behind?” I didn’t answer. Mira did it for me, offering him a small smile as she rubbed her aching wrist.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I muttered. “Zara’s on patrol.”

“I know.” His voice dropped. “I figured I’d check in before the storm rolled in.”

I paused, eyes narrowing. “Literal or metaphorical?” He smiled again but didn’t answer.

He reached into his coat and placed something in my hand. Bread. Warm and soft. I stared down at it like it was a sin.

“I didn’t bring extra,” he added before Mira could ask. “Next time.”

“Traitor,” I muttered. But I broke it in half and gave Mira the bigger piece anyway. She needed it more.

“Rowan!” We all froze.

Zara.

Her voice rang sharp and cutting, like glass slicing through wind.

She strode toward us confidently, flanked by her usual entourage: Arnou, son of Beta Magnus, broad-shouldered and brimming with violent boredom; Derek, son of a soldier; and two noble girls I only recognized from feast duties—Leena and Sylah, wolves with sharp tongues and dull minds.

Zara was twenty now, but still unmated. No one dared whisper about it, not unless they wanted their beds reassigned to the freezing corners of the barracks. She was tall, her golden hair pulled into a braid too neat to be practical, with her favorite coat… a deep violet lined with pale wolf fur that screamed ‘Alpha’s daughter.’

But she wasn’t her father’s favorite. That honor went to her brother, Seth. Everyone knew it. And she knew we knew.

She stopped a few paces away, eyeing Rowan with mock interest. “Didn’t know you were scrubbing floors now.”

Rowan straightened, respectful but cautious. “Just on my break, Zara.”

“Is that so?” she said, voice syrupy with venom. “I thought guards had better things to do than babysit broom-wielders.”

I stood slowly, deliberately. Mira rose behind me like a shadow trying not to be seen.

Zara’s eyes flicked over me. Her smile didn’t reach them. “Still crawling around in the dirt, Auren?”

I gave her a lazy grin. “Still living in your brother’s shadow, Zara?” That wiped the smile off her face.

“I’m surprised your mouth hasn't been sewn together yet,” she said icily.

“Yeah yeah.” I replied, bored. Her mouth twisted. I'd have called her pretty if it wasn't for her ugly character.

“Watch it, Omega.”

Arnou stepped forward then, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. “You talk too much for someone who can’t shift.”

I didn’t look away. “And you talk big for someone hiding behind a princess.” Everyone knew he was in love with Zara, simping after her and running her dirty errands.

He growled, the sound vibrating in his chest. I smiled, he was so easy to rile up. And to think he'd be the next Beta… shame.

Zara placed a hand on his chest, halting him with one word. “Arnou.”

He paused, but didn’t move back. “Let me teach her some respect.” I nearly laughed out loud at that. We all know that hell would freeze if I gave any of them an atom of respect.

“Later,” she said. Her eyes never left mine. Then she turned, sharp as a whip, and focused on Rowan.

“And you,” she said, sweetening her tone. “Still playing knight for the broken girls?” she asked. “I’m sure your mum’s real proud.”

Rowan didn’t say anything and I replied. “Better that than a bully with daddy issues.”

Her nostrils flared. “Careful, half breed. Some of us have real teeth.”

“And some of you use them to help, not bite down on the weak.”

Arnou made a low noise, stepping forward, but Zara held out a hand to stop him. Her eyes gleamed with something meaner than anger, like entertainment. That look made me slightly unsettled but I maintained my impassive and bored look, it drives them nuts.

Then she turned her attention to Mira. “Come here.”