Chapter 18

Aila Coraline

"Zayn!"

I nearly had a mini-heart attack. The silhouette startled me so much that I instinctively swung a wooden stick at it. When I realized it was Zayn, my heart sank. It wasn’t personal—I swear—it was his fault for sneaking up like that.

“You just love hitting me, don’t you?” Zayn grumbled, rubbing his forehead with an annoyed expression.

Anna immediately jumped in to apologize on my behalf. It was ironic—she could joke about Zayn behind his back all day, but face-to-face, the fear was real. Of course, she had every reason to: Zayn was the soon-to-be Alpha. People feared him just as much as they respected him. Does that even make sense?

I took a deep breath. “I thought you were a rogue,” I said, defensively. “I’m sorry, but not that sorry. If I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have hit you—well, probably.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking. “Probably? Wow, how comforting.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, maybe next time you’ll consider announcing yourself before you just appear out of nowhere, mighty Alpha.”

Zayn shook his head, clearly looking more exasperated the more I explained. I mean, come on—I had a point, right? It was dark, I wasn’t using my wolf vision, and he should’ve known better than to sneak up on me.

After he left, muttering something about “having things to do” and ordering me to head back to the house, Anna turned to me with a knowing smile.

“You know,” she began, “I’ve just figured out your love language.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

She smirked. “Bantering with Zayn. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”

I felt my cheeks warm a bit, but I brushed it off with a laugh. “You're delusional. Besides, it's not like I’m waiting around to pick fights with him or something.”

“Sure, sure,” she teased.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the way she looked so smug made me pause. Bantering... with Zayn? Was that what I’d been doing? As much as I wanted to deny it, a part of me realized that maybe Anna's right.

Morning came, and all of us were caught up in the buzz of activities. I had been assigned to train the she-wolves alongside Liz and Melissa, both of whom I’d trained with before. The rest of the she-wolves were dispersed, busy with their respective tasks.

"Should we divide them into groups of three, or just make turns?" Liz asked.

The number of she-warriors we had to train was limited. Dividing them into smaller groups would mean each of us working with only about six warriors. While that setup could be beneficial for giving each one individual attention, I still wasn’t certain it was the best approach.

Melissa spoke up with a practical suggestion. "Better to just take turns. That way, they’ll all practice at the same pace. When it's not our turn, we can help facilitate and keep an eye on their form."

I nodded, thinking over the plan. It made sense. Consistent pacing and having extra eyes on their movements would definitely help. "Okay, we’ll do that. Let's make sure we’re ready to jump in and offer corrections as needed."

We began setting up our training space, arranging the weapons and marking out the areas where each exercise would take place. The she-wolves gathered, some of them looking eager, others appearing more nervous. I couldn't blame them.

"Alright, everyone!" I called out, clapping my hands to draw their attention. "We’re going to focus on defense techniques today."

I've struggled with defense techniques in the past; without Zayn’s patient guidance, I’d probably be outmatched in any fight. Offense comes easily to me, but defense... well, I've definitely made some progress.

After warming everyone up, I started demonstrating some of the key defensive moves.

"Alright, that’s the basic stance, but remember to keep your weight balanced. Amanda, you’re leaning too far forward—you’ll get knocked over like that," I pointed out, stepping forward to adjust her posture.

Turning to Liz, I gestured at another group. "Liz, can you help them with the footwork? A couple of them keep stepping too wide."

Liz nodded, moving over to correct them as I demonstrated the movement once more. "Defense is about timing, not just blocking. Watch your opponent’s moves closely, and respond without overcommitting."

It took nearly three hours to go through the basic defense techniques. A few she-wolves still made mistakes, and I couldn’t blame them. I saw myself in them, struggling just the same way not long ago.

I clapped my hands, drawing their attention. "We’ll be reviewing this again tomorrow until it becomes second nature. Keep practicing."

We granted them a break and took one ourselves. As we rested, I saw Alpha Samuel and my father, arriving. The two were in deep conversation as they walked toward us, a serious expression set on my father’s face, like he was deeply listening to what Alpha Samuel was saying. I didn’t expect them to come here, but I knew they would eventually check on any progress we were making.

Zayn appeared not long after, accompanied by Sorren, the head of the homestead. They all observed us while we continued training the she-wolves until sunset.

When the training concluded and the she-wolves dispersed, we gathered for dinner. The atmosphere was a mix of exhaustion and pride, the kind that comes from a day of hard work. Yet, the air felt heavier than before with the presence of Alpha Samuel, my father, and Zayn.

My father glanced at me as we finished eating. “Coraline, we’re bringing you back to the center,” he announced.

I looked over at Zayn, who raised an eyebrow as if silently questioning the decision. Why now?

"She hasn't fulfilled her responsibility here."

Alpha Samuel cleared his throat, demanding everyone’s attention. The dining room fell into complete silence out of respect for the Alpha. Even Zayn turned his eyes to his father, a hint of tension shadowing his expression.

"Something is happening at the North Farm," Alpha Samuel explained. "I’m sure you can handle anything from here, Zayn. Greg needs Coraline to look over their place."

I frowned in confusion. What does he mean by that? Father needs me to watch our place? Anastasia and her mate are assigned to that job, and I’m sure they’re more capable of handling it than I am. What could be the reason?

Zayn’s jaw tensed. "Alpha," he addressed his father, "with all due respect, Coraline has improved significantly in training the she-wolves here. Removing her now would disrupt our progress and set us back."

"Her duties are not limited to training she-wolves, Zayn," Alpha Samuel countered. "There are matters in the North Farm that require her attention, matters more pressing than the training here."

"If the North Farm is in trouble, then why not send someone more experienced?" he challenged.

Alpha Samuel’s gaze hardened, clearly not happy that his son was questioning his decision. "You forget your place, son. The North Farm is vulnerable, and we need someone we trust there."

The room crackled with tension, and I could feel the weight of their disagreement pressing on me. Zayn’s eyes flickered with anger, but he composed himself, taking a steadying breath. "I trust Coraline’s capabilities," he frustratingly said. "If the situation at the North Farm is as dire as you say, I’ll send more warriors to assist. But she stays here."

Alpha Samuel’s jaw clenched, and he leaned forward, a glint of authority in his eyes. "You will not undermine my orders, Zayn. Coraline is coming with us, and that is final."

Zayn’s hands curled into fists, but he forced them to relax. He knew he couldn’t fight with his father and that whatever decision the Alpha made, he had to obey. We all had to obey; there were no exceptions, even for him, the Alpha’s son.

"I... I'll come with you, Alpha," I muttered in the midst of their tension. It was an order, like Alpha Samuel had said, and I knew I had to obey.

I also wanted to know what could possibly be the reason my presence was needed. Zayn glanced at me, and my response only seemed to deepen his annoyance. He didn’t like it; he probably wanted me to finish my obligations here, which now might remain unfulfilled.

"Good!" father replied, "because your dearest friend Anastasia has betrayed us."

The world seemed to tilt, my breath catching in my throat. Anastasia? My closest ally, someone I’d trusted with my life… a traitor? I struggled to process his words.

My face contorted with disbelief. "That can’t be true," I shot back. "Anastasia would never—"

Alpha Samuel cut me off with a grim look. "I wish it weren’t."