LOGINThe silver chains glinted coldly in the hands of the six Frost wolves. They had come prepared this time. No half-hearted scouting. These men looked ready to drag me back whether I wanted to go or not.Brecken stepped slightly in front of me, his body tense and radiating alpha power. “You’re trespassing,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Turn around and leave. Last warning.”One of the older scouts sneered, his eyes locked on me. “She belongs to Frost Pack. The beta wants his property back. Tribrid or not, she’s still ours.”I let out a dry laugh before I could stop myself. “Property? That’s cute. Marcus rejected me in front of three hundred people and now suddenly I’m valuable again? Make up your damn minds.”The words tasted bitter, but saying them out loud felt good. Like I was finally poking at the wound instead of pretending it didn’t hurt.Brecken glanced sideways at me. There was a hint of approval in his eyes, mixed with warning. Stay back.But staying back wasn’t really an o
The afternoon training was brutal, but I refused to complain. My muscles ached and sweat kept running into my eyes, yet Brecken pushed me harder. He corrected every stance, every movement, getting far too close each time he wanted to “show me the right way.”“You’re still thinking too much,” he said, circling me slowly. “Your wolf isn’t some wild animal you need to cage. She just needs room to breathe.”I wiped my face with the back of my arm and gave him a flat look. “Easy for you to say. You didn’t spend twenty-two years trying to kill that part of yourself every single morning with herbs that tasted like regret and poison.”He stopped moving. Those intense eyes studied me for a long moment. “No. But I know what it’s like to carry something heavy you never asked for.”I didn’t push him on it. Instead I attacked again, trying to catch him off guard. He caught me easily, spun me around, and pulled my back against his chest. His arm locked across me, firm and warm. For a second I felt
I tried to stay in the training ring like Brecken asked. I really did. But the pull was stronger than my willpower. The vampire hunger had woken up sharp and demanding, dragging me through the trees before I could talk myself out of it. I could smell the blood on the wind — rich, warm, and unmistakably his. When I reached the eastern border, the scene was already tense. Five Frost wolves faced off against Brecken and his men. No full fight yet, but the threat hung thick in the air. Brecken stood at the front, a fresh cut bleeding down his forearm. The sight of it made my gums ache instantly. One of the scouts spotted me first. “There she is. The freak.” Brecken’s head turned fast. His eyes flashed with clear annoyance when they landed on me. “Aria. I told you to stay put.” “I tried,” I said dryly. “Apparently my new bloodthirsty side had other plans.” The Frost wolves shifted uneasily as my full scent hit them. All three layers bleeding together. I could see the mix of fear and gr
The training ring sat behind the main cabins on hard-packed dirt marked by years of fighting. Brecken led me there after breakfast with barely a word, his shoulders tight like he was already second-guessing the decision. A dozen Ironveil wolves lingered at the edges, arms crossed, watching me with open suspicion.“Focus,” Brecken said as he stopped in the center and turned toward me. “Your wolf bleed is the most dangerous right now. You need to learn how to call it without letting it take over completely.”I rolled my shoulders, trying to get used to the clean training clothes he’d given me. The black pants and loose shirt felt too much like I belonged here. “And you’re the expert on control?”A faint smirk tugged at his mouth. “I’ve been alpha since I was nineteen. Yeah. I’m the expert.”He moved without warning, lunging forward with a hand aimed at my throat. My wolf surged up fast. I slapped his arm aside and dropped low, sweeping at his leg. He jumped back easily, eyes lighting up
Morning light came through the cabin window too early. I woke up tangled in Brecken’s sheets. They smelled like him. Pine, storm, and something darker that made my stomach tighten the second I breathed it in.I sat up fast. The big bed felt too empty. My body still remembered last night. The way he had pressed against me. The taste of his blood on my tongue. The heavy knot that refused to leave even after he stepped away.Get it together, Aria. You got rejected yesterday. Now you’re sleeping in an enemy alpha’s bed like it’s normal.I swung my legs over the side. The torn white dress was gone. In its place I found a large black shirt on the chair. Brecken’s. It reached mid-thigh and smelled strongly of him. I pulled it on anyway. Better than walking around half naked.The cabin was quiet. Too quiet.I moved to the window. Outside, Ironveil wolves moved around the camp. Some glanced toward the cabin. Their faces weren’t friendly. I caught whispers on the wind. “Tribrid.” “She’ll get us
Brecken stood at the door for a long second. His back tense. Shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath. The new scent still hung in the air — cold, ancient, like midnight and old copper. It pulled at something deep in my chest. My vampire side stirred hard.But he shook it off and closed the door. Turned back to me.The blood on his neck and arm looked darker in the cabin light. Fresh. Warm. My gums throbbed. I swallowed hard but it didn’t help. The hunger was awake and focused completely on him.“You’re hurt,” I said. My voice came out rougher than I wanted.He glanced down at the bite on his shoulder like he just remembered it existed. “It’s nothing. Already healing.”It wasn’t nothing. Blood still trickled slow down his skin. The smell of it mixed with his pine and storm scent and made my head spin. That heavy knot came back low in my belly. Thicker this time. Deeper. I shifted on my feet and felt how wet I was between my thighs.Brecken noticed. His eyes sharpened. Gold







