He appeared

His eyes narrowed as he stared at me.

"Sixty-first, and you're already trembling like a wet chicken. Your endurance is laughable, Miss Kylie."

The people around us broke into laughter, and I couldn't help but grit my teeth. At this point, I could barely feel my legs. Every squat sent a jolt of pain through my knees, and each bend and rise I made felt as if my joints would break.

"Mr. Barkov."

I watched as Lucy left Cole's embrace, swaying her hips as she approached the trainer.

He glanced at her. She played with her hair coyly, her eyelashes fluttering slowly.

"Why don't my sister and I practice instead? Since this seems to be too tough for her, I'm sure sparring with me would help. What do you think?"

My eyes widened. No, I wouldn't allow that to happen.

I couldn't shift since my wolf was gone, but the last thing I wanted is for others to find out. Losing your wolf is like losing your leg. I absolutely can't let them find out.

I took a deep breath and quickly said, "No need for that. I'll finish what I'm doing."

She tilted her head, eyes scanning me.

"I don't think you can. You look like you'll fall at any moment. So just spar with me, will you? Don't be so stubborn."

I gritted my teeth. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about me?"

Only a fool would believe she had good intentions for stepping up.

Her eyelashes fluttered, her voice soft and sweet. "What do you mean? I've always been concerned about you. You're my sweet baby girl, after all."

She turned to Barkov. "What do you think about my suggestion, sir?"

Barkov looked as if he was contemplating her offer, so I repeated firmly. "I'll finish this. I don't need your help."

He snorted with contempt. "Not with your arms quivering like that, don't you dare drop the bar."

I bit my lip.

"Well then, sparring it is." He glanced at me. "But that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off. Take the spar as your break instead."

"I will—" My legs suddenly went soft, and I almost collapsed to the ground, if Barkov hadn't instantly grabbed the bar and caught me by the shoulder.

Veins budged in his neck as he threw the bar aside, the latter landing with a thud and bouncing three times before rolling away.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Stung by his tone, I bit the inside of my cheek, fists clenched by my side.

Who told him to make me do 200 weighted squats?

But he was clearly pissed with me.

"Everyone, stop," he ordered, palm raised. He stepped back. "Miss Kylie and Mrs. Lucy, please step forward."

A victorious smirk clung to Lucy’s lips as she sauntered to the center.

“Kylie... you too.”

My fists clenched tighter.

Why can’t I escape this?

Damn it.

I stepped forward reluctantly. Lucy placed her hands on her hips and grinned.

“What’s wrong, Kylie? Don’t want to fight me? Don’t worry. You’re still my daughter, I promise to go easy on you.”

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm the fire boiling in my chest.

Looking at her smug face, my nails dug into my palms.

“You must be the best mother alive. Not even a single hesitation before sleeping with your daughter’s man.”

She ran a hand through her hair, her smile still there. A part of me couldn't help but wondered how she could keep smiling like this though she was clearly wrong.

“I told you, I was only helping. But you never believed me.” She sighed dramatically.

“Nevermind. Someday, when you’re more mature, you’ll thank me for stepping in to help you keep a man.”

My face burned. Not with shame, but fury.

“Oh, then let me thank you. The trash was piling up and I didn’t know where to dump it. Just when I was struggling to dispose of him, you came along and took him off my hands. Thanks, really.”

“KYLIE!” Cole, silent until now, finally snapped. Our eyes locked. His face was red and his eyes were blazing with fire. I smiled.

But my small victory crumbled when Lucy countered.

"We all know you loved him, Kylie."

Her lips twisted into a mocking half-smile.

"Weren’t you expecting him to propose last night? Wasn’t that why you wore your best dress? Mmm, so much for calling him ‘trash’ when you couldn’t wait to be his wife."

He told her?

That he was proposing to me?

Only to reject and humiliate me?

Was this their plan all along?

How come I never noticed?

The realization made me freeze.

"I asked you to step up and spar, not to talk about men," Barkov snapped. "On the count of three, you can transform."

"Well, good luck, Ky." Lucy smirked as the trainer counted to three. Then, transforming into her wolf form, she became a magnificent wolf with snow fur and shimmering green eyes the color of spring, another reason she was highly favored. White wolves are rare, found in only 1 out of every 100 Omegas.

"Is something wrong, Miss Kylie?"

The trainer glanced at me with a questioning look.

I swallowed.

"I—I..."

"No excuses."

"I don’t want to shift."

His expression, like someone looking at a fool, turned flat as he shook his head and shrugged.

"Whatever."

With that, he stepped back and barked,

"Start!"

As soon as the command echoed in the air, Lucy’s wolf form lunged forward like a flash of light, her fangs bared and claws out. The impact of her speed sent a gust of wind rushing past me, but I barely managed to sidestep, my feet scraping against the training mat as I shifted to the side.

I dropped into a crouch instinctively, my breath heavy and uneven, legs still trembling from the squats. But I couldn’t afford to look weak now, or let them discover something was wrong.

Lucy turned sharply with a low growl, her claws slashing as she circled. I raised my arms just in time to block, wincing as her paw tore through the sleeve of my jacket.

I gritted my teeth and lashed out with a kick, catching her off-guard in the side and sending her a few steps back. The shock on her lupine face was brief but quick to disappear. Then she snarled and charged at me again with renewed aggression.

This time, I wasn’t fast enough.

Her body collided with mine, and I crashed to the ground with a thud, the air knocked from my lungs. The weight of her wolf form crushed my ribcage as she pinned me down. Her paw pressed hard on my chest, making each breath a painful gasp. I felt another tear, this time across the front of my jacket, exposing the thin shirt underneath. Cold air rushed over my skin.

I could only raise my arms over my chest in defense, trying to press her away so she wouldn’t claw my face.

She pressed harder, her claws reaching for me, and I gritted my teeth, trying to push her off.

The malice in her eyes made my stomach drop, soon enough, my arms start to tremble. Her paws was now so close I could see the dirt beneath them. In the end, my arms went soft, and she pushed in.

Eyes squeezed shut, I braced myself for the sharp sting of pain.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, a deep voice rang out.

"That’s enough."