Chapter 6 – The First Crack

“I made a mistake.”

The words echo in my mind before the fight even begins.

Damien Southwell stands in front of me with the calm patience of a predator who knows the prey cannot escape.

“You’re sparring today,” he says.

His tone is simple.

Too simple.

I keep my voice quiet. “I’m a servant. Not a fighter.”

Damien laughs. Not amused. Mocking.

“You stopped a rogue twice your size yesterday,” he says. “You flipped him like a trained warrior.”

His eyes narrow.

“Omegas don’t do that.”

My wolf shifts uneasily inside me.

Careful. Very careful.

“I panicked,” I answered.

Damien tilts his head.

“Then panic again.”

The command hangs between us.

I do not move.

He steps closer.

“You refuse?” he asks softly.

“I obey,” I reply calmly. “But sparring with an Alpha would be pointless.”

Sebastian laughs from somewhere behind Damien.

“Oh, now I really want to see this,” he says.

His voice carries amusement, but also curiosity.

Lucien’s tone follows, smooth and thoughtful.

“Yes. Let’s see how an Omega handles Damien.”

Ethan speaks next.

“Damien, she’s not a warrior.”

Damien shrugs.

“She doesn’t have to be.”

Then he looks at me again.

“Just survive.”

My wolf snarls softly.

I inhale slowly.

Control. Always control.

“I don’t want to fight you,” I say.

Damien’s lips curl.

“That sounds like fear.”

I shake my head slightly.

“That sounds like wisdom.”

Sebastian whistles quietly.

“Careful, brother. The servant might insult you next.”

Damien steps forward.

“Attack me.”

I remain still.

“I will defend myself if necessary,” I answer.

His eyes flash with irritation.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Then he moves.

Fast.

Too fast for any Omega.

His fist slices through the air toward my shoulder.

I dodge.

Barely.

My body reacts before my mind can stop it.

Too smooth.

Too trained.

Damien notices immediately.

His eyes sharpen.

“Well,” he mutters. “That wasn’t luck.”

He attacks again.

This time harder.

I step back. Block. Twist.

My wolf screams inside me.

Fight.

No, I command.

I cannot reveal myself.

Not here.

Not yet.

Damien circles me slowly.

“You move like someone trained by warriors,” he says.

“I had to survive,” I replied.

His voice lowers.

“So did we.”

Then he strikes again.

Harder.

Faster.

My body reacts again.

Block. Step. Pivot.

The rhythm is familiar.

Too familiar.

Lucien’s voice drifts across the space.

“She’s not panicking anymore.”

Sebastian hums thoughtfully.

“No. She’s calculating.”

Ethan sounds worried.

“Damien… stop.”

Damien ignores him.

His wolf is awake now.

Testing.

Pushing.

“You’re holding back,” he says.

I shake my head.

“I’m trying not to die.”

He smirks.

“Same thing.”

Then he lunges again.

This time his attack carries real force.

Pain explodes across my ribs as his strike lands.

My wolf roars.

Rage floods my chest.

My vision sharpens.

My control cracks.

Just a little.

Damien grabs my arm roughly.

“Fight back!” he snarls.

Something inside me snaps.

For one second

Just one

I let go.

My wolf surges forward.

Alpha power bursts from my body like a storm breaking through a fragile wall.

The air shifts instantly.

Heavy.

Dominant.

Commanding.

Every wolf in the room freezes.

Damien releases my arm immediately.

His eyes widened.

Lucien goes completely still.

Sebastian stops smiling.

Ethan’s breath catches.

And Alexander

Alexander’s head snaps toward me.

His amber eyes blaze with shock.

They felt it.

All of them.

My Alpha aura.

Strong.

Ancient.

Unmistakable.

Then I slam the door shut again.

I force the power back inside my body.

Lock it down.

Bury it deep.

I stagger backward deliberately.

My knees buckle.

I collapse to the ground like a weak servant.

My breathing becomes uneven.

Controlled weakness.

Carefully performed.

Silence fills the space.

Heavy.

Confused.

Damien stares at me.

“What was that?” he demands.

I cough softly.

“Pain,” I whisper.

Sebastian steps forward slowly.

“No,” he says quietly.

“That wasn’t pain.”

Lucien’s eyes are narrow now.

Sharp.

Studying.

“Interesting,” he murmurs.

Ethan kneels beside me quickly.

“Are you hurt?” he asks.

I nod weakly.

“Just tired.”

Damien still hasn’t moved.

His gaze remains fixed on me.

“You pushed me,” I say softly.

“You’re an Alpha.”

“That’s unfair.”

Sebastian snorts.

“Unfair? He barely touched you.”

I lower my gaze.

“I’m not strong like you.”

Lucien’s voice is thoughtful.

“But for one second… you were.”

My pulse pounds in my ears.

Did they believe it?

Did they feel it clearly?

Did I fail?

Alexander hasn’t spoken yet.

But I feel his stare.

Burning into me.

Reading everything.

I risk a glance.

His expression is unreadable.

But his wolf

His wolf is furious.

Not angry.

Excited.

Awake.

Ethan helps me stand.

“You shouldn’t have forced her to spar,” he tells Damien quietly.

Damien scoffs.

“She didn’t look helpless to me.”

Sebastian crosses his arms.

“That little moment earlier…”

He glances at Alexander.

“You felt it too, right?”

Alexander finally speaks.

His voice is calm.

Too calm.

“I felt something.”

Lucien watches him closely.

“What kind of something?”

Alexander answers slowly.

“Power.”

The word falls into the silence like a stone.

Damien shakes his head.

“That’s impossible.”

Lucien shrugs lightly.

“Impossible things happen every day.”

Ethan frowns.

“She’s injured. Leave her alone.”

I bow slightly.

“I can continue working.”

Alexander raises a hand.

“No.”

Everyone looks at him.

“You’re done for today,” he says.

I hesitate.

“But”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

His tone is absolute.

Alpha authority.

I bow again.

“Yes, Alpha.”

I turn and walk away carefully.

Slowly.

Weakly.

Every step is measured.

My heart still races.

My wolf paces inside me.

That was close.

Too close.

Behind me, the brothers begin talking again.

Damien sounds frustrated.

“That wasn’t normal.”

Sebastian laughs softly.

“Oh, definitely not.”

Lucien’s voice is quieter now.

“She’s hiding something.”

Ethan sighs.

“Or maybe she just got scared.”

No one answers him.

Then Damien asks the question hanging in the air.

“What did you feel, Alexander?”

Silence follows.

Long.

Heavy.

Then Alexander answers quietly.

“I felt an Alpha.”

The words ripple through the room.

Damien scoffs immediately.

“That’s impossible.”

Lucien doesn’t speak.

Sebastian whistles softly.

Ethan sounds confused.

But Alexander says nothing more.

I continue walking until I reach the hallway.

Only then do I allow my breath to shake.

You lost control, my wolf whispers.

“I know,” I answered silently.

They felt you.

“Yes.”

Especially him.

My chest tightens.

Alexander Southwell.

The one man in this house who might truly understand what that power meant.

Later that night, Alexander stands alone with Damien.

His voice is barely above a whisper.

Quiet.

Certain.

Dangerous.

“She’s not an Omega.”

Damien frowns.

“What are you saying?”

Alexander’s amber eyes glow faintly in the dark.

“I’m saying,” he murmurs slowly,

“that servant is lying to all of us.”

Then he adds one final sentence.

And this time there is no doubt in his voice.

“I felt an Alpha.”