The Blooded Training

The morning air was crisp, scented with pine and the lingering smoke of last night’s fires. My muscles ached, every inch of my body screaming after the Trial by Blood, yet I could not rest. Not yet.

Kade stood at the edge of the training grounds, shirtless, every line of his body taut with controlled strength. Wolves padded around him, some in human form, some in partial shifts, eyes glowing, fangs gleaming. Their presence pressed down on me like a living weight, and I shivered.

“You will begin your training now,” Kade said, his voice low, commanding. “Every day until you can control your instincts, until you can fight as one with the blood in your veins. Fail, and the pack will see you for what you are: prey.”

I swallowed hard. The mark at my neck throbbed in response, pulsing with energy I didn’t fully understand. Prey. That word was a knife in my chest. Yet the bond stirred something fiercer than fear—something that made my pulse jump, my body ready.

He stepped closer, eyes scanning me like a predator assessing a newly claimed mate. “We start with endurance and agility.”

The first exercise was simple in theory: a sprint through the forest. In practice, it was brutal. Kade’s wolves were beside me in seconds, shadows at my sides, muscles rippling, claws barely skimming the earth. Every step felt heavy, yet my own legs moved faster than I thought possible, instincts guiding me as I dodged roots and rocks, lungs burning.

“You’re slow,” Kade growled from behind me, his voice slicing through the wind. “Faster. Feel the blood in your veins, let it guide you.”

The mark pulsed. A fire burned through me, spreading down my limbs, sharpening my senses. I could hear the leaves under the wolf’s paws behind me, smell the iron tang of sweat, the raw scent of the earth, feel every shift of the wind. My body obeyed, moving faster, lighter, almost not human.

But it wasn’t enough.

A wolf lunged at my shoulder—a strike simulation. I barely blocked it in time, falling to the dirt, scraping my knees, tasting the metallic bite of blood. Kade’s golden eyes bore into me, unflinching.

“Again,” he said simply.

I forced myself up, heart pounding, every muscle trembling, sweat slicking my skin. The exercise repeated, over and over, each pass testing speed, reflexes, endurance. My lungs screamed, my vision blurred, and yet, I endured.

“You’re improving,” Kade noted after the fifth pass, his tone calm, almost approving. “But you must anticipate, not react. The bond enhances your instincts. Use it, or you will die in a real fight.”

I nodded, though my body wanted to collapse. I didn’t yet understand the depth of what he meant by bond, only that it pulsed through me, tethering me to him, sharpening me.

The next part of training was combat simulation.

Kade instructed Maris—or rather, the wolf she had become last night—to spar with me under controlled conditions. Her amber eyes glowed, fangs bared, muscles rippling. I gritted my teeth, feeling the heat of the bond flare in response to her aggression.

She lunged.

Instinct surged. I dodged, twisted, blocked, and even managed to land a hit that made her stumble backward. Shock flashed across her face—she hadn’t expected me to react with that speed. My heart thundered, chest heaving, but I didn’t stop. Each move honed by instinct, each strike guided by a strange, primal rhythm pulsing through my blood.

Kade’s gaze never left me, his presence a tether, a warning, and a comfort all at once.

The pack watched, some in awe, others whispering doubts, but none dared interfere.

“You’re learning,” Kade said finally, stepping into the circle. “But control your rage. Instinct without control is death.”

I swallowed hard, chest heaving, muscles trembling. Rage simmered beneath the surface—not anger at him, not at the wolves, but at the truth I could no longer deny: I was changing. My body was learning, adapting, reacting like something not entirely human. Something more.

And yet, I was still me—or at least, what was left of me.

The final test of the day was endurance against live wolf exercises. I faced three wolves in quick succession, each more ferocious, more skilled than the last. I dodged, twisted, countered, every sense heightened, every muscle pushed to its limit. Pain lanced through me, blood streaked my arms and legs, and still, I endured.

By the end, I was trembling, bruised, sweat and blood caking my skin, lungs on fire, heart pounding like a war drum. And yet… a spark of triumph burned inside me. I had survived. I had fought like the bond demanded, like Kade demanded.

Kade stepped closer, hand brushing my jaw, his golden gaze unflinching. “You survived the day,” he said. “But this is only the beginning. You are bloodmarked, yes—but you are also mine. And being mine comes with responsibility. Strength. Power. Control. Learn it. Or be destroyed by it.”

I nodded, unable to speak. The fire of the bond pulsed through me, hot and demanding, and I realized that my training had not just strengthened my body. It had awakened something deeper, something terrifying—and exhilarating—inside me.

I was changing. I was bloodmarked.

And Kade’s eyes promised that nothing would ever let me forget it.

The clearing smelled of damp earth, sweat, and the musky scent of wolves. My muscles burned, my lungs screamed, and every nerve in my body tingled with exhaustion. Yet Kade’s voice cut through the fog of fatigue, calm and merciless.

“Live wolves. You face three, one after another. Use what the bond gives you. Survive, or fail.”

My stomach tightened. The memory of Maris in full wolf form flashed through my mind—her amber eyes blazing, fangs bared, claws sharp as knives. I shivered but forced myself to stand tall. I would not show fear. Not now.

The first wolf lunged. Its black fur shimmered in the morning light, muscles coiled for attack. I dodged instinctively, feeling the bond flare, sharpening my senses. Every footfall, every twitch of muscle was amplified. I smelled its fear, its aggression, its hunger. I felt it as a wave in my chest, pulsing in time with my own heartbeat.

The wolf snapped at my arm. Pain seared my skin, but reflexes guided me. I twisted, slammed my knee into its ribs, felt a satisfying grunt escape its jaws. I didn’t pause. The bond pushed me forward, made my movements fluid, deadly, precise.

The second wolf came faster, smarter, anticipating my actions. I ducked, rolled, dodged, and struck in rhythm with the bond’s pulse. My fists and feet moved almost on their own, muscles remembering what my mind had not yet learned. I was no longer just human. I was predator, prey, fighter, and something in between.

Kade’s gaze never left me. His golden eyes, molten and sharp, guided me silently. Every dodge, every strike was being measured, tested, honed.

The third wolf approached differently. It circled, snarling, probing, analyzing. Its amber eyes gleamed with challenge. I took a deep breath, letting the bond flow through me. This was no longer about survival. This was about mastery.

I moved as one with the blood in my veins, instincts and reasoning merged. I anticipated the wolf’s leaps, blocked with precise timing, countered with strength I didn’t know I had. Each strike, each dodge, each pivot was perfect. My body flowed like water, deadly and unpredictable.

The final strike landed. The wolf stumbled, chest heaving, eyes wide in shock. I had done it. I had survived.

Kade stepped forward, hand brushing against my shoulder. “Good,” he murmured, almost approvingly. “You’re learning. Your instincts, your strength… they belong to me now, and that is power. Remember it.”

I gasped, muscles trembling, sweat dripping into my eyes. Blood streaked my arms and legs, bruises forming like badges of survival. The clearing was silent but for the heavy breaths of wolves and me.

“You’ve done well,” Kade said, stepping closer. His hand moved to my jaw, tilting my head up so his gaze could pierce mine. “But strength without control is a death sentence. The bond will pull at you. The hunger. The fire. You must master it, or it will destroy you—and everyone around you.”

I nodded, too exhausted to speak. The bond throbbed at my neck, pulsing like wildfire, reminding me of the bite, of the claim, of the power flowing through me. I had survived the trial. I had survived the pack. But the bond—Kade—had made it clear: survival was only the beginning.

For the first time, I understood that being bloodmarked was not just a claim. It was a transformation, a test, and a responsibility all at once. And Kade… he was both my salvation and my chains.

I wiped the sweat and blood from my face, feeling the ache and fire in every muscle. The pack watched me in silence now, some eyes still suspicious, some in awe, some calculating. I could feel their judgments, their doubts, but for the first time, I didn’t care. I had learned something vital: I was no longer prey.

I was becoming something more.

And Kade’s eyes promised that the hardest trials were still ahead.