Stronger

Chapter 3

Stronger

Jade woke before dawn.

The rest of Silverwood Pack was still asleep when she slipped quietly from the cottage.

A cool fog clung to the forest floor, weaving between the pines that surrounded her home. The world felt different at this hour. Peaceful.

Free.

No whispers.

No judgment.

No pity.

Just her.

And the wolf she intended to make stronger.

The small clearing behind the cottage had become her personal training ground over the years. Few wolves knew about it. She preferred it that way.

A worn wooden post stood in the center.

Several targets had been nailed to nearby trees.

The area wasn't impressive.

But it was hers.

Jade stretched before launching into her routine.

Running came first.

Five laps around the clearing.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

By the time she stopped, her lungs burned.

Good.

Pain meant progress.

She dropped into a fighting stance and attacked the wooden post.

Punch.

Punch.

Elbow.

Kick.

The rough wood scraped her knuckles, but she ignored it.

Most wolves trained openly on the pack grounds.

Jade trained in secret.

Most wolves had instructors.

Jade had determination.

If the pack insisted on seeing her as weak, she'd make sure they were wrong.

"You know, normal people occasionally sleep."

Jade groaned.

Without turning around, she grabbed a stick from the ground and hurled it behind her.

A laugh echoed through the clearing.

The stick was caught effortlessly.

"Violent this morning."

Jade finally looked over her shoulder.

Liam Reed leaned against a tree with an annoying grin plastered across his face.

Her best friend.

Unfortunately.

Liam was eighteen, having celebrated his birthday earlier that year. Tall and lean with messy dark hair and warm brown eyes, he had spent most of their childhood getting into trouble and dragging Jade into it.

Or vice versa.

Neither of them remembered exactly which.

"I liked you better when you slept late," Jade said.

"You've never liked me."

"Fair."

Liam tossed the stick aside and walked into the clearing.

Unlike most of the pack, he never treated her differently because of her father.

He never looked at her with pity.

Never looked at her with suspicion.

Just Jade.

That alone made him priceless.

He glanced around.

"You've been out here for hours already, haven't you?"

"Only one."

"Jade."

She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe two."

His expression said he didn't believe her.

"You're going to wear yourself out."

"I'll survive."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Jade looked away.

Liam knew her too well.

"Your birthday is in three weeks," he said quietly.

She nodded.

"And you're terrified."

"I'm not terrified."

"You nearly broke my arm sparring yesterday."

"Your defense was weak."

"My defense is excellent."

"You cried."

"I did not cry."

"You absolutely cried."

Liam pointed dramatically.

"There were witnesses."

"Name one."

"Me."

Jade laughed despite herself.

The sound echoed through the clearing.

For a moment, she forgot all the things waiting for her beyond the trees.

Forgot Sabrina.

Forgot the whispers.

Forgot the weight she'd been carrying for years.

Then Liam's smile softened.

"You know your life isn't going to magically change when you turn eighteen."

The laughter faded.

"I know."

"But you want it to."

Jade stared toward the forest.

"I just want a chance."

Liam didn't interrupt.

A quality she appreciated.

"All my life I've been the daughter of the disgraced Beta."

Her voice was quieter now.

"No one sees anything else."

Liam folded his arms.

"I do."

Jade glanced at him.

He shrugged.

"You're stubborn."

"Thanks."

"Annoyingly stubborn."

"Much better."

His smile returned.

"But you're also the hardest-working wolf I've ever met."

Something tightened in her chest.

Because Liam always said things he meant.

No games.

No hidden motives.

Just honesty.

Sometimes she wasn't sure which was more dangerous.

---

Later that afternoon, Jade helped her mother prepare herbs for the festival.

The cottage kitchen smelled of lavender and cedar.

Bundles of drying plants hung from the ceiling.

Her mother sat across from her sorting leaves into neat piles.

"You were training again."

It wasn't a question.

Jade smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe."

"You came home covered in dirt."

"There could be other explanations."

"There really couldn't."

Jade laughed.

Her mother shook her head.

"You remind me of your father sometimes."

The words made Jade wince.

Noticing immediately, her mother reached across the table.

"I mean the good parts."

"There were good parts?"

A shadow crossed her mother's face.

For a moment she looked years younger.

Like a woman remembering a life she'd lost.

"There were many."

Jade fell silent.

Her mother rarely spoke of him.

"He wasn't always the man who left us."

The statement lingered between them.

"He loved you."

Jade focused on the herbs.

If he loved me, he would've stayed.

The words remained trapped behind her teeth.

She didn't want to hurt her mother.

Eventually her mother squeezed her hand.

"Whatever happens when you turn eighteen, don't let fear make your choices."

Jade nodded.

Even though she wasn't sure fear had ever stopped making her choices.

---

That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Jade headed toward the edge of pack territory.

Liam had convinced her to take a break from training.

A miracle in itself.

The two of them sat atop a large rocky overlook that faced the forest.

It had been their spot since childhood.

Below them, Silverwood Pack stretched across the valley.

Lanterns glowed between buildings as wolves prepared for the upcoming Full Moon Festival.

"It looks peaceful from up here," Liam said.

"It always does."

"Maybe everyone should stay fifty feet away from each other."

"That would solve a lot of problems."

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Then Liam suddenly sat up.

"Don't look now."

Jade immediately looked.

"You're terrible at that."

"I know."

Following his gaze, she spotted a group of wolves crossing the main path below.

At the center was Devin Hunter.

Future Alpha.

Flanked by Todd Carter and several warriors.

They looked like they belonged in some historical painting.

Strong.

Confident.

Certain of where their futures were headed.

Liam made a face.

"Seriously, how is Todd's hair always perfect?"

Jade laughed.

"That's what you're focused on?"

"It irritates me."

The group disappeared among the trees.

Jade barely thought about it.

Her attention returned to the sunset.

To the future waiting for her.

Three weeks.

Three weeks until adulthood.

Three weeks until the mate bond could awaken.

Three weeks until everything could change.

Or nothing at all.

For the first time in a long while, that possibility scared her.

Because deep down, despite everything she'd told Liam, despite everything she'd told herself...

She wanted more than survival.

She wanted a future.

And she was beginning to wonder if one was finally within reach.