Chapter 22 – Training the Storm

The morning after the burial I could still smell the dirt and sadness in the air.

I stood in the training yard with Damon next to me. The pack was spread out in front of us. Not everyone showed up. Some were still hurt. Some were too angry or scared.. Over a hundred people came. Warriors, a few omegas and some older teens who looked both excited and terrified. They wanted to train with the White Wolf. They wanted to learn how to survive the attack.

I felt sick to my stomach.

“You’ve got this " Damon said quietly. His hand brushed mine once before he stepped back. "Just show them what you can do. They need to see you. Not be afraid of you."

I nodded,. My throat felt tight. Yesterday I tore out a man’s throat with my teeth. Today I was supposed to teach people how to fight beside me. My life still felt unreal.

“Alright " I said, stepping forward. My voice came out steadier than I expected. "I’m not going to pretend I know everything. I only started shifting a days ago.. I’ll show you what I can do and we’ll learn the rest together."

Rafe grinned from the front row even though his chest was still bandaged. "Show us the light again!"

I took a breath and reached inside.

The wolf answered now. She was always close to the surface. White light flickered under my skin soft at first then brighter. I didn’t go shift. Not yet. I just let the power glow around me lighting up the yard.

Some people gasped. Some stepped back. Marcus, standing at the back with his arms crossed didn’t move,. His eyes narrowed.

I started simple. I showed them how the light could blind an enemy for a second. How it could make me stronger and even in human form. Then I shifted. Controlled this time not the explosion from before. White fur rippled over me. I stood tall on four legs than most of the wolves in the pack glowing softly.

Damon shifted too his big black wolf moving to stand beside me. We ran through drills together. How to fight as a pair how to share strength through the bond how to protect each other’s blind spots. The pack watched first then started joining in groups.

It was messy.

Some warriors were hesitant to get too close to me. Others pushed hard trying to prove something. Lila surprised everyone by asking to train with daggers of shifting. She was fast and sneaky. Rafe was strong but reckless. Marcus watched everything with an expression but eventually stepped in to spar with Damon.

By midday everyone was. Exhausted. I shifted back. Sat on the ground breathing hard. Damon dropped down beside me shoulder pressing against mine.

“You’re doing good " he said quietly. "They’re starting to see you as one of us."

“Some of them " I muttered, glancing at Marcus. "Others still look like they want to put a collar on me."

Damon’s jaw tightened. "Give them time. Change is hard for people who’ve spent their lives believing one thing.”

We sat there watching the pack train in groups. The bond between us felt warm and steady today like a river. Every now. Then I felt a soft pulse from him. Worry, pride, love, all mixed together.

Later when the sun was high and most people had gone to eat or rest Damon pulled me away from the yard. We walked in silence to a hidden clearing deeper in the woods. One of his secret spots. A little stream ran through it the water clear and cold.

He sat on a rock and tugged me down between his legs, my back against his chest. His arms wrapped around me from behind. I leaned into him letting out a breath.

“I keep thinking about yesterday " I said quietly. "The way you looked when that blade hit you. I thought… I thought I was going to watch you die there."

His arms tightened. "I thought the same when I saw you bleeding. When that bastard got close to you." He pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I’ve never been that scared in my life. Not even when my father died. Not even when I took the Alpha title. Losing you… that would break me Isla.”

I turned in his arms so I could face him. His eyes were dark and raw. No walls. No Alpha mask. Just Damon. The man, not the title.

“I’m here " I whispered. I touched his face tracing the line of his jaw, the scar there. "I’m not going anywhere. Not without you."

He leaned in. Kissed me. Slow at almost careful. Then deeper. Hungrier. Like he needed to taste that I was real and alive.

We didn’t go further than that. Not today. We just. Touched and breathed each other in letting the bond hum between us. Every brush of his fingers felt like a promise. Every soft sound he made when I kissed his neck felt like love.

“I love you " he murmured against my lips. "I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying it."

“I love you too " I whispered back. "Even the parts of you that still piss me off."

He laughed softly the sound vibrating through his chest into mine. "Good. Because I’m still an asshole sometimes.”

We stayed there for a time. The stream bubbled quietly beside us. Birds moved through the trees. For a while the war felt far away.

It wasn’t.

When we finally walked back the mood in the pack house had shifted again. People were quieter. More tense. Rafe met us at the gate with a face.

“Scouts came back " he said. "More tracks. Bigger force this time. They’re maybe two days out. Maybe less."

Damon’s hand tightened on mine.

“Call a meeting " he said. "Everyone who can fight. Tonight."

Rafe. Ran off.

I looked up at Damon. "We’re not ready."

“We’ll get ready " he said.. I could hear the worry under his words.

That night the great hall was packed again. This time there was no hesitation when Damon and I walked in. People made space for us at the head table. I sat beside him our hands still linked under the table.

Marcus spoke first. "We can’t win a war. Not against this many. Not with the numbers we have."

Some people nodded. Others looked angry.

I stood up slowly.

“Then we don’t fight a war " I said. "We hit them hard. We use what I am. The light. The shift. The bond. We make them regret ever coming for us."

Rafe grinned. "I’m in."

More voices joined him. Even some who had been doubtful yesterday.

Marcus looked at me for a moment. Then he gave one nod.

“I’ll fight " he said. ". If this goes wrong it’s on you, White Wolf."

Damon started to growl. I squeezed his hand.

“It’s on all of us " I said. "Together.”

The meeting went on for hours. Plans. Strategies. Who would guard what. Who would stay with the children. By the time we finished my head was. My body ached again.

Damon and I barely made it back to our quarters before I collapsed on the bed. He lay down beside me pulling me into his arms.

“You were strong today " he whispered. "In the yard. In the meeting. Everywhere."

“I’m trying " I mumbled, already half asleep.

“You’re doing more than trying " His lips brushed my forehead. "You’re becoming everything I didn’t know I needed.”

I fell asleep like that. Safe in his arms the bond warm, between us, the weight of tomorrow pressing down but not crushing us yet.

The war was coming.

Tonight we had each other.

For now that was enough.