MasukLiora's POV "Really? You have to try harder than that," I said with a laugh, stepping easily to the left.Elias came darting out from my other side. He was using his camouflage trick again, something he loved to pull during our practice fights. He swung his right fist towards my shoulder, but I just dipped my head. His arm passed through empty air, and he stumbled forward a bit.It was a Saturday morning, and we were doing our regular morning training in the backyard. Even though everything had become quiet and simple since we moved to this new place, there was still this unsettling feeling in all of us. We all feared it deep down. We knew it was just a matter of time before Victor or any of our other old enemies would find us. Especially with my seer power, Victor would literally break his neck just to get his hands on me again. We couldn't afford to get all relaxed, not until we at least became stronger."Oh, you wouldn't dare!" I yelled, twisting my body around quickly.Marcus cam
Francis clapped his big hands together. The sound was very loud and cut through the noise of the crowd. "Listen up, everyone! That was just the first round of the assessments. There are three rounds in general, and the first one is officially over."He adjusted his belt and looked at all the trainees standing around the field. "This second round will test your combat skills, your agility, and how fast you can think. The last part of the assessments will be done tomorrow. The judges, the elders, and the whole pack will be present to witness it. That is when the final results will be called."He pointed his clipboard toward the brick building. "Now go to the dressing room to gear up for the next round. You can fight with your natural strength, and you can even use your wolf senses. Full transformation into your wolf form is not allowed in this round. The only exception is if both people fighting have agreed to fight in their wolf form before the match starts. But this option does not pe
Serena and Isolde met at the edge of the crowd. Serena immediately pulled her friend into a hug, burying her face in the dusty fabric of the dark traveling cloak."Where have you been?" Serena whispered as she pulled back, keeping her voice low. She glanced around, noticing a few lingering onlookers still staring in their direction.Isolde didn't answer right away. Instead, she took Serena by the hand and led her away from the pavilion, heading toward a quiet corner near the old equipment sheds where the air was cooler and there were fewer people.Once they were in the shade, Serena let out a breath. "Where have you been? Obviously, I knew nothing wrong happened to you and you were safe. If not, the whole pack would have heard something. But it felt like you just disappeared into thin air.""I did disappear, actually," Isolde cut her off, preventing her from continuing her rants and questions. Her voice was quiet, her dark eyes tracking a sparrow landing on the roof line. "I traveled.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Jax asked, going straight to the point. He stood tall by the porch light, his large frame blocking her path to the front door.Serena shifted her water bottle to her other hand, she gave a long sigh before slowly turning around to meet his gaze. "I haven't been avoiding you. I just wanted to go inside."Jax gave her a slow look and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Serena, I literally just saw you walk away the exact second our eyes met earlier during training.""I… I just had somewhere to be," Serena stuttered, her voice catching in her throat as she stood under the porch light. "Francis was calling us anyway.""Look, I know what I said the other day was harsh," Jax said, his voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "I was just trying to know the reason behind your sudden actions."He stepped closer, leaning down slightly. Serena’s heart rate increased, drumming against her ribs. She gulped, her eyes widening in shock as his gaze locked onto hers."And," Jax adde
"Okay, what's with the weirdness that just happened, Serena?" Chloe asked. They were walking over to the other corner of the training center. As Serena immediately left their previous spot, her mood had turned all gloomy.Chloe felt Serena's vibe instantly change while they were talking just a few seconds ago. All of a sudden, Serena wanted to leave the area, which seemed completely suspicious. Chloe only played along to avoid making Serena even more uncomfortable, but her curiosity was growing by the second. As they moved towards the far wall, Chloe turned her head slightly. Her eyes met Jax's. He looked pretty pissed off at something, maybe at Serena because he was literally staring straight in their direction. Chloe immediately looked away, hoping Jax hadn't caught her looking."What weirdness?" Serena asked, trying to act totally clueless.It might have worked on other people, but Chloe wasn't just anybody. She stopped walking and crossed her arms. Her posture looked exactly like
"Shouldn't we wait to finish the recruitment before we even try to talk to them?" Jax asked. He kicked a small piece of loose dirt off the side of the trail. "The plan was to get our new warrior numbers sorted out first, right?"Ronan didn't look back at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the green valley below. "Plans changed, Jax. We can't just sit around and wait for this training group to finish. We need a strong partner right now Incase the Shadow Pack decides to strike again. And the Lockwood Pack is the best choice."Jax let out a dry laugh and shook his head, leaning against a nearby tree. "Damien? You think Alpha Damien is just going to hand us his top-tier Thetas when we barely have anything to show for it? The Lockwood Pack is about ten times bigger and stronger than us. Damien runs his pack like a business. He definitely won't make a trade unless we have something worthwhile to offer.""We are not going to him as beggars," Ronan countered, his voice perfectly steady. He turned
Jax walked at a steady pace, holding the heavy roll of maps tightly under his arm. He was feeling pretty good after his long talk with Ronan on the balcony. It had been nice to just relax and talk like normal friends for once, especially after all the stress from the recent raids.As he walked down
"We should probably check the western supply paths too, just in case the Shadow Pack tries to cut off our wood trade," Jax said, taking a slow sip from his cup. He leaned his head back against the stone wall, feeling the cool afternoon breeze lift the tension from his shoulders.Ronan nodded, pouri
Jax walked up the wide stone stairs of the packhouse and headed straight for the Alpha’s private room. He knocked once on the heavy wood before pushing the door open. The main room was completely empty, but the curtains were blowing softly in the breeze near the open back wall.Ronan was standing
"I will definitely need your help, Isolde," Serena said as they stepped back onto the stone path. She fixed her green dress and looked at her friend. "I know how my dad is. He will think I have completely lost my mind for trying to join the security office. But if you stand before Ronan and the eld







