Chapter 3

I didn’t know what to expect when Eryx said he was moving me somewhere safe. I thought maybe a hotel or a small house far from everything. Maybe even a cabin in the woods. Something quiet. Something human. But what I saw made my heart sink. In front of me stood a big, old warehouse, the metal walls rusty and the doors taller than a truck. It looked like no one had lived here for years. It looked cold. Empty. A place made for hiding, not living.

I stood outside with my suitcase in hand, staring up at it. The sky was cloudy, and a cold wind passed by, making my arms fold around myself. I shivered.

“Really?” I said, not even looking at Eryx. “This is the place?”

He didn’t answer. He just walked ahead like always, quiet, strong, and not caring if I liked it or not. That was just how he was. Always doing things his way. Always expecting people to follow. And for some reason, I did.

I pulled my suitcase behind me, the wheels loud on the cracked ground, and stepped inside after him. The inside was just like the outside, huge, dark, and dusty. But it wasn’t completely empty. Someone was already waiting there, leaning against a tall metal pillar with a smile that looked too relaxed for this place.

Kade.

“Welcome to your fancy new palace,” he said with a wink.

I looked around. The ceiling was so high I could almost hear my thoughts echo. Old crates were pushed into corners, and the floor looked like no one had cleaned it in forever.

“Looks more like a cage,” I muttered.

Kade pushed away from the pillar and walked toward me. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It comes with snacks.”

“Snacks?”

He leaned in slightly. “You.”

I stared at him. “You wolves are really not funny.”

Kade laughed and threw up his hands. “Hey, I'll try.”

I followed Eryx as he led me up a metal staircase that creaked under our feet. The second floor was better. Cleaner. A small kitchen sat in one corner, and there were two rooms with doors. In the middle was an open space with mats on the ground and weapons hanging on the walls. Knives. Guns. Wooden sticks. My heart started beating faster.

I looked at Eryx. “You didn’t just bring me here to hide, did you?”

He turned toward me, his golden eyes calm. “You need to protect yourself.”

“I’m a driver,” I said. “Not a fighter.”

“You are now.”

He said it like it was a fact. Like I didn’t have a choice.

I felt something tight in my chest, like fear and anger mixing together. But I didn’t say anything. I just followed him again, because deep inside, I knew he was right. I wasn’t safe anymore. Not in the human world. Not around werewolves. Not even with myself.

He handed me a gun. A real one.

I looked at it like it was poison. “Are you serious?”

“Hold it,” he said, stepping behind me. “Like this.”

He showed me how to stand. Feet apart. Shoulders back. Hands steady. I tried to copy him, but the gun felt heavy and strange in my grip.

“Now aim at the target,” he said, pointing to a dummy across the room.

Kade stood nearby, arms crossed, watching like this was all some kind of show.

I took a deep breath. I lifted the gun. My fingers shook. Then, I fired.

The sound was so loud it made my ears ring, and the kick of the gun pushed my hands back. The bullet hit the ground. Not the dummy. The ground. Right next to Kade’s foot.

“Whoa!” he yelled, jumping back. “Are you trying to shoot me?”

My eyes widened. “Oh my god! I almost hit you!”

“You almost ruined my new boots!” he said, holding up one foot like it was injured.

My heart raced. I put the gun down fast. “I’m so sorry!”

Kade gave me a big fake glare. “Next time, try aiming at Eryx.”

I stared, then laughed. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t even know I fired it.”

“Well, at least now we know you’re dangerous,” Kade joked, stepping away from the line of fire.

Eryx came closer and adjusted my grip. “You’re holding it too softly.”

“I don’t want to hurt someone!”

“That’s the point,” he said. “If you don’t, they’ll hurt you.”

Kade raised both hands. “Let’s just all agree not to stand next to Mira during training, yeah?”

I even laughed at that. And for a second, just a second, I forgot about all the scary stuff. It felt like we were just three weird people in a warehouse, joking and trying not to die. Strange, but almost nice.

But then came the knife.

Eryx handed it to me without a word.

I stared at it. “Now what?”

“Try to stab me.”

“What?!”

“You need to learn close combat. Come on.”

I shook my head. “I can’t stab you.”

“You have to try.”

I held the knife. I looked at him. He didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just wait.

But my hands wouldn’t move. My arms felt frozen. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not like that!”

Eryx’s face turned hard. Cold. “Maybe that’s why your parents left you.”

Everything stopped.

I stared at him. “What did you say?”

“Maybe they knew you were weak. Maybe they didn’t want you.”

His words felt like a slap. Like a knife in my own heart.

I saw my younger self, waiting by the window every night. Birthday cakes with no candles. Quiet tears. An empty chair at every school event. I had told myself stories for so long. That they were taken. That they were lost. But what if… what if they just didn’t want me?

“You don’t know anything about them!” I shouted.

“Then stab me,” he said. “Prove me wrong.”

I screamed and ran at him. I didn’t even think. My hands moved on their own. The knife sliced into his shoulder. Not deep, but enough to see blood.

My eyes widened. “I—I didn’t mean—”

Eryx looked at the wound like it was nothing. “Now you’re learning.”

I dropped the knife. My breath came fast and shaky. My heart beat so hard it hurt.

Kade came close, quiet now. He looked at me like he was seeing something new. Something strange.

“Mira,” he said slowly, “your eyes…”

“What?”

But he didn’t finish. Eryx gave him a sharp look. Kade closed his mouth.

Eryx turned to me. His voice was softer now. “You did good. That’s enough for today. Go rest.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Go rest. Sleep.”

I nodded slowly. My mind was still spinning. I walked to the room they gave me, the one with the small bed and plain white sheets. I sat down. I looked at my hands. They were still shaking.

What did he mean? Why did it hurt so much when he talked about my parents? Why did I feel like something inside me was waking up? I didn't think much and just rested and took a nap instead. I need a bunch of energy for tomorrow again.

Eryx’s POV:

The wind on the rooftop was cold and sharp, but I didn’t feel it much. My shoulder still hurt when she stabbed me. It wasn’t bad, just enough to remind me she wasn’t weak.

I knew it. She was different. I think I already found her. The one I need to take back everything that was mine.

Kade stood beside me, leaning on the edge. For once, he was quiet.

“Do you think she knows?” he asked. His voice sounded confused. “This feels like too much of a coincidence. My head can’t handle it.”

“She doesn’t know,” I said. “And she never will… unless I tell her.” I looked at him. “I saw it. Her eyes turned red.”

Kade looked at me. “Red… like theirs?”

“Yes. Only they had red eyes in our world.”

He didn’t say anything. He looked out at the city, his face serious.

“You think she’s the one you’ve been looking for?” he asked.

I didn’t answer right away. I just stared at the moon.

“I think… she’s the daughter of my enemy,” I said. “And I didn’t see it coming.”

Kade turned to face me. “What will you do?”

I looked at my hand, the one still stained with her blood. “First, I want you to find out who her parents are. Everything. Names. Places. History.”

“And if she really is the daughter of your rival?”

“Then I’ll use her.”

Kade stepped back. “Eryx…”

“She could be the key,” I said. “If I control her, I can take back my throne. I’ll get everything back. Even Delia.”

My mate.

“Delia?” Kade asked. He looked shocked. “You still want her after all this time? After she chose your enemy’s son?”

“She’s my mate,” I said quickly. “I know she only did it to stay safe. She doesn’t love Gio. They took her from me. And Mira… she might be the piece I need.”

“And what about Mira? What about the promise you made to her?” Kade asked.

I didn’t answer right away. I grabbed the wine bottle and took a long drink before I spoke again.

“Let’s say… I forget it.”

“This isn’t right…” Kade said quietly. Like he couldn’t believe what I just said.

I didn’t speak. But something inside me felt strange. Guilt? Regret? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that her blood woke something in me.

I would use Mira if I had to.

But for the first time in a long time… I didn’t know if I wanted to.