All Chapters of THE ALPHA’S REJECTED BLADE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

KAIA POV I don't remember the run. That's the first sign something is wrong. I shift at dawn like I always do, let the wolf take over, and the next thing I know I'm waking up human in the woods with blood under my fingernails and no memory of how it got there. The sun is already high. I'm late for training. I'm running back to the compound when I see them. Warriors in a circle. Their faces wrong. Too quiet. Too still. "What happened?" I ask, already knowing something has broken. One of them—Marcus, a sentry I've sparred with a hundred times—won't look at me. "It's Lyra." The world stops. "What do you mean, 'it's Lyra'? Where is she?" I'm already moving, pushing past them, and no one tries to stop me. That's how I know. "Where is *she*?" The clearing smells like death before I see her. She's hanging from an old oak tree, her body twisted, her skin already gray. Her throat is torn open. Not by a human. By teeth. By claws. By something that wanted her to suffer. I

KAIA POV The forest before dawn smells like death and possibility. I'm already there when Damien arrives—I didn't sleep, just lay in my bunk and counted the hours until I could leave the compound without questions. The north gate is abandoned at this hour. The sentries are on the other side of the perimeter, and the woods are dark enough that I can pretend I'm alone. Then he steps out of the trees, and I'm not alone anymore. He's shirtless. Just leather pants and boots, and his body is a landscape of scars and muscle that I've seen a hundred times in training but never like this. Never when we're not surrounded by warriors. Never when it's just us. "You came," he says. "You gave me an order." "No, I didn't." He moves closer, and the morning air shifts around him. "I gave you a choice. You chose to come." I don't answer because he's right, and I hate that he's right. "We're going to work on your technique," he continues, circling me like I'm prey. "Not the warrior tec

The council chamber feels different when they're trying to destroy you. It's colder. Darker. The torches seem to flicker with malice instead of light. I stand in the center of the circle—the accused's circle, which is lower than all the thrones, designed to make you feel small—and try not to shake. It's midday. The vote isn't until tomorrow night. But Rafe just couldn't wait. "Kaia Velen," the Alpha begins, his voice formal and distant. Damien's father. The man who's always treated me like a warrior. Now he treats me like a criminal. "You've been summoned to answer questions regarding your use of prohibited magic during yesterday's training exercise." "I didn't use any magic," I say, and I keep my voice steady. Calm. Like I actually believe this lie. Councilor Chen leans forward. "Multiple witnesses saw silver light emanating from your body." "They saw a reflection. Sweat catches the sun sometimes. It looks—" "Sweat doesn't glow," Rafe says from his position near the