Selena's POV

I didn't sleep well that night, not because of the familiar ache in my chest, though that was there, pulsing like a live wire. Not because of Kael's face, twisted in my mind with betrayal, though he haunted me. I didn't sleep because of Darius.

I kept replaying his words, over and over, like a heartbeat I couldn't stop listening to, "It won't break you."

Why did it feel like a promise? Why did it feel like a concern? My body still tensed at the memory of his gaze, so sharp it seemed capable of cutting through me, but so careful it almost... protected me.

By dawn, I was already awake, tossing my sheets aside, restless. My wolf stirred, unsettled, pacing, whispering the same anxious questions my mind wouldn't stop asking, Can I trust him? Should I? Can I even want to?

When I finally made my way to the training grounds, the air was crisp, still heavy with the scent of dew and wet earth. Darius was already there. Leaning against a post, arms folded over his chest, watching me like I hadn't noticed, like he had been expecting me.

I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and tried to look indifferent. Tried to wear the mask I'd perfected over years. Alpha or not, he could see through it.

"You're early," he said, voice low and even, but not without that subtle edge that made me feel caught before I even spoke.

"I couldn't sleep," I said, shrugging, even though my shoulders were tight with tension.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He just gestured toward the sparring area. "Start with warm-ups, then drills, then we fight."

Fight. The word hit my stomach like a fist.

I wanted to argue, wanted to say, I'm not ready, I'm not strong enough, I'm... broken. But the moment I opened my mouth, the words caught in my throat. Darius wasn't offering me pity. He was offering me accountability. The chance to prove, at least to myself, that I could stand again.

So I just nodded and began.

* * *

The Warm-Up

My muscles protested immediately, tight from disuse and grief. I tried to shake it off, to remember the rhythm, the movements that had once been second nature.

Darius circled me silently, his eyes flicking over every step, every breath.

"You're tense," he said quietly, almost conversationally, though I knew better. "Not just your muscles. Your mind."

I clenched my jaw. "I'm fine."

"Fine?" His voice held a dry humor that made my skin crawl. "Fine doesn't look like this. Fine doesn't make you weak."

I froze.

"You feel that?" he continued, voice low. "The way your wolf is holding back? The way your body is braced for impact?"

"Yes," I whispered, embarrassed. "It's... instinct."

"Instinct doesn't work when your heart is a mess," he said sharply. "And right now, your heart is a mess."

He wasn't wrong, my chest felt tight, hollow, fragile. I hated that he was right. Hated that he could see it.

"You don't have to hide from me," he said, stepping closer. "But if you do, your fight ends before it begins."

I swallowed hard, my pride and stubbornness fought my vulnerability, tugging me in opposite directions. Finally, I nodded. "Understood."

* * *

Drills

The drills were more brutal. Darius pushed me harder than anyone had in years. Every punch, every block, every movement was scrutinized. He corrected me when my footwork was messy. He corrected me when my guard dropped. He corrected me when I hesitated.

And every time he corrected me, he didn't just teach me technique. He saw through the mess inside me, pointing it out with a precision that hurt.

"You're distracted," he said after a particularly sloppy combination. My fists had missed their mark, my feet had stumbling and I had barely landed a solid hit.

"I'm not," I lied, voice tight.

"Yes, you are." His tone was so calm, so firm, I couldn't argue. "You're thinking about someone who doesn't deserve your thoughts. Someone who betrayed you. You're thinking about them instead of the fight in front of you and that's why you fail."

It was humiliating, but more than that, it was... honest. And I hated it.

"I don't care about them right now," I said, teeth gritted.

"Liar," he muttered under his breath, and then loud enough for me to hear, "Don't waste your lies on me."

I flinched, the word liar cut deeper than a blade. Not because it wasn't true, but because he said it with such clarity that I had no choice but to face myself.

"You can't outrun pain," he said quietly, circling me again. "You can't hit it, kick it, shove it aside. It's part of you, accept it, train with it, use it. Or it'll always be faster than you."

I blinked, my body trembling not from exhaustion, but from the weight of his words.

* * *

The Fight

When he finally said, "Fight," I realized I was already shaking, my heart thudding against my ribs that felt too tight.

Darius didn't hold back. Not a single time. He moved faster than I could anticipate. His strikes were precise, calculated, controlled. My defense was clumsy, my counterattacks weak. Every time I stumbled, he corrected me, but never harshly, always like he expected failure, but also expected me to rise.

"Again," he said after I barely landed a hit.

And I did.

Again and again, until my muscles burned and my lungs screamed.

But through it all, his eyes never left me. They weren't judgmental. Not entirely. They were... assessing, studying me. Watching me survive, watching me falter, watching me push past it anyway.

And somewhere between the sting of bruised ribs and the ache in my arms, I realized, I wanted to impress him, not for Kael, not for anyone else but for him.

I hated that I wanted that. Hated that my body reacted to the brush of his presence, the sound of his calm voice, the way he never let me hide my mistakes.

* * *

A Moment Between Punches

At some point, during a brief pause to catch our breaths, he said quietly,

"You're stronger than you think."

I wanted to laugh, i wanted to cry, I wanted to tell him he had no idea what betrayal felt like. But the words felt... right. It wasn't flattery, or just encouragement, it was the truth.

"You make it sound easy," I muttered, breathing heavily from fatigue.

"I make it sound easy because it should feel possible," he said. "Pain doesn't last forever and weakness is temporary. Fear to me is a... choice."

I stared at him, heart hammering for reasons that had nothing to do with training. And for a brief moment, I let myself imagine not about Kael, or Lyria but Darius.

Not as an Alpha, not as a teacher, not as a judge but as someone who might stand beside me, someone who might see me, not broken me or the betrayed me but as a whole person still capable of being dangerous and beautiful.

I shook the thought away, quick. Dangerous. Dangerous. That word echoed in my mind like a drumbeat.

Darius didn't comment. But I could feel him noticing anyway.

* * *

Aftermath

By the time training ended, sweat slicked my hair to my forehead, my muscles ached, and my wolf had stopped pacing. My body was exhausted so was my mind.

Darius didn't offer words of praise, didn't hand me comfort. Instead, he did something infinitely worse and better.

He looked at me, really looked.

"You survived," he said simply.

"Barely," I muttered, wiping blood from a grazed knuckle.

"Barely still counts," he replied, and I realized that in his voice, barely was acknowledgment, respect.

I wanted to argue, but I couldn't. I nodded.

And then, without another word, he turned and left.

I stayed there, alone on the training grounds, feeling the weight of the silence he left behind. A silence that wasn't emptiness. A silence that felt like... attention.

And somehow, terrifyingly, it was more intimate than Kael had ever been with me.

* * *

Evening

Later, I found myself walking back through the pack grounds, the twilight stretching long and thin. The pack was quiet, subdued. They hadn't asked me about last night, hadn't whispered openly, but I knew. They watched, they always watched.

I let my wolf step forward, finally letting her scent mingle with mine, untamed, raw, and uncontrolled. She was restless too, but calmer than earlier. And I realized I wasn't scared for her anymore, not entirely.

Because Darius had seen me. And he hadn't recoiled.

I didn't know what would come next. I didn't know if I could handle him, his presence, his gaze, his control. I didn't know if I could stand the way he made me feel... noticed, challenged and exposed.

But I knew one thing.

I wanted to find out.

No matter how much it scared me.

* * *

The night were lengthening. The night would fall. But something in me had shifted, dangerous and undeniable.

Darius had found the cracks I thought I could hide. And somehow... I didn't want to patch them.

I wanted him to see them and I wanted him to stay.

The thought made my pulse spike in ways I was neither ready for nor entirely willing to admit.

Selena's POV

The morning air bit at my skin as I stepped outside, and I realized I was already waiting. Waiting for Darius. Waiting for a chance to see if the fire I'd felt yesterday under his gaze, under his hands, under the rhythm of training was real or just a dangerous illusion my tired mind had conjured.

I hated that I wanted it to be real.

The pack grounds were quiet, still wet from the early dew, the scent of grass heavy in the air. I moved carefully, each step a little hesitant. My wolf prowled alongside me, restless, sensing tension I wasn't fully aware of yet.

And then I saw him.

Darius stood at the edge of the training arena, shadowed by the rising sun, his posture effortless but alert. He didn't look at me right away. He watched the perimeter, the wind, the faint rustle of leaves, and the subtle shifts in the pack's aura. Alpha instincts, I thought bitterly, always observing, always controlling. Always knowing more than anyone had a right to.

He turned when I called his name, and that simple action of turning, looking at me made my chest constrict.

"Selena," he said, voice low, steady, commanding.

"Alpha," I replied automatically, but the word sounded hollow even to me.

His eyes didn't soften. They never did. But there was a weight in them, an unspoken acknowledgment of what had happened yesterday. Of the fight, of the vulnerability, of the cracks I didn't know how to hide.

"Are you ready?" he asked, tone deceptively casual.

I squared my shoulders, trying to push down the tremor in my fingers. "I think so."

He nodded, slow, deliberate, like he was measuring every word, every thought. "Then follow me."

* * *

Training (in Silence)

We moved together through drills that felt endless. My muscles ached, my lungs burned, and my mind struggled to keep up with the rhythm he demanded. There was no small talk, no easy camaraderie. Just movement and focus. Just the way he looked at me like he could see every hesitation, every hidden thought.

And the more he watched, the more I realized how badly I wanted to impress him. Not to win his approval, not exactly, but to prove something to myself. That I wasn't weak, that I wasn't broken, that I could stand.

At one point, I stumbled during a combination, catching myself just before my ankle twisted. Darius's hand shot out, gripping my waist, steadying me.

"Careful," he said quietly.

The simple contact, the weight of his palm, the firmness of his grip, sent heat straight through me. I jerked slightly, embarrassed, and stepped back.

"You're distracted," he said, eyes narrowing. "Your mind isn't in the fight. It's elsewhere. And elsewhere doesn't win fights."

I wanted to tell him everything, wanted to spill the betrayal, the heartbreak, the fury, the loneliness. But I didn't. Instead, I clenched my fists and focused on breathing, on movement, on surviving his gaze.

"I'm here," I said tightly.

"You're present," he replied, voice flat, almost approving. "Now be effective."

* * *

By the time we finished, sweat clinging to my hair and skin, I felt something I hadn't felt in days... alive. Not healed, not whole, but alive. And when I looked at Darius, standing there, calm and composed, I realized he felt it too.

He didn't praise me, he didn't smile, hee didn't even say the words that might have made my pulse spike in fear and desire all at once. But there was acknowledgment.

And maybe that was enough... for now.

"You did well," he said simply, stepping closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of him, pine, leather, something sharp that made my pulse hitch.

"thank you but barely," I muttered, wiping the blood from a grazed knuckle.

"it still counts," he replied, and I realized the words weren't dismissal.

I wanted to argue, to tell him I was stronger than he thought, that I didn't need anyone to see me this way. But I couldn't. The weight of his gaze pinned me in place, but I didn't want to move.

"Tomorrow," he said finally, breaking the silence, "we start again."

I nodded, heart hammering. And when he walked away, leaving me alone in the cooling air, I realized that whatever this was, whatever dangerous pull he had over me, I was already caught.

* * *

That night, I found myself wandering through the pack grounds, unable to sleep, unable to stop replaying every word, every glance, every touch from earlier.

My wolf padded silently in my head, restless, sensitive to the tension I didn't fully understand yet. And then, somewhere deep in the quiet, I spoke aloud.

"I don't understand him," I whispered. "I don't understand why..."

There was no answer. Not from him, not from anyone. Only the rustle of leaves, the faint scent of night, and the steady, calming presence of my wolf.

I let my hands trail over the rough bark of a tree, feeling the texture beneath my fingertips, grounding myself. And somewhere in that grounding, I realized something dangerous.

I wanted him to notice me, not as the Alpha, not as the teacher, not as the distant, untouchable force he was supposed to be. I wanted him to see me. All of me.

And that thought, terrifying, thrilling, and ridiculous made my pulse spike in ways I wasn't prepared to admit.

I wanted to use him but I also want him.

And the realization didn't just shock me. It scared me.

* * *

The following days were a blur of training, silent observations, subtle corrections, and moments that made my body ache in ways I couldn't name.

Darius didn't soften, not really, not yet. But there were flashes, moments when his eyes lingered too long, or his hand brushed mine just slightly during a correction, or he said something quietly, almost to himself, that made my stomach flip.

And with every session, the pull between us grew stronger.

I hated that I craved it, hated that I wanted to see him, to fight, to be near him. Hated that my body responded to the heat in his presence, the steady, unwavering attention, the rare flickers of softness he let slip through.

But most of all, I hated that I knew he was aware. That he was testing me as much as I was testing myself.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the pack grounds glowed gold, he stopped mid-training.

"You're improving," he said quietly. Not loud enough for anyone else to hear. "Faster than I expected."

I blinked, caught off guard. "You make it sound... easy."

"Easy?" He arched a brow. "Nothing about you is easy, Selena. Nothing about you ever was. And I don't think anything about you ever will be. Not for me. Not for anyone who actually sees you."

The words landed like a weight, pressing into me, making my pulse spike and my chest tighten.

"Good," I whispered.

He didn't answer. He just watched me, calm, steady, like a storm held at bay.

And I realized, finally, that I didn't want him to look away.

Later, alone in my room, I traced the bruises forming along my forearms, the ones he didn't inflict but the ones I earned in the fight with myself.

I thought about Kael, thought about Lyria. Thought about betrayal and heartbreak, and how easily it had all shattered me.

And then I thought about Darius. About the way he saw me. About the dangerous pull between us. About how his gaze could strip me bare without a single touch.

And somewhere deep inside, I admitted it to myself:

I wasn't ready, i couldn't be ready after everything that has happened. But I wanted him anyway.

Wanted the fight, wanted the tension. Wanted the impossible, infuriating connection that made my pulse race and my wolf growl with anticipation.

And for the first time in days, I didn't feel entirely broken.

I felt... alive.

Selena's POV

If I thought training with Alpha Darius was the hardest part of my morning, I was very wrong.

Because the moment I left the training grounds, the pack house buzzed with whispers. It was subtle at first a glance here, a hushed voice there but by the time I crossed the courtyard, it was obvious.

People were talking about me, again.

If I wasn't so emotionally wrecked, I would've laughed. First I was "future Luna," then "the girl whose mate cheated with her sister," and now...

"Did you see her training with the Alpha this morning?"

"Is she... trying to get his attention?"

"I heard he demanded she train with him alone."

"Do you think something's going on between them?"

I clenched my jaw and kept walking.

The old me, the girl who trusted everyone, would've stopped and explained herself, tried to reason, tried to make people understand the truth.

But that girl was gone.

So I stared straight ahead, pretending I didn't hear a thing.

It worked for almost five minutes.

Until Liora, one of the pack's busybodies and self-appointed gossip queen, stepped directly into my path with a fake-sweet smile plastered onto her face.

"Well, well," she said loudly enough for the nearby wolves to hear. "Look who's glowing this morning."

I blinked at her. "I'm literally covered in dirt."

"But training with an Alpha can do that to a woman." She winked dramatically.

The wolves behind her giggled.

My temples throbbed.

"Move," I said, no humor in my voice.

Liora scoffed. "Ooh, someone's feisty. What's wrong, Selena? Not used to all this attention?"

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Liora, I am not in the mood."

She leaned in, smirking. "Or are you just embarrassed that Kael prefers your sister over you?"

Something flickered behind my ribs, sharp and dangerous.

I felt my wolf stir not fully, not loudly, but enough that my fingers twitched.

"Say that again," I whispered.

"Why? It's true." Liora lifted her chin in triumph. "Everyone can see it. Who slept with the Alpha to be? Who does he look at? Who is he presently with now? Hint: not you."

Her words were meant to taunt. But instead, they hit somewhere vulnerable inside me not because she was wrong, but because she was too close to the truth I wasn't ready to face.

"Liora," I said quietly, "get out of my way."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine. No need to be so touchy. Just don't cry about it later."

She walked off with a dramatic toss of her hair.

And I stood there for a moment, breathing through the tightness clawing at my chest.

The entire pack was watching me.

Good.

Let Kael see it too, let him choke on it.

I adjusted my dress the sweat stained thing that now clung to me uncomfortably and walked toward the kitchens. I desperately needed water and maybe food. Maybe a hole to bury myself in or all three.

But halfway there, a familiar scent stopped me.

Kael.

I froze on instinct, stomach twisting violently, thoughts of food long gone.

I turned slowly, against every bit of sense I had left and found him leaning against the stone pillar near the entrance, arms crossed, eyes dark.

And alone, of course he'd find me now.

"Selena," he said quietly.

The sound of his voice made something inside me flinch and twist not from longing, from memory, from pain, from anger.

I should've kept walking but I didn't.

Instead, I stood there because I needed to hear what he had to say, if only to burn whatever last piece of him still lingered inside me.

"What do you want?" I asked flatly.

Kael looked like someone who hadn't slept. His hair was a mess, there were shadows under his eyes, and he kept licking his lips like he was nervous. Good.

He should be.

"I... I wanted to see if you were okay," he said.

A humorless laugh escaped me. "No, you didn't."

He stiffened.

"You wanted to ease your guilt," I continued. "Don't confuse the two."

Kael pushed off the pillar, stepping toward me. His scent familiar and now painfully foreign, hit me like a blow. My wolf curled away from it instantly.

"Selena," he said, softer this time. "Please. I never meant to hurt you."

A slow, bitter anger spread through my chest. "You didn't mean to? Let me guess, you tripped and fell into my sister?"

He flinched hard.

Good.

"You think this is funny?" he whispered.

"No," I said. "I think it's pathetic."

Kael's eyes flashed with something like frustration. "I messed up, okay? I was confused. I was..."

"Stop talking," I cut in. "Every word you say makes it worse."

He went still, mouth slightly open, like he didn't know how to respond. For a moment, he wasn't the confident future Alpha. He looked... young, and so lost. But not enough to touch my heart again.

Then his gaze drifted over me, from my hair to my dress to the faint smudges from training.

"You trained with my uncle today," he said quietly.

Ah.

So that was what this was really about.

Jealousy, possessiveness but it's too late.

"Yes," I said simply.

Kael swallowed. "Why?"

I smiled, but it felt nothing like joy.

"Why do you think?"

His jaw clenched.

"Selena..." His voice dropped. "Are you doing this to hurt me?"

I stepped closer until we were only a foot apart.

"No," I whispered, staring straight into his eyes. "Hurting you is just a bonus."

His breath hitched. I saw it, the moment that realization stabbed him. The moment he understood I wasn't waiting for or love him anymore.

Kael opened his mouth again, but I didn't give him the chance.

I walked past him without another word.

And he didn't follow.

* * *

Later that day.

By afternoon, the gossip had doubled. I'd had enough.

I left the pack house and ended up wandering the forest edge, not shifting, not running, just... walking. Letting the silence settle. Letting the sound of leaves calm something restless inside me.

But even peace lasts only so long.

Twigs snapped behind me.

I turned quickly.

It wasn't Kael this time.

It was Alpha Darius.

He stepped out from the shadow of the trees like he'd been looking for me or maybe he'd just found me while patrolling. His expression was unreadable, but something about the way he walked toward me made my heart pick up.

Not romantically, Instinctively.

Darius didn't move like normal wolves. He moved like a storm wrapped in a man's body, controlled but dangerous.

"Why are you outside the borders alone?" he asked.

I blinked. "I'm not outside the borders."

"Close enough," he said.

Something about his tone made me shift my weight, suddenly aware of how small I felt in comparison to his looming presence.

"I needed air," I said honestly.

Darius studied me for a moment, then nodded once, acceptance, not judgment. It surprised me.

Silence stretched between us, it was not awkward, just... heavy. Like there were things he wanted to say but was deciding whether he should.

Finally, he spoke.

"You confronted Kael."

It wasn't a question.

My stomach flipped. "I didn't tell him anything."

"I know," Darius said. "If you had, he would be limping."

Against my will, I let out a small, startled laugh.

Darius's lips twitched, the closest thing I'd ever seen to a smile from him.

"If I confront him," he said quietly, "he will limp."

I swallowed hard. "You don't need to get involved. This is between me and Kael."

"No," he corrected. "It's between Kael... and the Alpha he disrespected by betraying one of his own."

My breath caught.

Something warm and unfamiliar curled low in my stomach.

Darius wasn't defending me to soothe me.

He was defending me because he believed betrayal deserved retaliation.

"Why do you care?" I asked quietly, because the question burned too much to hold inside.

His eyes locked onto mine, steady, unwavering.

"Because you're a member of my pack," he said. "One with potential. One I've watched since you were a pup."

My chest tightened. "You... watched me?"

"Of course," he said simply. "You think I don't keep track of every wolf who shows promise?"

I looked away, a small rush of warmth climbing up my neck.

"And also," he added, voice lower this time, "because you deserve better than being treated as disposable."

My breath hitched.

He took one step closer, slow, measured, not threatening, just... present.

I felt him before he touched me, that heavy Alpha aura wrapping around my senses. My wolf stirred faintly, like she was waking from a deep sleep.

That surprised me more than anything.

"I don't feel disposable," I whispered.

Darius held my gaze, his eyes dark and impossibly intense.

"Good," he said. "Don't start."

The air between us shifted, not romantic, not intimate, but something similar to recognition.

The moment when two wolves see each other clearly for the first time.

And then, abruptly, he stepped back. The moment snapped like a twig.

"We train again tomorrow," he said.

I nodded.

He turned, walked a few steps, then paused without looking back.

"And Selena," he said, voice lower than before. "Do not let Kael near you without another warrior present."

A small shiver went down my spine. "Why?"

"Because your ex-mate is unstable," he said. "And wolves who lose the one they took for granted... become unpredictable."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he didn't give me the chance.

He vanished into the trees like he'd never been there.

Leaving me staring after him, heart pounding for reasons I didn't want to examine too closely.