"Straighten your back before I break it."
My fingers dug into the boy's shoulder, crushing the coarse fabric of his training jacket. Something cracked. He sucked air through his teeth sharply but didn't flinch. Snow clung to his pale cheeks, melting and trickling down his collar in gray slush.
"Wider stance. Keep your center of gravity on your back leg. Are you planning to attack or beg for alms?"
"I... I'm trying, Alpha."
I squeezed harder, feeling the yielding flesh beneath the skin.
"Leave 'trying' for the women. Here, you either stand or you die in the dirt."
I shoved him. The teenager flew back a few meters, barely staying on his feet. A murmur rippled through the training ground. Dozens of pairs of eyes followed my every move. The air here was thick with the stench of cheap sweat, fear, and melting ice. My inner wolf snarled, demanding blood. Too much weakness. Too much useless noise.
In the corner of the yard, Rain and Jake were trading blows with practice blades. Metal clanged against metal—lazy, sparkless. They thought I couldn't hear. They thought the distance and the wind would hide their wagging tongues.
"...they say she stood there until dawn," Rain spat into the dirty snow as he lunged. "On her knees. Right outside his door."
Jake chuckled, blocking the strike.
"And? Is she alive?"
"What's going to happen to her? An Omega on an Alpha's leash is the safest place in the castle. Unless, of course, you count the fact that he might throttle her just for the fun of it. Did you see how he looked at her at the council? Like a piece of meat he's afraid will go bad."
I froze. Smoke and pine—my scent—flooded the space, drowning out the stench of the yard. Silence dropped over the training field instantly. The boys went still, feeling the air grow heavy, turning to lead.
"Rain. In the circle."
The boy froze. His jaw twitched. He turned his head slowly to look at me. The color drained from his face, leaving only a gray mask.
"I... Alpha, we were just..."
"In the circle. Now."
Jake backed away, nearly tripping. The other students pressed against the wooden fences, trying to blend into the castle's gray walls. Rain stepped into the center, gripping his sword hilt so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Take a shield," I pointed to the weapon rack without looking.
"I don't need a shield for practice," he tried to find his voice, but it cracked on a high note.
"You'll need it if you want to live until dinner."
I tore my training blade from my belt. The heavy iron felt familiar in my palm. No greetings. No signals.
I lunged.
The first blow hit his left shoulder. Rain managed to bring his sword up, but the momentum drove him to his knees. Mud splattered his jacket.
"What was that about knees?" my voice sounded hollow, as if coming from underground.
"Nothing! We were just discussing..." he rolled aside, dodging the second strike.
"Discussing what? Guard rotations? The density of the snow?"
I landed a series of rapid strikes. One to the thigh, another to the chest, a third flat across the ribs. Rain wheezed. His defense fell apart. He swung his sword blindly, like a drowning man flailing his arms.
"Answer me. An Omega on a leash? Were those your words?"
"She... she's just a girl, Cale!" he screamed, desperation giving him courage. "Everyone in the castle is whispering! Why do you bother with her? She's nobody!"
I kicked him in the stomach. Rain doubled over and collapsed face-first into the slurry of snow and earth. I stepped on his wrist, forcing him to drop the sword.
"Repeat it."
"Cale, stop..." Jake whimpered from the side, but my snarl silenced him.
I leaned down to Rain's ear. He smelled of urine and cold terror.
"Who gave you the right to speak her name? Who gave you permission to open your mouth about what belongs to me?"
"Sorry... Alpha, please..."
"Repeat the words of submission. Loudly. So those 'whispering' behind my back can hear."
Rain choked on a sob mixed with mud.
"I... I submit. I am nothing before your will. I..." he coughed.
"Louder!"
"I submit! I'm sorry!"
I took my foot off his arm. The wolf inside was still hungry. Rage pulsed in my temples, thrumming in time with Alina's heartbeat, which I could feel through the bond. She was there, in the tower. Calm. Cold. Locked away. And these pups dared to drag her name through the filth of their thoughts.
"Get up," I barked, wiping my sword on the hem of his jacket. "Training isn't over."
"I brought water," a steady voice rang out.
I turned. Liam stood at the edge of the grounds with two wooden buckets. His shoulders were relaxed, his face expressionless—no fear, no reverence. He looked directly at me.
That look.
I had seen it before. In her. That same icy glint, the same unspoken mockery of my entire world.
"Set it down and get out," I gripped my sword hilt.
Liam didn't budge. He slowly lowered the buckets to the ground. His eyes flicked over the battered Rain, then returned to my face.
"The students are overworked," he said softly. "Thirst clouds the mind."
"Are you my training advisor now, slave?" I stepped toward him.
"I just brought water."
"You look at me as if you have a right to an opinion."
Liam gave a barely perceptible tilt of his head.
"An opinion is a luxury. I only have orders. And buckets."
I grabbed him by the collar, jerking him toward me. He was lighter than he looked but didn't resist. His pupils didn't even dilate.
"What do you see in her?" I didn't even know why I asked.
Liam remained silent. Snow fell on his long lashes.
"Answer me, before I make you drink this water from a puddle."
"A strength you cannot break," he almost whispered. "And that is what scares you most."
I shoved him away. Rage turned into an icy numbness.
"Get out. Out of my sight."
Liam straightened his jacket and, without another word, headed for the exit. His stride was noiseless.
"Dismissed!" I barked at the frozen teenagers. "If any of you are even a second late tomorrow, you'll be sparring with me until the first broken bone."
They didn't wait. The boys scrambled off the field, hauling the groaning Rain up by his arms. The training ground emptied. Only the torches remained, hissing under the wet snow, and a silence that pressed against the ears.
I stood in the center, looking at the castle.
She occupied every space. Every thought, every breath led back to her. I tried to beat this madness out of myself through training, through the pain of others, through the fear of the pack. But the moment I closed my eyes, I saw her—on her knees, with a straight back and a gaze that burned me alive.
The bond between us pulsed. It wasn't love or affection. It was a sickness. A parasite that had dug into my spine and dictated its will. The wolf inside howled, demanding her presence. It didn't care about hierarchy, or the whispers, or an Alpha's honor. It needed its mate.
"Damn you," I rasped into the void.
I felt control slipping through my fingers like sand. All my power, this castle, these people—it all felt like a stage set that could collapse at one word from her. Or from me.
I turned and strode toward the main doors. Mud clung to my boots, heavy armor dragging me down, but I didn't slow.
Inside the castle, it was warm, smelling of roasted meat and resin, but the heat only made me nauseous. I passed the guards without a glance, taking the stairs two at a time.
A guard stood at my chamber doors. He snapped to attention as I approached.
"Is she inside?" I didn't stop.
"Yes, Alpha. As you ordered this morning."
I threw the door open.
Alina was sitting by the window. She didn't even turn around. The dim twilight fell across her profile, making her look like a marble statue.
"Stand up," I slammed the door, cutting us off from the rest of the world.
She rose slowly. No rush. No fear.
"You're angry," her voice was soft, yet it filled the room.
"Shut your mouth."
I stepped right up to her. I smelled of snow, Rain's blood, and soot. She smelled of the forest and something else that made my hands shake.
"They're talking about you at every corner," I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. "My warriors are laughing at me because of you."
"No," she raised an eyebrow slightly. "They are laughing because they see you growing weak."
I slammed her against the wall. The impact was sharp, but she didn't even cry out.
"I am not growing weak. I am the master of this pack. And your master."
"Then why are you here?" she looked me straight in the eye. "Why aren't you with your warriors? Why did you run to me the moment they finished their jokes?"
I squeezed her throat. Not hard, just enough to make her feel my power. To make her pulse quicken under my fingers.
"I came to remind you of your place."
"You came because you need me to calm you," she could barely breathe, but her eyes were mocking. "You need me to fill the hole the bond has carved out."
I snarled, pressing my forehead against hers. My control finally shattered. I hated her. Hated the way she smelled. Hated the way she breathed.
"You won't be sleeping tonight," I whispered against her lips. "You will do everything to make me forget what is happening outside that door."
"You will never forget, Cale."
I didn't answer. I ripped her dress in one motion, listening to the fabric tear. I needed to break her. Right now. To silence the wolf. To reclaim my right to be called Alpha.
But deep down, I knew: every time I tried to break her, I broke something in myself.
The bond pulsed like red-hot steel. I pulled her onto the bed, feeling reality narrow to the size of this room. Tomorrow, I would be Alpha again. Tomorrow, I would punish anyone who dared raise their eyes.
But tonight... tonight I was more a slave to this bond than she would ever be my prisoner.