Chapter 3 3

“Leah! Over here!”

The training yard is loud—boots scraping, armor clashing—but I barely take it in before Elina waves me into the circle of students.

I hover at the edge. My armor is too new, my stance too careful. This place trains confidence; the lower pack trained survival.

Elina loops her arm through mine. “She’s strong,” she tells the others brightly. “Just rough around the edges. Be gentle, okay?”

Their grins promise anything but.

Teams form quickly. I end up beside Elina, facing two boys who move like they practice combos in their sleep.

“Stick close,” Elina murmurs. “I call the moves. You cover right and rear.”

The whistle shrieks.

The boys rush us. I track their angles instinctively and shift my weight toward the right—

“Elbow left!” Elina snaps.

I obey.

No one is there.

The real hit slams my ribs from the right, knocking the air out of me. I hit the ground to scattered laughter.

“Again!” the instructor barks.

We reset. My side throbs.

This time, I ignore Elina’s call. The moment a boy lunges, I duck low and sweep his knee. He goes down hard. His partner freezes, startled.

For a single breath, pride sparks.

Then my legs vanish.

Elina has swept me clean off my feet.

I crash again. She gasps dramatically. “Leah! Sorry! I thought you were stepping forward!”

Later, I’ll piece it together: she timed it perfectly—making my clean move look like an accident.

Right now, all I see is the instructor’s disapproval.

“Elina, good form. Leah—stop freelancing. You’re sloppy enough without improvising.”

The boys snicker. “Told you,” one mutters. “Backwater wolf.”

Elina pats my shoulder sweetly. “Don’t mind them. You’re improving,” she says loudly enough for the crowd. “She just needs time.”

Whispers follow me down the hallway afterward.

“She almost took Dalen’s leg off,” a girl remarks. “Didn’t even listen to Elina.”

“That’s what happens when you drag a stray in,” a boy says. “No discipline.”

Karl folds his arms. “That’s just kids being kids. Training. Social messiness. Not torture.”

Luna’s hands clench until the knuckles pale. “You didn’t see,” she whispers. “She arranged every part of it.”

“I handled worse,” I say quietly. “That was the problem. You all assumed I could take anything. None of you stopped to ask if you should make me.”

The academy courtyard is crowded after drills—students cooling down, chatting, stretching sore limbs. I’m heading toward the exit when Elina’s voice rings out, bright as a bell.

“Leah! Wait!”

I turn. She’s smiling, surrounded by a cluster of classmates. That smile always means trouble.

She steps closer, hand slipping into a small pouch at her waist.

“I forgot to give you something earlier,” she says sweetly. “For your… expenses.”

Before I can ask what she means, her fingers flick.

A scatter of gold coins hits the ground around my boots. Hard. Loud. Several spin in circles, flashing in the light.

The courtyard goes silent.

A few students snicker. One whispers, “Does she think Leah’s a stray dog?”

Heat crawls up my neck. My fists clench.

“Elina,” I say quietly, “pick them up.”

But she just tilts her head, innocent and puzzled. “Why would I? They’re for you.”

A boy laughs. “Go on, Leah. Don’t let them roll away.”

I step back, refusing.

Elina covers her mouth with both hands like she’s embarrassed for me. “Oh no… I didn’t realize you’d be so sensitive.” Then louder, to the watching crowd: “She has trouble accepting help. Comes from her… background, you know? Always worried people will take things away. Poor girl.”

Someone murmurs, “So insecure…”

Another adds, “Makes sense. Lower pack upbringing.”

Elina kneels—gracefully, delicately—and gathers the coins into her palm. She presses them into my hand before I can move.

“There,” she says warmly. “See? You don’t have to hide your needs here. We take care of you.”

Her fingers curl around mine, trapping the coins in my fist.

My throat tightens. “Don’t do this.”

She smiles with perfect sympathy. “I’m only helping.”

The crowd disperses with whispered comments. By the time they’re gone, her smile has cooled, just a little.

“You should really learn to accept generosity, Leah,” she murmurs. “It’s what makes a pack a pack.”

She leaves me standing there with coins cutting into my palm.

Karl shifts uncomfortably. Luna’s hands shake in her lap. The witch inhales through her nose, steadying herself.

“We’ve seen enough,” Luna whispers. “Stop the dives.”

“No.” Alpha’s voice cracks like iron. “We haven’t seen the night she almost died. The night you hid what really happened.”

My pulse stutters. I know exactly which night he means.

“Take us to the night of Luna’s sickness. ”