The sun hadn't risen yet when Raina was dragged from her bed.
Literally.
Vanya stood over her, a bundle of black training cloth in one hand and zero patience in the other. "Get up," she said flatly.
"What time is it?" Raina croaked.
"Time to stop whining."
The clothes hit her chest, and Vanya was gone.
By the time Raina made it to the outer grounds, the frost on the grass was thick enough to bite through her boots. Five other wolves were already there — some male, some female — all dressed in fitted black gear with silver shoulder marks. Warriors.
She stood out.
And they made sure she knew it.
"You're the one who got dumped, right?"
A tall male with dark braids leaned on a wooden spear and smirked.
"She's the Moon Goddess's charity case," said another girl, not even trying to whisper.
Raina held her ground. Her fingers twitched, but her voice stayed calm. "If you're trying to make me quit, you'll have to do better than weak insults."
Vanya, standing nearby, cracked a smile. "Good."
Then she lunged.
Without warning, she struck out with the end of her spear, aiming low. Raina barely dodged it, stumbling back on instinct. A ripple of laughter moved through the group.
Raina glared. "You said this was training."
"It is," Vanya said coolly. "Lesson one: you're never safe."
They sparred for hours.
Vanya didn't hold back. Every jab was sharp, every sweep brutal. Raina blocked where she could and took the hits when she couldn't. Blood bloomed in her mouth more than once, and her ribs ached from a blow she hadn't seen coming.
By midmorning, her legs buckled, and she hit the ground hard.
But she didn't cry.
She didn't beg.
She got up.
Vanya's smirk faded.
The others looked at Raina differently now — not with respect, but something quieter.
Uncertainty.
Maybe she wouldn't break after all.
Later that day, she sat by the indoor fire pit, nursing a shallow cut on her shoulder.
Cassian passed by and paused.
"You're bleeding," he said.
"No sh*t," she muttered.
He tilted his head. "Still think you don't belong here?"
"I think I hate spears."
He gave a short laugh and kept walking.
It was the closest thing to a compliment she'd gotten since arriving.
That night, the fortress halls were quiet, but Raina's mind was loud.
She paced the corridor outside her room, unable to rest.
Something was wrong.
Her skin prickled. Her wolf was twitching inside her, pacing too — but not with fear. It felt like electricity. Like something under her skin wanted out.
Her breath shortened. Her pulse raced.
And suddenly… she lost control.
Her vision flickered black. Her spine cracked. She stumbled forward, gripping the stone wall as her fingers half-shifted — claws breaking through, then pulling back.
Not a full shift.
Not even a partial one.
Just… chaos.
Inside her chest, her wolf howled.
Raina dropped to her knees, clutching her arms as a raw surge of energy screamed through her bones.
She didn't feel like herself.
Didn't feel human.
Didn't feel sane.
Somewhere nearby, Theron woke from a dead sleep.
He felt it.
Raina's wolf… unstable, thrashing, waking something ancient.
He threw off the blankets, heart pounding.
She wasn't supposed to shift yet.
She wasn't ready.
When Raina opened her eyes, she was on the floor of her room. Her hands were scorched red. Her hair was damp with sweat.
Someone was standing in the doorway.
Not Theron.
Not Cassian.
A shadow.
It slipped away the second she blinked, but she saw it.
Felt it.
Smelled it.
Kael.
No.
Not him.
But connected to him.
A trace of his scent… wrapped in something darker. Rogue energy.
Raina scrambled to her feet, chest heaving.
She ran to the door and looked down the hallway.
Empty.
Only silence.
Only cold.
But she knew what she felt.
She was being watched.
She didn't sleep the rest of the night.
She just sat by the window, bruised hands curled around a dagger Theron had given her, eyes on the snow-covered balcony below.
Waiting.