POV: Liora
Cold water hit my face like a slap. I jolted awake, gasping, my body screaming in protest. Everything hurts. My shoulder, my wrist, my jaw where Kael's fist had connected. The world spun in nauseating circles.
"Wakey, wakey, little rogue."
Laughter echoed around me. I blinked water from my eyes and found myself surrounded by warriors. Six of them, all massive, all looking at me like I was dinner. We were outside now, in what looked like a training yard. Dirt beneath me, weapons racks along the walls, the afternoon sun beating down.
How long had I been unconscious?
"Look at him, barely bigger than a pup," one warrior sneered. He was built like a bear, with a shaved head and arms covered in scars. "Alpha's gone soft, letting something this weak live."
"Maybe he's keeping him as entertainment," another said. A woman this time, tall with braided red hair. "See how long the runt survives before someone accidentally breaks him."
I tried to sit up. My broken wrist screamed and I bit back a whimper. Someone had wrapped it in rough cloth, tied it tight against my chest. The arrow had been pulled from my shoulder too, the wound stitched with black thread. Crude work, but it would hold. They'd patched me up just enough to keep breathing. That couldn't be good.
"On your feet, rogue." The bear-man grabbed my good arm and hauled me upright. The world tilted again but I locked my knees, refusing to fall. "Alpha says if you survived his test, you get to survive ours too."
"What test?" My voice came out rough, damaged.
"A real one." The red-haired woman circled me, predatory. "See, Alpha Kael might have gone easy on you because you're half dead already. But we don't have to."
"The Alpha's orders were clear," another warrior chimed in. A lean man with a scar bisecting his lips. "If the rogue can hold his own against one of us, he earns his place. If not..." He shrugged. "Well, at least you tried."
This was insane. I could barely stand. My wrist was broken, my shoulder stitched together with thread, every breath felt like inhaling broken glass. And they wanted me to fight again?
"Who do I fight?" I asked, because what else could I say? I'd chosen this path when I decided to run instead of accepting death at my pack's hands.
The warriors exchanged glances, grinning. The bear-man stepped forward. "You fight me, little Leo. Try not to die too quick. It's more fun when they last a few minutes."
He was twice my size. Three times my weight. Fresh, uninjured, and clearly enjoying this. I was going to die.
But I'd died a dozen times already since the Blood Moon. In the meeting hall with Declan's blood on my hands. In the forest running from my pack. In the river. In front of Alpha Kael.
What was one more death?
"Fine," I said. "Let's get this over with."
They formed a circle again, larger this time. Someone tossed two staffs into the center, one for each of us. The bear-man caught him easily, spinning it like it weighed nothing. I grabbed mine with my good hand, my broken wrist tucked uselessly against my chest.
"Rules," the scarred woman from earlier, the one who'd found me at the border, called out. She stood at the edge of the circle, arms crossed. "First blood wins. No shifting. No killing. Break the rules and you answer to Alpha Kael personally."
The bear-man grinned. "Hear that, rogue? I'm not allowed to kill you. Just maim you a little."
"Lucky me."
He lunged.
The staff whistled through the air where my head had been. I dropped and rolled, ignoring the scream from my shoulder. Came up on my feet and swung my own staff at his knees.
He jumped back, laughing. "Fast little thing, aren't you?"
I didn't waste breath responding. I was already moving, circling, keeping my injured side away from him. My hand gripped the staff so tight my knuckles went white.
He attacked again, a flurry of strikes that pushed me backward. I blocked what I could with my staff, dodged the rest. But I was too slow, too hurt. His weapon cracked against my ribs and I felt something give. Pain exploded through my side.
"That's one," he taunted. "How many more before you break?"
The warriors around us cheered, calling for blood. I tasted copper in my mouth. My vision blurred at the edges.
I couldn't win. Not like this. Not in a fair fight.
So I wouldn't fight fair.
I stumbled, letting my legs give out. Fell to one knee like I was finished. The bear-man's grin widened. He strode forward, raising his staff for the finishing blow.
"Weak," he spat.
I waited until he was close. Until I could see the triumph in his eyes. Then I drove my staff upward with everything I had left, aiming for the one target that would drop anyone regardless of size.
The wood connected between his legs with a solid thunk. His eyes went wide. His mouth opened in a silent scream. The staff fell from his hands as he collapsed, curling into a ball.
The training yard went silent.
I struggled to my feet, swaying, pressing one hand to my screaming ribs. "That's... first blood." I pointed my staff at his nose where crimson was just starting to trickle. He must have bit his tongue when he fell. "I win."
For a long moment, no one moved. Then someone started laughing. The red-haired warrior threw her head back and cackled. "Did you see his face? Oh, ancestors, I wish I could fight like that!"
Others joined in. Even the scarred woman cracked a smile.
"Cheating," the bear-man wheezed from the ground. "That's... cheating."
"No rules against it," I said. My words slurred slightly. The world was getting fuzzy again. "You said... First blood wins. I won."
"He's right." A new voice cut through the laughter.
Alpha Kael.
The warriors immediately straightened, their amusement dying. Kael stood at the edge of the training yard, arms crossed, his ice-blue eyes fixed on me. How long had he been watching?
"The rogue followed the rules," Kael said, walking into the circle. Every wolf moved out of his way without being told. "Tomas didn't say anything about fighting with honor. Just said first blood." He looked down at the bear-man still curled on the ground. "Get up. You're embarrassing yourself."
Tomas struggled to his feet, red-faced. "Alpha, I.."
"You underestimated him. Don't let it happen again." Kael's attention shifted to me. "You. What's your name again?"
"Leo," I managed. Stars danced at the edges of my vision.
"Leo." Kael stepped closer, studying me with that unnerving intensity. "You fight dirty."
"I fight to survive."
"Smart." He circled me slowly, like he had before. "Your form is sloppy. Your stance is weak. You rely too much on speed and not enough on power." He stopped in front of me. "But you think. You adapt. And you don't quit even when you should."
I said nothing. Wasn't sure I could form words anymore.
"You're also about to pass out again," Kael observed. "Try not to. I hate repeating myself."
He raised his voice, addressing the gathered warriors. "Leo survives. By the laws of this pack, that means he earns a place here." His eyes swept the crowd, daring anyone to object. No one did. "Lowest rank. Omega status. He answers to everyone until he proves otherwise."
Murmurs rippled through the warriors. Omega was barely better than Rogue. It meant doing the worst jobs, taking the worst shifts, being the target of every bully with something to prove. But it also meant I was alive. Part of a pack again, even if that pack hated me.
"However," Kael continued, and my stomach dropped. "I'm assigning him to my personal guard."
The murmurs turned to shocked whispers. Even I stared at him in disbelief.
"Alpha," the scarred woman, whose name I still didn't know, stepped forward. "With respect, personal guard positions are earned through years of service and.."
"Are mine to assign as I see fit," Kael interrupted, his tone making it clear the discussion was over. "Leo will train with my guard, eat with my guard, and sleep in the guard barracks. If he can't keep up, he's out. If he proves himself a liability, I'll kill him myself." His eyes found mine again. "Understood?"
"Why?" The question escaped before I could stop it.
Kael's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. Curiosity, maybe. Or suspicion. "Because I want to keep an eye on you, little rogue. Something about you doesn't add up."
My heart stopped. Did he know? Had he figured out I wasn't who I claimed to be?
"You're a mystery," Kael continued. "And I don't like mysteries in my territory. So you'll stay close where I can watch you. Where I can figure out what you're hiding."
He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, smell the leather and pine that clung to his skin. Close enough that when he spoke again, his voice was low, meant only for me.
"You smell different."
I stopped breathing.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly. "Not wrong, exactly. Just... different. Like you're covering something up." His head tilted. "What are you hiding, Leo?"
"Nothing," I lied. "Just the river. And the blood. And.."
"No." He leaned even closer, his breath warm against my ear. "It's something else. Something underneath."
His nose almost touched my neck, right where my scent glands should be strongest. If he figured out I was female, if he realized I'd been disguising myself, he'd know I'd lied about everything. He'd know there was more to my story. I couldn't let that happen.
I swayed on my feet, not entirely faked. "Alpha, I think I'm going to.."
The world tilted sideways and the darkness rushed up to meet me again. As I fell, I felt strong arms catch me, and heard Kael's frustrated curse.
"Get the healer," he snapped at someone. "And someone found him a bed in the barracks. He's no use to me unconsciously."
His voice followed me down into the dark, those last words echoing in my head like a warning.
"You smell different."