*********
Kael moved to stand in front of her again.
"Most wolves rely on sight and sound to detect threats," he said. "But those can be fooled."
He tapped his nose.
"Scent tells the truth. Fear, anger, deception you can smell all of it if you pay attention."
He gestured for her to close her eyes.
"Trust your other senses. Tell me what you smell."
Seraphine closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
Pine. Earth. The metallic tang of the weapons from the armory still clinging faintly to the air.
And Kael.
Dark pine and smoke and something wild that made her wolf stir restlessly.
"You," she said quietly. "I smell you."
"What else?"
She focused harder.
"You're... calm. Controlled."
"Good. Now"
His aura spiked suddenly sharp, aggressive.
Seraphine gasped, her eyes flying open.
Kael's expression hadn't changed, but his scent had shifted becoming harder, more dangerous.
"That's the smell of a threat," he said. "Learn it. Remember it."
He did it again, and again, each time pairing the aura shift with the scent change.
"If someone approaches you with aggression," he explained, "your nose will know before they move."
After a dozen repetitions, he smiled slightly.
"Now you."
"What?"
"Try to surprise me."
Seraphine stared. "I can't I'm an omega"
"Try."
She took a breath, then lunged at him clumsy, slow, completely untrained.
Kael sidestepped effortlessly, catching her wrist and spinning her around so her back was against his chest, his arm locked gently across her shoulders.
"I knew you were going to move," he murmured in her ear, "three seconds before you did."
He released her.
"Again. But this time, don't think about it. Just move."
She tried again. And again.
Each time, he caught her easily.
But each time, he explained what she'd done wrong how her breathing had changed, how her weight had shifted, how her scent had spiked with intention.
"You're teaching me how to attack you," she said, breathless and frustrated.
Kael's smile was dark and approving.
"I'm teaching you how to survive."
----
They'd been training for hours when it happened.
Kael was demonstrating a defensive stance, showing her how to redirect force rather than absorb it.
"If someone grabs you," he said, taking her wrist, "don't pull away. That's what they expect."
He guided her through the movement step in, turn, break the grip.
"Your attacker's strength becomes useless if you're not where they think you are."
They practiced the motion slowly, then faster.
Then Kael said, "Now. Real speed. Surprise me."
Seraphine moved without thinking.
She twisted exactly as he'd taught her, breaking his grip
And something inside her flared.
The air around them crackled.
Kael's eyes went wide.
For just a fraction of a second, his body locked up as if an invisible force had frozen him in place.
Then it was gone.
Seraphine stumbled backward, gasping. "What what was that"
Kael stared at her, his expression unreadable.
Then he started to smile.
Not his usual controlled expression.
A real smile fierce and almost wild.
"That," he said, his voice rough with excitement, "is what I've been waiting for."
He crossed to her in two strides, gripping her shoulders.
"You felt it, didn't you? That surge?"
She nodded shakily.
"That's your power," Kael said. "Whatever you are, whatever you're hiding it's waking up."
His eyes glowed silver.
"And it's magnificent."
Seraphine's heart pounded. "But I don't know what I did I can't control"
"You will."
Kael's hands slid to frame her face.
"I'm going to help you."
For a long moment, they stood frozen predator and prey, Alpha and omega, two souls tangled in something neither fully understood.
Then Kael leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.
"Enough for today," he said softly. "You did well."
He stepped back, and she immediately felt the loss of his warmth.
"Tomorrow, we continue," he said. "Same time."
"Kael"
He paused.
"What am I?" she whispered.
Kael looked at her for a long moment.
"I don't know yet," he said honestly. "But I'm going to find out."
His expression softened slightly.
"And whatever the answer is, it doesn't change anything."
"What do you mean?"
"You're still mine."
Simple. Absolute.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the clearing with more questions than answers.
And a strange new power humming beneath her skin.
-----
Kael was in his office, reviewing reports, when Darius entered without knocking.
"We need to talk," Darius said flatly.
Kael didn't look up. "About?"
"About what happened in the training grounds today."
Now Kael's eyes lifted. "How do you know about that?"
"Garrett reported to me. He said the air around you both... shimmered. Like heat waves."
Darius closed the door and crossed his arms.
"What is she, Kael?"
"I don't know."
"That's not good enough." Darius's voice was tight. "The Council is already suspicious. If they find out she has power—"
"They won't."
"You can't hide this forever."
Kael stood slowly, his aura filling the room.
"Watch me."
Darius held his ground barely.
"I'm your Beta. Your friend. And I'm telling you this is dangerous."
"Everything worth having is dangerous."
"She could be the end of you."
Kael's smile was cold.
"Or the beginning."
Darius stared at him. "You're obsessed."
"Yes."
The simple admission seemed to shake Darius more than anything else could have.
"Kael"
"I know what I'm doing, Darius."
"Do you?" Darius stepped closer. "Because from where I'm standing, you're risking everything your throne, your pack, your life for a girl you barely know."
Kael's expression went flat and dangerous.
"She's not just a girl. And you will give her the respect she deserves."
"She's an omega"
"She's mine."
The Alpha command in those words was undeniable.
Darius's jaw clenched, but he bowed his head. "As you command, my king."
He turned to leave, then paused at the door.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he said quietly. "Because if you're wrong about her..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The door closed behind him.
Kael stood alone in his office, hands braced on his desk, breathing slowly.
His wolf was agitated, pacing, snarling at the perceived threat to their mate.
He doesn't understand, the wolf growled. She's ours. Nothing else matters.
"I know," Kael murmured.
But Darius's words echoed in his mind.
She could be the end of you.
Kael straightened, his expression hardening with resolve.
Then so be it.
If Seraphine was his end, he'd meet it willingly.
Because for the first time in years, he finally felt alive.