Nora's POV
Kael appears at my bedroom door before sunrise.
Get up, he orders. We're leaving.
I blink at him, still half-asleep. What? Now? The Council changed the deadline—we need to figure out—
Exactly. We have one day. He tosses clothes at me—workout gear I've never seen before. Which means I have one day to show you what you're made of. Get dressed.
Where are we going?
Nightshade Pack training grounds. You have five minutes.
He walks out, giving me privacy but making it clear he's not asking.
Through our bond, I feel his determination like steel. He's not panicking about the shortened deadline. He's strategizing.
I dress quickly and follow him outside where a car waits. The sky is still dark, stars fading as dawn approaches.
I've never trained before, I protest as we drive. My wolf is too weak. I'll humiliate myself.
Kael's laugh is sharp. Your wolf isn't weak. They STARVED it to keep you controllable. There's a difference.
I don't know how to fight.
Then I'll teach you.
In one day?
I don't need a day. His eyes meet mine. I just need you to stop believing you're helpless. That's Lyanna's lie, not your truth.
Something in his voice makes me want to believe him.
We arrive at Nightshade's training compound as the sun rises. Warriors are already working out—running, sparring, moving through exercises with military precision.
They all stop when Kael walks past. Drop to one knee in submission to their alpha.
He ignores them, leading me to a private training ring away from the main area.
Attack me, he says.
What?
Attack me. However you want. Use teeth, claws, fists. Doesn't matter.
I can't attack you!
Why not?
Because you're an alpha! You'll destroy me!
Kael's smile is almost gentle. I won't hurt you. But you need to learn that you CAN hurt others. That you have power. So attack me.
I stand frozen, fear warring with the bond's encouragement. Through our connection, I feel his confidence. He genuinely believes I can do this.
I throw a pathetic punch.
Kael catches my fist easily. Terrible form. Again.
I try harder. He blocks it.
Stop thinking. Let your wolf out.
She's too weak—
She's NOT! His voice cracks like a whip. Stop repeating their lies! Your wolf is STRONG. She's been caged and starved and beaten down, but she's still there. Still fierce. Let her OUT.
Something inside me snaps.
My wolf surges forward with a snarl, and suddenly I'm MOVING. Fast. Aggressive. My fist connects with Kael's ribs before I even realize I've swung.
He grins. THERE she is.
We train for hours. Kael is brutal but effective, pushing me past every limit I thought I had. When I want to quit, he doesn't let me. When I say I can't, he proves I can.
You're not some fragile thing that needs coddling, he growls after I successfully block his strike. You're a FIGHTER.
By midday, I'm exhausted, bruised, and covered in sweat.
And I feel POWERFUL.
Kael calls over one of his warriors, a massive male twice my size with arms like tree trunks.
Pin her, he orders the warrior.
The male hesitates. Alpha, I might hurt
Try.
The warrior comes at me, and my wolf reacts on instinct. I duck under his grab, use his momentum against him, and somehow—impossibly—sweep his legs out from under him.
He goes down hard. I pin him, my hand at his throat.
The training ground goes silent.
I just took down a Nightshade warrior. Me. The girl who couldn't even defend herself against her stepsisters yesterday.
Kael's approval floods through our bond like liquid fire. Good. Again.
We train until sunset. By the end, I've pinned three different warriors and held my own against Kael himself for almost two minutes.
I'm bruised, exhausted, and absolutely exhilarated.
You see it now? Kael asks as we walk away from the training grounds. You were never weak. They just convinced you that you were.
Thank you, I whisper.
His hand finds mine, rough and warm. Come with me.
He takes me to his private quarters in the packhouse. It's sparse and military—no decorations, just functional furniture and weapons on the walls.
Very Kael.
Shower's there, he says, pointing. Clean up. I'll have food brought.
When I emerge twenty minutes later, feeling halfway human again, there's a meal waiting. Real food. Lots of it.
Kael sits across from me, watching as I eat.
Tomorrow night, he says quietly. The Council expects your choice.
My throat tightens. I know.
Have you decided?
No. The truth tastes bitter. How am I supposed to choose which one of you dies?
By choosing which one you want to live. His eyes burn into mine. Who makes you stronger, Nora? Who sees your potential instead of your weakness?
You both do. Differently.
Then choose the difference that matters most.
He stands and crosses to where I sit. His hand cups my face, tilting it up.
I will never lie to you, he says. Never manipulate you. Never treat you like you're too fragile to handle truth. With me, you'll always know exactly where you stand.
Then he kisses me.
It's nothing like Dane's seductive patience. This is consuming fire, all teeth and dominance and desperate need. Kael kisses like he fights—with everything he has, holding nothing back.
I surrender to it. To him. To the bond screaming YES.
His hands tangle in my hair. His body presses against mine, and I feel his wolf just beneath the surface, barely controlled.
We stumble toward his bed, and I know where this is going. Know what will happen if we don't stop.
But Kael stops.
He pulls back, breathing hard, eyes blazing silver. No.
What? I'm dazed, aching, confused.
Not like this. His voice is rough. When we complete this bond, I want your CHOICE. Not just your body's reaction to the mate pull. I want you to choose me because you WANT me. Not because I seduced you.
The restraint that takes—I feel it through our bond. He wants this desperately. Wants me. But he's holding back.
Because he wants it to mean something.
Kael—
Go back to the Bonding House, he says, stepping away. Think about what you learned today. About who you are when someone believes in your strength instead of your weakness.
A car takes me back as night falls. My body aches, my heart is confused, and I have less than twenty-four hours to choose.
When I reach my room, there's a package on my bed.
A leather journal, expensive and beautiful. A note rests on top in Dane's elegant handwriting:
Write your own story. Don't let anyone dictate it. Not even me.
I open the journal. On the first page is a pencil sketch, me, smiling, looking free and happy in a way I've never actually looked in real life.
Below it, more of Dane's writing:
This is who you are when you're free. Not beaten down. Not controlled. Not forced to choose between impossible options. Just FREE.
Kael will show you your strength. But I'll give you the freedom to use it however you want.
Choose freedom, Nora.
Choose me.
I stare at the sketch, then at my hands still bruised from training.
Kael showed me I'm powerful. Dane promises me freedom.
Both of them want me. Both of them need me.
And tomorrow night, I have to choose which one dies.
My phone buzzes. A message from an unknown number:
Tick tock, little wolf. Twelve hours until the Council session. We'll be watching to see which alpha you condemn. Choose wisely—or don't choose at all, and we'll kill them both. Either way, this ends tomorrow. Sleep well.
The phone slips from my shaking hands.
Twelve hours.
And I'm no closer to knowing which bond I could bear to sever.
Which alpha I could live without.
Which death I could carry on my conscience forever.