bChapter /bb24 /b

b“/bbYou /bshould just beat /bwith bthe /bsoldiers bnext /btime, Gamma,” Jory muttered under his bbreath/bb, /bbstill /bsimmering. b“/bbAt /bbleast /bbthere/b, byou /bbdon’t /bbhave /bbto /bshare a room with backstabbers in pearlsb./bb” /b

I chuckled softly and nudged his shoulder. “Thanks bfor /bthe invitation. I might just take you up on bthat/bb./bb” /b

We bwere /btucked away in a quiet corner of the dining hall, far from the sycophants and liars bthat /bhad nearly ruined my morning. bI /bwas more curious about Thorne’s unexpected defense than I cared to admit, but I didn’t want to confront him in a room full of leeches pretending to sip btea /bwhile digesting gossip.

Instead, Jory and I focused on breakfastb–/bscrambled eggs, fresh berries, honey–drizzled toast. bA /bsmall moment of bpeace /bbI /bwasn’t going to bwaste/b.

At the far end of the room, Thorne had taken his seat in silence, ignoring Mi entirely. She was still kneeling on the marble floor, tears staining her cheeks as if that would summon pity. When it didn’t, her mother gave her a sharp nudge.

b“/bGo,” Co hissed through clenched teeth. “Fix it. Now.”

Reluctantly, Mi stood. She smoothed down her dress, grabbed a tray, and began piling it with Thorne’s favorite foods— shrimp cocktailb, /bsmoked salmon, spring sd. A ss of iced tea. The usual performance.

She slid into the seat beside him, pushing the tray across the table like it was a peace offering made bof /bsilk.

“I brought you breakfast, Alpha,” she said in a soft, honeyed voice. “I thought you might need something before the day begins.”

Thorne gave her a look colder than the iced tea she served. No words. Just flick of his gaze.

Still, he dragged the itray /itoward himself and began eating. Mi let out a breath she clearly thought he wouldn’t hear.

She always assumed his silence meant forgiveness.

“Alpha,” she said sweetly, curling her fingers around the edge of his sleeve. “I don’t mean toin, but… about ra. I know she’s important. I respect her. Really. But throwing me out of the room like that was unnecessary. She’s still the same hot–tempered girl she’s always been…”

Clink.

The silver fork slipped from Thorne’s hand, ttering against the te. His eyes lifted, stormy and unreadable.

“She’s in our territory, after all,” Mi added with a pout. “She should respect the rules, not act like she owns the ce.”

Thorne didn’t speak. For a moment, he just stared.

Then slowly, dangerously, he leaned forward.

“You said she doesn’t take me seriously,” he murmured, “but what about you, Mi?”

bMi’s /bsmile twitched.

“W–What do you mean?”

His hand reached out, seizing her chin with just enough force to make her bfreeze/b.

“If you respected me,” Thorne said lowly, “you wouldn’t have lied to my face.b” /b

Her lips partedb, /bbut no words bcame/b.

“bI /bbspoke /bbto /bthe bstaff/bb,/bb” /bhe continued, his tone colder than bice/b. “They told bme /bwho put ra in that bbasement/b.”

“Alpha, I—”

b“/bbSave /bit.”

His voice was sharp now. Unrelenting. “You think the past gives you immunity? That one bact /bof kindness berases /bball /bbthis/bb?/bb” /b

Tears began to fall freely down Mi’s cheeks. “I–I wasn’t thinking. I just- I didn’t mean to–bplease, /bI’m sorry…”

Thorne let her go.

“Last chance,” he said firmly. b“/bGet out of my sight.”

She didn’t wait to be told twice. She stood, stumbled, and nearly tripped in her haste to flee.

Once she bwas /bgone, Thorne rubbed his temples, the weight of everything pressing down. The lies. The betrayal. The realization that for years, he’d let ra suffer under the very people he thought were “good.”

What else had Mi done?

What else had he missed?

His eyes drifted to the other side of the hall–there she was. ra. Laughing.

And not with him.

That soldier boy–Jory, was it?-was beside her, handing her a grape like they were longtime lovers. She smiled at him with the same warmth Thorne hadn’t seen since before she was kidnapped.

A pang of something bitter rose in his throat.

The next second, they stood up and left the hall together.

Thorne shot to his feet.

He had no n–just instinct.

b** /b

We had just stepped into the sunlight when I heard footsteps storming up behind us.

“ra!b” /b

I turned. Thorne.

His bface /bbwas /btense, his stride stiff. He came to a halt in front of us, panting slightly.

“Can I talk to you? Just for a moment?b” /b

I folded my arms. “There’s nothing to say.”

He looked taken aback, as bif /bexpecting the girl from the past–the quiet, beager/bb–/bto–bplease /bversion of me–to return.

“bPlease/b,” he said again, softer now. b“/bbIt’s /babout the bpast/b. About Mib. /bAbout us.b” /b

bBefore /bI could reply, Jory bstepped /bforward like a wall of muscle and fire.

b“/bbShe /bsaid no.”

Thorne’s bhead /bsnapped toward him.

“And who the hell are you?” he spat. b“/bGet out of my way before I make you regret it.”

“I’m her soldier,” Jory said calmly. “And you’re not getting near her without going through me.”

Tension coiled like a spring between them. Two Alpha types, muscles taut, ready to explode.

“You really want to fight over this?b” /bbI /basked coolly. “Over a conversation I never asked for?b” /b

Thorne looked at me again, this time with something almost like desperation.

“I’m not here to fight,” he muttered. “I just want to talk. Clear the air.”

I took a long breath.

“If you want to talk,” I said evenly, e find me in the training field. We can discuss drills and tactics. But anything personal?” I shook my head. “We’re done, Thorne.”

Then I took Jory’s hand and walked away.

b** /b

One week passed.

Direstone Keep had turned into a hive of chaos. Soldiers from every allied pack had arrived, filling the training camps, barracks, and every avable room in the hotel.

By the end of the week, when the sun had barely broken the horizon, a loud bell rang through the city like a battle cry.

The official training had begun.

And I was ready.