Page 28 of Shattered and Saved

I returned to my cottage for a quick shower before meeting the guys at the cafeteria for breakfast. It felt strange to see the alpha’s chair empty. Col whimpered at her absence, and I couldn’t help but wish she were here, too. She was probably occupied with the issues some members of Azure Smoke were facing.

By the time I left the building, I was contemplating looking for her to see if she needed help. She had been by my side when I faced problems at Whispering Hills. I convinced myself I just wanted to return the favor, but the truth was, I couldn’t possibly avoid Avril forever - as in I physically couldn’t.

Regardless of how deeply I disapproved of her choices, my heart would always look past them. My body would always crave her, even if she was drenched in the blood of innocents. Besides, Columbus wasn’t nearly as upset as I was. While he agreed with my concerns, he insisted he would bring her enemies to her on a silver platter if that’s what it took for us to be with her. Talk about ignoring red flags - but then again, wolves couldn’t see colors properly, so to him, they probably just looked like random flags.

Surprisingly enough, I found her standing right outside the cafeteria, her eyes locked on me as if she were waiting for me to walk out.

“Can we talk?” she asked quietly when I was closer. Urgency coated her voice, and she didn’t try to hide it.

“Sure,” I agreed, setting everything aside the second I realized how vulnerable she looked.

Avril was usually guarded. She was great at masking her real emotions, so much so that even I found it hard to perceive them at times. But right now, her distress showed in her tired eyes, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

We walked together, and she waited until we were further away from the town square and the pack members before beginning, “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.” She remained silent for a moment, likely organizing her thoughts. “I didn’t like being talked back to like that, and I got defensive. I was harsher than I intended to be. Ruder than you deserved.”

I nodded, listening to her as she continued. “I understand why my actions upset you, and I regret not having consideredhow you might have felt. I promise I will be more careful on future missions and double check if there are innocent passersby around before using my powers.”

After concluding her sentence, Avril halted. I stopped as well, turning to face her. She drew in a long breath, resolve in her features, mixed with a pinch of guilt.

“But I can’t promise I won’t ever have to do what I did again,” she admitted, her voice steady. “I stand by what I said - I will always put my family’s lives before those who want to destroy us. If there’s even the slightest chance they could threaten our existence, I won’t hesitate to eliminate them.” She paused, her gaze locking with mine, her aquamarine eyes revealing every ounce of sincerity. “But you’re not like them, Koen. Not to me. I give you my word: as long as you’re with me, no harm will come to you.”

As I let her words sink in, I couldn’t find it in my heart to be angry with her. I could see her perspective, feel her protectiveness, even if I disagreed. Besides, it didn’t feel right for me to pass judgment on how she chose to lead. I could either support her or step back, but it wasn’t my place to dictate how she ruled her own home. All I could do was trust that she had her pack’s well-being at heart. She wasn’t a bloodthirsty tyrant like my father, and she had protected me more than once, making it impossible to believe she would ever turn against me or sacrifice my life.

In the end, I sighed, “Okay.”

She forced a smile, and I returned her gesture. Although I couldn’t say everything was back to normal between us, I was determined to work through it. I appreciated her effort, and I believed that as long as we both committed to this relationship, we could find a way forward.

One step at a time.

18

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K O E N

“Alright, remember whatwe talked about yesterday!” Elijah encouraged me as I prepared to face Theo for the second time.

It was Day Two of training to prove I could beat the trials. My bruises had healed, and my resolve had only grown stronger. Determination fueled me as I readied myself for another round against Reagan.

After my conversation with Avril, she left to handle her duties with her team. I spent the rest of the day mostly at my cottage. In the evening, she stopped by and reluctantly shared that a few more pack members had gone feral on each other, only after I insisted she tell me how things were going.

With the lingering tension over the mysterious problem Azure Smoke was facing, I thought my training would have to be postponed so they could focus on the issue. However, when I spoke with my two coaches, they insisted it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t want it to disrupt their routines. To me, it sounded like they were simply refusing to give in to panic. Either way, I did as they said and showed up at the indoor training grounds at the same time as the day before.

Columbus and I were both more attentive today. It was a little easier to predict the beta’s moves, but before I could get comfortable, he started adapting, forcing me to do the same. Hewas going a bit harder than yesterday, using more of his powers to confuse and sneak up on me.

Whenever Reagan lifted his smoke cloak, I responded with my own makeshift dust veils. They weren’t as effective, nor lasted as long as his, but I could always conjure them again by kicking up dust. Theo noticed that, and found his own way to counter it, charging at Col to force him to dodge instead of allowing him to level the playing field freely.

The first fifteen minutes of training were a lot less frustrating. I’d even dare say Col and Reagan were dealing and absorbing equal amounts of damage. Yet, the second Theo deemed he was going too easy on me, he reminded me of his superiority, moving faster, attacking harder, using his natural camouflage to disorient me even more. At that point, it became difficult to keep up with him again.

Yet, just like on the day before, I stayed calm. I didn’t let the adrenaline take over. I kept my anger in check as I endured blow after blow, trying to keep a clear mind. Intelligence beats instinct, I reminded myself. And, much like I had done during our first session, I soon found an opportunity to get the upper hand.

Instead of avoiding the smoke clouds, which now covered most of the arena, I marched right into it. Making the most of my wolf’s heightened hearing and sensitivity, I was able to detect Reagan without having to see him, and Col delivered a precise blow, grabbing the beta by the neck and throwing him across the battlefield.

When the dark-coated beast landed, I could have sworn I’d heard him growl. I barely blinked, and he disappeared. Col stood still, staying calm, trying to identify where the opponent was hiding, and from which direction he would come.

This time, Reagan was so fast, Col almost didn’t have time to duck when he lunged at us. Another growl echoed throughthe enclosed space, and it sounded too menacing for a sparring match. Just as my wolf readied himself to bolt away in hopes of gaining enough distance to allow us to think about our next move, Reagan attacked us again. And again. And again.

The combat was getting more intense than I expected. Suddenly, I found it hard to ignore the pulsing adrenaline, the constant pain making my heart race. I tried to remind myself that this was just practice. I should stay calm - I wasn’t in real danger. But it sure seemed otherwise when Reagan’s sharp fangs missed Col’s jugular by an inch as he rushed past us in a blur.

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