Page 59 of Shattered and Saved

When Col cocked his head, both confused by the change in his demeanor and not fully comprehending his advice, he approached us. “Here, I’ll show you.”

The way he spoke, it wasn’t so much condescension anymore. He wasn’t offering this out of some sense of duty. He was helping because, for once, he recognized that we were on the same side.

As he let his own wolf out, we trained in silence, in what seemed like an unspoken truce. I followed his instructions, adapting to his style, letting him guide me through the motions. He showed me a few techniques, ways to center myself and focus on the power, letting it flow naturally through me rather than trying to grasp it with my paws.

After a few more rounds, Waylon stopped and turned to me, his expression less guarded.“Good. You get it now. All you have to do is keep it up when you move on to your other skills.”

Col gave him a curt nod, still unsure about his sudden kindness. We watched as Waylon shifted back into his human form, grabbing a robe. I thought he was leaving when he suddenly stopped with his back turned to me.

And what he said next left me utterly baffled.

“You know, I longed for Avril’s recognition more than I wanted her love,” he explained introspectively, his voice quieter,almost...vulnerable, as if he was both recognizing the truth himself as well as telling me.

“When a regular wolf - the mate who rejected her at that - suddenly stole the spotlight, I guess I got… jealous,” he went on, causing Col to raise his brows at the man’s raw honesty. Before I could process it, the warrior snapped his head toward us, glaring as he threatened, “But if you ever tell anyone that, I’ll rip your tongue out. I don’t care if you’re technically my alpha now.”

I couldn’t help but smirk.“As if you could,”I muttered as my wolf flashed him an unphased look.“But don’t worry. I won’t say a word,”I reassured him, making a brief pause before adding,“And thanks for the tips.”

He met my gaze with a steady look before giving me a slight nod. “I just paid back the debt I had with you. We’re even now.”

With that, he turned and walked off. It wasn’t an apology, and it certainly didn’t erase the tension between us, but it was as close as we’d get. As the sound of his departure faded, I felt a strange shift in the air - something that made it feel, for the first time, like we weren’t all that different anymore.

Seconds later, Avril stepped in, an askance look on her face. “I just ran into Waylon. It seemed like he was heading out from here?” I could understand the unspoken question behind her words.

Assuming my human form, I soothed her, “He was helping me, actually.”

She widened her eyes at my response, more confused than ever. “Oh.” As if digesting the revelation, she blinked a couple of times before brushing it off. “Okay, then.”

“How did the meeting go?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I’ll tell you while we practice some more,” she replied.

And with that, we returned to training, the recent uncertainties pushed aside for now.

36

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A V R I L

Over the courseof the following week, we resumed our regular schedule at Azure Smoke, with just one minor change: Koen now attended training sessions with all of our warriors instead of working separately. He was adapting to his new power much faster than I’d expected, especially since Waylon had supposedly helped him with his skills.

I never asked Koen exactly what went down at the training grounds that day, but it was clear something had changed between them. Whenever they crossed paths around the pack lands, the tension that had once hung between them was gone. It wasn’t as if they were merely pretending to maintain peace in my presence anymore. It seemed they had developed mutual respect for one another. And while I couldn’t fully understand how it happened, I was glad they had put their stupid feud behind them.

While we awaited a response from the Elders, I tried to enjoy the brief period of calm we had, fearing it could be stolen from us soon. Between the stress of dealing with the aftermath of the attack on Blood Rose and the consequences of Koen’s transformation, I’d barely had any time to relish the fact that we were finally mates again, and I felt we both deserved some time to ourselves.

Thankfully, the momentary peace allowed us to spend more relaxing time together. I made sure to make the most of every second of it. Thus, even while Theo was out at Whispering Hills to check if our letter had been answered, I insisted on pretending the rest of the world didn't exist until he returned.

“Sunset walk?” Koen’s smile was brighter than the golden light bathing the treetops. I felt the warmth it radiated as he stayed close at my side. A chuckle escaped him as he turned toward the trail ahead, giving away his intent to tease me before he said with mock surprise, “Seems you’ve got a romantic streak in you after all.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips from curling. “Hate to contradict your expectations, but this isn’t meant to be romantic.” The playfulness in my tone waned as a heavy sigh escaped me, and I admitted, “This might be our last quiet sunset before everything falls apart. I just want to savor it.”

He fell silent for a moment, and I worried I might have ruined it. But I underestimated just how effortlessly he could make everything feel lighter.

“Now, that’s more like you,” he whispered as he leaned in, bumping my shoulder to catch my attention. As I looked into his eyes, he added, “Ever the pessimist.”

A scoff escaped me as I corrected, “You mean, the realist.” I bumped him back to emphasize my point. “Theo should be back by nightfall, and I doubt that letter will be enough to keep the Council off our backs for long.” I paused before finishing with a half-joke. “Means we’ll likely have a lot to deal with by the time the sun rises again.”

“Okay.” It was his turn to sigh. “You said you didn’t want to talk problems.”

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