Katie wandered the training fields at dawn, her thoughts spinning like a storm she barely kept caged inside. Lucian had vanished into the night with a promise hanging heavy between them, while Liam, her other mate remained distant. Protective. Conflicted.
The sky burned with the first hints of sunrise, casting amber light on dew-slick grass. Her skin shimmered faintly in the glow, the echoes of last night still humming beneath her bones. Every step she took, Rachel, Daya, and Syla shifted within her.
Rachel rumbled: The bond is real.Daya hissed: So is the threat.Syla whispered: You must decide.
But Katie wasn't ready to choose. Not yet.
"Training without permission?" a sharp voice cut through the quiet.
Katie turned, already dreading the face behind the venom.
Marissa.
The Alpha's daughter strutted into view, dressed in combat leathers that screamed privilege. Her perfectly curled hair glinted in the sun, and her eyes—cold and calculating—locked on Katie like she was prey. Ivy and Lila, her ever-loyal shadows, trailed close behind.
"I didn't realize you were allowed to touch royal grounds," Marissa said, her voice laced with false sweetness. "Did Liam forget to remind his omega toy of her place?"
Katie's jaw clenched. "These grounds belong to the pack. I'm still part of it."
Marissa laughed, a harsh sound. "Not for long. Once the King comes to his senses, he'll realize you're nothing. A defect. A freak. He's royalty. You're... dirt."
Then she slapped Katie.
Hard.
Katie staggered back. Pain bloomed across her cheek, but it wasn't the physical sting that burned—it was the echo of every bruise, every insult, every time Marissa had cornered her in the dark.
Not again.
"Stop it," Katie whispered.
But Marissa advanced. "You don't belong by his side! It should've been me! I've trained, bled, sacrificed—"
Another blow. Then another.
Katie's head snapped to the side. Blood trickled from her lip.
Rachel growled: Enough.Daya snarled: No more hiding.Syla sang: Unleash us.
Rachel howled: No more.
Something inside Katie snapped.
She launched forward with feral speed and tackled Marissa to the ground. Her fists rained down. Over and over. Until Marissa's face was a mask of blood and screams. Ivy and Lila shrieked. Chaos erupted.
"Enough!" Liam roared, grabbing Katie's arm.
Lucian appeared like smoke and shadow, catching her other wrist. "Katie, stop. You'll kill her."
But Katie's eyes were wild. Her body trembled. Her skin glowed.
Gold. Red. Silver.
All at once.
"Let go!" she growled.
Liam held firm. "You're not her. This isn't you."
Lucian's voice was low, commanding. "You are more than rage, Katherine."
The words cut through. She froze. Her fists loosened.
Then she collapsed into Liam's chest, trembling.
Behind them, Marissa was dragged away, broken and sobbing.
Katie didn't speak. She couldn't. But one truth burned through her pain:
She would never be weak again.