What He Wants

Unexpected results

Kaitlyn

We set off early, the mist still curling at our boots as we trudge through thick pine woods and snowy ridges. The mountain stretches far ahead, untamed and harsh, and yet somehow beautiful. The cold bites at my cheeks, but the adrenaline of the survival test keeps me moving.

Reed, true to form, doesn’t shut up.

"If I die up here, I want my funeral to have cake," he mutters.

Kael rolls his eyes but doesn’t bother answering. Jax, walking just ahead of us, gives a slight shake of his head like he’s already regretting our squad pairing.

"What kind of cake?" I ask, surprising even myself.

Reed grins. "You talk! Progress! Chocolate, obviously. With frosting that makes you question all your life choices. oh it's going to be big." He says dreamingly.

Jax glances over his shoulder, brow raised. "I’ll remember that if you freeze to death. Want anything written on the tombstone?"

Reed clutches his chest. "Yes. 'Here lies Reed. Died fabulous."

We all chuckle—even Kael cracks a smile. The tension breaks for a while, replaced by warm laughter and aching lungs.

It's strange. I almost feel normal. Almost.

I fall into step beside Jax, boots crunching on the frost-hardened ground. He doesn’t say anything, but there’s a comfort in the silence.

Until he speaks.

"You're surprising."

I blink. "How?"

why does everyone keep telling me that.

He shrugs. "You learn fast. Fight harder than you let on. You don't talk much, but when you do, it's... solid."

wow. Is that a compliment? From him? My heart trips over itself.

"Thanks," I say, trying to sound nonchalant.

He looks at me a moment longer, then turns his gaze back to the trail. "You're different. In a good way."

I swallow thickly. Different. Yeah, you have no idea.

I have lady bits that's how different I am.

despite myself I snort loudly.

and he looks over at me confused.

As the day wears on, we climb higher. The terrain grows rockier, the wind sharper. Kael scouts ahead, silent and focused. Reed hums pop songs under his breath. Jax leads us like a seasoned alpha. I follow, fighting the ache in my legs and the tightness of the chest binding.

We stop for a break near a ridge overlooking a frozen river. The view steals my breath. Pines stretch endlessly, cloaked in white. The sun breaks through the clouds, casting a golden sheen across the snow.

"Looks fake," I whisper.

"It’s real enough to kill you," Jax says, tossing me a protein bar. "Eat. You'll need it."

We snack in silence, but I catch Jax glancing my way more than once. His eyes flick over me like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

"What?" I finally ask.

He shrugs. "Just... trying to figure you out."

I laugh, a short, nervous sound. "Good luck with that."

Suddenly, Kael stiffens. His nose lifts. A low growl rumbles in his throat.

"We're not alone."

Reed snorts. "Great. Just when I got comfortable."

Jax is already on his feet. "Positions. Kael, eyes left. Reed, with me. Kai, hold right flank."

I nod, blade already in hand. My pulse jumps. The playful mood evaporates like mist.

Then the rogues appear.

Five of them. Snarling, feral, eyes glowing red with madness.

The largest lunges straight at me.

I don’t have time to think. I duck under its claws and drive my shoulder into its gut. It stumbles, and I strike fast—blade slashing across its ribs. It howls.

It comes again. My legs move before my brain does. I roll under its charge, come up behind, and kick the back of its knee. It collapses, and I stab downward, blade sinking deep.

Panting, I step back. My arms tremble. My whole body hums.

I did that?

Another rogue tries to flank me. I spin, catch its jaw with my elbow, then knee it in the chest. It crashes into a tree. My instincts scream. My body moves with precision I didn’t know I had.

I'm not just surviving.

I'm fighting.

Winning.

Nearby, Jax dispatches two rogues like a beast unleashed, Reed holds off one with wild swings, and Kael’s movements are ghostly, fluid, efficient.

I catch Jax glancing my way again, something flickering in his eyes.

Respect. And something more.

But before I can process it, the last rogue charges me, catching me off guard. We tumble, limbs tangled. I jam my blade between us, barely keeping its jaws from my throat.

Pain shoots through my ribs where its claws scrape me.

I grit my teeth. Push harder.

Finally, I shove it off, roll on top, and end it.

Silence falls.

Snow drifts down around us.

My chest heaves.

I’m bleeding. I’m bruised. I’m shaking.

But I’m standing.

Jax walks over, breathing hard. "You good?"

I nod slowly, still dazed. "Yeah. Just... surprised."

"By what?"

I glance at the rogue’s body, then back at him. "I didn’t know I could do that."

He studies me for a beat. Then he offers a small, genuine smile. "You’re full of surprises, Kai."

Reed hobbles over, wiping blood off his arm. "Okay, seriously—did you grow up on some secret elite fighting farm? Because what the hell was that?"

I laugh weakly. "Pure luck. I was swinging and praying."

Kael, for once, speaks up. "No. That wasn't luck. That was instinct."

Jax nods, eyes still locked on mine. "And training. You don’t move like someone who’s had an easy life."

That's the exact opposite of my life. I had it too easy.

This is the only thing I've put so much effort in.

The attention makes me squirm, but there's a tiny flicker of pride too. For once, I wasn’t the weak link. I was the one holding the line.

Reed claps me on the back, sending a jolt through my sore spine. "Alright, Kai. You're officially scary. I like it."

"That makes one of us," I mutter, brushing snow off my sleeves.

Jax's gaze lingers for a second longer, like he wants to ask more—dig deeper.

But then he just says, "We move in ten. Catch your breath."

I drop to a boulder and let myself feel the ache for a second. But beneath it, there's something new. A spark. A fire.

Maybe I'm not as helpless as I thought.

Maybe I belong here more than I ever imagined.