Chapter 7
1160 Words
Lyra
By six o'clock the next morning, the sun wasn't even up yet and Torin was already standing in the middle of the Shadow Claw training yard with Bran in the booth above.
The air was freezing cold and in the middle of the yard stood a heavy leather chest harness, hooked to thick steel cables and a heavy metal sled.
"Put it on," Torin said, tossing the harness to me.
I caught it, my arms dropping under the weight. "What is this?"
"Safety," Torin said, stepping close to help buckle the straps. His warm fingers brushed my collarbone.
"Your mind wants to run with your human legs, but your wolf wants to burst all at once. If those two forces pull against each other, your body will break. The harness forces your body to hold the weight."
"So it keeps my bones from snapping," I said, pulling the straps tight around my ribs.
"Exactly," Torin said. "Hook onto the sled."
I walked up to the line and clipped the steel cables to my belt. Behind me, the heavy sled sat loaded with three hundred pounds of iron.
"Twenty short sprints," Bran’s voice came through my earpiece from the booth above. "Try not to leave ice on the floor. If you leave one cold mark, we add fifty pounds to the sled."
Really, So this is the step 2 plan.
I looked at Alpha Torin and he looked at me blankly, his face unreadable as ever.
I set my feet into the damp floor, closed my eyes and reached inside myself, finding the quiet power beneath my ribs. It stirred with a rush of cold energy flowing down my legs.
Go.
I exploded forward.
The steel cables snapped tight, pulling back on my hips with massive force. The power inside me flared up violently to fight the weight, and a cloud of black mist burst from my heels.
SCREECH.
The sled ground to a sudden stop as a layer of blue ice covered the floor beneath my shoes.
"Fail," Bran called over the radio. "Sled weight up to three hundred and fifty pounds. Go back to the line."
My lungs burned. My legs shook. I turned around, staring at the ice on the stone floor.
"You are trying to fight the weight, Lyra," Torin said, walking beside me as I dragged the heavy sled back.
He helped carry the sled. "Stop treating the weight like a wall. Make it part of your own body."
"It feels like dragging an iron block," I muttered, wiping sweat off my face.
"Because you are fighting the pull," Torin said softly, stopping right next to me. "Don't try to use muscle strength, Lyra. You have power. When the sled pulls you back, don't force your body forward. Pull the weight into your chest and swallow it."
I looked up at him, breathing hard. "Swallow three hundred and fifty pounds of metal?"
"Swallow the power," he corrected, his dark eyes locking onto mine with absolute trust. "Again."
I set my feet. My hands touched the cold floor.
I took a deep breath, letting the cold power in my chest grow calm.
This time, when the signal sounded, I didn't try to rip out of the start with my strength.
As the heavy cables pulled tight on my belt, I didn't fight back, I pulled the force into my chest.
My power flared, but instead of exploding into ice, it wrapped tight around my body, swallowing the heavy drag completely.
The sled suddenly felt like nothing.
I shot down the track like an arrow, moving so fast the wind didn't even touch my face. I crossed the line in a flash and came to a stop.
I turned around, breathing fast.
The floor behind me was dry. No ice. No dark marks. Just a faint shadow that vanished into the air.
Above us, Bran stared at his screen in total silence.
Torin walked up to me, a slow, dangerous smile on his face. "That is step two."
"Dragging sled weighing up to three hundred and fifty pounds." I said jokingly.
"Making you invisible," Torin corrected. "When you run at the races under a fake name, No one will see an ancient wolf. They will only see a ghost they cannot catch."
Before I could answer, the big iron gates at the edge of the grounds rattled.
Vesper came running down the stone stairs, holding her folder tight against her chest. Her usual calm face was gone.
"Alpha," Vesper said, her voice fast as she reached us. "We have a problem at the gate."
Torin shifted instantly, his Alpha power rising like a wall. "What happened?"
"A Silver Fang car just pulled up to the valley checkpoint," Vesper said, showing us her screen. "It's Alpha Julian. He says he is here for an official pack inspection."
My blood ran cold.
"Julian is here?" I asked, my hands making tight fists.
"He heard a rumor that a fast runner is training in Shadow Claw territory," Vesper said. "He brought three of his top guards with him. He wants to check our roster."
Torin did not look surprised. He unclipped the heavy cables from my belt, his warm hand briefly touching my hip to steady me.
"He is scared," Torin said quietly. "He heard rumors and he came running here because his pride cannot handle it."
He turned to look me straight in the eye, his dark face calm and strong.
"Stay here with Bran," Torin said.
"No," I said right away, taking a step forward. "He threw me off a cliff, Alpha Torin. I am not hiding in the back like a scared girl."
Torin stepped into my path, his big frame blocking the morning sun.
"You are not hiding, Lyra," Torin murmured, his voice low. "If he sees you now, he gets time to prepare. If he sees you on the track, he loses everything."
I looked into his eyes, forcing my fast breathing to slow down. He was right. Showing my face now was just anger. Winning on the track was victory.
"Fine," I whispered. "What do we do?"
"Vesper," Torin commanded, turning to his strategist.
"Take her to the high room behind the dark glass. Let her watch how I handle trespassers."
Torin turned and walked toward the gate, his heavy boots making loud sounds against the floor.
I looked up at the high stone tower overlooking the courtyard. A cold, calm fire lit up in my chest as I followed Vesper up the stairs.
Julian was here and for the first time in my life, he had nothing on me.
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