Killian's POV.
Three days. Three damn days I’ve watched him fail. Every drill, every swim, every obstacle...he couldn’t get it right. Not once. He stumbled, he hesitated, he fell apart. I’ve seen the others...Alpha heirs meant to survive everything...smirking quietly at him, whispering under their breath. None of them bothered to hide it. And yet, Rowan…he kept trying. Stubborn, defiant. His body bruised, gasping for air, trembling. But he didn’t quit. Not once.
And I hated him for it. Hated the way my chest tightened every time I saw him push past pain he had no business surviving. Hated that I could see the fire in him and want to tear it out. My wolf roared in my chest, furious, wanting to crush, wanting to claim, wanting…something I refused to admit.
This morning, he got thrown int
