CHAPTER1
1249 Words
CHAPTER ONE
It was just another ordinary morning in Elara's life.
For the past ten years, every day had begun the same way.
Wake up.
Train.
Work.
Sleep.
Repeat.
Routine had become her greatest comfort, and discipline had become the life she chose after losing everything she once believed in.
Before sunrise, she was already inside the private gym attached to her villa.
The rhythmic sound of metal weights echoed through the room as she pushed herself through another intense workout. Sweat rolled down her forehead, soaked through her training clothes, and dripped onto the rubber floor beneath her feet.
Forty-five minutes later, she finally dropped the weights onto the rack and exhaled.
Her muscles burned.
Exactly how she liked it.
Pain reminded her she was alive.
Weakness was no longer an option.
After a quick shower and a simple breakfast, Elara changed into her black training uniform before making her way toward the kingdom's largest training ground.
By the time she arrived, dozens of new recruits were already lined up in neat rows, waiting for her.
The moment they saw her, every conversation stopped.
"Good morning, Commander," they greeted in unison.
She acknowledged them with a brief nod.
"Let's begin."
The morning training started with basic combat drills before gradually progressing into one-on-one sparring sessions.
Most of the recruits had improved considerably over the past few weeks.
Most.
One young warrior, eager to prove himself, suddenly charged toward Elara without waiting for instructions.
His movements were fast.
Aggressive.
Predictable.
Within a single heartbeat, Elara stepped aside, caught his wrist, shifted her weight, and sent him crashing onto the dusty ground.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
Groans escaped his lips as the other recruits burst into laughter.
"SILENCE."
Her voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The entire training ground fell quiet immediately.
Elara stretched out her hand toward the fallen recruit.
After a brief hesitation, he accepted it.
"You keep attacking with anger," she said calmly.
"A warrior who fights with anger has already lost."
The young man rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.
"I almost had you."
A small smirk tugged at the corner of Elara's lips.
"No."
"You almost embarrassed yourself."
A few recruits struggled to hide their laughter.
Even the young warrior laughed at himself.
"Again," Elara ordered.
"This time, think before you move."
The lesson continued.
Every recruit had their turn.
She corrected careless footwork, praised quick thinking, and pointed out mistakes without humiliating anyone.
By the end of the session, every warrior had improved, even if only by a little.
Elara believed progress was never measured by perfection.
Only by consistency.
She stepped in front of the group.
"You all did better than yesterday."
"That's progress in my book."
"We'll continue tomorrow with weapon combat."
"You're dismissed."
The recruits bowed before leaving the training ground.
For Elara, it should have been the end of another ordinary day.
She had no idea that before the sun set…
After concluding the day's training, Elara made her way back to her villa.
The moment she stepped inside, she let out a tired sigh.
It had been another productive day.
She headed straight to the bathroom, taking a long shower to wash away the sweat and dust from the training field.
A few minutes later, she walked out dressed in a pair of comfortable pajamas, her damp hair packed into a messy bun.
She made herself a simple dinner before settling into her home office to finish the little work she had left for the day.
Stacks of reports were arranged neatly on her desk.
A few peace treaties between neighboring territories required her approval.
She carefully read through each document before signing them one after the other.
Satisfied, she placed the final document back into its folder.
"Finally..."
She stretched her arms above her head.
"Work is officially over."
For the first time that day, she smiled.
She walked into the kitchen, fixed herself a large bowl of popcorn and headed for the living room.
Curling up comfortably on the couch, she switched on the television and searched for an action movie she had been meaning to watch for weeks.
The quiet atmosphere inside the villa was exactly what she needed.
No recruits.
No swords.
No shouting.
Just her...
Her popcorn...
And a peaceful evening.
About halfway through the movie...
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
She frowned.
At this hour?
Placing the bowl on the center table, she got up and walked towards the door.
Standing outside was a royal messenger dressed in the official colors of the Wolf Kingdom.
Immediately, she knew this wasn't a social visit.
The messenger bowed respectfully.
"Lady Elara."
"I bring a royal decree from His Majesty, the Wolf King, and Her Majesty, the Queen."
Her expression immediately became serious.
She accepted the sealed letter.
After thanking the messenger, she shut the door behind her and broke the royal seal.
Her eyes slowly moved across the page.
At first...
She simply read.
Then...
She froze.
Riverfront Pack.
Her heartbeat skipped.
She read the line again.
Then again.
There was no mistake.
The Royals were assigning her to Riverfront Pack to personally train their newest recruits in preparation for the growing threats surrounding the kingdom.
"No..."
The word escaped her lips almost immediately.
Anything but Riverfront.
Anything.
She grabbed her phone and dialed a familiar number.
The call barely rang twice before it was answered.
"Commander Orion."
"You knew."
A brief silence followed.
"I had a feeling this day would come."
"You knew?" she repeated, this time unable to hide the frustration in her voice.
"And you didn't think to warn me?"
"I couldn't."
"You couldn't?"
"It wasn't my place."
She let out an irritated laugh.
"So everyone knew except me."
"It came directly from the Royals, Elara."
"I know."
"I can decline."
"No."
"You can't."
She closed her eyes.
That single word was enough.
A royal assignment wasn't a request.
It was an order.
"You should see this as an opportunity," Orion continued.
She rolled her eyes.
"There it is."
"The motivational speech."
"I've heard enough of those to last a lifetime."
A small chuckle came from the other end of the phone.
"I'm serious."
"You've spent ten years building a life that Riverfront can never take away from you."
"Maybe it's time you proved that to yourself."
She didn't respond.
After ending the call, Elara stood in complete silence.
She looked around her villa.
Her peaceful life.
The home she had built with her own hands.
Everything she had worked so hard to create.
And now...
She was being sent back to the one place she had sworn never to return to.
Early the next morning, she packed only the essentials.
A small suitcase.
A few changes of clothes.
Her training gear.
Her weapons.
Nothing more.
There was no point carrying the weight of an entire house for what was supposed to be a temporary assignment.
Loading her luggage into the trunk of her car, she took one last look at her villa before getting behind the wheel.
The journey was quiet.
Peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Hours later...
The large stone gates of Riverfront Pack appeared in the distance.
Elara slowly pulled the car to a stop.
She stared at the gates through the windshield.
Ten years...
And somehow...
It still looked exactly the same.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
Then finally drove forward.
Her past would come looking for her.
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