Training resumed the following week.
The academy grounds looked the same.
Same sharp-lined buildings carved from blackstone. Same statues of ancient Alphas towering like guardians. Same wind snapping through the banners overhead, each embroidered with the sigil of the founding packs.
But for Rayne Valen, everything had changed.
She stood at the edge of the training yard, back ramrod straight, trying not to flinch at every shout, every clash of metal on metal. Her body still ached—healing too slow, bones too stiff—but the pain wasn’t what made her stomach twist.
It was the eyes.
Lucian's gaze had become a familiar burn on her skin—dangerous, comforting, unreadable.
She gripped the hilt of her training blade tighter.
Just survive. Keep your head down. Be invisible again.
Rayne moved
