Dante’s POV
The clang of steel and barking voices smashed through the training yard, all sharp edges and it sounded like the world’s angriest drumline out there. Sweat slid down my back, icy and hot at the same time, while I grabbed this rookie’s elbow, yanked it up, and tossed out a curse under my breath. He winced, but hell, he fixed it. Swung again, cleaner this time.
“Better,” I grunted, stepping out of range. “Again. Don’t drag your damn feet.”
They jumped. They always did when I barked.
Not because I was Alpha. That ship sailed ages ago. It was trust. They knew me. I had been beside them since I could barely swing a sword, and got my scars right next to theirs. We’d bled on the borders, stalked rogues through the pitch-black woods, and I dragged home more bodies than anyone shoul
