Riven’s training did not begin with strength.
It began with stillness.
“Your wolf is not the center,” he told her on the first morning. “Your power is older than the wolf. Before fangs. Before shift. Before Alpha.”
Aria crouched in the forest clearing, surrounded by silence thick enough to choke on. The pine trees stood like sentries. Frost still clung to the ground. Her muscles ached from holding still, but Riven hadn’t moved in hours.
She finally exhaled. “What exactly am I supposed to feel?”
Riven opened one eye. “The silence between your heartbeats.”
She scowled. “That’s not helpful.”
He grinned. “Then listen harder.”
***
For days, the lessons made no sense.
He had her sit in moonlight without shifting.
Stand in the rain with bare skin and no coat.
Sleep outside, away from
