Chapter 3
1348 Words
The night air was thick with the scent of blood and damp earth. Aria stood motionless, her hands trembling as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from her veins. The rogue’s body lay lifeless at her feet, a silent testament to what she had just done.
She had killed.
Not out of rage. Not out of vengeance. But out of necessity.
Cassian stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming under the moonlight. “How does it feel?” he asked, his voice low, unreadable.
Aria swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
She expected guilt. Horror. Something.
Instead, all she felt was clarity.
For the first time, she understood what survival truly meant. It wasn’t about waiting for someone to save her. It was about becoming the person no one dared cross.
Cassian studied her reaction, then smirked. “Good. Because we’re not done yet.”
Her muscles screamed in protest, but she clenched her jaw and forced herself to stand taller. She would not show weakness. Not now. Not ever again.
“Come at me,” he said.
Her stomach twisted. “What?”
Cassian rolled his shoulders, his smirk never fading. “You want to become stronger, don’t you? Then fight me.”
Aria hesitated. She had barely survived the rogues. Now he expected her to take him on?
“I’ll give you five seconds,” he continued, his tone darkening. “If you don’t attack, I will.”
The warning sent a cold chill down her spine.
Five.
Aria’s breath came shallow.
Four.
Cassian’s stance shifted—predatory, lethal.
Three.
Her instincts screamed at her to run. But there was no running from this.
Two.
Aria’s nails elongated into claws.
One.
She lunged.
Cassian dodged effortlessly, sidestepping her attack like she was nothing more than a child playing warrior. Aria barely had time to react before he twisted behind her, knocking her legs out from under her.
She hit the ground hard, dirt filling her mouth.
“Too slow.” His voice was calm, unaffected. “Get up.”
A growl rumbled in her chest as she pushed herself up, ignoring the ache in her bones.
She charged again.
Again, he dodged.
Again, he knocked her down.
And again. And again.
Her breath grew ragged. Her body ached. But Cassian didn’t stop.
He wouldn’t stop.
“Pathetic,” he muttered after her fifth failed attempt. “Did you think one fight with a rogue made you strong? That just because you killed one, you suddenly became powerful?”
His words cut deeper than his claws ever could.
She wanted to be strong. She wanted to change. But she wasn’t him. She wasn’t born a Lycan with raw, unstoppable power.
She was a forsaken Luna—nothing more.
Cassian crouched beside her, his golden eyes dark with something she couldn’t name. “You still don’t get it, do you?”
Aria gritted her teeth. “Then make me understand.”
A cruel smile played at his lips. “Alright, little wolf. Let’s see if you can handle it.”
The night blurred into exhaustion.
Cassian didn’t go easy on her. He made her fight until her body burned, until her lungs screamed for air. Every time she hesitated, he punished her with another fall, another failure.
And yet, something inside her refused to break.
She wouldn’t stay weak. She wouldn’t be a woman left behind again.
The next time he struck, she dodged. Barely. But she did.
Cassian’s golden eyes flickered with something—approval?
She didn’t have time to process it. He was already moving again.
This time, she anticipated his attack. When he twisted to grab her, she turned with him, using his own force against him.
He let out a low, pleased hum as he caught himself before falling. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Aria panted, her heart hammering against her ribs.
She wasn’t winning. But she was learning.
And that was enough.
For now.
By the time Cassian finally called an end to their training, the sky had begun to lighten with the early traces of dawn.
Aria collapsed onto the cold earth, her body spent.
Cassian stood over her, arms crossed. “I expected you to give up.”
She let out a breathless laugh. “I wanted to.”
“But you didn’t.”
She turned her head, meeting his gaze. Something had changed between them.
Not trust. Not yet.
But respect.
And for Aria, that was more valuable than anything she had ever had.
Cassian smirked. “Rest up, little wolf. Tomorrow, we do it all over again.”
Aria closed her eyes, exhaustion pulling at her.
The Next Morning, Aria’s entire body ached, her muscles screaming in protest as she forced herself up from the cold ground. Every inch of her was sore—a brutal reminder of last night’s training.
Cassian had pushed her to her limits, breaking every illusion she had of strength. But he had also given her something she hadn’t felt in years—purpose.
She rolled her shoulders, wincing at the dull pain before standing. The fire inside her had not been extinguished.
If anything, it burned brighter.
Cassian stood a few feet away, already waiting. He didn’t greet her. He didn’t ask if she had rested well.
He simply lifted his hand and lunged.
Aria barely dodged, her heart slamming into her ribs as his claws sliced through the space where she had been. No warning. No hesitation.
Cassian was done holding back.
She barely had time to react before he was on her again, forcing her to move, to anticipate, to survive.
Her instincts sharpened. Her body reacted on its own.
The pain of yesterday was still there, but now, it fueled her.
Cassian’s golden eyes gleamed. “Good,” he murmured. “Again.”
The battle continued.
And for the first time, Aria wasn’t just trying to keep up.
She was fighting back.
Aria’s breathing was ragged. The sweat clung to her skin, but she refused to stop.
She darted forward, feinting left before twisting right—her claws just barely grazing Cassian’s arm.
His smirk widened. “You’re learning.”
Before she could react, he struck.
His claws dug into her shoulder, not enough to maim, but enough to make her stumble.
Pain flared, but something else stirred deep inside her.
A pulse.
A warmth that wasn’t from exertion.
Her vision blurred—for a second, she saw something else.
Golden threads of power coiled around her, surging beneath her skin, waiting…waiting to be released.
What…?
A sharp growl from Cassian snapped her out of it. “Don’t hesitate.”
Aria’s eyes snapped to his, the flicker of golden light fading as quickly as it had come.
Had he seen it?
Cassian studied her for a long moment before stepping back. “We’re done for today.”
She exhaled sharply, her mind racing.
She didn’t understand what had just happened, but she would find out.
Later that evening, as she sat by the fire, bandaging her wounds, Cassian approached.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” he said, his voice unreadable.
Aria tensed. “Felt what?”
Cassian crouched beside her, his gaze burning into hers. “The power inside you.”
Her stomach twisted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Don’t lie to me, little wolf. I saw it. You’re awakening.”
Awakening.
The word sent shivers down her spine.
She had always been told she was weak, a Luna without power. But now…
Now, something inside her was changing.
Cassian’s expression turned serious. “When it fully awakens, you won’t be the same. You need to be ready.”
Aria swallowed hard. “Ready for what?”
His golden eyes darkened.
“For the storm that’s coming.”
A chill ran through her, but she refused to be afraid.
No matter what was coming, she would face it head-on.
She was no longer just a forsaken Luna.
She was becoming something more.
And soon, the world would know it.
- Writer
