I barely had time to breathe before Kaelen turned away from me and called out, his voice sharp enough to cut air.
"Delta Riona."
A woman stepped forward from the training line
Tall. Strong. Muscles like carved stone. Her dark hair was braided tight, and her eyes..gods…her eyes were cold like the northern winter.
She bowed her head once. "Alpha."
Kaelen didn't look at her. His gaze stayed locked on me.
"She will fight you," he said.
My stomach dropped. "What?"
He leaned down slightly, like speaking to a stubborn child. "You heard me."
"But.. I… can't... And besides just trained with you…"
"That was nothing." His voice didn't rise, didn't soften. It was just hard. "Now I want to see how you survive a real fight."
My mouth dried. "Kaelen…"
"No mercy," he
