CHAPTER THREE: THE SILENT PROTECTOR
1325 Words
“Please… someone help me.”
The voice was small and trembling, barely a whisper against the night wind. But I heard it. I always did.
The training grounds were quiet this late, bathed in the pale light of the moon. Everyone else was asleep, except me. Sleep didn’t come easily anymore. Not since my father’s words echoed in my head like a curse.
I froze in the shadows near the east wall, my senses sharpening. The cry came again, muffled this time, from behind the storage huts near the woods.
I moved without thinking.
When I rounded the corner, I saw them—three pack members, older apprentices, surrounding a small figure curled on the ground. Their laughter was low and cruel, the kind that made my blood heat instantly.
“Didn’t hear you,” one of them taunted, nudging the boy with his boot. “Say it again. Tell us how grateful you are that we let you breathe our air.”
The omega boy, no more than thirteen, whimpered and covered his head with his arms. His uniform was torn, dirt streaking his pale skin.
The tallest of the three leaned closer, his voice dripping venom. “Pathetic. Omegas like you should sleep outside the walls where you belong.”
I didn’t plan my next move. My body acted before my mind did.
“Touch him again,” I said, stepping out of the shadows, “and you’ll regret it.”
The tallest turned, startled. Then he laughed when he saw me. “Well, if it isn’t the Beta’s disgrace.”
The others joined in. “Didn’t your father forbid you from training? Shouldn’t you be cleaning the stables or something?”
I ignored their words. Words couldn’t hurt me anymore—not compared to silence.
“I said,” I repeated, stepping closer, “leave him alone.”
The omega boy’s eyes lifted to mine, wide, terrified, and disbelieving.
The leader’s grin widened. “Or what? You’ll cry for Daddy?”
That did it.
I didn’t give him time to blink. My fist connected with his jaw so hard he stumbled backward, crashing into the crates behind him. The sound echoed through the empty yard.
The others froze, unsure if they should laugh or run. I gave them no chance to decide.
A sharp kick sent the second one sprawling. The third lunged at me, but I sidestepped easily, hooking his arm and twisting until he yelped.
“Apologize,” I said through clenched teeth.
He groaned. “You’re insane—”
I twisted harder. “Apologize.”
“Fine! Fine—I’m sorry!”
I let him go. He stumbled away, clutching his wrist. The leader got back to his feet, blood on his lip, glaring at me like he wanted to kill me—but he didn’t dare move.
“You think this makes you noble?” he spat. “You think anyone will thank you for defending gutter trash?”
I stepped closer, my voice low. “No. I didn’t do it for thanks.”
He sneered. “Then why?”
I met his eyes. “Because someone should’ve done it for me.”
That shut him up.
He muttered something under his breath and gestured for the others to follow. “This isn’t over.”
They disappeared into the shadows, nursing their bruises and pride.
I waited until their footsteps faded before turning to the boy. He was still trembling, too afraid to move.
“Hey,” I said gently, kneeling beside him. “You’re safe now.”
He hesitated, then looked up. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I couldn’t just stand by.”
He shook his head. “They’ll tell the Beta. You’ll be punished.”
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. “He already finds reasons to punish me. One more won’t matter.”
The boy’s gaze softened, confusion flickering in his eyes. “Why would you help me?”
Because I saw myself in him—small, scared, cornered.
Because no one ever stepped in for me.
But I only said, “Because no one deserves to be treated like that.”
He blinked, then whispered, “Thank you.”
I offered him my hand and helped him stand. He was light, too light—skin and bones wrapped in loyalty that no one noticed.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Finn,” he said quietly. “Omega house.”
“Finn,” I repeated, committing it to memory. “Stay away from them. And if they bother you again, come find me.”
His eyes widened. “But you’ll get in trouble.”
I shrugged. “So will they.”
He managed a small, shaky smile before hurrying off toward the dorms, glancing over his shoulder once as if to make sure I was real.
When he disappeared, I finally exhaled. My knuckles ached, and my heart still pounded from the rush.
For a moment, the silence returned—but it wasn’t empty. It felt alive, like the night itself was watching.
I turned to leave and froze.
A shadow detached itself from the darkness near the storage hut.
“You don’t know how to stay invisible, do you?”
The voice was familiar—smooth, steady, dangerous. The cloaked figure from the forest.
My pulse spiked. “You again.”
He stepped closer, the hood of his cloak catching the moonlight. “You have a habit of interfering.”
I crossed my arms. “I have a habit of doing what’s right.”
He tilted his head. “Right doesn’t always mean safe.”
“Neither does silence,” I shot back.
A faint smile ghosted his lips—or maybe it was just a trick of the light. “You’re braver than I expected.”
I tensed. “You didn’t answer me last time. Who are you?”
He ignored the question, studying me like I was a puzzle. “Your father’s reputation doesn’t match what I’ve seen. He calls you weak.”
I stiffened. “He would.”
“And yet…” He looked at my bruised knuckles and the dirt on my knees. “Weak isn’t the word I’d use.”
The silence between us stretched, heavy with something I couldn’t name.
Finally, he said quietly, “You’ve caught the King’s attention for a reason, Ember Callen. The trials begin soon. If you want to escape your father’s shadow, that will be your chance.”
My breath hitched. “The Alpha King’s trials? Only ranked warriors can—”
He cut me off. “Rules bend for the exceptional.”
He turned to leave, his cloak trailing behind him like smoke.
“Wait,” I called, my heart racing. “Why tell me this? Why help me?”
He paused just long enough to look over his shoulder. “Because,” he said softly, “you’re not the only one hiding from their bloodline.”
And then he was gone—swallowed by the night.
I stood there, motionless, as his words pulsed through me. The insignia in my pocket suddenly felt heavier.
The Alpha King’s trials.
A chance to escape.
A chance to prove who I really was.
But as I turned toward the packhouse, the air shifted—thick with a scent that made every hair on my body rise.
Smoke.
I looked up. The faint orange glow in the distance wasn’t the moon. It was fire.
And it was coming from the Omega quarters.
My blood ran cold.
Without thinking, I ran—faster than I ever had—toward the smoke, the heat, and the screams beginning to pierce the night.
End of Chapter Three.
Ember’s act of secret heroism turns into a nightmare as the Omega quarters go up in flames, and s
he races toward danger, unaware that what she finds in the fire will change everything.
- Writer
