Chapter 14: The Forced Training
733 Words
Lyra Vale did not want to step into the training hall.
But Kael Draven didn’t give her a choice.
And neither did the second Alpha.
The wide stone arena felt colder than before, as if the walls themselves were waiting for something to happen. Old claw marks and shattered ground told her this was not a place for discussions.
It was a place for control.
Lyra stopped at the center.
“I’m not doing this,” she said firmly.
Kael didn’t turn. “You already are.”
“That’s not an answer,” she snapped.
The second Alpha leaned against a pillar, watching her calmly. “It’s the truth.”
Lyra glared at him. “You again.”
“Me again,” he replied lightly.
Kael stepped forward into the arena. “We need to understand your reaction patterns.”
Lyra laughed once, sharp. “I’m not an experiment.”
“You are reacting like one,” Kael said quietly.
That made her freeze.
Not because it was cruel—but because he meant it.
Before she could respond, the second Alpha pushed off the pillar.
“I’ll begin,” he said.
Kael’s eyes darkened. “No.”
Lyra raised her hand. “Stop deciding things about me like I’m not here.”
Neither of them answered her.
That silence made her anger spike.
The second Alpha stepped forward anyway.
“Relax,” he said. “No harm will come to you.”
Lyra scoffed. “That depends on your definition of harm.”
He stopped a few steps away.
Immediately, Lyra felt it.
The pressure in her chest returned.
Stronger than before.
Kael noticed instantly. “Step back.”
The second Alpha didn’t move. “This is necessary.”
“For what?” Lyra demanded.
Kael answered before him.
“For bond response testing.”
Lyra frowned. “I don’t even understand what that means.”
The second Alpha replied calmly. “You react to both of us.”
“That’s not my fault,” she snapped.
Kael’s voice lowered. “We need to measure the instability.”
Lyra stepped back. “I don’t want to be measured.”
Kael hesitated.
Just for a second.
But she saw it.
And that was enough.
The second Alpha spoke again. “Begin.”
The air shifted.
Kael moved first—but not toward her.
He circled her slowly.
Measuring.
Watching.
The second Alpha mirrored him from the opposite side.
Lyra realized instantly—
She was being contained.
Not touched.
Not harmed.
But trapped.
“I hate this,” she said sharply.
Neither responded.
Kael’s voice came low. “Focus on your reaction.”
“My reaction to what?” she snapped.
“Us,” he said.
Lyra’s chest tightened again.
“I hate both of you,” she said instantly.
The second Alpha nodded slightly. “That is still a reaction.”
Lyra clenched her fists. “Stop talking like I’m not a person.”
Kael stopped moving.
For a second.
“I didn’t say that,” he said quietly.
But it didn’t feel better.
The pressure inside her chest pulsed again.
Stronger.
Lyra staggered slightly.
“What did you do?” she demanded.
Kael answered carefully. “We removed the dampening seal.”
Lyra froze. “You what?”
The second Alpha added calmly. “We allowed the bond field to stabilize naturally.”
“That’s insane,” she whispered.
Another pulse hit her chest.
Harder.
Lyra dropped to one knee, gripping her chest.
“Stop it,” she gasped.
Kael stepped forward instantly—but stopped.
The second Alpha did the same.
Both reacting at once.
Lyra looked up, breathing uneven.
“You feel that too?” she whispered.
Kael’s expression tightened. “Yes.”
The second Alpha’s voice softened slightly. “It’s accelerating.”
Lyra’s vision blurred for a moment.
The world felt too loud.
Too close.
Too much of them.
Then—
Something shifted inside her.
A response.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Awareness.
Her eyes widened slightly as the pressure changed shape.
Lyra whispered:
“It’s… answering.”
Kael’s expression darkened. “That’s not supposed to happen yet.”
The second Alpha tilted his head. “And yet it is.”
Lyra slowly stood, unsteady.
And for the first time—
She didn’t feel like something was being forced into her.
She felt like something inside her was waking up.
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