Chapter Fifteen: Beneath the Surface
604 Words
Three days.
That’s how long she had been living inside Silvercrest Pack’s main estate. It had been… surprisingly smooth. Luna Amara made her feel welcomed, and most of the warriors and staff treated her with cautious respect. Some were curious. Others were skeptical. But no one had openly challenged her—yet.
Except him.
Spencer Louis.
She didn’t even know who he was at first. Just that weird glare he gave her from across the yard during patrol briefings. At first, she thought maybe she was imagining it. Maybe he just had a resting scowl.
But then came training.
Paired exercises, hand-to-hand only—no shifting, no claws, just instincts and discipline. Beta Cael had announced it plainly enough that morning, then told them to split into pairs.
Clover had barely turned before Spencer was there, already stretching, already watching her.
She held her stance. Calm. Collected.
It’s just training, she reminded herself.
But then he spoke.
“You know,” he said, circling her, “you’re a pretty little thing. How ‘bout we skip this and head to my room later? I’ll show you what it’s really like to roll with a warrior.”
Clover’s blood simmered. Her wolf Akira snarled in her mind, Break him.
She didn’t reply. Just smirked coolly and stayed in position.
When he lunged, she moved like wind—dodging low, sweeping his leg out, and flipping him flat onto his back in one fluid motion.
Gasps rippled around them.
Spencer lay stunned for a beat, blinking up at the sky.
Clover extended a hand mockingly. “Still want to roll?”
Some nearby warriors chuckled. A few even clapped.
Spencer didn’t take her hand.
He got up, red-faced and silent.
She watched him go, unsettled. What’s his deal?
⸻
Spencer – Later That Day
Spencer stormed off the field and straight into the woods until he found silence. His knuckles ached from how tightly he’d clenched his fists. His pride? Shattered.
She embarrassed me. In front of them all.
The whispers were already circling the training ground like vultures. His status? His fear-based control? Cracked.
She was strong, he’d admit that. But that didn’t mean she belonged here. It didn’t mean she should lead them.
Not her.
Never her.
He had worked for everything. Top warrior by nineteen. Lead of three missions. Silvercrest bled into his bones. And still—it had never been good enough for his parents.
“If only you were born an Alpha,” his mother’s voice echoed bitterly in his mind.
It haunted him more than he cared to admit.
He’d been praised when he became top warrior, sure. But it came with backhanded compliments and thin-lipped smiles.
Now? They were already whispering about her. About Clover.
How she might become the next Alpha.
Spencer grit his teeth.
Not on my damn watch.
He heard footsteps behind him. Turned. Beta Cael.
“What the hell was that in training?” Cael demanded.
Spencer shrugged, disinterested. “Just messing around.”
“That’s not how we mess around here, Spencer,” Cael snapped. “Watch your mouth. You think she’s soft? She was born an Alpha. Trained by warriors stronger than both of us put together. You embarrass yourself by treating her like that.”
Spencer didn’t answer.
“Rein it in,” Cael warned. “This isn’t a threat. It’s your last warning.”
Then he left.
But Spencer?
He just smiled.
They could protect her all they wanted. They could warn him, threaten him.
But he’d already made up his mind.
Clover wouldn’t last long here. He’d see to that.
- Writer
