Rise of the Underdogs: VALIK

XIV

Getting back to my assigned barracks, I quietly walked into the sleeping area and started packing. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the overhead strip lights. My thoughts weren’t on leaving my new friends — they were on everything I’d survived to get here. Each item I brought with me went back into the bag I had packed a year before, like pieces of a story I was finally ready to finish.

“You’re leaving?” Samara asked, her bright green eyes shimmering in the low light like a cat in the dark. She leaned against the bunk frame, arms crossed, watching me with a mix of curiosity and something softer.

At the bottom of the bag, safely kept for my own sanity, was an oval pendant on a hand-weaved leather cord. Inside, sparkling like sand, was a personal amount of my mother’s ashes. Logan’s girl — his cute little Fox Mate — had it made for me. Sealed with magic, it was a way to keep a piece of my mother with me for the rest of my life.

I hadn’t taken it off until I got to Russia, and it was going back on for the journey home. The leather was worn, familiar, and the weight of it against my palm felt grounding.

“Yeah. I just got my walking papers,” I said, slipping the pendant over my head and tucking it under my shirt. “I miss my big brother and my best friend, too.”

“You’re different from when you first arrived,” Peiter said, joining us with his lopsided grin. He dropped onto the edge of the bunk across from mine, elbows on knees, eyes steady.

I nodded, zipping the bag slowly. “I feel different.”

‘We are different, Valik,’ Ehno said in my head. ‘We’re stronger, smarter, and faster than when we got here.’

‘I know, buddy. And now, we’re going home. Back to the pack that took in a broken kid and turned him into family,’ I answered.

The room was quiet for a moment, just the soft hum of the heater and the distant sound of boots in the hallway. Samara sat cross-legged on the floor, her fingers absently tracing the edge of her tray.

“Hey, Valik, if you ever get a second chance Mate, do you think we’d be invited to your ceremony?” she asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

I looked up, meeting her eyes. They were bright, curious, and maybe a little nervous.

“Of course,” I said. “You guys are part of my story now. Why wouldn’t I want you there?”

“Good. I expect cake. And maybe a fight or two. You know, for tradition.” Peiter smirked.

He cracked his knuckles in a now familiar gesture that spoke of his upcoming testing. The sound was sharp in the quiet room, like a promise. He was in line to be a guard — a solid role that came with responsibility and respect. Sam was looking at becoming an elite Watchdog.

That particular position was one of the highest available for the Vampires. The name Watchdog was placed on the role because these particular Vamps could go from friendly to feral in a matter of seconds if the person they were guarding was threatened. They were trained to be calm, observant, and absolutely lethal when needed.

Samara didn’t brag about it, but you could see it in the way she moved — precise, alert, always aware of her surroundings. She’d earned her spot, and everyone knew it.

She laughed, tossing a napkin at him. “You just want an excuse to show off.”

“Obviously,” he replied, catching the napkin midair and stuffing it in his pocket like a trophy.

I smiled, the weight in my chest a little lighter. Leaving wasn’t going to be easy, but it felt right.

“I’ll be calling as soon as I get my Mate. No, Peiter, not to rub it in. I actually would love to have you guys come meet her when I find her. I’d love to introduce you to my brother, too.”

“The hybrid? How does he keep it together with a wolf and a Vampire spirit living in his head?” Peiter asked quietly, his grin fading into something more thoughtful.

Shrugging, I admitted that I had no idea. “I only know that I wouldn’t want to cross him. He saved me, but not because he wanted the spotlight. Logan… he was different. He was present without pressure the entire time I healed. When he sent me here, it wasn’t to get rid of me or to punish me. It was to help me control my emotions and mental state after being rejected.”

Samara tilted her head to the side, her voice soft but steady. “You still have to finish that rejection before any new Mate bonds can fully form, you know.”

I nodded slowly, the reminder settling in. It wasn’t just about going home — it was about closing the chapter that nearly broke me.

“I know that. I know I have to face her, and I know what it’s going to cost,” I said, my voice low. “The problem is that she’s a noble. I’m not scared of her. I’m afraid to fracture the bond my brother has with his mother’s birth family.”

Samara didn’t speak right away. She just watched me, her expression unreadable. Then, “That girl lost out on a real man, Valik. Just follow through with your original plan to finalize the rejection and move on with your life.”

Peiter leaned back slightly, his grin gone. “That’s a tough spot, man. But you can’t carry all of it. From what you told us, Logan’s strong. He’ll handle whatever comes.”

I shrugged, running a hand through my hair. “I just don’t want my healing to come at someone else’s expense. Especially not his, not after everything he put on the line to give me a life worth living.”

Samara’s eyes softened, her posture shifting like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

Peiter let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re not selfish for wanting peace, Valik. You’re just careful. That’s not a bad thing.”

I nodded, staring at the half-packed bag. The pendant around my neck felt heavier than it had earlier. Not in weight, but in meaning.

Logan had given me space, time, and trust. Now I had to make sure I didn’t end up breaking what he’d built just to fix myself.

Even his future Luna had given me careful consideration before I left. She’d pulled me aside the night before I was supposed to head out to Russia, her voice calm and steady. She let me know that my place, my actual position as Alpha’s Guard, was going to be there for me and me alone.

That promise stuck with me through every drill, every sparring match, and every night I’d just lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering if I’d ever feel whole again.

Now I was going back. Not to take something back or prove anything, but to step into it, fully and completely.