She chattered beside me, filling the morning air with easy laughter, but my thoughts lingered on Lucian’s touch, the scent of his cologne still clinging faintly to my sweater from when he hugged me goodbye.
On the ride home, a screen bolted to the back of the cab’s headrest flickered with morning broadcasts. I wasn’t really watching until Lucian’s face appeared, and suddenly, I couldn’t look away.
“Over the past decade,” he was saying, his deep voice carrying even through the tinny speakers, “OTS has given underprivileged wolves the chance to prove themselves. Omegas, outcasts, wolfless-many of them females who would otherwise never be given the chance to step onto a training field. I’ve always believed they deserve to be seen. To be reco
Not hidden in shadows. Everyone has a spark inside them-all they need is a chance shine.”
Maya sighed dreamily beside me, clutching my arm. “Gods above. Does he rehearse these things in the mirror, or is it just natural?”
I didn’t answer. I was too busy losing myself in the allure of Lucian Reed.
Watching him speak-not to me this time, but to the world-I melted.
It was glaringly obvious that the camera loved him. His sharp jaw, his steady posture, the unwavering certainty in his voice, the conviction in his eyes…
Lucian wasn’t just handsome. He was captivating. Dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with claws or teeth, and everything to do with the way he made people believe. Hope.
At that point, it didn’t matter that I knew nothing about his pack or past. What mattered was that I knew him.
He was good and kind and compassionate and noble-and I trusted him with a certainty that was sometimes scary,
That was enough.
***
The days that followed blurred into one long, breathless stretch of preparation. With the trials drawing closer, OTS was a hive buzzing louder every day.
Contestants streamed in from the OTS branches all over the world-trainees, who, like me, carried stories of struggles and survival, now given a chance to prove how far they’d come, to show the strength OTS had given them.
If I’d known that my time with silly, playful Maya had an expiration date, I would re savored it more.
Alas, I took it for granted-but I didn’t have the energy to regret anything because I was too busy trying not to die from the murderous training regimen she threw me into.
I ended every day aching in places I hadn’t even known could ache, and coming up with new curse words for the deranged tormentor who had taken over my best friend’s body.
Yet, every night, when I fell asleep to the scent of lavender massage oil and stiff limbs, I couldn’t help but smile.
I was pushing harder than I ever thought was possible, and I wasn’t breaking. I was getting stronger, faster, better.
And the feeling that gave me was worth every torn muscle.
One afternoon, as I was changing after drills, the hum of whispered voices reached me from the corner of the locker room.
“…can you believe she actually qualified? A woman without a wolf?”
“Barely three months of training, that’s all it took? Could anyone really be that strong?”
“I mean Maya Cartridge trains her, and I heard her numbers in the sims are pretty high.”
“Still, sounds pretty fucking unbelievable to me.”
“Please. Either she’s hiding something, or she got special treatment.”
“Special treatment from who, though?” a third voice piped up, sly and knowing. “Lucian himself, maybe?”
“Who else? Talk about sleeping your way to the top.”
Laughter rippled like claws scratching glass.
I froze, my fingers stiff against the laces of my shoes.
Another voice cut in, sharper. “Doesn’t matter. Lucian’s influence won’t help her out in the field. Jessica’s going to wipe the floor with her-with all the contestants. After the Trial, even the Alphas will be lining up for Jessica. She won’t stay an Omega forever.”
Their snickers echoed against the tiled walls. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to breathe, to focus on the rhythm of tying my boots instead of the sting burrowing beneath my ribs.
I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Words were cheap, and training-my work, my sweat, my determination-was what mattered.
Besides, I’d survived worse than whispers. In my pack, in Kieran’s pack-and now here. It was all the same.
I rose, ready to leave, but the moment I turned toward the exit, a shadow blocked my way.
Speak of the devil…
Jessica.
SERAPHINA’S POV
I’d spent most of my life doing it, so keeping to myself came naturally.
That’s why, other than passing greetings, I never really related closely to any of the other OTS trainees, except for rare occasions of the parties or group drills.
But I knew who Jessica was-everyone did.
Up close, she wasn’t what most people imagined when they thought of an Omega.
Her frame was lean but honed, every movement coiled with tension, with potential energy that could explode in an instant.
Her gaze was cool, assessing, her mouth curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She almost reminded me of Maya-except that meeting Maya hadn’t sent a foreboding chill down my spine.
“Well, well,” she drawled, folding her arms. “The miracle trainee herself.”
I kept my expression neutral, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me bristle. ” Excuse me,” I said, angling to step past her.
But she shifted with me, blocking the path like she’d been waiting for this exact moment.
Up close, I could feel it-the sharp edge of her presence.
Jessica might have been born an Omega, but strength radiated from her in waves, enough to raise goosebumps on my skin.
It wasn’t just gossip propping her up. She was good. Maybe even as good as they said.
“Tell me something, Seraphina,” she purred, tilting her head. “What’s it like, walking around here with everyone staring? Whispering? Do you ever feel like maybe you don’t belong?”
Her words hit something raw inside me. Memories flashed unbidden-of Lockwood Pack halls, of sneers and pity, of doors. slammed in my face. Of being told over and over that I wasn’t enough.
But this time, I wasn’t going to flinch.
I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing my pulse to calm. I had trained too hard, pushed too far, to let intimidation-no matter how potent-break me before the LSTs even began.
Jessica, with her sleek movements and razor-sharp gaze, might have had the reputation of being untouchable, but I wasn’t going to bow before it.
Plus, after ingesting Celeste’s poison so often, I’d built an immunity to catty bitches.
“Excuse me, Jessica,” I said evenly, trying to sidestep her. “I really don’t have time for-“
She pivoted gracefully, stepping into my path again with a sly smile, her eyes glinting with the kind of amusement that only comes from someone who knows they have the upper hand.
She was reminding me less of Maya and more and more of Celeste.
“Don’t tell me you’re running,” she said, voice smooth as silk, but carrying an edge that raised goosebumps along my arms. “Not after all the talk. Not after everyone’s been whispering about you. I think it’s only fair we see what you’re made of.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She tilted her head, gaze locked on mine. “A one-on-one. Right here. Right now. I want to see if the ‘miracle trainee’ is all hype.”
My frown deepened. OTS rules explicitly prohibited private battles outside the Trials themselves. “Jessica,” I said firmly, “we both know that’s not allowed. You can’t just “
She laughed, the sound sharp and cutting. “Scared, are we?” Her smile widened, but her eyes didn’t waver. “If you can’t even handle an Omega like me, the Shadowveil Pack will never accept you as Luna. No matter how much our Alpha fancies you.”
The information hit me square in the chest, but realization took a little linger to unfold.
Our Alpha…
Jessica wasn’t just some random trainee with an attitude problem-she was from Lucian’s pack. Shadowveil.
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