Amara.
As fate would have it, my first training went terribly wrong. In fact, it was so bad that I was second guessing the entire training thing.
Beta Kael asked me to escort Seraphina home after her wound proved far worse than we initially thought. Truthfully, I wasn't exactly disappointed. If anything, relief settled quietly in my chest when he told us to leave. And Seraphina, I suspected, felt the same way.
"Look," she whispered after a small groan, hopping clumsily on her uninjured leg while leaning heavily against me. "I think we should hide what happened today from Grandma."
My arms was numb from supporting her weight—my dainty frame was hardly built for this kind of heaviness—but I nodded anyway. The idea of my grandmother finding out about the hostility I had faced on my first day of training upset me more than I cared to admit.
"Good," Seraphina said, clearly pleased. "When she asks about the wound, just tell her I got it during training. Nothing serious."
"Alright," I agreed quietly.
Our worries, however, were short-lived. When we arrived home, the house was empty.
A loud sigh escaped both our lips at the same time. Grandma wouldn't know we'd returned early, which made our lie feel far more believable than it deserved to be.
For the next few hours, we each retreated into our own corners. Seraphina disappeared into her room, undoubtedly plotting ways to avoid future training sessions, while I searched for anything that could serve as a distraction. I finally settled on an old book from my grandmother's shelf and stepped outside to read.
In the small garden that sat in front of the house, there was a weathered wooden swing—and its presence almost felt like something out of a fairytale. It was simply a scenery untouched by time. I curled onto the swing with the book in hand, allowing the cold air clear my thoughts.
Most of the pages were yellowed and mold-specked, but the knowledge inside fascinated me regardless. At some point, I became so absorbed that I didn't even notice the sky darkening above me.
"Amara?"
The spell shattered instantly.
I lifted my head to see my grandmother standing at the threshold, one foot still outside the gate. Her expression was unreadable—but not very pleased.
Behind her stood Beta Kael.
And at the mere sight of him, I felt my stomach dropped. His presence could only mean one thing.
Snitch.
Damn it.
I glanced at him once more. He didn't look smug or judgmental—if anything, he looked tired—but that did nothing to soothe my sudden irritation. Turns out instructors were the same everywhere. Human or wolf, they always showed up when you least wanted them to.
I narrowed my eyes at him without my intention.
"Straighten your face," my grandmother scolded sharply.
The reprimand startled me. It was the first time grandmother had yelled at me.
I immediately lowered my gaze, my expression settling into something softer.
Kael chuckled softly.
Did he find this amusing?
I got down from the swing and walked toward my grandmother to take the basket from her hands. It was at then, that I noticed the sacks Kael carried—two heavy ones in each hand.
Where those groceries?
Maybe he hadn't come to snitch after all. Maybe he'd simply run into Grandma on the way, and offered help.
"Kael, please, come inside," my grandmother said, ushering us into the house.
"Thank you for having me," he replied lightly.
The moment we stepped inside, all three of us froze.
Seraphina lay, stretched out in grandmother's favorite chair, her injured leg propped up on the small table meant for a lamp—the poor lamp now sat abandoned somewhere on the floor.
I glanced at my grandmother. Then at Beta Kael.
We all shared the same stunned silence.
Goodness. What was she?
Perhaps some benevolent wolf spirit took pity on her, because her eyes fluttered open before anyone could say a word to her.
She jolted upright, lost her balance, and nearly face-planted before steadying herself at the last second.
"Grandma… Beta."
I almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
"I was wrong!" Seraphina blurted out. "I know! But I couldn't just stand there and watch that clown attack my cousin! Grandma, you told me to protect her—remember?"
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
Why did it feel like Seraphina was actively digging our grave?
"What are you talking about?" my grandmother asked slowly.
I closed my eyes.
We were doomed.
"What?" Seraphina frowned. "I'm talking about what happened with James at the training grounds. Isn't that why the beta is here?"
I died inside.
Stop talking. Please Seraphina. Just stop.
I peeked at my grandmother. The color had drained from her face.
Then I glanced at Kael.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered a curse under his breath.
So I'd been right—he hadn't come to snitch.
Unfortunately for both of us, Seraphina had done it for him.
"What?" my grandmother thundered. "What?!"
She turned sharply toward Kael.
"I—ah—just remembered I need to report something to the Alpha," he said quickly, already taking a step back.
But grandmother said nothing. Instead, she walked calmly to her chair and sat.
No one moved.
The air thickened until it felt almost impossible to breathe.
"Kael," she called him quietly.
"Elder," he replied, straightening.
"You told me the training went well. That nothing worth mentioning happened."
"Yes," he admitted.
Seraphina gasped—and immediately earned death glares from both of us.
"The young wolves fight often," Kael said carefully. "It wasn't unusual. And I handled it before it escalated."
"I am not blaming you," my grandmother said gently. "I only wanted the truth."
Kael bowed his head. "Forgive me, Elder."
She rose and placed a hand on his shoulder, meeting his eyes. "Thank you for looking out for my granddaughters. Truly. But please—do not keep things like this from me again. I plead with you."
Her expression said all I needed to know about just how serious she was about her words. And knowing that it all had to do with how much she cared for Seraphina and me, my heart was warmed.
After the beta left, it was our turn to receive scolding.
"I'll fight less," Seraphina groaned dramatically. "You've scolded me enough. What about this idiot?" She pointed at me.
"Do not call Amara an idiot," Grandma snapped. "If anything, I should scold you for being a terrible influence. She's been here for barely a week and she is already learning to glare at her superiors. Until your company, she was nothing but a rational, sweet child."
Seraphina scoffed. "Rational? Please. She tried to jump between James and me while we were fighting in our wolf forms."
Traitor.
I peeked at her, dumbfounded. But there was not an ounce of remorse on her annoyingly pretty face.
"No you didn't," Grandma said, turning sharply to me.
"I—I didn't succeed," I admitted weakly.
"Amara," she said firmly. "Do you understand how dangerous that is?"
Well, now that I was thinking more clearly, I had a fair idea. They could have torn me to shreds—to say the least.
I nodded. "I won't ever do it again."
"Good," she said. "Never interfere in a wolf fight. Ever."
"Yes, Grandmother."
It was a promise I meant to keep. But somewhere deep down, I knew that if something similar happened, I would make that same choice without a second thought .