Lydia's POV
The punch comes at my face before I can blink.
I duck. Barely. Kade's fist whistles past my ear.
Too slow, he says. His voice is calm. Like he didn't almost knock my head off. Again.
We're in the training grounds behind the pack house. Early morning. No one else around. Just me, Kade, and the mate bond humming between us like a live wire.
This was his idea. Not mine.
You're too weak, he'd said at breakfast, watching me flinch when a pack member walked too close. I won't let my mate be vulnerable.
I'd wanted to tell him I'm not weak. That I've survived five years in the Rogue Lands. That I've killed hunters, fought feral wolves, protected Ember through hell.
But Lydia Ashford knew how to fight. Ash the rogue? She should be clumsy. Untrained.
So here I am. Pretending I don't know how to throw a punch.
Hands up, Kade instructs. He moves behind me. His chest presses against my back. His hands guide my arms into position. Like this. Protect your face.
Every place he touches burns. The mate bond makes his skin feel like fire against mine.
My wolf purrs. Wants to lean back. Wants to submit. Wants to turn around and kiss him until neither of us can breathe.
I force myself to stay stiff. Cold.
Good, Kade says. His breath tickles my ear. Now, when someone swings at you— His hand comes around, moving in slow motion toward my face. You block. Like this.
He guides my arm up. Positions it to deflect the blow.
His body is warm against mine. Solid. Safe.
I hate how good it feels.
Your turn, he says, stepping back. The cold air rushes in where he was. Block my punch.
He swings. Slow. Giving me time.
I block it perfectly. Too perfectly.
His eyes narrow. You've done this before.
My stomach drops. No. You just showed me
That was one demonstration. Most beginners can't block that clean. He circles me. Studying. Where did you train?
Nowhere. Everywhere. My father taught me when I was twelve. Made me spar with pack warriors until I could beat them.
But I can't say that.
I haven't, I lie. Maybe I'm just a fast learner.
Maybe. He doesn't sound convinced. Let's try something harder. Attack me.
What?
You heard me. Try to hit me.
I shake my head. I don't want to hurt you.
Kade laughs. Actually laughs. You won't. I promise. Come on, Ash. Show me what you've got.
This is a test. I can feel it.
If I fight too well, he'll know I'm lying about my past. If I fight too poorly, I'll look pathetic.
I throw a clumsy punch. He catches my fist easily.
Weak, he says. You're holding back. Why?
I'm not
Yes, you are. His grip tightens on my hand. Not painful. Just firm. Every time we train, you pull your punches. Like you're afraid of showing your real strength.
Because I am.
I don't have real strength, I say. I'm just a rogue.
You're not 'just' anything. Kade pulls me closer. Our faces inches apart. You survived the Rogue Lands with a four-year-old. You fought off hunters. You're stronger than you pretend to be.
His eyes search mine. Looking for truth I can't give him.
Why do you hide it? he asks quietly.
I'm not hiding anything.
Another lie. His thumb strokes my wrist. Right over my pulse. Where he can feel my heart racing. I can sense when you lie. The mate bond won't let you hide from me.
Panic flutters in my chest.
I don't
Fight me, Kade interrupts. For real this time. No holding back.
Kade
That's an order from your Alpha.
The command rolls through me. Forces my wolf to obey.
My body moves before my brain catches up. I twist my wrist free, drop low, sweep his legs.
Kade hits the ground. Hard.
For one second, we both freeze.
Then he grins. There she is.
Oh no.
He flips back to his feet with wolf-speed. Again.
This time he doesn't hold back.
He comes at me fast. Brutal. Testing me.
And I can't help it. My body remembers every lesson my father taught me. Every fight in the Rogue Lands. Every time I had to protect Ember.
I block. Dodge. Counter.
We move across the training ground like a deadly dance. His fists flying. My body responding. The mate bond makes us perfectly in sync.
I almost forget to lose.
Almost.
At the last second, I let him pin me. My back hits the dirt. His body covers mine. One hand catches both my wrists above my head.
We're both breathing hard.
You're a natural, Kade says. His eyes burn gold. Where did you learn to fight like that?
My mind goes blank. Can't think. Can't breathe with him this close.
My father taught me, I start to say.
Then I catch myself.
Rogues don't have fathers who train them. Ash the rogue learned to fight on the streets. Not in a training ground with a Beta instructor.
Surviving as a rogue teaches you fast, I say instead. My voice shakes. When it's life or death, you learn.
Kade's eyes narrow. Your father?
What?
You said 'my father taught me.' Then changed it.
Ice floods my veins.
I didn't
You did. I heard you. He leans closer. His weight pressing me into the ground. Making it hard to breathe. Who taught you to fight, Ash?
No one. I meant—I learned from everyone. People I met. Not a specific
Stop lying to me.
His alpha voice makes me flinch.
I'm not
Yes, you are. You've been lying since the moment I found you. His free hand comes up. Cups my cheek. Forces me to look at him. Who are you really?
The mate bond screams at me to tell him. To trust him. To stop hiding.
But I can't.
If he knows the truth, he'll throw me out. Just like Marcus did. Just like my father did.
Men always choose power over love.
I'm no one, I whisper. Just a rogue you saved.
Pain flashes across his face. The mate bond aches between us.
You're not 'just' anything, he says. You're my mate. The woman I'm falling in love with. The person I want to spend my life protecting.
Love.
The word makes my chest crack open.
Then stop asking questions you don't want the answers to, I say.
What if I do want the answers? What if I want all of you? Every secret. Every truth. Every part you're hiding.
You don't know what you're asking.
Then tell me. Help me understand.
I want to. Want to so badly it hurts.
But the words won't come.
I can't, I whisper.
Kade's jaw clenches. Frustration rolling off him in waves.
Fine. Keep your secrets. He starts to get up.
I grab his shirt. Pull him back down.
Wait.
Why? So you can lie to me more?
So I can do this.
I kiss him.
It's desperate. Messy. Full of all the things I can't say.
I'm sorry. I'm scared. I'm falling for you too.
Kade goes still for a heartbeat. Then he kisses me back. Hard. Claiming.
His hand slides into my hair. Angles my head. Deepens the kiss until I'm drowning in him.
The mate bond explodes between us. Electric. Overwhelming. Right.
I forget where I am. Who I'm pretending to be. Everything except the taste of him. The feel of his body against mine. The way he kisses me like I'm precious.
Like I'm worth keeping.
When he finally pulls back, we're both shaking.
That wasn't an answer, he says. His voice rough.
It's all I can give you right now.
It's not enough.
I know.
He studies my face. Searching for something.
The background investigation starts tomorrow, he says. Ryder will dig into your past. Find out where you came from. Who you really are.
My heart stops.
What?
It's pack law. Any new Luna needs a full background check. It's for security.
You're investigating me?
It's not personal. It's protocol.
It's a disaster. That's what it is.
Ryder will find out I'm Lydia Ashford. That I was banished from this pack. That Ember is Marcus's daughter.
Game over.
Can you stop it? I ask.
Why would I want to?
Because you trust me.
Do I? Kade's eyes are hard. You won't even tell me your real name.
Because my real name will destroy everything.
Please, I whisper. Don't do this.
Too late. Ryder already started. He submitted his preliminary findings an hour ago.
The world tilts.
What did he find?
Nothing yet. You've covered your tracks well. Kade stands up. Offers me his hand. But he will. Whatever you're hiding, it'll come out. Always does.
I take his hand. Let him pull me up.
What happens when it does? I ask.
Depends what it is. His grip tightens on my fingers. Are you dangerous? A threat to my pack?
No.
A spy? Working for enemies?
Of course not.
Then what are you so afraid of?
Everything. Everyone. Losing you.
I'm afraid you'll hate me, I admit. When you find out the truth. You'll look at me differently. Like I'm dirty. Broken. Not worth—
Stop. Kade cups my face with both hands. I could never hate you. Whatever happened in your past, we'll face it together.
You don't know that.
Yes, I do. Because you're my mate. My other half. Nothing can change that.
I want to believe him.
But I've heard these promises before.
Marcus said the same thing. Right before he chose Celeste.
The investigation happens tomorrow, Kade says. If there's something you need to tell me, now is the time. Before someone else does.
My father's warning echoes in my head: I'll tell Kade everything. Watch your life burn. Again.
I should confess. Should tell Kade everything right now.
But fear chokes the words.
There's nothing to tell, I lie.
The mate bond twists. Painful. Wrong.
Kade's hands drop from my face. Fine. Have it your way.
He turns to leave.
Kade
Training's over, he says without looking back. I have work to do. Preparing for tomorrow's investigation.
He walks away. Leaving me alone in the training ground.
My phone buzzes.
Unknown number.
I open the message.
And my blood turns to ice.
It's a photo. Of me and Ember. From five years ago. Before everything fell apart. When I was still Lydia Ashford. Still had long brown hair and hope in my eyes.
Below the photo, one line of text:
Found you. See you at the investigation tomorrow. -Father
The phone slips from my shaking hands.
He knows. He knows I'm here. He's been watching. Waiting.
And tomorrow, he'll destroy me all over again.
But this time, I won't just lose everything.
I'll lose Kade too.