"Where are you dragging me this time?"
Varek did not answer.
His hand locked around Mira's wrist and pulled her across the courtyard toward the training grounds.
"What do you want now?" she asked in frustration. As always, he remained silent.
She was tired of his testing and the way he studied her like an ancient mystery.
He tossed a sword to her. Mira looked at it, then back at him in confusion.
"Why are you giving me a sword?"
"I want us to spar."
Her stomach dropped.
"Rather than telling me to spar, you can kill me now."
Mira held the sword out to him, but he did not take it.
He walked past her to the rack at the edge of the field and pulled another sword from its sheath, testing its weight and balance.
Mira bent and slowly lifted her weapon. The metal felt heavy and wrong in her grip.
Varek raised his blade.
"Attack."
She did not move.
His eyes darkened.
"Attack, Mira."
She rushed forward awkwardly, swinging the sword with both hands. Varek stepped aside with ease.
Their swords clashed a moment later. The sound rang sharp across the empty field.
His strike slammed into her arms, sending her sprawling onto her back.
Varek laughed. She used the moment to kick his legs, knocking him down on top of her.
His nose twitched at her scent. He leaned closer, inhaling her warm vanilla and almond scent. His stomach tightened, his pulse quickened. He tried to pull back, but every breath dragged him closer.
Mira flinched when his face came closer. Confusion crossed his features.
Can't she scent me?
"You're mine, Mira."
"Get away from me, you pervert!" she shouted.
She drove her knee into his groin and shoved him off. In the same breath, she grabbed her sword and rushed him.
Varek stepped aside and dodged the strike.
Mira gritted her teeth and swung again, but he blocked it without effort.
Her breath came faster. Each strike made her arms shake.
"Focus," Varek snapped. "You fight like you expect to lose."
"I do expect to lose!" she shot back, barely dodging his next strike.
He advanced again.
Their swords collided once more. The impact pushed her back across the grass.
"Stand your ground."
The next strike knocked her blade aside. Pain tore across her side as the tip of his sword sliced through fabric and skin.
Mira gasped.
Her sword fell from her hand as she pressed her fingers against the wound.
"At least you are not immune to something," he muttered, then walked away.
Mira stared after him.
He is leaving.
Heat rushed through her chest. Her hands clenched.
She pressed her palm into the grass and forced herself to rise, but pain shot through her side. She hissed under her breath, fighting dizziness.
Before she could stand fully, Varek returned with a roll of bandages. He wrapped it around her wound.
Mira blinked in surprise.
"What..."
Before she could finish, he lifted her as if she weighed nothing.
Her breath caught.
"What are you doing?" she demanded weakly.
"Stop struggling."
His voice stayed calm but firm.
Mira froze as he carried her toward the castle.
His scent carried leather and cinnamon. She felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat through his chest.
"Stop it," she whispered, looking away, hoping he would not notice her flushed cheeks.
When they reached her room, he set her gently on the bed.
"Get proper sleep so you can do better next time."
"Why do you care?" she asked quietly.
Varek did not look at her.
"I don't."
His eyes lingered a moment longer, lips parting like he wanted to ask something.
"At the training ground… did you feel anything like a bond?"
"No," she answered quickly, eyes widening.
"No. I didn't feel anything. Why did you ask?"
"Nothing," he said, staring at her once more before leaving.
Mira leaned back against the pillow, shock still stirring in her chest.
This was the first time she had seen him soft.
Whatever interest he had in her, she hoped it would last long enough for her to find a way out.
---
Varek stepped into his study. Maps and ledgers covered the heavy oak desk. The light was dim. Books lined every wall.
A guard entered and bowed.
"Greetings, Alpha Varek." He handed him a scroll. "This is all the information we found on Mira."
Varek scanned it quickly. "Go on."
"She is the daughter of the former Nightshade Pack. Her parents died on the full moon, the day she was born. They blamed her and mistreated her."
Varek's eyes narrowed. "That's what happens to weak people."
"She was handed over to you as compensation after their pack caused trouble with ours."
"Typical of the Nightshade," he said. "Dumping what they do not want as gifts."
"Are the reports true?"
"Yes, sir. I questioned several Nightshades. They all gave the same answer."
The guard confirmed it.
Varek dismissed him with a curt nod, his mind already turning.
There was an old myth. Werewolves blessed by the Moon Goddess with rare power were born under a full moon.
Could Mira be one?
She did not react to the bond at all. That thought stirred both curiosity and unease.
Was she pretending?
Another thought followed.
What if her pack sent her as a spy?
---
Back in Mira's room, her eyes fluttered open. The room was quiet and bright.
She froze.
Varek stood by the window, gaze fixed on her.
"What… what do you want?" she whispered, pulling the covers closer.
He walked slowly toward her, hands in his pockets.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" her voice shook.
Varek did not speak. His gaze stayed sharp, unreadable.
He circled the bed like a predator.
"I…" she started, but fear cut her words short. "Are you angry?"
His eyes flicked to her hands, then back to her face.
"I'm trying to understand you," he said finally, voice low but sharp.
"Everything about you… it doesn't make sense."
Mira swallowed hard. "What do you see in me that makes you so obsessed?"
Her eyes burned. Tears formed but did not fall.
She sat up, fists tight in the bedsheets.
"Because I'm a curse," her voice cracked. "My parents died the day I was born. Rogues attacked our pack that same night. They killed everyone who mattered."
She drew a shaky breath.
"I'm nothing but dead weight they dumped on you. Nothing about me is special."
She wiped her cheek and turned away, chest rising fast as she shut herself off.
"I'll believe you this once. But if I find out you're a spy, your end begins that day."