Nora POV
A month feels like forever and no time at all.
Nora stands in front of the small mirror in her borrowed room and stares at herself. She's changed clothes twice already. The first outfit felt too plain. The second felt like she was trying too hard. Now she's back to the first one, which is just a servant's dress like all the others, and she's absolutely furious with herself for caring.
It's just clothes. It's just a dress.
But Kade will see her today and some part of her brain that she doesn't recognize anymore wants him to notice.
She changes clothes a third time and then forces herself to stop. This is insane. This is the kind of behavior that gets you killed in a pack because weakness gets exploited. Weakness gets you destroyed.
By the time she reaches the kitchen to prepare his meal, she's already memorized his schedule for the day. Training until midday. Strategy session with his Second-in-Command afterward. Then he'll retreat to his chamber for the evening.
She knows this because she's learned his movements the way a predator learns prey patterns.
The cook barely glances at her anymore. Nora has been doing this long enough now that she's just part of the routine. The girl who brings the Alpha his meals. The girl who doesn't steal or cause trouble. The girl nobody thinks about until the food needs serving.
That's how she survives. By being invisible.
Except Kade won't let her be invisible.
All month, he's been doing small things. Touching her hand when she brings him food, letting his fingers linger just long enough that she feels it for hours afterward. Watching her from across rooms like she's the only thing he can see. Asking her questions about her day, her thoughts, her past, like what she thinks actually matters to him.
It's driving her insane.
The other servants notice. She catches them staring, trying to figure out what he sees in her. The warriors notice too. The female warriors especially. They've started leaving her completely alone, which is better than the hostility but also somehow worse because it means they've given up on testing her. They've decided she's the Alpha's and she's untouchable.
Which means she's completely alone.
Iris, the head warrior, is the only one who acknowledges her with actual respect. She found Nora in the training yard one afternoon and just started teaching her basic combat moves. No explanation. No question about why she was there. Just weapon drills and footwork and the kind of companionship that doesn't require words.
Nora appreciated it and was terrified of it in equal measure.
By the time evening comes, Nora is a mess of anticipation and self-hatred. She prepares his meal with extra care, arranging it perfectly on the tray. This is pathetic. This is exactly what a captive isn't supposed to do. You're supposed to hate them. You're supposed to plan escape. You're supposed to stay cold.
But her hands are shaking when she carries the tray through the halls.
She's almost to his chamber when she hears the shouting.
The training grounds are behind the main building and she can hear it clearly even from inside. Men yelling. The sound of bodies hitting earth. The grunts of effort and pain. Kade's voice cutting through it all, sharp and commanding.
Without thinking, she changes direction.
The training grounds are empty except for the warriors still practicing. Kade is in the center of an open space with three men attacking him simultaneously. They're not holding back. These are serious fights, not sparring matches. One of the warriors is bleeding from a cut above his eye. Another is limping.
And Kade is bleeding.
There's a long cut down his side where his shirt is torn open. Blood is running down his ribs. He's moving fast enough that it doesn't seem to slow him down but Nora can see the slight hitch in his movements. Can see the moment pain flashes across his face.
She should leave.
She absolutely should go back to his chamber and wait for him there. She should stay out of this. She should remember that he's the man who destroyed her pack, who captured her, who holds her life in his hands.
But her body is already moving.
She finds a bucket of water and cloth near the training supplies. Her hands are working before her mind catches up. She's walking toward him and every single warrior stops to stare. Kade is mid-fight, locked with one of his opponents, and he doesn't notice her until she's already there.
"You need to stay back," one of the warriors says. Not unkindly. Just matter of fact.
Nora ignores him.
Kade finishes his fight and steps away from his opponent. The man is breathing heavy and bleeding from multiple cuts. He nods at Kade with the kind of respect that says he understands he lost.
That's when Kade sees her.
His entire body goes still.
Nora moves forward with the cloth and water like she's moving through a dream. Like someone else is controlling her actions. She reaches out to touch the cut on his side and he lets her. He doesn't move. Doesn't breathe. Just stands there while she carefully cleans away the blood.
His skin is hot under her fingers. His breathing is rough like he's been running hard.
"You didn't have to do this," he says quietly.
Nora doesn't answer because she can't. Because answering would mean admitting that she wanted to. That seeing him bleeding made something inside her twist into a knot. That she moved without thinking about the consequences or what it means.
She reaches for his hand to examine the cut there but before her fingers can find his, his hand closes around her wrist.
His grip is gentle. Not like when he grabbed her in his chamber days ago. This is something different. This is a question.
"You felt that need," he says simply.
His silver eyes are studying her face and she can't lie to him. She's learned that over the past month. Lying is pointless because he can read her anyway. He can see through every wall she's built.
"Yes," she whispers.
The moment the word leaves her mouth, everything changes.
His hand moves from her wrist to her face. His palm cups her cheek and his thumb traces her cheekbone slowly. Around them, the warriors have completely stopped moving. The entire training ground has gone silent. Everyone is watching the Alpha touch the Kane captive like she matters to him.
Like she matters more than anything else in the world.
"You're falling," he says. Not a question. A statement of fact.
Nora wants to deny it. Wants to pull away and run and remember why she should hate him. But his hand is warm against her skin and his eyes are burning with something that looks like possession and promise and threat all at once.
"I'm not falling," she says and it's the biggest lie she's ever told.
His smile is slow and knowing.
"Yes you are," he whispers. "And the beautiful part is you know exactly where you're going to land."
His hand drops and he steps back from her like he's remembered they have an audience.
"Go back to my chamber," he says, his voice cold and professional again. Like he didn't just touch her like she was something precious. Like he didn't just call her out in front of everyone.
Nora leaves with her heart pounding and every eye in the compound tracking her movement.
And the worst part is that as she walks away, she realizes something that terrifies her more than capture ever did.
She doesn't actually want to escape anymore.
Not from him.