Page 17

H azel

The air is heavy with the scent of rain and earth as I pace my chambers, the rain drowning my footsteps, but not my mind. It’s working overtime to figure out how I can play my cards right. I can’t leave. Not without Kieran’s wolves breathing down my neck or the fear that Eldon will capture me.

It’s almost laughable—me, a former warrior, reduced to pacing like a caged animal, caught in the middle of beef I have nothing to do with.

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. I hesitate, my hand hovering over the handle before I pull it open.

At least I have some privacy. The sarcasm dripping from my wolf’s tone makes me smirk. But then it fades when I see who’s on the other side of the door.

Three Omegas stand in the hallway, their heads bowed slightly, their postures stiff with nerves.

“Can I help you? Here to fulfil another of your Alpha’s sick orders?

” I can’t help the sass in my voice, and I roll my eyes and cross my arms. Kieran and his domineering orders make me feel sorry for the Omegas.

I know what it feels like to be in their shoes, subject to an Alpha’s whim, barely having the space to be my own person.

One of them, a young man with shaggy brown hair and a nervous twitch, speaks first. “We heard about what happened…” he looks at the other two women and then back at me, “with Alpha Kieran.”

I stiffen, my grip tightening on the doorframe. “And?” Did they come to fight? To take vengeance for their Alpha, who clearly doesn’t need them fighting for or defending him?

The tallest among them, a younger woman with a fierce glint in her caramel eyes, steps forward. “We want you to train us.”

I’m taken aback. I look around the hall and see the red dot of the security cam in the hallway.

“You are being careless. Come inside.”

They hurry in and I shut the door. Why the hell will they put their lives at risk this way? Three Omegas coming to my room without a task to excuse it are asking for punishment.

I narrow my eyes. “Why would you want that?” My curiosity gets the best of me now.

The girl straightens her shoulders. “I’m Mara Lou. But Mara is fine.” She turns to the others, and they introduce themselves as well.

The man is Pita, and the other woman is Gina. Mara clears her throat and continues talking. “No one here takes us seriously. We’re Omegas. We’re supposed to be weak, expendable. But we’re tired of it. We want to fight. We want to defend our pack when duty calls.”

“We want to be able to defend ourselves.” Gina is quiet, but the hard lines on her face tell me she’s been through hell.

The earnestness in her voice hits something raw inside me. I know that feeling all too well—the need to prove yourself, to defy the labels others force on you.

Even though they look well taken care of, there’s nothing that beats having the skill to defend yourself when you need to.

But this is risky.

“I don’t think you understand what you’re asking,” I say, stepping back. “If Kieran finds out—”

“We’ll take that risk,” Mara interrupts, her tone fierce. “We’re not asking you to fight our battles for us. We’re asking you to teach us how to fight them ourselves.”

I study them for a long moment. They’re young, inexperienced, but there’s fire in their eyes. I see my once exasperated heart in them. I can’t leave the defenseless when I know I can help.

Against my better judgment, I nod. “Fine. But we have to be careful. No one can know.”

They nod.

I take out some of the clothes from the wardrobe. It’s been stocked with changes of basic clothes. I pull out dresses, tops, and loose pants. I shove them into their arms.

“You have to be careful coming here. I know you’re willing to risk it all, but if you want to fight, you have to be alive.” They nod, taking the faux laundry and heading for the door.

“Only come at night. And always come in the guise of errands, to be safe,” I warn them right before I close the door after them.

The training starts the next night.

I clear a corner of my chambers, pushing aside the furniture to make room for sparring and drills. It’s cramped, but it’ll have to do.

Mara and the others throw themselves into the training with an intensity that surprises me. They’re rough around the edges, their movements awkward and uncoordinated, but they’re willing to learn.

We focus on the basics—footwork, stances, blocking. I show them how to use their smaller size to their advantage, how to out-think an opponent who relies solely on brute strength.

It’s exhausting but satisfying, a small rebellion against the suffocating control of the estate.

It’s almost cathartic to me. Being on the estate doesn’t feel so horrible and suffocating. I start to look forward to the sessions. They come in ones, sometimes twos. Moving my body, seeing the difference I’m making in their life, it makes me feel like I have a life again.

So when I hear a knock, I don’t feel the same stiffness I usually would. Instead, I have a small smile on my face, expecting to see Gina or Pita, or both of them. But when I open the door, the disappointment drains the color from my face.

It’s a woman I haven’t seen before. My wolf bristles at her presence, sensing a threat. She is tall, muscular, like an experienced warrior, but also lean and gorgeous. Her eyes are copper, almost red, and her tan skin tells me she spends more time outside than she does within these walls.

“Who are you?” I ask, my hand still on the handle.

There’s a sentinel with her who doesn’t move at all. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

My wolf snarls, not welcoming of her presence at all.

“Nina.” Her tone is curt, but the iciness seeps through. She peers into my room, but I don’t move to give her access.

“Open the door,” she demands.

“I don’t take orders from you.”

“You should,” she says with a dry laugh. “Make the wrong move and your life here will be more miserable. And don’t think I don’t know there’s something going on. The control rooms see everything. And I have my eyes on you. Soon enough, I’ll catch you in the act.”

“Yeah, like you have more power than the Alpha who has kept me? If you’re not more superior to Kieran, you have no say in what I do or not.”

“I’m the Beta’s sister. Just because you are valuable right now, doesn’t mean you’re no longer an Omega. And I will not hesitate to remind you of your rank.”

She whips around, her pin-straight ponytail bouncing as she stalks down the hall, her little sentinel dog following closely behind her. I become more cautious after this, making sure they come one by one, requesting services from the Omegas. But my worries remain.

A week later, Nina bursts into my chambers unannounced. Her presence, calm and cold, is stark against the sweating, panting Omegas, paused in their striking practice. Her dark hair is pulled back into a sleek braid, her sharp copper eyes scanning the room with obvious disdain.

I curse under my breath. I knew we should have ended the session sooner today, but they needed more practice with their footwork. Now Nina has evidence to confirm her suspicion.

The Omegas straighten and take a respectful pose. Their postures are stiff and I can smell the anxiety coming off of them .

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” she sneers, her voice dripping with mockery. “The prisoner playing soldier with the pack’s weakest links.”

“Nina,” I say evenly, stepping forward, “don’t you know the meaning of privacy?”

“Whatever privacy you think you are entitled to, is about to be nonexistent,” she says, her gaze flicking to Mara, who visibly shrinks under the scrutiny. “What’s this? Hazel’s little army?”

“It’s none of your business,” I snap, my voice sharper than I intended.

She smirks, crossing her arms. “Oh, it’s definitely my business. You’re defying the Alpha’s orders, and you think no one’s going to notice?”

“Leave,” I say, my tone cold.

“Gladly. This isn’t my scene anyway.” She chuckles, but her threats aren’t lost on me. “But don’t be surprised when Kieran hears about this.”

She leaves without another word, the door slamming shut behind her.

The Omegas turn to me, their faces pale.

“What do we do now?” Mara asks, her voice trembling.

I exhale, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “We keep going. If Kieran wants to come after me, fine. It’s me he’ll have to deal with.”

Two days later, I’m summoned to a court hearing.

The pack gathers in the estate’s grand hall, the atmosphere tense. Kieran sits at the head of the room. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but his sharp blue eyes lock onto mine. Other than the stiff dominance he exudes, I can see the curiosity behind his gaze.

Nina stands smugly to the side, her arms crossed as if she’s already won. I don’t hide my glare and she scoffs.

“Hazel,” Kieran’s voice booms, drawing my glare away from Nina to him. “You’ve been accused of organizing unauthorized combat training with Omegas. Is this true?”

I meet his gaze, my chin lifting defiantly. “Yes.”

A murmur ripples through the room, the pack’s reactions ranging from shock to disdain .

Kieran’s expression doesn’t change, but there’s a flicker of anger, maybe frustration, maybe even a hint of respect, in his eyes.

“You know it’s a punishable offense. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asks.

I take a deep breath. “I’m not a member of your pack, and no one debriefed me as if I were. They came to me. They wanted to learn how to fight, how to defend themselves. You cannot hold that against. I taught them because no one else would.”

I sound accusatory. I hear the faint gasps from the crowd. I don’t care, though. If they won’t do their Omegas this courtesy, they should be called out for their negligence.

“And you thought it was your place to do so?” he asks, his tone sharp.

“No,” I say, my voice steady. “But it was the right thing to do.”