Damon was losing control.
I could see it in the way his muscles tightened whenever I was near, in the sharpness of his jaw whenever our eyes met. He wanted to ignore meâto pretend I didn't existâbut his wolf wouldn't let him.
Not when the bond still hummed beneath his skin.
Not when I was everything he couldn't understand.
He'd rejected me, but he couldn't escape me.
And neither could his pack.
The warriors of Silver Ridge had no choice but to train alongside mine, and the difference in strength was impossible to ignore. Shadow Crescent warriors moved like ghosts, swift and merciless. Every spar ended the same way: with Damon's wolves panting on the ground, struggling to keep up.
Nova had barely broken a sweat when she took down two of them at once, her red hair whipping in the wind as she smirked.
Kian didn't even try to be gentle. When one of the warriors challenged her, questioning why a woman could be Beta of such a feared pack, she took him down in three moves and left him flat on his back, gasping for air.
The respect we commanded was instinctual.
And it drove Damon mad.
I could feel his gaze on me as I stepped into the training ring. I met his eyes, tilting my head slightly in silent challenge.
He exhaled sharply. "You."
I raised a brow. "Me?"
His pack fell silent, waiting. Damon rolled his shoulders, stepping forward. "Spar with me."
A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Nova let out a low whistle. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
I fought the smirk threatening to form. He wanted to prove something. He wanted to remind his pack that he was still in control, that he was still the Alpha here.
I wasn't about to make that easy for him.
I stepped into the ring, cracking my knuckles. "You sure you want to do this?"
Damon's eyes darkened. "Afraid?"
I laughed. "Not even close."
The second the fight began, I knew he was strong.
But I was stronger.
Faster.
Better.
Every time he lunged, I dodged effortlessly. Every strike he aimed, I countered with ease. The frustration in his expression grew with every missed hit, with every movement he couldn't predict.
Because he didn't know what I was.
Didn't know that I was something beyond him.
Then, in one swift motion, I knocked him off balance, sending him crashing onto his back.
A collective gasp echoed through the training grounds.
Damon lay there for a second, staring up at the sky, stunned.
Then his jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists.
I extended a hand. "Good match."
His pride wouldn't let him take it.
Instead, he pushed himself up, storming off without a word.
The second he was gone, Nova nudged me. "You're enjoying this way too much."
I grinned. "He thought I was an omega."
Kian chuckled. "Bet he's rethinking that now."
Maybe.
But this was just the beginning.
He had no idea how much more there was to discover.
And when the truth did come outâabout who I really was, about what I wasâhe wouldn't just regret rejecting me.
He'd wish he'd never crossed me at all.