I brought second place home. Second. Because of course Raena Duskborn had to take first. With her perfect aim and smug little smirk like she already knew how it’d end.
I didn’t even know she was that good. Last year? She barely made it past the third round. She was good then, but not like that. Not split-an-apple-at-fifty-feet good. She must’ve trained hard, got herself a coach. Or maybe just decided she was done losing. Either way, she outshot me by two points.
And the worst part—I wasn’t even mad. I was… impressed. Disgusting.
Anyway, after the ceremony, while they were busy handing Raena her stupid shiny medal and letting her bathe in applause, I got pulled aside by one of the event officials.
They handed me a scroll sealed with the Goldcrest mark.
The Alpha Training Summit.
I’d been invited again.
Every year, Alphas and Alpha heirs from all across the territory got together in the capital for a full day of intensive training. It wasn’t just about strength. It was about control. Leadership. Strategy. Combat. Pack synergy. They tested you physically, mentally, and even emotionally.
Last year, I went and even liked it.
I didn’t like the people—but the training itself? Yeah. It was real. Stripped away the titles and the egos and left only instinct and will behind.
We were allowed to bring a plus one. Usually a beta or second-in-command. Most people brought their loudest ally. Their muscle. Their yes-man.
I wanted to bring Kai.
So when I got back home, still sore from the competition and feeling that second-place sting deep in my pride, I found him in the weapons room, sharpening blades.
“Hey,” I said, tossing him the scroll.
He caught it, looked it over and raised a brow. “Training Summit, huh?”
“I’m going,” I said. “Thought maybe you’d come.”
Kai hesitated. “I went last year.”
“So?”
“I promised the new recruits I’d run their drills while you’re gone.”
I didn’t argue. I knew he wasn’t backing out because of me—just didn’t like those events. So it’d be just me. Great.
I walked to the kitchen and poured myself some water. Sat at the counter. Let my legs bounce and my mind wander. And of course… She showed up. Not physically. Just… in my head. Her laugh. Her voice. The way she looked in green. The way she made me want things I had no business wanting.
“Don’t do it!” I muttered to myself. “Don’t think about her.”
But that was too late. I stared at the water in my glass like it might erase her.
Kai walked in. He looked at me for exactly two seconds before smirking. “You’re thinking about her again.”
“No, I’m not,” I said too fast.
“You are,” he said, opening the fridge like it was any other day. “Your face says it all.”
“My face says I’m tired.”
“No, your face says Raena Duskborn has you in a chokehold.”
I coughed. “That’s not even—what the hell does that mean?”
Kai sat down across from me and folded his arms. “It means you’ve been spiraling since the ritual dinner. You train too hard. You sleep too little. You snap at everyone except her. And now you’re sitting here, looking like a kicked puppy after getting second place to a she-wolf you claim to hate.”
“I don’t hate her,” I muttered.
“Oh, we know.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “She’s just…”
“What?”
“Complicated.”
Kai leaned forward. “You’re not scared of her, Silas.”
I stared at him. Then said, quietly, “I’m not scared of her.”
He blinked and I looked down. “I’m scared of myself.”
Then Kai spoke, softer now. “You shouldn’t be.”
“You don’t get it.”
“I do,” he said. “You think the anger inside you makes you the same as your father. But it doesn’t.”
I looked at him and he met my eyes. “You’re not him, Silas.”
I swallowed hard.
He continued. “Your father took what he wanted. He never paused, never questioned. You? You stop. You think. You pull back when it counts. You fear hurting others because you care. That’s not a weakness. That’s restraint. That’s strength.”
I didn’t respond, but part of me wanted to. Because every time I thought about Raena, I didn’t imagine breaking her—I imagined ruining myself for her. And maybe that was worse.
I stood up, grabbing the invitation scroll. “I’m leaving for the Summit at dawn.”
Kai raised his cup. “Try not to get choked out by her this time.”
I gave him a flat look. “I’m ignoring you now.”
He grinned. “That’s fair.”
As I walked out, I checked the details again. My hands were steady, but my mind was in chaos. Because I knew she’d be there.
And no matter what my brain says… My entire body had already made up its mind. Raena Duskborn was living rent-free in my skull.
And the worst part? I wasn’t even trying to evict her.
That night, sleep dragged me under, and the dream found me in a corridor of glass and green, the air wet with moonflowers. Raena stepped close, the heat of her breath on my cheek, and I kissed her—slow at first, then like drowning men grabbing air.
It tasted like copper and rain, and something inside me tore free with a sound I didn’t recognize as mine. I woke with my mouth against my pillow and my hands in fists, disgust curling through my gut. Shame burned hotter than the dream. I hated myself for wanting her even when my mind said no.