"If I wanted to survive, I had to push harder than ever before."
Dawn came too fast.
I'd barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus's scarred face. Heard his warning. Felt the weight of knowing Gideon was building an army specifically to destroy me.
Not Darius. Me.
Because I was the weakness they thought they could exploit.
My wolf snarled at that. We'd show them weakness. We'd show them exactly what happened when you mistook fire for fragility.
I dragged myself out of bed at five in the morning. Earlier than Darius had demanded, but I wasn't about to be late. Wasn't about to give him any excuse to think I wasn't ready for this.
The training grounds were empty when I arrived. Mist hung low over the grass. The sky just starting to lighten from black to deep purple.
I stretched. Warmed up. Tried to prepare myself mentally for whatever Darius had planned.
