Chapter 32
Evelyne woke just before dawn, the sky still deep blue with the first light creeping through the trees. And of course, he was already up.
Kaldrek stood alone in the clearing, wearing training leathers that were loose enough for fluid movement yet fitted enough to reveal the strength and discipline that defined him.
The morning mist drifting through the trees seemed to hesitate near him, curling at the edges as if uncertain of his presence.
Every motion he made was controlled: a jab, a duck, a sharp kick.
He moved with the power and precision of a force of nature, strong, focused, and entirely composed.
She should be getting changed and preparing for whatever awaited her in this training session, but she couldn’t look away.
He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, shaking out the tension in his fingers before striking again, faster this time, more brutal.
She had no idea how long she stood there watching, but when Heidara appeared beside her, grinning like she’d caught her in a scandal, Evelyne nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Enjoying the view?” Heidara teased, her emerald eyes alight with mischief.
“I was just… trying to get an idea of what I’m getting myself into this morning.”
“Yes, of course. But it’s perfectly normal to admire our alpha, too.” Heidara winked before slipping into Evelyne’s tent.
Evelyne scowled after her, but couldn’t help feeling grateful when Heidara hand-picked a set of training leathers and boots for her. Without a word, Heidara stepped behind her and began weaving her hair into a braided crown, tucking it neatly to keep every strand out of her face.
When Evelyne stepped out of the tent and into the clearing, she could feel Kaldrek’s gaze burning into her.
The training leathers hugged her figure more closely than anything she was used to, and for a moment, she considered turning back, adjusting the vest, and covering more skin.
But then she noticed how he looked at her—not with ridicule or judgment, but with something that made her feel seen. Admired.
She stood taller, lifted her chin, and let him look.
The morning started with a warm-up, which, to Evelyne, felt like a full-on battle. The so-called “basic stances” left her legs aching within minutes, and the constant crouching and squatting made her thighs burn.
Alaric stood near the front, paired with Ty, moving like this was second nature to him. Meanwhile, Heidara patiently corrected Evelyne’s every misstep.
“Now stand with your dominant foot slightly behind your lead foot,” Kaldrek instructed as he paced between the trainees.
“Feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent. Balance is everything.”
She adjusted—again.
“Keep your hands up by your face, palms inward, elbows close to protect your ribs,” he continued. “Drop them, and you’re asking for a broken nose.” As if on cue, he barked at a scout who had dropped their hands, “Do not drop your guard, dammit!”
“Does he always stomp around barking orders like a rabid dog?” Evelyne whispered to Heidara.
She stifled a giggle. “Yes. And don’t ever let him hear you say that.”
They moved into punching drills. Kaldrek quickly demonstrated each strike, making Evelyne want to punch him just for existing. His movements were perfect and powerful. She really tried to focus, but he was built like a warlord, which was incredibly distracting.
“The jab needs to be quick,” Kaldrek continued, shifting into position. “This is your setup punch, meant to keep distance and create openings. Keep your elbow tucked, extend fast, then snap back to guard.”
Evelyne’s attention snagged on the way his muscles coiled and flexed with each movement. How was someone that big still that fast?
A sharp elbow jabbed into her ribs, pulling her from her daze, and she turned to find Heidara smirking.
“What?” Evelyne whispered.
“You’re staring.”
Her cheeks heated, and Kaldrek’s voice cut through the training field before she could defend herself.
“Can you hear me back there, or are you too busy daydreaming?”
Every pair of eyes turned to her. She wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Instead, she cleared her throat, forcing herself to meet his piercing stare.
“Loud and clear, Alpha.”
His expression darkened slightly at the title. Good. Let him think she was mocking him.
“Then show me.”
She turned to Heidara, desperate. “Can you—?”
Heidara, bless her, broke the motion down step by step, walking Evelyne through the jab until she got it right.
They repeated the punches over fifty times, and her shoulders throbbed. She was getting sloppy, her arms slower than before—
WHACK.
A sudden burst of pain shot through her nose.
“Shit!” Heidara gasped. “Evelyne, I’m so sorry!”
Evelyne staggered back, her hands flying to her face. Warm blood was already dripping onto her fingers.
She groaned. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”
Alaric rushed over, his blue eyes filled with concern, but Kaldrek? He stood with his arms crossed, looking pissed.
“This is exactly why you don’t drop your guard.”
Evelyne glared at him through the pain. “Bastard,” she muttered under her breath before walking away.
***
The day’s journey was grueling. Her swollen and tender nose throbbed beneath the bandage, and the heat only worsened things. Sweat clung to her skin, soaking into the cloth and making her feel uncomfortable—and, frankly, a little foolish.
Lorena had bandaged her nose quickly that morning, offering a gentle reminder to rest and drink plenty of water. Rest, of course, was a luxury Evelyne couldn’t afford, not while traveling with a pack of wolves that barely slowed down. Still, she appreciated the healer’s concern.
As if things couldn’t get more irritating, Kaldrek had been waiting for her when she left Lorena’s tent.
He’d been standing just a few paces away, arms crossed, eyes fixed on her with that unreadable intensity.
She wasn’t sure if he actually cared that she was hurt.
It had looked like he might say something, but she’d turned her back before he could.
Probably not the most brilliant move to turn away from an alpha, but she didn’t care. After all, she was defiant.
Alaric walked beside her now, his stride strong and posture steady.
If not for the faint scars on his neck and forearm, no one would guess how close he’d come to dying.
And she wasn’t the only one who noticed.
More than once, she caught Holden watching him, eyes narrowed, like he was waiting for Alaric to sprout fangs and prove he wasn’t entirely human anymore.
And then there was Reyna, radiant under the afternoon sun, her beauty impossible to ignore. But it wasn’t her glow that made Evelyne’s stomach turn—it was the two small, precise bite marks on her throat.
Had a Noskari attacked her?
Heidara noticed her staring and casually explained, “They’re claiming marks. It’s considered the most intimate part of mating. When the female allows her mate to mark her.”
“Or, in Reyna’s case, mates,” Evelyne muttered.
Heidara grinned. “Exactly. A declaration to the world that she belongs to no one else.”
The whole idea sounded wild. Still, she supposed it was better than the mark of a Noskari’s bite.
“And what about the males? Do they get ‘marked’ too?”
“I guess they can,” Heidara said with a shrug. “But it’s more common for females. Honestly, I think the males just like showing off their possessiveness.” She laughed softly.
Alaric had been right; they reached the next outpost by nightfall. But the real problem was figuring out how to get the horses. They couldn’t just stroll in and ask for them without drawing attention. And using her gold would leave a trail just as dangerous.
“We’ve gotten this far,” Evelyne said to Alaric. “We can’t risk it.”
Kaldrek had already devised a plan: wait for the outpost to fall into a slumber, then send in his quickest scouts to steal the horses. Which meant they had to wait.
At one point, as the others wandered off for privacy or quiet conversation, she found herself alone with the alpha.
“My nose is fine—thanks for asking,” she said with a bite of sarcasm.
Kaldrek didn’t so much as blink. “If you’d followed my instructions properly, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Evelyne narrowed her eyes. “You think I’m defiant, but did you ever stop to consider that maybe you’re just stubborn and insufferable?”
Irritation flickered across his face. “I’m their alpha. There’s no room for softness.”
“Well, that’s just sad,” she shot back. “You can be strong and still have basic human decency.”
He smirked slightly. “You need to toughen up, Lady Evelyne.”
“Yes, well, that’s exactly why I asked to be trained,” she countered. “Though you didn’t seem particularly eager to help. Maybe I’ll take Holden up on his offer. He seemed more than happy to give me one-on-one training.”
Kaldrek barked out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. “Oh, I’m sure Holden’s intentions have nothing to do with fighting.”
Feeling daring, she hummed. “Maybe I wouldn’t mind learning his intentions.”
His smile faltered. Just slightly, but she saw it.
“Be my guest.”
An awkward silence stretched between them before Kaldrek spoke again, his voice quieter this time.
“Who was the man that touched you?”
The words were like ice water down her spine, and she hated how easily he had read her last night.
“That is none of your concern.”
He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. His touch was firm, but not rough. “It is my concern. We kill men for things like that.”
His voice was deadly and resolute, a quiet promise in every word. And she had no reason to doubt him. Kaldrek struck her as the kind of man who would hunt down anyone guilty of such a crime and make them suffer. Slowly.
Evelyne swatted his hand aside. “Alaric found me. He saved me from—” Her voice faltered. “He saved me. That’s all you need to know.”
Kaldrek’s eyes darkened. His entire body tensed, muscles coiled like he was about to snap.
And strangely, it made her feel safe.
He exhaled, ready to walk away, but before he did, she blurted out, “Do you like being alpha?”
His brows lifted slightly, as if he were surprised by the question. “I didn’t have a choice,” he admitted. “When our previous alpha—my father—died, the mark chose me.”
She frowned. “So whether you enjoy it or not doesn’t matter?”
“No,” he said. “I must protect my pack. That’s all that matters.”
“So you don’t enjoy the killing and bossing people around?”
He grinned. “I never said that.”
And damn him, because that wicked smile sent a rush of cruel excitement through her. For once, she could only blink, completely speechless.
Before disappearing into the trees, he tossed over his shoulder, “Take that bandage off. You look ridiculous.”
***
The trading outpost was nothing more than a skeleton of what Evelyne assumed it had once been.
A few wooden structures stood in silence, their roofs sagging under the weight of neglect.
Lanterns flickered dimly outside a single tavern, the only sign of life amid the decay.
The market stalls were abandoned, and the scent of damp wood and stale ale lingered in the air.
A scattering of old wagons sat unused near the treeline, overtaken by creeping vines.
Trade had severely diminished. People had vanished into the forests, into the unknown, and what remained of this place felt like a forgotten relic of a time before the darkness came creeping in.
Beyond the outpost, the stables stood at the edge of the clearing, tucked against the thick treeline like an afterthought.
The structure was small but well-maintained, with only a few stalls.
Most of the horses had already been sold or taken elsewhere.
Probably because fewer mouths to feed meant a better chance at survival.
Still, two remained: strong, sleek, black-coated creatures, their ears twitching in the moonlight as they dozed in their stalls.
Kaldrek sent his quickest. Nathan, Ty, and younger scout Drakin moved like ghosts through the night, their forms slipping between shadow and torchlight.
They wasted no time creeping past the slumbering guards, weaving through the dark corners of the outpost with an ease that spoke of years of practice.
Kaldrek, of course, went as well. He wouldn’t send his scouts without their leader.
Holden had been ordered to stay behind and guard the pack—a duty he clearly didn’t take lightly.
His clenched fists said all he needed to.
When they returned, Evelyne barely had a moment to react before Kaldrek’s firm hands gripped her waist and effortlessly lifted her onto the horse’s saddle.
“I hope you know how to ride,” he muttered, fastening leather bags against the saddle straps.
Before she could retort, he reached for the hem of his shirt and peeled it off. Then his hands went to his belt. Evelyne’s stomach dropped.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, eyes wide with horror.
Kaldrek’s lips curved into a wicked smirk.
He was clearly enjoying her discomfort. But before he could respond, she noticed the others around them—Holden, Heidara, Nathan, Ty—all shedding their clothes down to their undergarments, swiftly packing them into bags secured to the saddles and the wooden sleds that some of the pack would pull along.
Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
The pack was going to shift.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” she muttered, torn between fascination and sheer disbelief.
Kaldrek finished securing his belongings, his eyes flicking up to meet hers. “Get ready to ride,” he warned. “The shift will be loud.”
And then, the night filled with the visceral sounds of transformation. Bones snapped, bodies twisted, and before Evelyne could even process it, the horses reared, hooves kicking up dirt. They took off into the night, chasing the wolves that ran like shadows beneath the moon.
They rode until exhaustion weighed heavy, stopping only when Kaldrek deemed it safe. No camp this time. Just sleep and food. Just enough time to keep themselves from falling apart before moving on.
Dawn came cruel and relentless. Evelyne’s body ached, her muscles stiff from riding, but there was no time to dwell on discomfort. They trained. Again.
And this time, she kept her damn hands up.