Ayla stood at the edge, hoping to go unnoticed. She clutched the straps of her worn leather gloves, her heart pounding as the Beta’s son, Rowan, barked out orders to the group of young wolves gathered for combat drills.
“Ayla!” Rowan’s sharp voice sliced through the air. He stood in the center of the group, his smirk dripping with contempt. “Step up. Let’s see if you’re capable of doing more than just standing there.”
The crowd snickered, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Ayla swallowed hard. She wanted to melt into the ground but knew refusing would only make things worse. She stepped forward, her boots kicking up dust as she moved into the sparring ring.
“Don’t worry,” Rowan sneered. “I’ll go easy on you. Wouldn’t want you crying to the Alpha.”
Ayla clenched her fists but said nothing. Her father had always warned her to keep her head down, to stay unnoticed. “You don’t want them looking too closely at you,” he’d said. Ayla had never known what he meant by that, but she took his words to heart.
The sparring began. Rowan lunged at her, claws extended. Ayla dodged to the side, her movements quick and precise. She could have countered—she knew exactly how to—but she hesitated, letting Rowan catch her with a deliberate shove to the chest. She staggered backward, falling to the ground as laughter erupted around them.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Rowan taunted, towering over her.
Ayla bit back her anger. She couldn’t risk revealing how skilled she truly was. It would only draw attention. She scrambled to her feet, brushing the dirt from her knees.
“Pathetic,” Rowan spat, turning away to address the crowd. “This is what happens when you let weakness linger in the pack.”
As the group dispersed, Ayla stayed behind, avoiding the jeering stares. She slipped away to the woods, where the trees stood tall and thick, shielding her from the outside world. Here, she could breathe.
In a small clearing she’d claimed as her own, Ayla began her real training. Her punches hit the worn-out training dummy with precision and speed. Each kick landed with a force that would have sent Rowan flying if she’d dared to fight back.
Her mind replayed the humiliation from earlier, anger simmering under her skin. “Weak,” Rowan had called her. She drove her fist into the dummy’s chest. She was anything but weak.
“One day,” she whispered to herself. “One day, they’ll see.”
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Ayla returned to the packhouse, where preparations for the Alpha heir’s homecoming ceremony were in full swing. Lanterns hung from the trees, casting golden light across the courtyard. Pack members dressed in their finest attire milled about, buzzing with excitement.
Ayla slipped into the shadows, keeping her head down. She didn’t belong in these celebrations. Her father’s fall from grace had ensured her place as an outcast.
The crowd fell silent as a tall figure emerged from the packhouse. Cian, the Alpha’s son, had arrived. His dark hair gleamed under the lantern light, and his sharp green eyes scanned the crowd with a commanding presence that made Ayla’s stomach twist.
“Welcome home, Cian,” the Alpha announced, his voice booming with pride.
Cian nodded, offering a polite smile to the gathered wolves. His gaze swept over the crowd, pausing briefly when it landed on Ayla. She froze, the weight of his attention pinning her in place. His expression didn’t change, but something about his piercing stare sent a shiver down her spine.
“Why is he looking at me?” Ayla murmured under her breath, stepping further into the shadows.
The ceremony continued, filled with speeches and cheers, but Ayla couldn’t shake the feeling that Cian’s gaze kept finding her. It was unsettling, as though he could see something in her that even she didn’t understand.
When the ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse, Ayla turned to leave. But as she passed by the packhouse, she caught a snippet of a conversation.
“She’ll do nicely,” Rowan’s voice said, low and sharp.
“Are you sure she’s the one?” Cian replied, his tone unreadable.
“Positive. No one will suspect a thing. She’s invisible to everyone.”
Ayla pressed herself against the wall, her heart racing. Were they talking about her?