Chapter 6
liselle
The air hung thick with the scent of sweat, dirt, and dominance.
I stood at the edge of the training grounds, my stomach twisting into tight knots. The field stretched out before me like a battlefield, and mostly first–years were scattered in small groups, all bracing themselves for what was to come. The instructors had made it clear from the start: this wasn’t just training–it was survival.
Before I could even take a full breath, a sharp command rang through the air.
“Run!”
A second passed before the entire group took off.
I pushed forward, my legs already burning, struggling to keep pace with the others. I wasn’t fast–definitely not as fast as the males who sprinted ahead with ease. It was painfully obvious I was falling behind. A few of them shot me glances–some amused, others annoyed–but I ignored them, focusing on keeping up.
By the time we reached the obstacle course, my lungs burned. Climbing, crawling, dodging–it was relentless. The third time I slipped off a rope and hit the ground hard, pain shot through my back. Before I could even catch my breath, a shadow loomed over me.
Ethan.
His face was twisted with fury as he reached down and yanked me to my feet like I weighed nothing. “Are you even trying?”
I scowled, jerking my arm free. “I’m fine.”
His green eyes scanned the field, landing on every male who dared glance in my direction. “Have you even been training with Eva?”
I exhaled, already exhausted. “Yes.”
He didn’t look convinced. His protectiveness was suffocating, but I knew it came from worry.
Before I could argue, an instructor barked his name. His challenge was up.
“I swear, if you pass out or break something, I’m killing someone,” he muttered before stalking off to the mats. Not before shooting another warning glare at a male who dares to look at me with malice. They didn’t like weak. They didn’t like slow. Both of which I was.
I let out a shaky breath, watching as Ethan stepped into the sparring ring. He was in his element–powerful, controlled. I, on the other hand, felt like a fish thrown onto land.
Before I could dwell on it, a group of males approached.
One of them, a cocky–looking guy with a cruel smirk, eyed me up and down. “So this is the princess Ethan’s been guarding like a treasure chest.”
I stiffened. “Excuse me?”
Another one chuckled. “Didn’t think Ethan’s twin would be so…. delicate.”
“We should have known,” his friend said. “After he threatened everyone to stay away from you.”
He. Did. What!?
I clenched my fists, ready to say something cutting, but before I could, a voice interrupted.
“Didn’t realize we were picking fights with first–years now.”
I turned, finding Max stepping into the space beside me, arms crossed, an easy smirk on his lips. But his eyes were sharp. Dangerous.
The males hesitated. Max wasn’t just a third–year–he was known. He was strong.
In the short span of time since we have been thrown out here, I realized that students steered clear of two persons. Max and Nate.
Unlike the Max who I met in my room, to everyone else, he was a nightmare. I soon learned that he, along with Nate, were the best in their year, if not the entire damn academy.
And apparently, one of them was willing to back me.
Chapter 6
“I’d suggest finding a new hobby,” Max said, his tone light, but the warning was clear. “Before someone finds one for you.”
The males exchanged glances before scoffing and walking away, muttering under their breaths.
I let out a slow breath. “I could’ve handled that.”
Max chuckled. “Sure, but this was faster.”
“I can-”
“Seems like you need my help in more than just Pack Landscaping,” he said easily as I watched Ethan throw a punch to his opponent’s face that definitely broke his jaw.
“Eva is already training me,” I said simply, still watching my brother. Gosh, why didn’t I get some of those skills?
“Who do you think trained Eva?” he asked with a knowing smirk.
I snorted. “Eva’s ego would never allow one of her brothers to train her. She’s too focused on trying to prove you guys wrong.”
He threw back his head with a laugh, and I saw that he caught someone’s attention.
Nathaniel.
Standing near the sparring rings, watching.
He wasn’t smirking. He wasn’t relaxed. He was tense, his sharp blue eyes dark with something unreadable.
“That’s true,” Max said, bringing my attention back to him. “But not if you’re her favorite brother.” I couldn’t argue that.
“I’ll manage, thanks,” I dismissed, when I noticed that Nate was gone from the spot he had been in. “Plus, you don’t have time.”
“So eager to die are we?” he joked. “Don’t worry. I’ll make time.”
“She doesn’t need your help, Laker.” A voice said from behind me, and my back stiffened.
Shit.
I knew that voice. And I knew the malice behind his tone, too. We both swerved around, seeing Nate standing just a few feet away, his eyes narrowed in slits as he glared at Max.
But what surprised me was that Max mirrored his expression. There was definitely some tension there–tension that existed long before me. They were definitely enemies.
Great.
“Mind your own business, Nathaniel,” Max hissed in a tone that I didn’t even hear from him with the men he chased away earlier.
“She is my business,” Nate threw back just as harshly.
This could get really messy, real fast.
“Nate, please.” I met his eyes and saw the resolve, and Max stared between us for a while.
“Wait, he’s the other guy?” He scoffed. “Well this isn’t fucking fun anymore,” he mumbled that last part.
But Nate’s eyes were already blazing even more, if that was even possible.
“What the hell does he mean by other guy, Jiselle?”
Oh shit. He wasn’t my Alpha and we hadn’t accepted each other as mates. Yet, my wolf was already baring her neck to him at the very tone of his
voice.
“It doesn’t matter to you,” Max said instead.
“Indoes because we’re-”
“Childhood friends,” I finished for him, glaring at Nate.
Wasn’t he the one who declared our mateship secrecy and basically told me in the hallway that I should avoid him? What the hell was his deal?
3
Chapter 6
Nate’s jaw ticked, but he remained quiet as they continued glaring at each other, like a silent challenge. I caught Eva’s gaze from her sparring circle. and she shot me a worried look.
Thankfully, the instructor called Nate to his challenge, and I blew out a breath as he levelled Max with one final glare before walking off, not even sparing me a glance.
I didn’t know Max long… In fact, I didn’t know him at all. But, his usual playfulness was gone.
“You need better company, Jiselle,” he said in a tone that I wasn’t used to from him.
“He’s my brother’s best friend. We grew up in neighboring packs.”
Not that I owed him an explanation.
His jaw ticked once. Twice. Then he left.
Geesh, what was that about?
A little more than a few persons saw their little show, and now everyone thought for sure that I was too weak to defend myself.
I hated it. Hated how it made me feel like I was hiding behind stronger men.
A soft chuckle to my right made me turn.
Emari.
The she–wolf stood with her arms crossed, a slow, taunting smile spreading across her lips. “Well, well. The lost little pup has a whole pack protecting her.”
I rolled my shoulders, forcing myself to remain calm. “What do you want?”
Emari’s gaze flicked past me. “All three huh?” She taunted. “Is it Max?” Then she snapped her gaze to Ethan. “Or Ethan, though he’s a first year and kinda… never mind. He’s your brother, isn’t he? He’s the spitting image of you.” I didn’t answer. But then her gaze went to Nate, who was fighting in his ring like it was an effortless dance. Gosh, he was good. “Or is it Nathaniel?”
The moment she said his name, I felt it.
A shift.
And Emari noticed.
Her smile widened. “Oh. Oh. So he’s the one.”
My stomach clenched. I hated how easily Emari had read me. Hated that I had given anything away at all.
Emari stepped cowering her voice. “Do you know what happens to weaklings here?”
I refused to flinch. “Do you?”
ར ་འ་ཧ
Emari laughed, a sharp, delighted sound. Then, without warning, she stepped back and lifted her chin. “Spar with me.”
Silence fell between us.
My pulse thundered.
Emari’s challenge wasn’t just a challenge. It was a statement.
A way to put me in my place.
< 2 =
Nathaniel, who now had his opponent in a headlock, stared at us. Silent. Unmoving. His face unreadable.
I inhaled deeply.
And nodded.
“I accept.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I’d made a mistake.
But it was too late now.
