Chapter 57

The training yard buzzed with activity as the pack gathered for their usual morning drills. The scent of dew and freshly turned earth filled the air, and the distant hum of conversation blended with the rhythmic sound of fists striking dummies and boots hitting the ground. Althea stood off to the side, wrapping her hands with the same steady focus she’d developed over the past few weeks. Her movements were calm and deliberate, but there was a fire in her chest she couldn’t ignore,a quiet strength that had been growing, fueled by every strike, every sparring session, every moment she had refused to give in to her doubts. Her wolf stirred restlessly beneath the surface, a steady presence that had grown bolder with each passing day. “They’re watching you,” the voice inside her murmured. It wasn’t nervous or hesitant,it was confident, almost amused. Althea glanced up, her gaze sweeping over the pack members gathered nearby. Sure enough, several of them were watching her, their eyes flicker