Preparations for the unity challenge consume every waking moment.
Silverfang is heavily favored, and everyone knows it.
A leader and mate work in perfect harmony, and their bond gives them an undeniable advantage..
That should’ve been us. Siena should’ve been by my si
matters
sille. But instead, I’m standing across from her, acting like none of this
Pretending that my heart isn’t pounding in my chest every time she’s near.
Pretending that my wolf isn’t restless–agitated and clawing beneath the surface because of the distance I’ve forced between
We train together out of necessity. We are both too experienced to let personal feelings interfere with the task at hand.
I keep my distance, my touch impersonal, my words clipped. But Siena… she’s different.
Focused
Determined.
Her movements are sharp, precise, but I see beyond the mask she wears. I notice the subtle tremor in her hands when she thinks no one’s watching, the fatigue weighing down her usually graceful steps.
She’s pushing herself too hard, and it’s taking its toll.
1 tell myself it’s not my problem. Siena made her choice. She chose her pack, her independence.
She walked away from me, and I let her go.
But when she stumbles during a particularly grueling synchronization drill, I react before I can stop myself. One second she’s off balance, and the next, I’m catching her, steadying her before she can hit the ground.
I just want to save her.
The moment my hands touch her, it’s like a jolt of lightning shoots through my entire body.
My wolf surges forward, desperate to reestablish the connection we’ve both been trying to ignore. The bond–weak and frayed but still there–flares to life, sending a sharp ache through my chest.
Siena’s eyes snap up to meet mine, wide and filled with something I can’t quite name. But I know she feels it too.
“Raiden…” Her voice is barely above a whisper, her breath catching as she realizes what’s happening.
“You need rest,” I say, my tone gruff, harsher than I intend. I try to pull away, but for one brief moment, I can’t. My hands linger, my thumb brushing against her skin, feeling the warmth that’s far too familiar.
“I’m fine,” she murmurs, but her voice trembles, betraying her.
She steps back quickly, putting distance between us as if my touch burns her. I feel the loss immediately–like something being ripped away. And it hurts more than I want to admit.
Siena straightens, her expression hardening as she pushes whatever just happened aside.
1/4
Chapter 51
Without another word, she turns back to the exercise, her focus sharper than before, her movements filled with a renewed determinatioOL
The crack in her BFI
Arshit matches the one in mine.
