Kael sat by the dying embers of the fire, watching the slow rise and fall of Nova’s breathing.

  She had fallen asleep curled up beside him, her face barely visible under the hood of her sweatshirt. He should have been resting too, but sleep never came easy for him. And after what she had told him…it wouldn’t be coming at all tonight.

  The weight of her words still clung to him, a quiet fury simmering beneath his skin."They hated me for it," she had said. Kael closed his eyes, exhaling slowly through his nose, trying to calm the rage he felt. He could feel his wolf was restless, pacing in the back of his mind, still seething. She was just a child. The thought repeated over and over, a bitter loop he couldn’t break.

  Nova had spoken about her childhood so casually, like she had already long accepted that it had been a losing battle from the start. Her mother had tried to fix her, as if she had been broken or defective. His fingers curled into fists, nails biting into his palms. If they hadn’t met an untimely death by her own hands, accident or not, he would have ended them himself.

  If she had grown up with her own kind, things would have been different, he thought. She would have been strong. She would have been trained, protected, valued for what she was, not forced to try and be something she wasn’t meant to be. She didn’t even know what it was to be free.

  He turned his gaze back to her. Nova’s face was relaxed in sleep, but he could see the tension lingering at the edges of her expression, like she was still bracing for a fight. Even in unconsciousness, she was ready to defend herself.

  That ends now.

  She wasn’t weak. He had seen the fight in her. She had spent her entire life holding everything back, trying to make everyone around her happy, instead of ever questioning her own happiness. In the process she had become chained down and oppressed, and lost her own sense of worth along the way.

  She would never have to feel that way again.

  He would make sure of it.

  Morning came too soon.

  Kael stood at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, watching the first hints of light stretch across the sky. He had let Nova sleep longer than he should have, but he figured she needed it.

  He turned, looking down at her still-sleeping form, and smirked.

  Time to wake up.

  With zero hesitation, Kael flicked cold water from the stream directly onto her face.

  Nova jolted upright with a strangled noise, shoving her hood back, eyes wide. "What the—?"

  Kael crouched beside her, completely unfazed. "Morning."

  Nova wiped at her face with her sleeve, scowling. "Are you serious?"

  "You looked overheated," Kael said, completely straight-faced.

  Nova glared. "I hate you."

  Kael just grinned. "Nah, you don’t."

  She grumbled something under her breath that he was pretty sure was an insult, but he let it slide.

  "Get up," he said, standing. "We’ve got work to do."

  Nova blinked blearily at him. "Work?"

  "You want to survive, don’t you?"

  She groaned, rubbing at her face. "But who is going to save me from you?"

  Kael tilted his head, considering. "I think that ship has already sailed sweetheart. You’re stuck with me for life."

  Nova shot him a challenging look. "Unless I beat it out of you."

  Kael smirked. "Good. That’s the spirit."

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  Nova was less than happy. She stood in the clearing, arms crossed, watching Kael with deep suspicion as he paced in front of her.

  "Alright," he said, stretching his arms over his head. "First thing’s first. We need to make up for lost time. You need to get stronger, and you need to learn to fight."

  She sighed. "Ok, did you have some kind of plan in mind?"

  Kael’s smirk was infuriatingly smug. "I think we will start with running fifty miles, barefoot, uphill. Then move on to wrestling grizzlies."

  Nova didn’t even blink. "I will actually murder you."

  Kael chuckled. "Good aggression. We’ll channel that."

  Nova groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Just tell me the damn plan."

  Kael crossed his arms, his expression turning more serious. "You need to learn how to fight. In both forms."

  Nova hesitated. "...Both?"

  "Obviously." Kael shrugged. "You won’t always be able to shift. You need to be dangerous either way."

  Nova frowned. She hadn’t considered that. She had assumed everything about this life was about being the wolf. But Kael had a point: if someone attacked her while she was still human, she couldn’t exactly ask them to wait while she transformed.

  "So what," she said slowly. "You’re going to teach me how to fight?"

  Kael smirked. "Something like that."

  He moved suddenly, too fast for her to react, closing the distance between them in an instant. His hand shot forward, not to strike, but to tap her forehead with two fingers.

  Nova flinched back, but not before she felt the contact.

  "Too slow," Kael said.

  Nova scowled. "That wasn’t fair, I wasn’t ready."

  Kael only smiled. "Life isn’t fair."

  Nova took a deep breath, trying to disperse some of her frustration.

  Kael watched her for a moment before nodding, satisfied. "Alright. First lesson: Shifting."

  Kael didn’t say a word as he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it carelessly to the side. Nova barely had a second to process before he was untying the drawstring of his sweats and letting them drop, standing there completely bare. He met her wide-eyed stare with a knowing smirk and tilted his head.

  “Well?” he said, arms crossing over his chest.

  Nova sputtered. “You could’ve given me a little warning!”

  Kael chuckled. “What, suddenly shy? You’re going to have to get used to shifting on demand. And clothes don’t exactly shift with you.” He nodded toward her expectantly. “Go on.”

  Nova grumbled under her breath but hesitated only a second before yanking off her hoodie and sweats, dropping them onto the grass beside his.

  Kael’s gaze flicked over her, before he took a step back. “Now, shift.”

  She huffed, rolling her shoulders, and focused. It still wasn’t natural, it wasn't smooth, but she could feel the shift coming quicker than before. The pull of bones stretching, reshaping: it was painful, but not unbearable. Within seconds, she stood on all fours, shaking out her dark fur. Kael had shifted, his massive form towering beside her.

  “Again,” he commanded through their bond.

  Nova let out a low growl of protest but obeyed, forcing the change back. It came faster this time, the pain duller, her human form snapping back into place as she staggered on unsteady legs. Kael watched, satisfied.

  “Good,” he rumbled. “Again.”

  Nova groaned but dropped to her knees, already feeling the next shift coming. This was going to be a long day.

  Nova learned something very important: Kael was absolutely lethal.

  He was extremely fast and nimble. Every time she thought she had an opening, he was already out of reach. Every time she threw a punch, he dodged effortlessly. He barely even seemed to be trying.

  "Are you toying with me?" she growled.

  Kael grinned. "Maybe a little."

  Nova lunged at him again, throwing a punch toward his ribs. He sidestepped, catching her wrist in one hand and twisting just enough to throw her off balance.

  She yelped as he swept her legs out from under her, sending her crashing onto her back.

  Kael crouched over her, resting an elbow on his knee. "You alright down there?"

  Nova groaned, glaring up at him. "You’re enjoying this way too much."

  Kael smirked. "The view from up here is pretty nice."

  Nova huffed and, without warning, kicked her foot up toward his ribs. Kael barely shifted in time to avoid it, letting out a low chuckle as he rolled effortlessly back onto his feet.

  "Cheap shot," he said, offering her a hand.

  She ignored it and pushed herself up, brushing dirt from her arms. "Survival," she countered.

  Kael’s grin widened. "Touche."

  Nova stretched, rolling her shoulders. Everything ached. Her muscles burned, her lungs felt raw, and she was sure she’d have bruises by nightfall. But for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel powerless.

  She glanced up at Kael, watching the way he studied her, calculating, assessing. She wondered if he saw the same thing she felt.

  "Again?" she asked.

  Kael raised an eyebrow, then let out a low, approving hum. "Oh, I like this."

  Nova just smirked and dropped into a fighting stance.

  Kael’s answering grin was nothing short of predatory.

  "Alright, sweetheart. Let’s see what you’ve got."