Chapter 3 Fire in the blood

The training grounds were nothing like Beth remembered from her childhood. Back then, they had been a place of laughter, of friendly sparring matches and pack-wide tournaments where the prize was usually nothing more than bragging rights and an extra helping of stew at dinner. Now, the arena looked like a war zone-reinforced with iron poles, dummies shredded to bits, and scorch marks along the stone wall that hinted at magic far older and more volatile than any she'd encountered.

Austin stood at the center, bare-chested and focused, his powerful frame coiled like a predator at rest. He looked dangerous-calm, quiet, but deadly.

Beth felt that same tight pull in her chest when she looked at him-equal parts nerves and something else. Something more primal.

"You're late," he said, though his mouth curled slightly at the corner.

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Five minutes. I was reading."

"Reading doesn't keep you alive."

"Books haven't tried to kill me yet."

"Maybe not," he said, stepping forward, "but ignorance has."

Beth flinched at that- not because he was wrong, but because she hated how right he was. He saw the way her spine straightened at the comment and didn't apologize.

"First lesson," Austin said, tossing her a wooden staff. "Balance."

Beth caught it and immediately staggered back a step. The thing was heavier than it looked.

"Training with a staff?" she asked, regaining her footing.

"You need control. Strength without control is reckless. A staff forces both."

He circled her as she adjusted her grip, the air thick with heat and silence.

"Lower your shoulders. Bend your knees slightly. You're top-heavy right now-any rogue would knock you flat."

Beth did as he instructed. He came up behind her, adjusting her arms wordlessly, his hands warm on her elbows, her spine. Her breath caught when he leaned closer.

"Good," he murmured. "Now hit me."

She blinked. "What?"

"Hit. Me." He stepped back and tapped the staff in his own hand against the ground.

Beth hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you."

Austin barked a laugh. "You won't."

Challenge accepted.

Beth swung. Austin blocked it easily, deflecting the strike with an effortless twist of his wrist.

She tried again. And again.

Each time, he turned the attack aside like she was nothing more than a breeze.

Frustration built like pressure in her veins. Her wolf bristled beneath her skin, snarling. Not out of anger at Austin-but at herself.

She wasn't weak. Not anymore.

Beth launched herself forward, feinting left, then spinning to strike from the right. Austin deflected-but just barely.

His eyes lit up. "There she is."

Beth panted, adrenaline flooding her system. She could feel her wolf pressing closer to the surface, clawing her way out.

"Shift," he ordered softly.

Beth blinked. "Now?"

"Yes. Let her out. Stop fighting it."

She hesitated.

She hadn't shifted since the massacre. Not fully. Not by choice. The last time had been a blur of blood and screams and-

"You're safe here," Austin said gently. "I've got you."

Something in his tone reached her.

Beth took a deep breath, let it out slowly-and gave in.

The shift rolled over her like a tidal wave. Her bones snapped, reshaped, fur burst from her skin, and her vision exploded into color. Every sound, every scent, every heartbeat in the training yard was magnified.

Her wolf was large-larger than most females-and silver-white, like moonlight on snow.

Austin's wolf appeared beside her a moment later-sleek and powerful, his dark fur streaked with gold. He let out a low growl, and Beth responded in kind, the two of them circling each other.

This was different.

This was instinct and muscle and magic.

They moved in sync-testing, lunging, dodging. Her wolf loved the freedom, the raw exhilaration of movement. Austin nipped at her flank and she spun, baring her teeth playfully. He dodged, tail flicking with amusement.

They were no longer just sparring. They were bonding.

After what felt like hours, they shifted back. Beth collapsed on the grass, chest heaving, sweat glistening on her brow.

Austin sat beside her, tossing her a water bottle. "That was impressive."

Beth grinned, too breathless to answer.

He looked at her then-not just with admiration, but something deeper. Respect. Maybe even... affection?

Before either could speak, Marla approached from the training yard gate, her expression grim.

"We found something," she said. "You both need to see this."

Beth scrambled to her feet, towel forgotten.

Marla led them to the pack's archives-a sprawling underground vault filled with scrolls, leather-bound tomes, and records dating back centuries. Austin unlocked a side room Beth had never seen before, filled with locked drawers and sigil-marked vaults.

Marla handed Beth a file.

"Your family wasn't just noble, Beth. They were blood-bound to something ancient. A guardian lineage."

Beth flipped through the brittle papers-old treaties, oaths written in blood, wax-sealed contracts between the Chadwicks and... something called The Flamebound Order.

"What is this?" she whispered.

Austin answered, voice low. "The Flamebound were protectors. They guarded something-someone-before the wars. Most of them were wiped out. But your family... your bloodline survived."

Beth's fingers trembled as she held one scroll up to the light. Her name-her true name-was etched in gold ink.

Elisabeth Vale-Chadwick.

And beside it, a single line:

The Flame shall rise again when the wolf stands beside it.

Austin and Beth locked eyes.

"We were wrong," he said slowly. "The rogue wasn't warning us."

Beth nodded, heart racing. "He was prophesying."

Suddenly, everything clicked into place-the dreams, the strange memories, the abilities surfacing when she was under pressure.

Her wolf wasn't just powerful.

She was ancient.

Awakened.

And someone out there wanted that power for themselves.

Marla cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "There's more. A name. The one who betrayed the Flamebound. He's alive."

Austin's voice dropped to a snarl. "Who?"

Marla turned a page and showed them.

Malrik.

Beth's blood ran cold. That name was familiar-too familiar.

"I've heard that name before," she whispered. "In my dreams. In the fire."

Austin stepped closer. "Then it's time we find him."

Beth nodded, the fire in her blood roaring now. Not with fear- but purpose. She wasn't just a lost heir. She was the last of the Flamebound.

Beth stared at the name scrawled across the yellowed page: Malrik.

The ink looked old, faded- but her blood ran colder than ice. Something about the name made her wolf recoil deep inside her, a visceral memory buried beneath layers of survival and time.

"Who was he?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Marla flipped through more of the documents. "According to these records, Malrik was once part of the Flamebound Order. A guardian, like your ancestors. But he turned on them. Betrayed them to their enemies in exchange for dark power- blood magic, forbidden rites."

"He was one of us," Beth murmured. "And he became the reason we fell."

Austin moved beside her, silent, his posture tense.

"There's more," Marla said, laying out another scroll. "Malrik believed the Flamebound were hiding something. A relic. A source of power tied to the very first wolves. Something ancient... something dangerous."

Beth looked up. "Do we know what it is?"

Marla shook her head. "No one does. But if your family was guarding it, and you're the last of their line, it's possible the knowledge lies dormant in you. In your blood... or your memories."

Beth's pulse pounded. She thought of her dreams again-flashes of fire, voices calling her name, a shadowed figure reaching toward her as flames consumed everything.

Was that Malrik?

Or was it someone-or something-worse?

Austin stepped in. "If he's alive, he'll come for her. We need to get ahead of this. We need to find him first."

Beth nodded, even though a cold knot of dread had formed in her stomach.

"If we're going to do this," she said, "I want to be ready. I want to learn everything."

Austin didn't hesitate. "You will. We leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she echoed.

He turned to her, eyes steady. "We're going to the Elder Circle. They may have answers."

Beth had heard of the Elder Circle only in whispers-an ancient tribunal of wolves that existed outside of pack law. They didn't interfere often, but when they did, their influence was absolute.

"They won't be happy to see me," she said.

Austin offered a grim smile. "They're never happy to see anyone. But they know things-things lost to time. And if there's even a chance they can help us find Malrik or that relic, we need to take it."

Beth drew in a breath. "Then I'll pack."

-

That night, Beth couldn't sleep.

The room felt too quiet. Too still. She lay on her side, staring out the window at the stars, their cold light distant and unforgiving.

A soft knock broke the silence.

She turned as the door creaked open. Austin stepped inside, shirtless, his hair tousled and damp. His presence filled the room like a storm waiting to break.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, eyes locked on hers.

Beth sat up. "Me either."

He hesitated, then crossed the room and sat at the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight.

"You're thinking about tomorrow," he said.

Beth nodded. "And about everything that came before it."

He didn't speak for a long moment. Then, "I remember the first time I saw you."

She looked at him, surprised.

"You were seven," he said. "Barefoot. Covered in mud. You ran across the training yard yelling at a group of boys twice your size because they stole a pup from its den. You bit one of them. Hard."

Beth blinked. "You remember that?"

"I remember thinking, 'This girl's going to burn down the world someday.'"

Her lips twitched into a small smile. "Maybe I will."

His gaze softened. "You already are."

She looked at him fully then. At the man who had gone from distant Alpha to protector... and now, something closer. Something she didn't dare name.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"So am I."

The honesty in his voice cracked something open inside her.

Austin reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "But we face it together."

She leaned into his touch.

He kissed her.

It wasn't soft. It wasn't hesitant. It was fierce, like everything unsaid between them came rushing out in one stolen breath.

Beth grabbed his shirt, pulled him closer. Her wolf howled inside her-not in fear, but longing.

When they broke apart, both of them breathless, Austin rested his forehead against hers.

"Whatever happens next," he whispered, "you're not alone."

Beth closed her eyes, heart full. "Neither are you."

Outside, a wind stirred the trees. Far beyond the horizon, something old awakened.