Chapter 2 Kier
Sable’s POV
Kier came at me hard. His practice blade sliced toward my ribs, and I twisted just before it connected, feeling the rush of air against my leather guard.
“Getting slow,” he murmured.
I pivoted and drove my elbow toward his stomach and blocked it.
“Getting arrogant.”
His grin flashed. “There she is.”
Around us, the training yard disappeared beneath the sound of boots scraping dirt and wood striking wood. I knew people were watching. I could smell their excitement, hear Jaxon running his mouth somewhere near the fence. But Kier had always been good at making the rest of the world disappear and that irritated me almost as much as his face.
Kier attacked again, and I blocked high but it was too late. His shoulder caught mine, knocking me backward. A cheer erupted but Kier didn’t look at them. His eyes stayed on me.
“You good?”
I straightened.
“Worried?”
“No.”
“You should be.”
I attacked and he laughed as our blades collided. Kier had power. Even holding back, every strike traveled through my arms and into my shoulders. Fighting him head-on was stupid. Luckily, my mother hadn’t raised me to fight stupid.
You don’t win with the first strike. Her voice lived inside my head. You win on the fifth breath, when he expects you to be tired and you’re not.
So I let Kier think he was winning and gave him ground. His wolf scented victory. I saw it happen. His shoulders loosened, and his mouth curved as he drove forward.
Idiot.
I stumbled deliberately.
“Sable!” Jaxon shouted.
Kier hesitated for a fraction of a second. But Kier’s biggest weakness had never been strength. It was me.
I dropped down as his blade passed over my head. I hooked my ankle behind his, twisted my body, caught his wrist and used every ounce of his momentum against him.
Kier’s eyes widened.
“Oh, shi—”
His back slammed into the dirt. The yard went silent as dust drifted around us.
Kier blinked up at me. I twisted his wrist until his practice blade fell from his hand. Then I planted my boot squarely against the future Alpha’s chest.
I smiled. “Getting slow.”
Jaxon exploded. “THAT’S MY SISTER!”
Laughter and cheers erupted around the ring. Someone slapped the railing. Someone else cursed because, apparently, money had been riding on the fight.
Kier stared at me from the ground. His chest rose beneath my boot. For half a beat, I wondered if I’d gone too far. He was the Alpha’s son. The future leader of Black Pine. And I’d just put him flat on his back in front of half the warriors.
Then Kier laughed. A full, deep laugh that made something warm curl unexpectedly through my stomach.
“Get off me, menace.”
I removed my boot and offered my hand. He stared at it and I raised an eyebrow.
“Need help?”
His eyes narrowed. Then he took it.
Big mistake.
The second our palms touched, Kier yanked. I stumbled forward. His other hand caught my waist before I fell. Suddenly, we were too close and my breath stopped. The laughter around us changed. Someone made a kissing noise.
I should have moved but instead I looked up. Kier’s gray eyes held mine. His hand was still around my waist. My palm rested against his chest. And something inside my wolf stirred. Something that scared me.
Kier’s smile disappeared. “Sable…”
I shoved away from him. “Cheap trick.”
His grin returned, but it looked forced. “Worked.”
“Only because I made the mistake of helping you.”
“That was your first mistake.”
“My only mistake.”
“Besides thinking you can outrun me.”
My blood went cold and I stared at him.
Kier frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.”
He meant the fight. Of course, he meant the fight.
But suddenly I could feel the bus schedule hidden beneath my mattress as if it were tucked inside my clothes. Could smell the old cedar where I’d hidden my money. Could hear the highway calling from beyond pack territory.
I forced a smirk. “Keep dreaming, Blane.”
Alpha Tor stepped into the ring and the yard quieted immediately. His gaze moved between us before settling on his son.
“Power without patience is wasted strength.”
Kier nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
Then Tor looked at me.
“And patience without courage is hesitation.”
My father’s expression tightened, and I wasn’t sure why.
Tor smiled. “You have both, Sable.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
“Black Pine will need wolves like you someday.”
My stomach knotted. Everyone kept talking about my future as though they’d already seen it. As though there was only one version.
I glanced toward the balcony. Luna Alina was watching me. But she wasn’t smiling anymore. Her eyes were narrowed. As if she’d noticed something everyone else had missed. I looked away.
“Again?” Kier asked.
I almost laughed. “You haven’t suffered enough?”
“I was distracted.”
“By what?”
His gaze lingered on me.
“You.”
My heart stumbled. Before I could answer, a voice floated down from above.
“Sable.”
I looked up.
Alina stood at the balcony railing.
“Come talk with me.”
Something about her tone made my stomach tighten.
“Yes, Luna.”
I handed my practice blade to Jaxon and headed toward the pack house.
“Time to prepare for your nuptials,” he whispered as I passed.
I elbowed him hard.
Behind me, Kier called, “Tomorrow?”
I glanced over my shoulder. He stood in the center of the ring, dust covering his clothes, watching me.
“Tomorrow,” I said.
His smile came slowly. That stupid warmth returned to my chest. I turned away before he could see it.
Alina was waiting inside. She didn’t speak as I followed her through the great hall and up the carved staircase toward her office. The farther we walked, the stranger her silence felt. When we reached the door, she opened it and gestured for me to enter. I stepped inside.
Maps covered the walls. Pack records filled the shelves. And on her desk sat the familiar silver tin of salted caramels. Usually, I reached for one without asking. Today, I didn’t. Alina closed the door. The click of the latch sounded unusually loud. Then she turned toward me.
“How many months until your eighteenth birthday?”
My heartbeat stumbled.
“Three.”
She nodded.
“And how long,” she asked quietly, “have you been planning to run?”
Every drop of blood in my body went cold.
