EIGHT

SAM

“She’s here with her aunt and uncle while her parents are off working for the Alpha King.”

That sentence made me pause. She who? Dad hadn’t said anything about someone new joining the pack, especially not a girl. No announcement, no heads-up.

Before I could chase that thought down, the air shifted.

A girl stepped onto the field ahead of my father and not just any girl. She looked like she’d strolled out of a movie and straight into our lives. Effortlessly stunning.

Confident in the way only someone who knew her worth could be.

She didn’t flinch under the weight of everyone’s stares. She just scanned the grounds with a cool, detached look and moved toward the opposite side away from the guys and L.

She paused near someone I couldn’t see and spoke briefly, then turned, locking her attention on the training session and the warriors leading it.

Dad was repeating the mechanics of a move we’d already gone over last week. I tuned it out. My focus was fixed.

“Did you know a new girl was coming to stay with the pack?” I asked, keeping my eyes on her as I leaned toward Jade.

He shrugged, unfazed. “Yeah, Mom mentioned something about her doing the rest of sophomore year here. Her parents are off on some high-level mission. She’s bunking with relatives till they get back.”

“I’m calling dibs,” I said instantly, smirking. “The girls here? All drama, all the time. I need someone new.”

Jade snorted. “Dibs? What if she takes one look at your face and decides she’s into literally anyone else?”

Ethan shoved my shoulder. “Yeah, man, what if she’s got taste?”

I ignored them. “Please. I’m the best-looking guy in this field. If anyone’s catching her attention, it’s me.”

“Wanna put money on that?” Milo chimed in.

“I’m listening,” I said, grinning.

“Okay,” he said. “You have to get her to show up at the bonfire tonight.”

“But it can’t be a date,” Jade added quickly.

“She has to show up on her own,” Ethan said, catching on.

“And you can’t talk to her first,” Max said, grinning wickedly. “She has to come to you. First guy she talks to.”

I groaned. “You’re all evil.”

“And smart,” Jade said, tapping his wrist like he had a watch. “Clock’s ticking.”

“Fine, I’m in. But if I win? She’s off-limits. No backup moves. No second chances.”

“Deal,” they said in chorus.

Now I just had to get her attention—without actually approaching her. Fantastic. Especially with our usual fan club always orbiting like vultures. This was going to take some strategy.

She looked fit—toned in a quiet, confident way. Not the kind of person who tries to be noticed, just someone who is. If I could get Dad to pair me with her for drills, maybe…

I started moving that way, but before I could cross the field, Dad’s second called her over—and paired her with Milo’s sister.

Seriously?

Aria was practically pocket-sized. If she and Milo didn’t share those Leoe gray-blue eyes, no one would believe they were related. He’s loud, driven, all next-beta energy.

Aria?

Quiet. Wears her hoodie like armor. Always in the background, barely speaking. Her beta blood must’ve thinned out by the time she was born.

The move Dad’s explaining, we ran it yesterday. I beat everyone here using it. Today’s just a formality, a way for us to look like leaders for the younger pack members.

Honestly, these sessions are mostly for optics. The real training—the brutal stuff—that happens behind the scenes. No one knows about that.

Dad’s voice booms out suddenly. “Let’s see it in action. Selene, Aria—you two demonstrate.”

The air shifts. The crowd ripples with whispers. The guys and I drift into the forming circle.

So her name is Aria.

And now I’m confused. The size difference between her and Selene is insane. Why would Dad use them for the demo?

They’re barely out of basic drills. Meanwhile, we’ve been hammering this move for days. It’s not adding up.

Aria stands stiff, locked in a silent stare with my father. She’s not moving. I know that look—it’s not fear exactly.

It’s calculation. But still, she has to be thinking what I am: that she’s about to get publicly humiliated. And for someone as quiet as her, that’s probably a worst-case scenario.

The crowd isn’t helping. I hear the first jeers, followed by chuckles and some low, snide voices.

Milo tenses beside me. Protective instincts flaring. Everyone knows how hard he works to shield his sister.

After their mom died giving birth to Aria, their dad spiraled—and Milo’s been the glue holding that family together since. Maybe that’s why she keeps to herself. Maybe it’s not weakness—it’s just a shield.

Her baggy sweatshirt hides her frame, makes her look breakable. I hadn’t even noticed she was here before now.

“Ready,” Dad announces, and the field goes still.

The girls take their positions. The whispers grow.

“Selene, you’re on offense,” Dad says. “Aria—defend, then counter. Try to pin in under thirty seconds again.”

Again?

I blink.

Again?

My brain catches that word like a hook under skin.

The crowd mutters, confused.

“Thirty seconds? No way,” someone says loud enough to draw attention.

“No one can pull that move in thirty seconds—not her,” sneers another voice.

I clench my jaw. Idiots. I did it in twenty-nine yesterday. Clearly possible. But what stuns me isn’t their ignorance. It’s that Aria—quiet, invisible Aria—apparently already has.

I glance at Milo. He’s not surprised. Not one bit.

Maybe I’ve underestimated her.

Maybe we all have.

Both girls are locked in like predators eyeing each other before the pounce, silent, sharp, and utterly dialed in. There's no giggling or nerves, just that steel-eyed concentration. They're not here to play; they're here to prove something.

“Pay attention,” my dad says, voice low but carrying a weight that makes you listen. “Set… GO!”

Aria explodes into motion the second the word leaves his lips. And I mean explodes. Where in hell did that speed come from? Selene reacts fast too, faking left like she’s about to dance around her, but instead ducks low aiming to plow through Aria’s midsection.

That’s when Aria launches a brutal knee straight up—right toward Selene’s sternum—and then slams an elbow into her spine.

Selene tries to recover, grabbing Aria around the waist in a desperate bid to wrestle her down. But Aria doesn’t resist. She spins with the movement, using the momentum to flip Selene onto her back and straddle her like a pro.

One knee pins Selene’s throat, the other arm twisting hers into a locked submission that looks downright painful.

Boom. Done. The whole training field goes eerily still.

Aria hasn’t moved yet—she’s still hovering over Selene, eyes unreadable, like she’s waiting for the next strike. My dad walks up, cool and calm, and taps her shoulder twice. Only then does she blink out of it, help Selene up, and give her a brief nod.

Then he looks at us. His gaze sweeps over our stunned expressions, clearly enjoying this moment more than he probably should. His thumb clicks the stopwatch. His smirk grows into a full-on grin.

“Under ten seconds,” he says, real casual. “Sorry, Leo. She crushed your best takedown time. Sliced it in half, actually.”

I just gape at him. What just happened?

“No way,” Ethan mutters behind me.

“I blinked and missed the whole damn thing,” Max adds, sounding offended.

“Guess Leo’s no longer king of the hill,” Jade laughs, elbowing me in the ribs. “Aria just snatched that crown without even trying.”

I can’t deny it. My pride's bruised, yeah—but damn, that was impressive. Really impressive. Suddenly I’m not just watching her—I’m studying her.

My dad claps a hand on my shoulder, voice smug.

“Now maybe you boys will stop coasting through these sessions like it’s social hour. You’ve just seen your competition whether you realized it or not. And she’s coming for you.”

He takes a few steps away, then calls over his shoulder, “Ari’s the best trainee I’ve got. Better than all of you. And Selene’s right behind her.”

The guys are still processing what happened when Jade adds, “That was the sexiest takedown I’ve seen since that summer camp demo.”

“Pretty sure the girl from summer camp thought you were into glitter and friendship bracelets,” Max replies dryly.

“Still hot though,” Jade shrugs.

Milo turns slowly, murder written all over his face. “You will not talk about my little sister like that.”

“Hey, your ‘little sister’ just straight up bodied someone in front of the whole pack,” I say, raising my hands. “She’s not the fragile mouse we thought.”

“Besides,” Ethan grins, “those oversized sweats were hiding a lot more than I expected. And watching her roll around like that with Selene? Bro... tonight’s dreams are going to be cinematic.”

Milo growls low in his throat. “Say one more thing like that, and you’re eating dirt.”