A

en nerv

y for ability, who confused being unafraid with being ready. They lasted abo

nder three minutes combined and call his name a

asn't

ave a word

ross the ground. Not asking p

d his arms and

l at once, sixty wolves recalculating everyt

mind." Someone

ss on day two.

at; that is what I give him before

the ground and looked at the

htly back. Caden ran his eyes over the stance the way D

a packless freshman fro

ven c

ut this, kitt

low," Ash said, "if

watching line laug

right shoulder

***************************

e where the training broke down, where instinct swallowed techniqu

ct didn't

re Caden's hand expected. He adjusted. Went lower. Got a grip on the jacket and felt the weight shift under his

t. Step

ed a

Before was the quiet of people waiting for something to end. This w

nt back and forth across the dirt in a string of exchanges that each answered the one before it. Every a

d this hard in a t

went down on one shoulder, and Caden had the arm lo

lln

nd unbothered: "Are you goin

looked

completely unintimidated, lying in the dirt with one arm locked at a bad angle

oved in Cad

s, and he didn't examine

straightened. Rolled her shoulder onc

ga

e down

ey eyes stea

sh it did when something had its attention and

, chest to chest, close enough that Caden could feel the difference in how this person was built under the uniform. Something that didn't sit

e time to pul

est, swept his left leg,

cond. Grey sky above hi

t once, Drax calling the point over the top of it, Rhen's voice so

n go

to the crowd. Just watching him stand with those gre

ch," As

at the dirt o

w. Pushing. Insistent. He kept it back.

on the sweep," he sa

oked a

kno

ed." The words came out before he'd cl

m while the training ground

've been at sixty per cent since this started. We both kn

ared at

front of him with dirt on one shoulder and a split lip th

rd hard enough that h

ound, he caught it again. That scent. Wrong and right at once, familiar in a way he couldn't place, pulling at so

as stronger than

it was almos

oss the ground. "Las

ove his eyes f

he said