Page 16 of The Silent Mate

To my surprise, we walked straight past the castle. I frowned, on-edge now that we were entering unknown territory. “Where are you taking me?”

“Training grounds” he answered, turning his head back to flash me a shark’s grin, wicked and hungry.

My heart stuttered to a halt, and the blood drained from my face.

“The Alpha wants to see you fight.”

7

ARIA

Icould fight.

Of course, I could fight. But that didn’t mean I was particularlygoodat it.

As the daughter of an alpha, I had more strength and athletic-prowess than most females in my class back home. For the first twelve years of my life, I excelled physically. I could’ve easily become one of the best warriors in the pack.

And yet, the violence and physicality… They felt wrong.

I didn’twantto fight. I didn’t want to cause pain. It disagreed with the very center of my being—the basic fibers that bound my blood and bone.

So, when I turned thirteen, I asked my father for another path. He’d offered me a gentle smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he pressed a kiss to my forehead, and escorted me to the infirmary. From that day on, I honed a different sort of expertise.Healing.

I’d apprenticed under our pack’s doctor and learned by healing small wounds, conducting routine check-ups on the illand injured, and studying his medical books. Every day, I’d thrown myself into this peaceful practice, honing my mind rather than my muscles.

I tried explaining this to Anders as he led me to the training field, but my words fell on deaf ears.

“Moon Goddess,” I sighed in exasperation, racing to keep up with his long strides. “Will you please listen to me? I’m not trained as a warrior. Not really. Your alpha will only–”

My words dried up as we rounded a corner and arrived at a well-organized outdoor training facility. A dozen wolves stood around various fighting rings, some engaged in active brawls or receiving instruction from superiors. And, standing at the center of the action, Alpha Roman observed his pack with hard eyes.

Those eyes snapped toward me, and my heart lurched uncomfortably into my throat. He wielded a wicked grin.

My feet stumbled to a halt, every instinct warning me to turn heel and run.

Anders prodded me forward with a rough shove. “Hurry up.”

With the blonde muscle at my back, I had no choice but to step closer to the center of the training facility. Somehow, I forced myself to hold Roman’s gaze with every step.

By traditional standards, any woman would’ve considered him handsome. With an impeccably groomed, dark crown atop his head and chiseled features, he stood with the confidence of a man accustomed to stealing the gaze of every woman and man in a room. And yet…

With every step I drew nearer, my body recoiled.

To continue onward, I found myself conjuring fleeting memories of Malik’s face instead. Even just the thought of his strong features, concealed under a thick, short beard and marred by three scars, was enough to make my heart palpate with renewed vigor. I remembered the intense warmth thatspread across my skin where his fingers clasped my own, and it gave me strength.

This is Malik’s brother,I reminded myself as I arrived in front of Roman.He won’t hurt you.

Roman towered over me, yet, after spending the night tucked against my colossal-sized mate, he didn’t seem all that large. Innate dominance pulsed off of him in waves, appealing to my natural inclination to serve an alpha. I fought it, holding his gaze.

He stepped forward, and I knew what he wanted from me. Without a word, he demanded submission.

I ground my teeth together. The satisfied gleam in Roman’s eyes made me keen to resist the unspoken order, and I realized with startling clarity that Icouldwithstand the urge to show deference to this man.

Confusion muddled my brain. Yes, Roman exuded enough power that I felt drawn to obey him, as was sown into my biology. But… An alpha’s authority should’ve beenimpossibleto ignore.

I blinked. How could I resist him?

A low growl rumbled from behind me, snapping me from my thoughts.Anders.“Bow before your alpha, she-wolf.”

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