Chapter 11 – The Breaking Point

Blackthorn Keep – The Training Grounds

Pain was a teacher.

At least, that's what the Reapers believed.

Ronan gritted his teeth as he hit the stone floor, his body aching from the last impact. He barely had a moment to recover before Alistair was on him again, moving like a phantom, too fast, too brutal.

This wasn't training.

This was survival.

Alistair's fist blurred toward his ribs—Ronan dodged, barely, twisting just in time to avoid another devastating blow. But the older Forsaken was relentless. He pressed forward, eyes glowing with something both dangerous and knowing.

"You're still fighting like a wolf."

Alistair's voice was calm, detached—like a teacher correcting a student's mistake.

"That's why you're losing."

Ronan growled, lunging—wrong move.

Alistair caught him mid-motion, flipping him over and slamming him into the ground.

Ronan gasped as the wind left his lungs. His vision blurred.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard Selene's voice. "Enough."

But the Reaper Commander didn't call for the fight to stop.

Because this wasn't just about testing Ronan's strength.

It was about breaking him.

Selene stood at the edge of the training grounds, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.

This wasn't training.

This was conditioning.

She had seen this before—with recruits who never walked away whole.

The Reapers weren't interested in helping Ronan control his power.

They wanted to see how far he could go before he became something else.

And the worst part?

Ronan was letting them.

Kael, standing beside her, exhaled dramatically. "He's got about five more hits before he either passes out or levels the whole damn keep."

Selene glared at him. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Kael smirked. "I enjoy many things. Watching your boy-toy get humbled by an elder Forsaken is definitely in my top ten."

Selene ignored him, her mind already working.

She couldn't let this continue.

She wouldn't.

Ronan might be too stubborn to see the trap he had walked into, but she wasn't.

And if he wasn't going to stop this?

She would do it for him.

Deep in the fortress, behind a set of locked iron doors, the Reaper Commander stood before a small circle of elite officers.

"His power is evolving faster than expected," one of them noted, arms crossed. "But he's still resisting the instinct."

The Commander nodded. "That's the problem."

Another officer, a woman with dark hair and sharp eyes, leaned forward. "Then we push him harder. Take away the control he's clinging to. Make him desperate."

Silence.

Then—

The Commander smirked.

"He won't break," he murmured. "Not like the others."

A pause.

Then, quieter—

"He'll become something better."

The officers exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering between them.

Finally, the dark-haired woman spoke again. "And if he doesn't?"

The Commander's smile faded.

"Then we make sure he doesn't walk out of here alive."

..

Ronan pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in his ribs.

Alistair stood across from him, arms loose at his sides, watching. Waiting.

"You think this is about strength?" Alistair murmured. "It's not."

Ronan exhaled, wiping the blood from his lip. "Then what is it?"

Alistair tilted his head slightly. "Instinct."

He stepped forward, his voice dropping lower.

"You keep holding back. You're still thinking like a werewolf. Like someone who has a choice."

Ronan's pulse pounded.

"Control is a lie," Alistair continued. "You can either fight it and die—"

His silver-ringed eyes locked onto Ronan's.

"—or you can become what you were meant to be."

Something inside Ronan twisted.

Because for the first time, he wasn't sure which answer he wanted.

..

Selene moved before she could stop herself.

In an instant, she was between them, her dagger drawn. "That's enough."

Alistair didn't move. He simply tilted his head, studying her.

"You're afraid of him," he said quietly. "Not because of what he is now—but because of what he's going to become."

Selene's grip on the dagger tightened.

She didn't deny it.

Because deep down, she didn't know if she was afraid for Ronan—or of him.

"Get out of my way, Nightshade," Alistair said evenly. "This isn't your fight."

Selene didn't move.

She turned to Ronan, her eyes searching his. "Tell me you see it, Ronan. Tell me you know what they're trying to do to you."

Ronan's breath was unsteady.

He didn't answer.

And that was enough.

Selene's expression hardened.

Then she did the only thing she could.

She grabbed his wrist—and ran.

...

The Reapers reacted instantly.

Selene spun mid-run, daggers flashing, cutting through the first soldier in her path. Ronan followed her lead, but something was off.

His instincts were too sharp. His movements too precise.

And he liked it.

Two Reapers rushed him. Ronan ducked under the first blade, grabbed the attacker's wrist, and snapped it without hesitation.

The second lunged for his ribs.

Ronan caught the blade barehanded.

The silver should have burned.

It didn't.

He twisted the weapon, forcing it back into the Reaper's own chest.

Blood sprayed across the stone floor.

Selene hesitated for half a second.

Ronan didn't.

More soldiers were closing in.

Kael sighed dramatically. "You idiots really had to make this difficult, huh?"

Then—he moved.

His shadows lashed out like living things, consuming three Reapers in an instant. Their screams were cut short.

Selene's eyes flicked to him. "You're helping us?"

Kael grinned. "I'm helping me. And right now, I like watching them panic."

...

As they reached the inner gate, something shifted.

A Reaper stood there, hood drawn.

Selene tensed, ready to attack—

But the soldier lowered their weapon.

"Go," they whispered. "Now."

Ronan blinked. "What?"

The Reaper barely glanced at him. "If you don't leave now, you never will."

Selene hesitated. "Who are you?"

The soldier didn't answer.

Instead, they shoved a key into Ronan's hand.

"The chains aren't just on the outside, Forsaken," they murmured. "Remember that."

Then they vanished into the night.

Kael let out a slow exhale. "Well, that's ominous."

Ronan didn't wait.

He turned—and ran.

...

They were almost at the outer gates when the Reaper Commander's voice boomed behind them.

"Enough."

Ronan turned.

And standing there, blocking the exit, was the entire Reaper force.

Selene raised her dagger. "We're leaving."

The Commander smiled faintly. "No. You're not."

Ronan's heart pounded.

They were outnumbered. Surrounded.

And yet—

The power inside him was waiting.

Ready.

He clenched his fists.

Then—

He made his choice.