Chapter 9

LAYLA'S POV

I know I'm different. It's why Allora picked me. Why she always kept me so close. She saw something in me that I don't fully understand yet. An omega should be weak, submissive, breakable. I am none of those things. My body should ache from exhaustion, my muscles should tremble after working so hard—but they don't. No matter how much I push myself, how much they push me, I recover too fast. It isn't normal. It isn't right.

I scrub the floors of the grand hall. My hands are sore due to long hours of work. Servants move around me, whispering as they pass. They've noticed. The guards, too. Eyes linger on me longer than they should.

"She doesn't break" they say "She should be on the verge of collapse. What is she?"

I don't have answers, but I know the triplets don't like it. They want to break me, more than anything.

Kaiden makes sure my workload doubles.

"Since you don't seem tired," he says with a smirk, tossing another bucket of dirty laundry at my feet. "Get this done by morning."

Morning? It's already midnight.

I bite back my frustration and nod, keeping my expression neutral. Kaiden loves to see people beg, loves the power it gives him. He leans down with amusement in his eyes "Maybe if you're quick enough, you'll get a few hours of sleep. Wouldn't want you passing out tomorrow, now would we?"

I meet his gaze, unflinching. "I'll manage."

His amusement vanishes, replaced by something colder. "You always do," he murmurs, stepping back with a frown.

Killian takes a different approach. His torment isn't about exhaustion. It's about humiliation.

"Kneel," he commands the next morning in the main courtyard.

I'm carrying sacks of grain. I'm sweating so hard that my uniform sticks to me. The sun beats down mercilessly, but it isn't as harsh as his eyes. The crowd of servants and guards watch. Some pretend to look away while others are openly entertained.

I hesitate. I know what he wants. If I kneel now, I lose a piece of myself. But if I refuse, he'll make it worse.

"Now, Layla," he says "Or should I help you?"

Grinding my teeth, I sink to my knees, forcing my chin up, my back straight. I won't cower. His smirk widens,

"Good girl," he purrs, stepping closer, towering over me. "A dog should know its place."

Everyone laughs. My hands curl into fists but I don't react. I can't.

Kieran watches.

He always watches.

Unlike his brothers, he never joins in the torment. He never sneers or smirks. But his silence is just as heavy. Sometimes, I catch him looking at me intently with an unreadable expression. I don't know what he's thinking.

The whispers grow louder as the days pass.

"She should have collapsed by now." "Did you see how she carried all that weight? Not even a beta could do that." "Something's not right with her."

I hear them, but I don't react. I can't afford to. Because deep down, I have the same questions they do.

What am I?

-

The night air is thick with tension as Kaiden leads me deep into the forest.. My heart pounds, but I refuse to let them see my fear. The three brothers move in front of me.

Kaiden stops suddenly and turns to face me "Survive the night. That's your task."

Killian smirks, leaning against a tree. "You won't make it out alive, omega. Even the strongest wolves barely survive this forest."

Kieran clenches his fists. "What? Kaiden, this is madness. Even elite warriors struggle here. We're sending her to her death."

Kaiden scoffs. "If she's as strong as she claims, she'll survive. If not, she was never meant to stand beside us."

Kieran steps forward to him "This isn't a test. It's an execution."

Killian chuckles. "So dramatic, brother. If she dies, she dies."

Kieran turns to him "And what if she doesn't? What if she comes back? What then?"

Kaiden's gaze darkens. "Then we'll have our answer."

Kieran's jaw tightens. He turns to me with concern in his eyes. Then, without warning, he grabs my hand. A jolt of heat pulses through me at our touch. Sparks. A connection. His breath hitches, and his grip tightens. He feels it too.

"We're leaving." He says.

My lips part in surprise. He's the only one who has ever shown me an ounce of kindness. But I can't walk away. I can't be weak.

"No," I whisper. "I need to do this."

Kieran shakes his head. "Layla—"

"I can do it."

His face twists with frustration, but I see something else in his eyes—worry.

Killian yanks Kieran away. "Let her go, brother. If she dies, she dies."

Kieran struggles against him, but he watches me carefully. "If you're in trouble, reach into the mate bond."

But before I can react, they turn and vanish into the night, leaving me alone.

The silence is deafening. I can feel the eyes watching me from the shadows. Wolves. Rogues. Predators. A shiver runs down my spine, but I hold my ground.

I am not weak. I start to move and then...

I feel them before I see them.

Glowing eyes in the darkness between the trees. My breath catches when I realize what they are.

Rogues.

The shadows shift, then explode as the first beast lunges.

I move—faster than I should, faster than I know how to.

The rogue's teeth snap closed inches from where my throat was, but I've already twisted away. My body moves on instinct. I move in a way that shouldn't be possible. I don't question it.

I can't.

The second rogue comes from the side. His movement is a blur. I duck, dropping low, and before I can think, my claws—my claws—slash upward, cutting through flesh. The wolf groans in pain as warm blood splatters across my skin.

The beast crumples, but there's no time to register the kill.

More come.

Three. Four. Five.

They come from the shadows. I can hear their hungry snarls. In a blur, I feel the clash of claws against skin. I scream in pain but there's no chance for weakness.

I fight.

I move, strike, dodge. My movements are too fluid, too fast. Each step, each breath, each reaction—it's like my body knows what to do before I do. I slash through a rogue's throat, spin, and sink my claws into another's side.

One snaps at my leg. I scream in pain as its fangs tear into my muscle. I hiss, twisting, and drive my elbow into its skull, cracking bone. It releases me with a sharp whimper, but the damage is done. My leg screams, but I don't stop.

I can't stop.

Another rogue slams into me from behind. Its weight slams me to the ground. The impact knocks the air from my lungs. Its foul breath is hot against my neck and its growl vibrates through my ribs.

I start to panic.

What do I do?

It lunges, jaws wide—

I throw my head back, cracking my skull against its snout. It yelps. It seems dazed for a second and I use the opening. My claws slice across its throat. Blood pours over me as it collapses, twitching.

I shove the corpse aside, gasping. My body trembles.

The remaining rogues hesitate now. I see the fear in their eyes.

They shouldn't be afraid of me.

And yet, they are.

The biggest one steps forward. My breathing is ragged. My arms are shaking, but I meet its gaze head-on.

Something inside me—something dark, something ancient—stirs.

My own snarl echoes through the night. The rogue flinches.

Then, without warning, it turns and runs.

The others follow, vanishing into the trees like ghosts.

Silence.

The only sound left is my own labored breathing.

I collapse to my knees. My body burns—bloodied, bruised, but alive.

I don't know what just happened.

I don't know how I did what I did.

But as I stare down at my bloodstained hands, one thing is certain.

I am not who I thought I was.

By dawn, I come out with blood all over my clothes. Tired, I walk to the palace gates and there stands Kaiden with his arms crossed, waiting. His expression is unreadable as I approach.

His looks at me, noting the blood, the exhaustion I refuse to show. "You should be dead."

I meet his eyes "I guess I'm harder to kill than you thought."

He narrows his eyes at me "This isn't over"

A chill runs through me, but I refuse to break eye contact.

Because I know now—this has only just begun.