The morning air was thick with tension as we gathered in the clearing. The training had been brutal so far, pushing us to our limits, but today felt different. Heavier.
Eira stood before us, her silver eyes unreadable. “Today’s challenge will be unlike any you’ve faced before,” she said, pacing slowly. “Your enemy will not be an external force, but your own mind. You will endure illusions crafted to prey on your deepest fears.”
A cold chill settled over me.
“Illusions?” Elijah asked, crossing his arms. “So, nothing physical?”
Eira tilted her head. “Your mind is just as powerful as your body. Sometimes, the worst battles are fought within.”
I swallowed hard. That didn’t sound reassuring.
“Each of you will be placed in an isolated chamber, where your fears will manifest. You must fight through them, or they will consume you.” She let her gaze sweep over us. “Remember, nothing you see will be real… but the emotions will be. Face them, or be broken by them.”
I glanced at my mates. Isaiah looked wary, Austin’s hands curled into fists, and even Elijah, ever the fearless warrior, seemed uneasy,
A knot formed in my stomach. What would my fear be?
Eira clapped her hands. “Let’s begin.”
Before I could react, the ground beneath me shifted. A swirling vortex of silver mist engulfed me, pulling me down. I reached out, but my mates were already gone.
And then-
Darkness.
The moment the swirling mist swallowed me, I felt an eerie shift. My feet landed on solid ground, but the air was thick, suffocating, heavy with something unseen yet deeply familiar.
When the world sharpened around me, I froze.
I knew this place.
The packhouse.
But not as it was now–this was the past.
The scent of polished wood and faint traces of burning firewood lingered in the halls, just as it had when I was younger. The walls stretched high, the familiar creaky staircase ahead of me. The same long corridors where I had walked alone, too afraid to meet anyone’s gaze.
My pulse pounded as footsteps echoed from around the corner.
And then-
Laughter.
1/3
The sound sent a cold shiver down my spine.
I knew those voices.
I turned the corner and saw them.
A younger version of my mates.
They were different back then. Not the strong, loyal, devoted men they were now–but the cruel, arrogant boys who had tormented me when we were younger.
And in the center of their circle, standing small and fragile-
Was me.
My breath caught in my throat.
A younger version of myself stood there, shoulders curled inward, her eyes wide but filled with unshed tears.
Elijah stood with his arms crossed, his golden eyes sharp, indifferent. Alex was smirking, arms slung casually over Austin’s shoulder, while Isaiah stood slightly behind them, his face unreadable.
They had her–me–cornered.
“You really think you belong here?” Austin sneered, taking a slow step closer.
The younger me flinched, her fingers curling around the hem of her too–large sweater.
“I… I do belong here,” she whispered, but her voice was weak, trembling.
Alex let out a cruel chuckle. “You hear that? The runt thinks she’s one of us.”
“Pathetic,” Isaiah muttered. His voice wasn’t mocking like the others it was cold and detached, but that made it hurt all the more
My stomach twisted.
“No… no, it wasn’t like this. They weren’t this cruel–were they?”
But I knew the truth.
They were.
Elijah finally stepped forward, his golden eyes unreadable. He studied her–me–for a long moment.
And then he whispered, “You’re nothing but a rogue.”
The words hit like a slap.
My younger self flinched, her body trembling.
“A mistake,” Austin added, his voice laced with cruelty. “That’s all you are.”
Alex tilted his head. “What do you think, Elijah? Should we let the little runt stay? Or should we throw her back where she came from?”
2/3
I clenched my fists.
1 remembered this moment.
I remembered the way my heart had shattered that day, how I had run from them, hiding in the woods where no one could see me break.
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