Chapter 3 THE ALPHA BENEATH

LYRA'S POV

I didn't sleep much. The air felt too still. My head too loud.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face again, the way his eyes looked when he said "obedience isn't about fear."

The way his hand felt so firm around my wrist.

I hated that it stayed with me.

I hated that I kept remembering his voice, deep and chilling, like he'd branded the words into my skull.

When the bell rang for dawn, I groaned and sat up, hair wild and throat dry. The uniform lay folded at the edge of the bed, crisp and perfect, a reminder that I was supposed to follow rules now.

Yeah, right.

I looked at the uniform for a long second, then pulled on my own clothes instead - dark pants, a loose shirt, boots. Comfortable. Mine.

He could choke on his discipline.

The corridors were cold, light just starting to leak through narrow windows. My boots echoed against the stone. Somewhere outside, I could hear voices, movement - training had already begun.

Perfect. Late again.

When I stepped out into the yard, the cold hit hard - the kind that bit through layers and woke every nerve. Warriors were already lined up, moving in sync, punching, blocking, shifting. Everything looked clean, and in order.

And then I showed up.

Heads turned. A few stopped mid-motion. Someone muttered under their breath.

Corin was standing near the edge of the group, hands clasped behind his back. He looked like he'd been carved from the cold itself - calm, collected, eyes unreadable.

When he saw me, the noise in the yard faded.

His gaze swept over me once, from my untied hair to the clothes I'd chosen... and stopped.

"You were told to wear the uniform."

His tone wasn't raised. It didn't need to be.

I shrugged. "Didn't like the color."

The quiet that followed could've frozen a lake.

He didn't move right away. Just looked at me, until I felt the weight of it dig under my skin. Then he walked closer. His steps were measured, boots crunching lightly against the frost.

"Come here."

I didn't. "I'm fine right here."

He stopped just a few feet away, close enough for me to feel the difference in warmth between us. His scent carried faintly, smoke, snow, cedar. It messed with my head.

His jaw tightened. "You'll learn faster if you listen the first time."

I met his gaze, stubborn. "Or maybe you'll learn that I don't take orders just because someone growls them."

Something flickered in his eyes, not anger exactly, but something sharper. Amusement maybe. Or challenge.

He stepped even closer. "You didn't sleep."

It wasn't a question.

I blinked, caught off guard. "How do you-"

"You have the look of someone fighting ghosts." His voice dropped lower. "You'll find no peace if you keep feeding them."

That hit deeper than it should've. I looked away, suddenly unsure what to say.

He turned slightly, gesturing to the rest of the group. "You'll train with them."

"I don't need a babysitting session."

He ignored that. "Run the perimeter. Ten laps."

I laughed under my breath. "You're joking."

He just raised a brow. "Do I look like someone who jokes?"

My smile slipped. "I'm not running ten laps."

"Then run until I tell you to stop."

That one hit like a dare.

I hesitated, then squared my shoulders and started walking toward the line. Every step felt like a silent fight, between my pride and the part of me that hated how calm he stayed through it all.

Behind me, I could feel his eyes on me. Watching. Measuring.

By the third lap, my breath was sharp in my throat. By the fifth, my legs were trembling. And when I slowed, his voice came again -

"You can stop when you decide what you're really running from."

That pissed me off more than the running did.

I turned toward him, chest heaving, and snapped, "You think you know me?"

He met my glare, calm as ever. "No. But I will."

Something in the way he said it made my pulse stutter. It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

And damn me, but a part of me wanted to find out what it meant.

_____

By the time training ended, my body felt like it had been trampled by a herd. Everyone else drifted off, still talking. I was halfway to leaving when his voice stopped me.

"Stay back."

The others vanished quick. Of course they did.

Corin walked over, calm as always. "You think defiance makes you strong," he said. "It just makes you predictable."

I folded my arms. "You done lecturing, Alpha?"

He stopped close...a little too close.  "No. But you're done running."

I hated how his nearness messed with my pulse. He brushed a stray strand from my face, voice dropping low.

"Get some rest. You'll need it for the evening session."

My head snapped up. "Evening session?"

That hint of a smirk touched his mouth. "You'll see."

Then he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there- tired, annoyed, and way too aware of the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about him.

___

The evening session was worse than the morning.

More running, more drills, more barking orders that made me want to scream. My muscles burned, my palms stung, and by the time the bell rang, I didn't wait for dismissal.

I just walked off.

Okay, stormed.

I smelled like sweat and anger by the time I reached the kitchen. A young maid turned when she saw me and froze mid-curtsy.

"You need a bath, my lady."

"I know," I muttered, grabbing an apple from the counter. "Heard someone mention a bathhouse."

"There is," she said quickly. "But it's for the Lord Alpha only. Your chamber has a smaller bath. I can draw it for you-"

"No, thanks." I cut her off. "I'll handle it."

Upstairs, I almost fell face-first onto the bed. My body ached for warm water. For a real soak. The one in my room would do, but it wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't home.

Dinner came and went. No one called me down, not even him. Small miracle.

I waited until the bell rang again - lights out, then waited another hour. Just to be sure.

Then I grabbed my towel, oils, and crept out.

The halls were dark, quiet. My feet barely made a sound. I walked till I got to the far end of the hall.

The bathhouse.

Inside, the air was warm, damp. The lamps were dim and they cast their glow on the water. The pool stretched wide, heat curling up from it.

Gods, it looked perfect.

I dropped my towel, tied my hair up, and stepped forward, ready to sink in and forget everything.

Then the water moved.

A ripple first. Then a shadow.

Someone rose from it.

Dark hair slicked back. Water running down a chest that looked carved from stone. Broad shoulders. I didn't mean to trail my eyes down, they moved on their own to the waist region and just a little look below it made my face heat up.

Dear gods!

It was him...Corin.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.