The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 691: THE REBELS

training began at dawn.

Always at dawn.

They said it was when the veil between body and spirit was thinnest, when the wolf stirred closest to the surface. When the land itself was still half-asleep and more willing to listen.

I was led to different places each day.

Stone courtyards wrapped in ivy.

Clearings ringed with standing stones carved in runes I couldn’t read.

High terraces overlooking the endless green where the wind sang constantly.

The wolves who trained me were not soldiers.

They were elders.

Some old enough that their hair had faded silver.

Some young, their power sharp and contained, eyes too knowing for their age.

They never raised their voices.

Never rushed me.

Never showed frustration.

Which somehow made it worse.

"Stand barefoot," one instructed gently.

The stone beneath my feet was cool, almost humming, as if something beneath it recognized me.

"Close your eyes."

I did.

"Breathe," another voice murmured. "Not into your lungs. Into your bones."

I inhaled slowly, deeply, the way they had taught me.

Again.

And again.

"Now listen."

I listened.

At first, there was only my heartbeat.

The faint rush of blood in my ears.

The distant call of birds.

Then I felt Something else.

A pull.

Low.

Deep.

Heavy.

My wolf.

She was there.

Curled tight and coiled like a sleeping storm.

Hope surged through me so suddenly it almost hurt.

"I feel her," I whispered.

The elders exchanged glances.

"Good," one said softly. "Don’t reach for her. Let her come to you."

I tried.

I relaxed my shoulders.

Lowered my guard.

Let my awareness sink inward.

Come to me.

Nothing happened.

Instead, I felt pressure.

Like a hand braced against my chest from the inside.

Not pushing outward.

Holding back.

"Why won’t you move?" I whispered, frustration creeping into my voice.

A memory flared unbidden and then Chains.

Cold stone.

Whispers of unshifted.

Broken.

My breath hitched.

The pressure hardened instantly.

I felt something tightening chains around me and I withdrew in pain still trying to hold on.

"She’s resisting," one elder murmured. "Stop."

I opened my eyes, gasping.

Sweat soaked my spine.

"That’s fine," another said quickly. "That’s information."

Information.

They tried again later.

Different methods.

They placed their palms against my back, channeling warmth into my spine.

They traced sigils in the air above my head that shimmered briefly before fading.

They had me kneel beneath the open sky during a full moon, silver light washing over my skin.

"Call her name," one whispered.

"I don’t know her name," I admitted.

That unsettled them.

"Every wolf knows their own," someone said quietly.

I swallowed. "I don’t."

They guided me into water next.

A shallow pool fed by a natural spring.

"The body remembers before the mind," they explained.

The water was warm, infused with herbs that smelled sharp and sweet. They submerged me slowly, supporting my weight as my stomach floated slightly.

"Feel how the water carries you," they said. "Your wolf understands balance."

I closed my eyes again.

I felt her then.

Clearer.

Closer.

She stirred.

A ripple passed through my spine.

Hope flared and just when I thought I was about to feel her close up to me, she slammed shut.

Pain exploded behind my eyes.

I cried out, clutching my stomach as something inside me recoiled violently.

"Enough!" one of them snapped.

Hands grabbed me immediately, pulling me upright, wrapping warm cloaks around my shoulders.

"She’s not sleeping," one elder said grimly. "She’s bound."

"Yes," another agreed. "This is not natural suppression."

"What kind is it?" someone asked.

"Royal sealing," came the answer.

The words sent a chill through me.

Royal.

A member of the royal family had sealed my wolf?

The mysteries were too much for me.

"She’s fighting it," another murmured. "Hard."

I laughed weakly through my tears. "She’s stubborn."

A silence followed.

"No," one elder said softly. "She’s afraid."

That broke something in me.

After that, they stopped pushing so hard.

My body was changing rapidly now.

My belly was heavy, pulling me forward.

My back burned constantly.

Even standing for too long made my legs tremble.

Some nights, the baby moved so strongly it stole my breath.

They adjusted.

Training became shorter.

Gentler.

More observational.

And when it was clear that forcing my wolf would do more harm than good...

They brought the mid-wife she wolves.

They treated my body like something precious.

Warm oils rubbed into aching muscles.

Soft hands easing pressure from my hips.

Low songs hummed as they worked, voices blending into something ancient and comforting.

"Your child is strong," one woman said after pressing her palm against my belly. "Very strong."

Relief washed through me.

"And a wolf," she added.

Joy bloomed.

Then faded just as quickly.

I smiled anyway. "Thank you."

She smiled back, but her eyes fell.

"Do you have children?" I asked gently.

She hesitated.

"A son."

My chest warmed. "Is he well?"

Her smile faltered.

"He will be fifteen soon."

The words felt heavy before I even understood why.

"And...?" I prompted.

"He will be drafted."

The word settled cold in my bones.

"To fight?" I asked.

She nodded once.

"Fight what?" I asked lost.

"The rebels." She said and I rose a brow in disbelief as I looked up at her.

"Rebels? What rebels?" I asked her.

I was lost but she didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it.

"He’s just a boy," I whispered changing the subject I could tell she wasn’t comfortable with.

Her hands stilled.

"That doesn’t stop the law," she said quietly.

My arms wrapped protectively around my belly.

"Do they survive?" I asked.

Silence.

Long.

Unforgiving.

Finally, she spoke.

"Some."

The answer hurt worse than a no.

As she resumed her work, her touch careful and loving, a thought took root inside me.

This place was beautiful.

Balanced.

Alive.

But even here...

Power demanded blood.

And as my son shifted inside me, strong and insistent, I realized something with terrifying clarity:

Whatever was coming

Whatever my wolf was being protected from and it wasn’t just about me.

It was about him too.

My arms went around my tummy protectively.