<h4>Chapter 233: No More Lies to My Friend</h4>


    <strong><i>Meredith.</i></strong>


    The air smelled of dusk and dust, and the earth beneath my boots was still warm from the sun.


    Shadows from the estate stretched long over the training field, where Dennis stood a few feet away from me, cracking his knuckles with a smirk tugging at his lips.


    He hade straight to my room to find me after he failed to reach me on the phone.


    He had forgotten to give me the exact time for our evening training, and I had been carried away watching an intense car race on television with my maidservants.


    And Valmora hadn’t bothered to remind me about it. Maybe it was because she knew I had a very determined coach who wasn’t ready to miss even one training session with me.


    "Alright," Dennis said, stepping forward, "this round, I’m going to teach you how to protect your vitals. Not with speed, but with instinct. You need to anticipate an attack, not react to it."


    I nodded, adjusting the sleeves of my training shirt and steadying my breath. Though my muscles still ached faintly from the morning session, the ache was wee.


    It meant I was learning and was making tangible progress.


    "Your throat, your ribs, your gut—those are favourite targets," Dennis continued, circling me like a predator. His voice was calm but sharp. "Let me show you."


    Then, without warning, he lunged at me.


    His fist came straight for my shoulder, and I blocked it instinctively. Then another swing—lower this time—aimed at my side. I twisted, barely managing to parry it with the inside of my arm.


    "Good," he muttered, stepping back. "But you hesitated. You hesitated, and in realbat, hesitation is the gap between life and death."


    I gritted my teeth, setting my stance again.


    We went again. And again. My legs were screaming now, arms tingling from repeated impacts.


    Then, just as I ducked to avoid a blow, a breeze stirred in the back of my consciousness, cool and powerful.


    <i>"Let me try something,"</i> Valmora said softly, voice silky and resolute.


    I was surprised at first that she was willing to reveal herself, but I didn’t fight it. I let go, just slightly.


    Then something shifted inside me. It wasn’t a full possession. It was just something enough to let her brush against my skin, her presence slipping forward like smoke.


    When I straightened and met Dennis’s gaze, I felt her weight behind my eyes.


    Dennis paused mid-step, eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?"


    I didn’t answer his question. Instead, I said softly, "Lower your arm."


    To my surprise, his brow furrowed... and then, slowly, his arm dipped. His body went ck and his guard dropped.


    For two full heartbeats, I held him in ce with nothing but my gaze and Valmora’s presence curling like mist from my soul.


    My voice had barely carried the weight of an order, but it had worked—just enough, to my astonishment.


    For a brief moment, I wondered if this was actually real or a dream because I would have never believed I had something like this in me.


    Then, like a snapped string, the spell broke. Dennis blinked hard, shaking his head.


    <i>"It won’tst,"</i> Valmora whispered at the back of my mind. <i>"Not without the bond. He needs to feel your wolf through the mark. Otherwise, themand will never hold for long."</i>


    "The mark?" I asked silently, startled.


    <i>"Draven must mark you. Only then will the first step to our power root fully."</i>


    Before I could respond to her, Dennis stepped forward sharply.


    "What was that?" he demanded, eyes fixed on mine, searching. "You... you did something. Didn’t you?"


    I blinked, heart racing, and offered him a smile. "I didn’t do anything."


    His eyes narrowed. "You’re a terrible liar."


    But he didn’t push. Instead, he waved a hand, signalling another round.


    We returned to thebat stance. This time, there was no trick orpulsion, just raw instinct.


    I held my own better now. I moved faster, blocked tighter. Maybe Valmora had stirred something deeper in me—or maybe I was just starting to believe that I could fight.


    After one final sh—his arm stopping inches from my ribs—Dennis grinned and stepped back, brushing sweat from his brow.


    "Alright," he said. "That’s enough for today."


    We both caught our breath. I grabbed my towel from a nearby bench, dabbing at the sweat on my neck.


    The silence hung between us, full of questions. And then I decided—I didn’t want to lie anymore to my friend.


    "Dennis," I said, turning to him. "I have a wolf."


    He froze. "You... you’re not wolfless?"


    I shook my head slowly, offering a small smile. "No. I never was." Then, almost immediately, I added, "Well, I actually thought I was, not until two months ago."


    His brows lifted high, expression shifting to a mixture of surprise and something almost like relief. "Well, shit."


    We bothughed, easing the tension.


    "Come to think of it," he started, with a hand on his waist and an arched brow. "Could this be the reason you and my brother fought thest time? Because you didn’t tell him about your wolf?"


    "Yeah," I replied, batting my eyshes. I was half-expecting Dennis to be mad at me for keeping this important information to myself, but his reaction was contrary.


    He chuckled, actuallyughing at me. "Well, I kind of understand my brother, but he overreacted. It’s a good thing you both are now on good terms."


    As we began the slow walk back to the estate beneath the fading sunrays, Dennis nudged me gently with his elbow.


    "You know," he said, voice low and teasing, "I’ve been treating you like a rookie because I thought you had no wolf. Starting tomorrow, that changes."


    "Oh?"


    He grinned. "Now I’m going to train you like a real wolf. So, get ready, my Lady. The easy phase is over."


    Despite the ache in my arms, Iughed. Somehow, I weed the challenge. I had more to fight for now and a secret I couldn’t ignore.


    One day soon, Valmora’s full power would rise. And I needed to be ready to put it to good use.


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