Leon's POV
The moment the guards closed the door behind her, I knew something was wrong.
Isabella's scent still lingered in the room… the mix of fear and that... stubborn fire that always clung to her skin. But underneath that, I sensed something else.
A secret.
She was hiding something big. And it wasn't the usual fear or rebellion. It was deeper. Heavy. The kind of secret people die to protect.
I sat in my chair, elbows on my knees, staring at the door she'd just walked through.
Every time she talked back to me…
Every time she stood tall even when she was shaking…
Every time she refused to break…
It pushed something inside me. Something I didn't want to name.
She wasn't like the others.
She didn't bow to survive.
She fought to survive.
And that difference… it mattered more than I wanted to admit.
A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Your Majesty," one of my warriors said. "We heard the girl is in the training hall. Alone. Is that what you wanted?"
"Yes."
He hesitated. "The men might… test her."
"I know."
He swallowed. "And you're fine with that?"
Fine? No.
But necessary? Yes.
"I want to see what she does under pressure," I said.
The truth was worse:
I wanted to see if anyone dared touch what I was starting to consider mine.
My wolf growled under my skin.
Possessive. Impatient.
I ignored it and left the room.
When I walked into the training hall, the whole place went silent. Warriors straightened instantly.
And she froze.
Head down. Hands shaking. Sweat on her neck. Dirt on her cheek.
But she didn't stop.
She kept working even though her body was giving out.
That's what caught me.
Not her beauty.
Not her fear.
Not her defiance.
Her fight.
She fought even when no one asked her to. Even when everyone watched her like she was prey.
I walked toward her. Slow. Purposeful. The way a predator walks when he knows the prey won't run.
"Stand," I said.
She did. Barely.
Her breathing was uneven, but she didn't look away from me.
"Why didn't you stop?" I asked.
Her answer was simple.
Real.
"I wasn't done."
I felt something tighten in my chest.
She was shaking. Anyone could see it. But she stood there like she was carved from stone.
"You could barely breathe," I said.
"I'm still standing."
I don't know why… but those words hit me harder than they should have.
I reached out before I realized I was doing it, wiping dirt from her cheek with my thumb.
Her skin was warm. Too warm.
I shouldn't have touched her.
I shouldn't want to touch her again.
"You fight in every breath," I said.
She didn't break. She didn't even blink.
"I'm not serving," she whispered. "I'm surviving."
That was the moment I knew:
She wasn't here to bow.
She wasn't here to please.
She wasn't here to obey.
She had a reason.
A mission.
A secret she would die keeping.
And I needed to find it.
Tonight.
"Get cleaned up," I told her. "I have another task for you tonight."
Her shoulders stiffened. She knew it wasn't a normal task.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear.
"I don't know what you're hiding," I said. "But I'll find it. Every piece."
Her heartbeat spiked.
Fear.
But not just fear.
There was something. I knew she was hiding something.
I needed to know.
I watched her leave… watched the men stare at her… watched her walk out of the hall like every step hurt but she still kept her head high.
My wolf pushed at my skin.
Claim her.
Break her.
Take her.
No.
Not yet.
First, I needed answers.
And tonight…
I would get them.