I release her hand.
She steps back, breathing unevenly.
Finn calls out behind us, “Cap, you’re scaring her.”
Wren turns.“He’s not.”
Finn smirks.Atlas watches her like he’s starving.
And I...
I watch all three of us like I’m witnessing something I shouldn’t.
Something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
Chapter 4: Wren
The rest of practice passes in a blur of bodies and bruises and men who don’t seem to care about their own safety.
By the time the lastwhistle blows, I’m exhausted.
The team filters out—some nodding at me, some pretending not to stare, some giving me wary looks like they’re not sure if I’m salvation or trouble.
Maybe both.
I start cleaning up equipment when a shadow falls across the table.
Finn.
Hair damp.Shirt hanging off one shoulder.Grin soft and earnest.
“You survived your first day,” he says.
“Barely.”
