“Are you sure?” I ask her in a whisper, and she nods, prompting me to turn to the council and say, “Let's give it a try.”
Without thinking, I take Sophie's hand and lead her out of the meeting cabin while the others follow us.
The clearing behind the hall is vast enough for wielding magic without destroying anything, the river flowing close enough to be wielded, the fields behind it reinforced with ancient stone pillars older than any pack currently standing. I step into position across from Sophie, the air between us humming faintly, her brows raised expectantly. I let my water magic stir, not calling it fully, but just enough to let the river recognize me.
Sophie closes her eyes.
I watch her face carefully, noting the furrow of her brows, the controlled inhale, the way she lifts her hands as she did by the river earlier. The moment stretches, but then, nothing happens.
Her breathing quickens. I feel her frustration as if it's my own, the rising anxiety, the pressure building behind her ribs like something is trapped. Fire does not answer her call. The air remains stubbornly cool, unmoved by her will.
“Sophie,” Amos says gently from behind her. “Don’t force it.”
Her hands tremble as she lowers them, shame flickering across her expression in a way that makes something twist painfully in my chest.
“I’m sorry,” she says, letting out the breath she's been holding as she opens her eyes, her head hanging. “It’s not…it doesn’t want to work.”
I step forward immediately, placing myself beside her, my presence a shield without needing to be one. “This proves nothing,” I say firmly. “You’re asking a force that responds to a threat to perform on command. That’s not how instinct works.”
Amos steps forward and studies her for a long moment, then nods slowly. “Which means training must begin.”
Sophie’s shoulders tense.
“I’ll do it,” I say before anyone else can. “I’ll train with her. Alone. No pressure. No observers. Just give us some time."
A flicker of relief flashes past Sophie's eyes so quickly she probably doesn’t realize I felt it, but I did, as clear as day.
“That would be…acceptable,” Amos agrees. “Provided progress is made.”
“It will be,” I say without hesitation. “The council has nothing to worry about.”
We leave the meeting cabin shortly after, the tension easing only once we’re back within the familiar walls of the cabin. Sophie is quiet beside me, thoughtful rather than withdrawn, and I don’t push her. When we reach her bedroom, I pause at the door, resting a hand against the wood.
“We don’t have to start tomorrow,” I tell her.
She looks up, surprised. “The council—”
“Can wait,” I say simply. “You’ve had enough thrown at you in such a short time. We’ll begin when you’re ready.”
Her lips part as if to argue, then she exhales softly, nodding. “Thank you.”
I offer her a small smile as she steps back, placing her hand on the handle.
“Good night, Damian,” she says timidly, and there's a moment—a brief moment—when all we do is stare into each other's eyes, words left unspoken in the silence, but felt deeply through the bond.
I want to reach out for her, but I know that I might just be rushing things when she's just started trusting me again. She doesn't need to say it, but I can see it in the way she looks at me now, differently from the way she looked at me like I was the enemy when I first brought her to the valley.
“Good night, Sophie,” I say, stepping away before I do something we might both regret. But nothing in me breaks this time.
It finally feels like there's hope. Not just for the valley wolves, but for the possibilities between Sophie and me.
Chapter 18 - Sophie
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stare at the door I'd just closed, feeling only slightly disoriented, as if I’m still climbing down or reeling from everything that’s happened in one day.
One day.
That’s all it took for my life to change so drastically, and to my surprise, I’m doing better than I thought I would, finding a certain peace in accepting my powers, despite not being able to wield them the way I wanted to in front of the council. But how I feel has more to do with the way Damian handled things.
