The Alpha kings Secret Mate

Chapter 5: The Weapon of a Warrior

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the distant rustling of leaves. My body ached everywhere. My arms felt like dead weights, my legs refused to move, and even taking a deep breath made my ribs protest.

Yet, despite the pain, I forced myself to sit up.

Kade was already awake, leaning against a tree, sharpening his dagger like he had all the time in the world. His red eyes flicked toward me, and a small smirk curled on his lips.

"Surprised you could still move," he said, his voice laced with amusement.

I scowled. "Barely."

"Good. That means the training is working." He stood up and stretched. "Eat something. Then we begin."

I grabbed a piece of dried meat from his bag and chewed slowly. It was tough and flavorless, but I was too hungry to care. My body needed fuel if I was going to survive whatever Kade had planned for today.

Once I finished, he motioned for me to follow him. We left the clearing, moving deeper into the forest. The air was crisp, the ground damp with morning dew, and the towering trees made it feel like we were stepping into another world.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to ignore the soreness in my legs.

"To find your weapon," Kade said simply.

I frowned. "You mean, like a sword or a dagger?"

"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe something else. Not every fighter is the same. Some are better with swords, some with bows, some with daggers." He glanced at me. "Some don't need weapons at all."

I frowned. "Then why do I need one?"

Kade stopped walking and turned to me, his expression serious. "Because you're not strong enough to fight without one."

His words stung, but I knew he was right.

I clenched my fists. "Then let's find one."

---

We arrived at a small clearing where several weapons were laid out on a flat rock. I stared at them in awe—swords, daggers, axes, bows, even a spear. The metal glinted under the sunlight, and I felt a shiver of excitement.

"Pick one," Kade instructed. "See what feels right."

I stepped forward, my fingers hovering over the choices.

The sword looked powerful, but when I picked it up, it felt too heavy. My grip was unsteady, and I struggled to lift it properly. Kade shook his head. "Too slow for you. You need something lighter."

I set it down and tried the axe next. The weight was better, but it felt awkward in my hands. Like it wasn't meant for me.

I moved on to the daggers. The moment my fingers wrapped around the cool metal, something clicked inside me. The balance was perfect, the weight just right. I gave it a small swing, and the movement felt natural, as if the weapon had been waiting for me all along.

Kade raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice."

I looked up at him. "You don't approve?"

He shrugged. "Daggers are fast. Deadly. But they require precision." He took a step closer. "One wrong move, and you could end up hurting yourself."

I met his gaze, determination burning inside me. "Then teach me how to use them properly."

A slow smile spread across his lips. "Alright, little wolf. Let's see what you can do."

---

For hours, Kade drilled me on how to handle the daggers.

He showed me how to grip them—not too tight, not too loose. How to slash, stab, and block attacks. I practiced moving quickly, using my speed instead of brute strength.

But it wasn't easy.

My first few attempts were terrible. My swings were sloppy, my aim was off, and more than once, I nearly dropped the weapon.

Kade was relentless. "Again," he said every time I made a mistake. "Faster. Sharper. Your enemy won't wait for you to get it right."

I gritted my teeth and kept going.

Each mistake taught me something.

Each correction made me sharper.

By the time the sun hung high in the sky, I was panting, drenched in sweat, and my hands ached from gripping the daggers for so long. But when Kade attacked me again—this time, I reacted faster.

I ducked under his strike, spun, and slashed out with my blade.

Kade dodged easily, but his eyes flashed with approval.

"Better," he murmured.

My chest swelled with pride.

But I wasn't satisfied.

"Again," I said, lifting my blades.

Kade's smirk widened. "That's the spirit."

By nightfall, my body was beyond exhausted.

I collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the stars. The air was cool against my burning skin, and my muscles ached in ways I didn't know were possible.

Kade sat beside me, tossing a small rock in his hand. He was as relaxed as ever, barely winded after a whole day of training.

"Not bad," he admitted. "You're learning faster than I expected."

I smirked tiredly. "Does that mean I get a break tomorrow?"

He chuckled. "Not a chance."

I groaned, closing my eyes.

But despite the exhaustion, despite the soreness, a small smile played on my lips.

For the first time in my life, I felt lik

e I was getting stronger.

And I wasn't going to stop.

Not until I was ready to fight back.

The fire crackled softly as night settled over the forest. My arms felt like lead, my legs screamed with every small movement, and my fingers were sore from gripping the daggers all day. But despite the pain, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time—pride.

I had trained from sunrise to sunset, and though I was far from perfect, I was improving. The awkwardness in my movements had faded little by little, replaced by sharper, more precise strikes. I still had a long way to go, but at least I wasn't completely useless anymore.

Kade sat across from me, sharpening his own dagger with slow, steady strokes. The light from the fire reflected off his red eyes, making him look even more dangerous. He didn't speak much, but his presence was steady, grounding.

I hesitated before asking, "How did you learn to fight like that?"

He didn't look up from his blade. "Experience."

I frowned. "That's not an answer."

Kade sighed, setting his dagger down. He leaned back against a log, his expression unreadable. "I had no choice," he said simply. "The world isn't kind to people like me."

I swallowed, realizing how little I actually knew about him. He had saved me, trained me, and pushed me to become stronger, but I still didn't understand why.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly.

His gaze flickered to me, studying my face for a moment. Then, almost as if he had decided something, he spoke.

"I wasn't born into a pack like you were," he said. "I grew up alone. Hunted. Feared." His voice was calm, but I could hear something dark beneath it. "When you live like that, you either learn to fight… or you die."

A chill ran down my spine.

He had been alone his whole life? No pack, no family? I couldn't imagine how that felt.

I looked at him, seeing him in a different light. He wasn't just strong—he had survived.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

Kade raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because no one should have to live like that," I said honestly.

He held my gaze for a moment, something unreadable flickering across his face. Then he smirked. "Don't waste your pity on me, little wolf. I turned out just fine."

I rolled my eyes but smiled a little. He really was impossible.

---

As the fire burned lower, I found myself staring at my daggers, running my fingers over the smooth metal. They were sharp, deadly, and lighter than I expected. They felt right in my hands, like they belonged there.

Kade noticed. "You like them."

I nodded. "They feel… natural."

He hummed in approval. "That's good. Your weapon should be an extension of yourself. If it doesn't feel right, it will betray you in battle."

I tightened my grip around the handles. "Then these will be my weapons."

Kade smirked. "We'll see if you still feel that way after tomorrow's training."

I groaned. "Can't I have one day to rest?"

"No."

I shot him a glare. "You're cruel."

He chuckled. "You'll thank me when you're not dead."

I sighed, knowing he was right. I had to get stronger. Not just for myself, but for the future battles I knew were coming. Damon had thrown me away like I was nothing. My old pack had laughed at me.

I would never let anyone make me feel weak again.

Tomorrow, the real training would begin.

And I was ready.

The fire crackled softly as I leaned back against the rough bark of a tree, my fingers still curled around the hilts of my new daggers. Every inch of my body ached, but I didn't care. The pain was proof that I was changing. That I was no longer the weak, rejected omega who had been cast out.

I wasn't the same girl who had cried when Damon rejected me.

I was becoming someone stronger.

Kade sat across from me, casually tossing a small blade in the air and catching it with effortless precision. His movements were always controlled, deadly, but tonight, there was something almost… relaxed about him.

"Tell me something," I said, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't stop playing with his knife. "What?"

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, tilting my head. "You don't even know me. You could have just left me back there."

Kade's red eyes flickered with something unreadable. He caught the knife one last time and set it down beside him. "You remind me of someone," he said simply.

I frowned. "Who?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes like a memory he wasn't sure he wanted to revisit. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before.

"Someone I lost a long time ago."

A cold breeze swept through the clearing, making the flames flicker. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. He just sat there, staring into the fire as if it held all the answers.

I wanted to ask more, but something told me he wouldn't answer. Not yet.

So instead, I nodded. "Thank you," I said softly.

Kade's gaze snapped back to me, surprise flickering across his face. "For what?"

"For not leaving me behind," I said, gripping my daggers tighter. "For helping me get stronger."

His expression shifted, something unreadable flickering in his red eyes before he smirked. "Don't thank me yet, little wolf," he said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to make you regret choosing those daggers."

I groaned, already dreading what he had planned. "I knew you were cruel."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Get some sleep. You'll need it."

I sighed, stretching out on the cool grass. My body was exhausted, but my mind was alive with everything that had happened today. I had fought. I had trained. And for the first time, I felt like I was walking toward a future I controlled.

As my eyes fluttered shut, one thought burned in my mind.

I would never be weak again.

The next morning, I woke up to the sharp sting of something cold hitting my face. I gasped, jerking upright, only to see Kade standing over me with a smug expression, holding a canteen of water. "Training starts now," he said, tossing it aside. My muscles screamed in protest as I forced myself up, but I refused to show weakness. If I wanted to survive, I had to push past the pain.

Kade led me deeper into the forest, stopping in a small clearing surrounded by thick trees. "Your enemies won't always fight fair," he said, tossing me a dagger. "They'll use the darkness, the terrain, anything they can to kill you. So today, you learn to fight in the shadows." Before I could react, he disappeared. My heart pounded as I spun around, daggers clenched tight. Then, without warning—he attacked.

I barely dodged the first strike, feeling the rush of wind as his blade missed my cheek by an inch. My instincts screamed at me to run, but I forced myself to focus. I couldn't afford to be weak. Not anymore. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the daggers and did what Kade had been training me to do—I fought back.