chapter thirty nine

Katherine POV

Days had ticked by since Nathaniel's birthday, and I'd noticed a subtle shift in him. He'd grown more open, more approachable. His smiles, though rare, now appeared twice a day – a frequency that, for Nathaniel, constituted often.

But today, my anxiety eclipsed his warm transformation. Training began, and I wasn't thrilled. In fact, dread knotted my stomach.

My family's past embarrassment still stung. They'd hidden me away, ashamed of my omega nature. I'd never trained, never learned to defend myself.

The thought of facing the training ground, surrounded by skilled warriors, terrified me. What if I failed? What if I made a fool of myself?

I pinched my nose, shrugging into a black trousers and shirt. With school on break, my days felt empty. Daily chats with Quentin and David weren't the same as spending time together; it had been a week since I'd seen them.

"Nathaniel's been different lately," I thought, a flutter in my chest.

"Kathy, get dressed. Emilia's outside," Nat