Last Female Sypher and Her Brother's Friends novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39

My wolf paws and snaps her teeth, irritated and a bit defensive.

Theo and Barric exchange a look.

Then Theo says, “You’re a Sypher, Aria. Something the Assembly would be very interested in and were not

sure that’s a good thing.”

The word lands heavily.

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Barric says carefully, “you have an elemental ability.”

“From what we saw,” Theo adds, “it’s fire.”

Fire.

I blink.

Huh.

That… actually tracks weirdly.

I look down at my hands, turning them over slowly.

Nothing looks different.

But something feels different.

Alive.

Energy buzzes under my skin, restless and building.

“So… what. They aren’t going to like it?” I guess.

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Chapter 39

“You could say that,” he says.

I think about that for a moment. “I need to move.”

My skin was itching, like it was too tight.

Barric nods. “Good. Let’s take you downstairs.”

They led me to a door I hadn’t noticed before. It opens into a staircase that descends into a massive

underground space.

A training room.

Huge. Reinforced. Open.

Safe.

Smart.

“Okay,” Theo says, stepping in front of me. “First lesson-your senses.”

I grimace. “They’re… a lot.”

“Yeah,” Barric says dryly. “That’s normal.”

They start walking me through it-how to focus, how to isolate sounds, how to dampen the overwhelming

flood of information.

It’s harder than it sounds.

Everything fights for attention.

But slowly-very slowly-I start to separate things.

One sound at a time.

One scent at a time.

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The wolf helps.

She nudges. Guides.

Listen.

Focus.

Mine.

P:.

I stumble a little when she says that again, my attention snapping to Barric, then Theo.

They’re watching me.

Closely.

Too closely.

There’s something in their gazes. Something charged. Almost disbelieving.

And the way they touch me-

Barric’s hand brushes my elbow when I lose balance.

Theo’s fingers steadying my wrist.

They linger.

Just a second too long.

Like they don’t want to let go.

Heat curls low in my stomach again, sharper this time.

The wolf surges forward eagerly.

Both, she purrs.

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Chapter 39

I choke on a breath.

“Nope,” I mutter under my breath.

Theo tilts his head. “What?”

“Nothing,” I say quickly.

But it’s not nothing.

Because the feeling is growing.

Not just attraction.

Need.

A pull.

Toward them.

Both of them.

And the more time passes, the harder it is to ignore.

My skin feels too tight. My body is too aware.

Their scents-God, their scents-

Barric is warm and grounding, like earth after rain.

Theo is sharper, electric, like ozone before a storm.

Together, it’s intoxicating.

Overwhelming.

I step back, putting a little distance between us.

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Chapter 39

Bad idea.

The absence hits immediately.

The wolf growls.

Closer.

I swallow hard.

“I think,” I say, my voice a little shaky, “I need a minute.”

Barric’s eyes narrow slightly. “What’s going on?”

I hesitate.

Because how do I even explain this?

“I-” I stop, exhaling. “Everything just feels… intense.”

“That’s expected,” Theo says. “We can give you time and take a moment to slow things down.”

“No,” I shake my head. “Not just that.”

I glance between them.

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