Night had swallowed Krownest whole, the last embers of the sun dancing off its rugged skyline like a final, defiant salute to Clan Wren. Sabine moved through the darkness with a swagger only a true rebel could muster, her fists finding their mark on one of her mother’s old training dummies. Every strike was an act of rebellion—a way to channel the seething anger that came with being forced into a marriage with a guy she barely remembered from when she was three.

“Forced into this circus act? Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, a cocky smirk tugging at her lips. The very idea of marrying someone she’d only seen as a toddler was laughable—and infuriating. Sure, Kyle might seem like a decent enough guy on paper, but the whispers about him didn’t sit well with her. Rumor had it he was a cold, remorseless killer who chased the thrill of the hunt, not the honor of a warrior’s duty. Mandalorian tradition might celebrate combat, but this wasn’t honor—it was a sick game.

The memory of their last meeting still gnawed at her. Standing across from each other as their mothers bartered like seasoned politicians, Kyle’s unnervingly unmoving gaze had unsettled her more than any enemy ever could. Not even a blink. Creepy, she thought, shaking off the shiver that ran down her spine.

In that moment, as she landed another precise blow, Sabine’s rebellious spirit roared. Marriage was just another chain she wasn’t about to let bind her. She wasn’t ready to become someone else’s pawn—least of all in a union that felt more like a political trap than a chance at true connection. Somewhere in the chaos of tradition and duty, she was determined to find her own way out, to carve her own destiny on her own terms. And until she did, every punch, every defiant kick, was a promise: Sabine Wren would never be tamed.