bChapter /bb37 /b

ra’s POV

bThe /bsun hung low in bthe /bbsky/bb, /bbcasting /ba golden hue bover /bthe training bfield/b. bSweat /bclung to bthe /bbback /bbof /bmy neck, and though the bday /bbhad /bbbeen /blongb, /bbthere /bwas ba /bbsatisfying /bkind bof /bweariness that came with pushing ourselves hard. I bwas /bwalking with bJory/bb, /blistening to him bgo /bon about a bnew /btactic he’d picked up during the training session. The enthusiasm in his bvoice /balmost bmade /bbme /bsmile, but I kept it neutral.

Thenb, /bba /bbvoice /bbsliced /bthrough the chatter, heavy and bdeliberate/bb. /b

“ra.”

bI /bbstopped /bdead in my tracksb, /bfeeling a tight knot in my stomach even before I turned around. Thorne bwas /bstriding toward us, ball /bpurposeful and determined, like he owned the damn field.

“bHey/b, ra,” bhe /bcalled out, stopping just a few bpaces /baway. His bgaze /bswept over my face, and I hated how he bwas /bstudying me bso /bclosely.

I forced a smile, a polite oneb, /bbut it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

He didn’t buy it. “You shouldn’t be training bso /bsoon,” Thorne said, his voiceced with something I couldn’t quite bce- /bconcern? Annoyanceb? /b“Garron’s still resting, and you should be, too.”

I shrugged, not letting his words sink in. “Lucky for my pack, I’m nothing like Garron.”

His eyes shed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned his attention to Jory, who stood quietly by my side. b“/bIs this your soldierb?/bb” /b

I nced at Jory, who gave a small nod. “Yeah. Jory, my junior captain.”

“Then he’s heading the wrong way,” Thorne said, his voice cool, barely concealing the hint of authority. “The soldiers‘ dining hall is the other way.”

Jory hesitated, his eyes darting to me, unsure. I gave him a small nod, signaling him to follow. But Thorne wasn’t finished.

“I invite him to sit with me in our dining room,” I said, my tone light but firm. “Is that a problem, Alpha Thorne?b” /b

His bface /bdarkened instantly. There it was again. That possessiveness.

“You invite him often, don’t you?” Thorne’s words hung in the air, biting. His gaze narrowed, eyes locking with mine. “Are you two close?”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink. “I don’t think I need to exin my personal life to you, Alpha Thorne,” bI /bsaid, my smile never wavering, but it was a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Turning on my heel, I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to. I could feel Thorne’s stare burning into my back, and the tension in my chest only grew.

Jory walked beside me, his bface /bscrunched in confusion. “Why does he care about you so much? He bacts /blike you two have history.”

I kept my eyes forward, pretending I hadn’t heard him, but the words bwere /blike a punch to the gut. He didn’t know. No one did. Not even him.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, my tone light. “Maybe he’s justb…/bweird.” Then, forcing ba /bsmile, I added, “But hey, I heard they’re

serving lobsters btoday/b. Let’s bgo /bbbefore /bbit’s /ball bgone/bb./bb” /b

The brest /bbof /bbthe /bwalk to the bbanquet /bhall bwas /bquietb, /bbut there bwas /ban bundercurrent /bof something unspoken. I didn’t bwant /bto btalk /babout it. I didn’t want bto /bbdwell /bon bthe /bbpast /bbthat /bThorne bso /bbclearly /bbstill /bclung to.

bWe /breached the dining hall, and I could balready /bsee her–Mi. She stood out like ba /bdamn diamond in a field of dirt, dressed in a bgown /bthat bhad /bno bbusiness /bbeing in this bsweaty/b, soldierb–/bfilled bspace/b. And bof /bbcourse/bb, /bbas /bsoon as she bsaw /bThorne, she bwas /boff, ball /bbright smiles and flirty bmoves/bb, /bskipping right bpast /bme.

“Alpha Thorneb!/b” she called, her voice all sweetness bas /bshe scurried over to him. Thenb, /bwith a quick flick of her bgaze/bb, /bshe shifted her focus to bCael/b. “Alpha Caelb!/bb” /b

I didn’t even flinch. bJust /bturned my attention to Thorneb, /bstill standing there like he had some kind of bpower /bbover /bme.

“Do you knowb,/b” I started, my voice deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear, “that Mi was in Blood Moon’s training field today?b” /b

The way Thorne’s bface /bimmediately tightened told me everything.

“What were you doing there?” Thorne’s voice dropped, hard and demanding. “Civilians aren’t allowed near the training field.”

“I–I didn’t go in!” Mi stammered, her face flushing bright red. “I was just…admiring the soldiers, from the fenceb…/b”

“Then why didn’t you visit your own pack’s soldiers?” I couldn’t stop the sneer in my voice. “Are they less impressive than oursb?/bb” /b

The words rang out, echoing through the hall, and a few of Direstone’s generals turned to re at her. Mi went bright red, sputtering. “I didn’t mean that!”

“I don’t care what you meant,” I snapped, cutting her off, my voice growing louder. “Just stay away from my training field. Or the next thing that hits you won’t be a dodgeball.”

I turned sharply and walked away, the tension still crackling in the air behind me. I could almost hear Mi’s teeth gritting from hereb. /b

When I reached the bar with Jory and Vessa, I let out a slow breath.

“Do you believe that?” Vessa muttered, her voice dripping with disdain. “She’s asking her maid to seduce Cael now?b” /b

I didn’t answer. My gaze flickered back to where Mi had settled into a seat with Cael. The whole scene yed out in front of me like a bad joke.

“I’ll y their game,” I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else. “Let’s see how they like it when the rules change.”

bI /bbleaned /bin cloce lowering my voice so only Vessa and Ioru could hearb. /bb“/bWe’ll handle this Our bway/bb” /b