hapter 21
cy May
Chapter 21
Damon
Asher’s hand lingered on Elena’s shoulder, casual but firm. Irritation curled hot and sharp in my chest.
I had no reason to care. No reason to feel this slow–burning irritation coil inside me.
Yet, before I could think better of it, my feet were already moving.
My long strides carried me across the training grounds with silent purpose. The murmurs of the other candidates barely registered as I neared, my entire focus homing in on Elena and Asher. She wasn’t leaning into his touch, but she wasn’t pulling away either.
My lips pressed into a thin line, and then I acted.
My palm met the curve of Elena’s backside in a firm slap. The sound cracked through the air like a whip, silencing the surrounding chatter.
Elena jolted forward with a sharp intake of breath, her entire body stiffening. Asher raised an eyebrow, his mouth twitching with amusement.
Lignored him.
Elena spun on her heel, her expression shifting from stunned disbelief to pure, fiery rage. “What the hell was that?” she snapped, eyes blazing as she whirled to face me.
I smirked down at her. “You’re too distracted,” I said smoothly. “Focus on training.”
The look she gave me could have melted stone.
Asher let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back slightly. “Didn’t realize you two were this close.” His tone was teasing, but I caught the underlying curiosity in my cousin’s gaze. Asher wasn’t just watching, he was assessing.
I didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I kept my attention locked on Elena, who was visibly fuming. Her breaths came sharp and uneven, her jaw clenched so tightly it looked like she might crack a tooth.
She stepped closer to me, her anger radiating in waves. “That was completely uncalled for.”
I arched a brow. “Did I hit a nerve?”
“You –“, Elena took a deep breath, visibly trying to compose herself, but the fire in her eyes didn’t dim.
Asher, still grinning, muttered, “You sure know how to keep things entertaining.”
It was Elena’s turn to ignore him – and I hated how much that pleased me – straightened her spine. “If you have a problem with me, Your Highness, say it. Otherwise, don’t do that again.”
I met her challenge with an unwavering gaze, taking in the stubborn tilt of her chin and the defiance in her stance. Instead of telling her to watch her mouth, my own said, “I’ll be your training partner.”
The murmurs around us sharpened into outright speculation.
Elena’s brows shot up. “Excuse me?”
Asher’s smirk widened. “Now this is getting interesting.”
I didn’t react. “You wanted an answer,” I said coolly. “There it is. If you have the energy to argue, then you have the energy to train.”
Elena’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, she looked like she was going to refuse.
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Chapter 21
Lila
Heat flooded my face, not just from the slap but from the sheer audacity of it.
The training grounds weren’t silent, but it felt like they were. I could feel the stares, the whispers crawling over my skin like a second layer of sweat.
“Did you see that?”
“Did the Lycan King just spank her?”
“Vanessa was right…”
My stomach twisted. I should have been used to it by now, but I wasn’t me in this place, I was Elena. Elena should have demanded respect for just existing, so how did I end up with the same status as back home?
Asher let out an amused hum. “Well, that was dramatic.”
I shot him a glare, but he only smirked wider.
Damon stood in front of me, arms crossed, utterly unfazed. His dark eyes locked onto mine with that same infuriating, unreadable intensity.
“You can’t just “I waved a hand, unable to even articulate the level of his ridiculousness.
“As I said, you’re too distracted.”
My nails dug into my palms. Distracted? That was his excuse?
“I can’t train with the person I’m supposed to fight against,” I shot back, stepping back
Damon didn’t react immediately, just tilted his head slightly, eyes scanning me like he was trying to decide how to serve me my own ass on a platter. His silence only made my frustration spike.
“I can’t train with the person I’m supposed to fight against,” I repeated, forcing my voice to stay steady. I stepped back, but he stepped forward; slow,
deliberate, closing the space between us inch by inch.
A shiver ran down my spine. Not from fear. Not from attraction. Absolutely not that.
I lifted my chin, refusing to back down any further. “It’s a conflict of interest,” I said, hating the way my pulse stuttered as his gaze dropped, just for a second, to my throat, like he could hear it too.
Damon exhaled, the sound low and unimpressed. “The only conflict is your own hesitation.”
I clenched my fists, heat prickling over my skin. “That’s not –
“You’re making excuses.” His voice was calm. Flat. A deliberate provocation.
And damn it, it worked.
I could feel my temper rising, could feel my body tensing like it wanted to fight him right here, right now. I hated how effortlessly he pulled that reaction out of me, how easily he could set my nerves on fire.
Asher let out a quiet laugh. “You know,” he mused, arms still crossed as he leaned in like we were all sharing a secret, “I love this dynamic you wo have. It’s like watching a slow–motion collision.”
I threw him a glare, but he only smirked wider, eyes flicking between me and Damon with clear amusement.
“I don’t need you to train me,” I told Damon, shifting my weight onto my back foot, ready to move away.
His expression didn’t change, but something in his stance did, ever so slightly. “You want to make it to the end of this competition?” he asked.
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17.48 Thu, 29 May G O
Chapter 21
I swallowed hard. “Obviously.”
“Then stop arguing.”
I opened my mouth, but he cut me off with a tilt of his head.
“You’ve fought weak opponents so far. That’s over. From this point on, you’ll need to be better.”
Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist.
I wasn’t naive. I knew I had weaknesses. I knew there was something wrong with me–something off about my wolf, about my stamina, about how I felt drained in a way that no one else did. Didn’t heal like everyone else did.
And Damon saw it.
I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to let my doubt show.
“You can’t go easy on me,” I warned.
His lips twitched, the ghost of a smirk. “I wasn’t planning to.”
My throat went dry. It wasn’t his words that got to me. It was the way he looked at me when he said them–steady and undeniably in control.
Asher clapped his hands together, breaking the moment. “Well. This should be fun.”
Damon ignored him, still watching me. “Wait here.” And then, without another word, Damon turned and walked away.
Asher strolled up beside me, his smirk firmly in place. “Well,” he drawled, voice rich with amusement, “looks like you’ve caught the attention of our oh- so–magnanimous Lycan King.”
I rolled my eyes, finally exhaling the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Lucky me.”
“Very. I’d say getting trained by Damon is an honor, but knowing him, it’s probably more of a punishment.”
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just enough to make it clear he was teasing. “Though I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. If you wanted a sparring partner, you could’ve just asked me. Try not to get yourself killed, hmm?”
With a wink, he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there, my mind still tangled in everything that had just happened.
