Chapter 309: Combat

Rebecca’s POV

​Great. He just had to show up.

​I had honestly thought he was going to stay back at the pack house, but obviously, I was wrong.

​The moment he stepped onto the platform, a deep frown pulled at my lips.

​Kaden stood at the bottom of the wooden platform, dressed casually in black trousers and a dark shirt with the sleeves pushed up his forearms. His dark hair was slightly messy, and even from where I sat, I could feel the strength of his aura spreading across the training ground. Cedar and mint drifted through the cool night air.

​Before I could even think about how annoyed I was, all seven hundred pack members dropped to their knees or bowed their heads at the same time.

​Right. I keep forgetting he’s the Alpha King.

​Why the hell was everyone acting like the Moon Goddess herself had just arrived?

​I rolled my eyes privately, taking a slow sip of water. The sheer effect he had on people was ridiculous. Kaden casually raised a single hand, giving a brief, subtle nod to signal that they could relax.

​"You don’t need to stop," he said, his deep voice carrying easily across the grounds. "Continue the festival."

​Like obedient puppets, the crowd instantly rose back to their feet, the drums started beating again, and the atmosphere shifted back to life—though the underlying tension never fully dissolved.

​My mother offered him a warm, welcoming smile as he approached. "Alpha Kaden, please, sit. I’m glad you decided to join us."

​"Thank you for having me," Kaden said, giving her a polite nod before taking the empty high-backed chair on the other side of my mother.

​The four of us now sat in a straight line, with Mother between Kaden and me, and Callum on my other side. Even with the small distance between us, Kaden’s cedar-and-mint scent still reached me.

​Inside my mind, Laura practically melted.

​Mate.

​Don’t start, I snapped back at her.

​For a second, his eyes shifted sideways, locking directly onto mine. I caught a sudden, brief softening in his gaze. But before Laura could even think about sighing in sympathy, I snapped my wall right back up, glaring at him coldly before ripping my eyes away to focus on the ring below.

​His mouth almost curved into a quiet smile at my hostility.

​Down in the arena, the sparring matches picked right back up. Two young warriors traded clean, fast blows, their fists colliding with satisfying thuds that had the crowd roaring with excitement. It was lively, energetic, and genuinely fun to watch. One young warrior was thrown straight onto his back so hard that I winced.

​Callum laughed beside me. "That one is going to feel that tomorrow morning."

​I couldn’t help laughing softly. "Definitely."

​Across from us, Kaden’s eyes flicked sharply toward Callum. I pretended not to notice.

​Everything was fine until the matches ended and one of the senior trainers stepped into the center of the drawn circle. He raised both arms, asking everyone to quiet down.

​"That was an excellent match!" the trainer shouted, his voice booming over the crackling bonfire. "But since we have very special guests with us tonight, I think our young warriors would appreciate seeing something a little different."

​He turned his face directly toward the elevated wooden platform, bowing deeply toward my mother, Kaden, and Callum.

​"Alpha Maria! Alpha King! Lord Callum!" the trainer called out. "It is rare for our pack to host two legendary rulers at the same training ground! If it pleases you... would Alpha King Kaden and Lord Callum honor us with a friendly combat match tonight?"

​The entire crowd went dead quiet for one single beat—and then exploded.

​Cheers, wild whistles, and chanting erupted from every corner of the field. Seven hundred wolves began banging their fists on their legs and stomping their boots into the dirt. A Dragon Lord against the Alpha King. It was every warrior’s dream demonstration.

​My heart sank straight into my stomach.

​No. This is a terrible fucking idea.

​This wasn’t going to be a friendly exhibition match. The suffocating animosity that had been brewing between them all day was sitting right beneath the surface. If those two stepped into a ring together, somebody was going to end up bleeding—or worse.

​Mother laughed softly beside me. "It seems you’ve both become tonight’s entertainment."

​I instinctively turned my head toward Kaden, fully expecting him to brush it off. He was the sovereign ruler of this realm; he had every political, diplomatic, and personal excuse in the book to decline a casual pack match. All he had to do was say no, wave them off, and keep his composure.

​"No," Kaden said, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

​Relief rushed through me. Good. At least one person here had common sense.

​The trainer looked disappointed, but he bowed respectfully. "Of course, Alpha King."

​The crowd began groaning, but then Callum spoke up beside me.

​"What a shame."

​Kaden’s eyes slowly moved toward him. I closed my eyes for a second. Of course. Of fucking course Callum couldn’t just leave it alone.

​"I was actually curious," Callum continued, leaning back in his chair. "Stories travel far beyond wolf territory. They say very few men can stand against the Alpha King for more than a few minutes. I suppose I’ll have to remain curious."

​I turned toward Callum sharply. Seriously? That was so obviously bait. Even I could see it, and Kaden could definitely see it. Surely he wasn’t stupid enough to take it.

​Kaden gave a small, humorless smile. "I don’t need to fight you to prove anything, Callum."

​"Of course not," Callum nodded slowly. Then, with a dark, mocking glint in his eyes, he added casually, "Although I understand. A friendly match in front of seven hundred people can be uncomfortable when there’s a chance you might lose. In fact, I’ve been dying to see if the werewolf realm’s greatest warrior actually lives up to his terrifying reputation... or if you’re just all bark and no bite."

​The entire crowd went dead silent. My mouth fell open.

​Mother slowly turned her head toward Callum, and even the trainer looked like he suddenly regretted every decision that had brought him to this moment.

​Inside my head, Laura whispered, Oh.

​Kaden stared at Callum for several long seconds. Then he laughed—a quiet, dark, dangerous sound that sent a chill down my spine.

​He stood up.

​I immediately sat straighter. "Kaden," I warned, my voice sharp. "Don’t."

​His dark eyes flicked toward me.

​"Don’t do this," I repeated.

​For a second, I thought he might actually listen. But then Callum stood up too, calmly stretching his arms as if Kaden’s anger didn’t bother him at all.

​"A dragon doesn’t fear getting a little dirt on his hands," Callum said smoothly. "I don’t mind keeping it friendly... unless you’re worried."

​"I’m sure you don’t," Kaden said, as his eyes sliced straight toward Callum. "I wasn’t serious about fighting... until he started talking."

​I glared at both of them. Why the hell were these two men so determined to get punched tonight? Why did Kaden always have to let his pride take the wheel?

​"You cannot be serious," I muttered in disbelief.

​Kaden pushed one sleeve higher up his forearm. "That is... if Lord Callum actually has the guts to step into a wolf’s ring."

​The crowd erupted again, even louder than before.

​I turned to Mother in complete disbelief. "Are you really going to let them do this?"

​She gave me a helpless look. "They’re both grown men, sweetheart."

​"Kings."

​"Yes."

​"Powerful supernatural kings!"

​"Yes."

​"And you’re letting them fight each other in the middle of your training ground?"

​Mother considered that for a second. "Technically, they volunteered."

​I stared at her, completely speechless, as she offered a tiny, amused smile.

​Kaden descended the platform steps, his heavy boots striking the wood, and Callum followed right behind him. The crowd immediately parted, opening a wide path toward the fighting circle.

​My heart started beating faster. Something about this didn’t feel like a friendly festival match anymore. Not after the way those two had been looking at each other all day, not after Callum had openly called Kaden his competitor, and definitely not after the tension at dinner.

​I pressed my lips together, worried.

​Kaden stepped into the circle and began rolling up his other sleeve. Callum entered from the opposite side, pulling his shirt over his head and handing it to one of the guards. The cheering around us reached a deafening roar.

​And then Kaden reached for the buttons of his own shirt.

​My eyes widened. Oh, for fuck’s sake.

​He pulled it off in one fluid motion, tossing it toward the edge of the ring. His dark tattoos stretched across his wide chest, broad shoulders, and sculpted arms, glistening faintly under the firelight.

​Several women in the crowd actually screamed.

​I rolled my eyes privately, but then realized I had been staring at his bare chest for far too long. I quickly looked away, heat rising to my cheeks.

​Callum stretched his shoulders and looked across the circle at Kaden. "Still time to change your mind, Alpha King."

​Kaden cracked his neck slowly, his expression settling back into that unreadable mask. "I was about to say the same thing to you."

​The trainer stepped nervously into the middle of the circle, looking between the two terrifying rulers.

​"This is friendly combat," the trainer reminded them, his voice trembling slightly. "No shifting. No claws. No dragon fire. No Alpha commands. No intention to seriously injure your opponent."

​Kaden and Callum just stared at each other. Neither answered.

​The trainer swallowed hard. "Understood?"

​"Understood," Callum finally said, a faint smirk lingering on his lips.

​Kaden nodded once, his eyes locked onto his opponent.

​The trainer quickly backed out of the ring. I leaned forward in my chair, gripping the armrests tightly. This was a terrible, completely terrible idea.

​And yet, I couldn’t look away.

​The trainer raised his hand. The crowd fell dead silent.

​Kaden lowered himself slightly into a fighting stance. Callum did the same.

​My pulse started racing in my chest as the trainer dropped his hand.

​"Begin."