CHAPTER 4

COMBAT

DAMON’S POV.

“Asher, that girl is my mate.”

I stormed into my dorm, pacing to the window to steady my breath. Asher, my beta, shot to his feet the moment I entered.

“Alpha, who is your mate? You just lost one—”

“The traitor,” I cut him off, my voice low and controlled though my fists trembled at my sides. “That tainted girl is my mate.”

His eyes widened. “Impossible.”

“The academy board cannot know. Not even my father can hear of this. No one must ever find out I am bound to a girl who destroyed her sister’s home.”

Asher nodded slowly. “Understood, Alpha. This secret dies in this room. But we need to act. We must find a way to erase her from your name.”

“Yes, we must. Otherwise she keeps reducing my worth and my chance to sit as King Alpha.”

I raised a hand to my face, fighting the storm inside me. My wolf snarled, restless, almost as if it wanted to protect her instead of erase her.

“Not only is she mine,” I ground out, “she is also my brother’s mate.”

Asher’s head jerked back, his eyes wide. “No. That cannot happen again.”

“It will never happen again,” I roared, pacing hard, my boots striking the floor. “The Moon Goddess may test me, but I refuse to share anything with Darius. Not power, not blood, and never a mate. Fate will not repeat itself. Over my dead body will I let it happen.”

“Tell me, Alpha,” Asher said, coming closer.

“What would you have me do? I will obey. My loyalty is to you.” He bared his fangs. I felt his wolf press against mine, fierce.

“Pin a murder on her,” I said, my voice cold and hard, eyes bloodshot. “Turn the entire academy against her. Let Nightowl exile her, not just from the academy but from packs across the seas. Do it by tomorrow night.”

Asher’s gaze sharpened. “Done, Alpha. Consider it done.”

***

I got to the combat training ground, and as usual, everyone was already waiting for me. The moment they saw me coming, they rushed to arrange themselves.

“The Alpha is here!” someone shouted as the others trembled and hurried into line.

They wore black coats, swords gripped tightly in their hands, ready for training.

“It’s combat time. And we all know the rules,” I said, my gaze sweeping through the crowd.

That was when my eyes caught her. She stood with her sword, holding it in the most careless way. The sight made me grit my teeth.

I hate to admit it, but she is the finest traitor I have ever seen. Her emerald eyes cut straight through me, her raven hair falling to her sides like silk. Her body stood proud, shaped like glass molded to perfection.

“You are wolves, and weakness is a disease,” I shouted, tearing my eyes from her to scan the crowd. They listened like their lives depended on my voice.

“No bloodshed. I repeat, bloodshed is forbidden during combat training.”

When my gaze fell back on her, I caught the slight hitch in her breath.

“Pair with your neighbors. Combat begins now.”

Everyone rushed to find a partner, but she remained still, standing alone like a lost pup.

I walked toward her slowly, my eyes never leaving hers.

“I want to believe you are not deaf,” I said.

She muttered under her breath, “I detest taking orders from you.”

Then louder, she added, “No one wants to pair with me.”

“I heard you,” I said coldly. “Then you are pairing with me.”

Gasps broke out across the crowd.

“She will bleed if she trains with him,” someone muttered, but her emerald eyes did not waver. Not a flicker of fear. She was good at hiding it, too good.

Her gaze swept the grounds, searching, and I knew who she was looking for. Darius. But he wasn’t here.

“Do not bleed, or you will be thrown into the dungeon!” My voice cut through the air. “Begin!”

She raised her sword, her hand trembling. I could hear the clash of steel around us as others began, but my eyes stayed on her.

I did not move. I wanted to see how she would come at me.

She stepped forward and swung, the strike sharp but unsteady. Her blade sliced through empty air as I shifted aside.

Again she came, harder this time, her breathing uneven. It was reckless, just like watching a rabbit try to fight a wolf. A smirk tugged at my lips.

I let her swing again and again, each strike missing me by inches, each one only feeding her anger. Her brows furrowed in frustration. I could feel my wolf fighting me maybe for teasing and it only made me happy. With a smile I swung my sword for the first time and it cut her arm.

My breath hitched, and I didn’t know why. A red light flared across the combat room, and everything stopped.

“Someone is bleeding!” a voice shouted. All eyes turned to her. For the first time, fear flickered in her emerald gaze.

“You were not meant to bleed,” I said, my face hard.

The academy soldiers stormed in, boots pounding as they marched to seize her.

Then Darius appeared, striding in from behind. He reached her first.

“Hey, mate,” he whispered, wiping the blood from her skin.

“I’ve got you,” he added with a quiet smile.

Heat surged through me, and I felt my eyes burn red before I forced myself to look away. The light blaring in the room died down. One by one, the soldiers lowered their guard and turned back.

“I won’t let you bleed in the next combat,” Darius promised, his voice steady, almost too sure.

“A traitor doesn't need a company from us Darius,”

My beta said his eyes shot red.

“Yes, she doesn’t need to be compensated,” another voice added.

“The rule says do not bleed, but here you are bending the rules,” Asher said.

I stood in silence, my eyes fixed on the chaos as the room erupted in arguments.

“You should go back to being Damon’s puppy, Asher,” Darius shot back, then gave me a hard look before leading her away at his side.

She turned just before leaving, her emerald eyes gleaming with defiance, a smirk tugging at her lips.

“Guess your brother’s better at first aid than you are at being Alpha.”