Chapter 100 She loves Keal
Lila walked toward the training grounds at dawn, her body tense with anticipation and dread. The morning mist clung to the ground, making everything look ghostly and unreal.
The sounds reached her first. Metal clashing the shouts of men, the rhythmic thud of bodies hitting training mats. As she rounded the corner, the full scope of the warrior training area came into view.
It was brutal.
Men fought in pairs with real weapons, their strikes fast and vicious. Others ran obstacle courses designed to break bones if you mistepped. Some lifted impossibly heavy stones, their faces twisted with exertion. Blood and sweat covered the training mats.
This wasn't exercise. This was preparation for war.
And in the center of it all stood Keal.
He moved through a weapons demonstration with fluid grace that made violence look like art. His sword cut through the air in patterns too fast to follow. His body shifted and flowed, every movement precise and economical. No wasted motion. No unnecessary flourishes. Just pure deadly efficiency.
Lila found herself frozen, watching. She'd seen him fight that night in the practice yard, but this was different. This was Keal at full intensity, demonstrating techniques to warriors who hung on his every word.
He spun, his blade singing, and brought it down in a strike that would have cleaved a man in half. The watching soldiers shouted approval.
Keal's muscles moved beneath his skin like coiled steel. His brown eyes were completely focused, seeing patterns and weaknesses that others would miss. Sweat gleamed on his bare chest despite the cold morning air.
He was terrifying and magnificent in equal measure.
Then Lila's nose twitched. A scent caught her attention, familiar and out of place. She inhaled deeper, letting her heightened senses analyze it.
Sydney.
Lila's head turned sharply. There, pressed against the wall at the edge of the training grounds, partially hidden by a stone pillar, was Sydney. The woman was watching the training with an intensity that had nothing to do with professional interest.
Her eyes were fixed on Keal. Her breathing was slightly faster than normal. Her hands gripped the stone pillar so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
And her scent. Lila could smell it clearly now despite the distance. Attraction, longing. The chemical signature of someone completely enamored.
Without thinking, Lila walked directly toward Sydney's hiding spot. Her feet made no sound on the dew-covered grass.
Sydney didn't notice her approach until Lila was standing right beside her. Then she jumped violently, her hand flying to her chest in shock.
"Lady Lila!" Her voice came out strangled. "What are you—how did you—"
Sydney's mind raced with panic. She'd covered her scent using herbs and oils specifically designed to mask wolf presence. It was a technique used by scouts to avoid detection. For Lila to pick up her scent through that kind of concealment required tracking skills that should have been completely beyond her abilities.
"Why are you hiding?" Lila asked simply, her head tilted in curiosity.
"I'm not hiding." Sydney straightened quickly, trying to adopt her usual professional demeanor. "I'm simply observing the training grounds as part of my duties. The head servant must ensure all areas of the palace are properly maintained."
"By hiding behind a pillar?" Lila's tone wasn't accusatory, just genuinely confused.
Sydney opened her mouth to craft a better lie, but before she could speak, a voice cut through the morning air like a blade.
"You're late. And apparently relaxed enough to chat instead of report immediately."
Both women turned sharply. Keal stood ten paces away, his expression hard and unreadable. His sword was still in his hand, blood from the training dummy dripping from its edge.
"Do you not understand the gravity of the punishment you're facing?" His voice was harsh, commanding, carrying the weight of absolute authority. "This isn't a social gathering. This is your execution ground. The only question is how long you'll survive before it claims you."
Lila felt the intimidation radiating from him like heat from a forge. Every instinct screamed at her to lower her head, bow in submission, acknowledge his superior rank and power.
But she couldn't make herself do it. Her neck remained straight. Her eyes met his without flinching. Some stubborn part of her refused to bend even when every logical thought told her she should.
Beside her, Sydney's entire body went rigid. Lila could smell the sudden spike in her scent. Not fear, though there was some of that. Something deeper. More visceral.
Sydney was staring at Keal with an expression that made Lila's chest ache with secondhand longing. Her eyes traced every line of his face, his body, as if trying to memorize details she'd never dare look at directly under normal circumstances.
Her breathing had gone shallow. Her pupils were dilated. Her hands trembled slightly where they gripped her apron.
She was completely, desperately attracted to him.
And Keal didn't even glance at her. His entire focus remained locked on Lila, waiting for her response to his command. Sydney might as well have been invisible.
A flicker of sadness crossed Sydney's face so quickly Lila almost missed it. The woman's shoulders dropped slightly. Her eyes lowered. In that moment, she looked utterly defeated.
Lila understood with sudden clarity. Sydney was madly in love with Keal. And Keal was too focused, too disciplined, too wrapped up in his duties and his hunt for truth to notice the woman who watched him with such desperate longing.
The unfairness of it sparked something reckless in Lila.
"I need a female medic assigned to my training," she said clearly, her voice carrying across the training ground. "In case I fall or sustain injuries that require immediate treatment. At least before I die, I should have proper medical care. And Sydney is the best qualified person I know."
The words fell into stunned silence.
Keal's eyes widened fractionally. It was the most shock she'd seen him display.
Sydney's head snapped up, her expression a mixture of horror and disbelief. "Lady Lila, that's not—I'm not a trained medic, I just—"
"You treated my wounds after the punishment." Lila kept her voice firm. "You knew exactly what to do. You have medical training even if it's not your official role."
It was true. Sydney had studied healing arts before becoming a servant, though she rarely mentioned it. But that wasn't why Lila was making this demand.