Chapter 46 Public Display
ARYA
He shook his hand firmly. “That’s new. Usually he just broods and glares.”
“I don’t brood,” Ryker protested.
“You absolutely brood,” Sage, Luca, and I said simultaneously.
The look on Ryker’s face was priceless.
“I’ve been outnumbered,” he muttered.
“Get used to it,” Sage said cheerfully. “Now, where’s the training yard? I need to work off some travel tension.”
“I’ll show you,” Caspian offered, appearing from seemingly nowhere. His eyes were locked on Sage with undisguised interest. “I’m Caspian. The king’s Beta.”
“Of course you are.” Sage looked him up and down appreciatively. “Lycans always get the good genetics. It’s unfair.”
“We could spar,” Caspian suggested. “If you need to burn off energy.”
“Could you keep up?”
“Only one way to find out.”
The sexual tension between them was immediate and palpable. Ryker noticed it too, his expression darkening.
“Sage,” he said, his voice carrying a warning.
“What? I’m just being friendly.” But she moved closer to him, her hand finding his. The touch was casual but possessive. “Don’t worry, wolf. You’re the only one I’m interested in sparring with later.”
The promise in her voice made heat crawl up my neck.
“Come on,” I said quickly, trying to break the tension. “Let me show you to your rooms. You can get settled before training.”
As we walked inside, Sage whispered, “Is the Beta always this intense? Because I’m getting some serious predator vibes.”
“That’s just Caspian. He’s…” I searched for the right word. “Dedicated. To Luca, to the kingdom. He doesn’t really do casual.”
“Nobody who looks like that is harmless.” She grinned. “But I like a challenge.”
“You have a mate,” I reminded her gently, glancing back at where Ryker was deliberately not watching us walk away.
“Not officially. Ryker and I… we’re figuring things out.” She followed my gaze. “It’s complicated. He’s still processing his feelings for you.”
“He told me he moved on.”
“He’s trying to. But you don’t just stop loving someone because it’s inconvenient.” Sage’s amber eyes were knowing. “Give him time. He’ll get there. His wolf just needs to accept what his head already knows.”
“And you’re okay with that? Waiting while he sorts through his feelings for another woman?”
“I’m not waiting. I’m living my life. If he catches up, great. If not—” She shrugged, but I caught the flicker of hurt in her eyes. “—there are other wolves in the forest.”
Her casual attitude should have bothered me, but I sensed it was armor. This woman had been hurt before.
We reached the guest wing, and I showed her to a suite near Ryker’s room.
“Nice digs,” she said, tossing her bag on the bed. “Very different from the caves I’ve been sleeping in.”
“Caves?”
“When you’re running from your family, you take shelter where you can find it.” She began unpacking, revealing an arsenal of weapons. Knives, throwing stars, what looked like a small crossbow. “Your mate seems decent. Better than the usual power-hungry Alpha types.”
“He is. Most of the time.”
“Most of the time?”
“He’s also possessive, overprotective, and occasionally forgets that I can make my own decisions.” I smiled. “But he’s learning. Slowly.”
“They usually don’t learn. Props to you for training him.” Sage held up two knives. “Which one for sparring? The intimidating one or the really intimidating one?”
“How about neither? I think Caspian wants to spar hand-to-hand.”
“Even better. I like when they underestimate me.” Her grin was wicked. “Means the surprise is more fun.”
\-----
An hour later, half the estate had gathered at the training yard to watch Sage and Caspian spar.
I stood beside Luca, his arm around my waist, while Ryker paced nearby like a caged animal.
“She’s going to be fine,” I told him.
“I know. I’ve seen her fight. She’s…” He trailed off, searching for words. “She’s incredible. Fast, brutal, efficient. She doesn’t fight like a woman trying to prove herself. She fights like someone who knows exactly what she’s capable of.”
“You really care about her.”
“I’m trying not to.” He looked at me, and the conflict in his eyes was painful to see. “It feels like a betrayal. Of you. Of what I felt.”
“Ryker, it’s not a betrayal to move on. It’s healthy. It’s what you should do.” I touched his arm. “Let yourself feel this. Let yourself be happy.”
“What if I fuck it up? What if I’m not ready and I hurt her?”
“Then you fuck it up and you learn. That’s how life works.” I smiled. “But I don’t think you will. I think she’s exactly what you need. Someone who doesn’t need saving.”
His lips quirked. “She’d probably gut me if I tried to save her.”
“Probably. And you need that.”
In the ring, Sage and Caspian were circling each other.
“Ready, wolf?” Caspian asked, his stance relaxed but ready. There was something in his eyes—respect mixed with challenge.
“Born ready, Lycan.” Sage’s grin was feral. “Try to keep up.”
She moved first, a blur of speed and precision. Caspian blocked, but barely. Her next strike came immediately, then another, a rapid-fire combination that forced him backwards.
“Damn,” Luca muttered beside me. “She’s fast.”
“She’s trained,” I corrected, watching her form. Every movement was economical, purposeful. “Really trained. That’s not just natural ability. That’s years of dedicated practice.”
Caspian rallied, using his superior size and strength to gain ground. But Sage was slippery, ducking under his strikes, using his momentum against him. When she managed to sweep his legs and send him crashing to the mat, the crowd gasped.
Caspian hit hard, the impact echoing across the yard.
“Point to me,” Sage said cheerfully, offering him a hand up.
He took it, pulling himself up with a grin that held genuine appreciation. “Again.”
They went three more rounds. Sage won two, Caspian one. By the end, both were breathing hard, sweat gleaming on their skin, and laughing.
“You’re good,” Caspian admitted, and coming from him, it was high praise.
“I’m the best.” She wasn’t bragging, just stating fact. “But you’re not bad for a Lycan who’s probably been alive longer than my great-grandmother.”
“Careful. Some of us are sensitive about our age.”
“If you’re sensitive, you shouldn’t look thirty and move like a predator.” She glanced over at Ryker. “My wolf is looking possessive. Better go reassure him before he does something stupid.”
She jogged over, and Ryker immediately pulled her close, his nose buried in her neck. Scent-marking. Claiming. The gesture was pure wolf—instinctive and possessive.
She allowed it, her hand stroking down his back soothingly. “Jealous wolf,” she murmured, but loud enough for those nearby to hear.
“You were flirting with him.”
“I was being friendly. There’s a difference.”
“Looked like flirting to me.”
“Then kiss me and remind yourself who I came here for.” She grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to her level. Despite the height difference, there was no question who was in control. “Or are you going to keep pouting?”