Chapter 82 Chapter 82

Chapter 82 Chapter 82
E L A R A

Hunter stepped closer to the table, bracing one hand against its edge. “I’ve worked as a hunter for years,” he said quietly. “Long before I ever wore this armor. You learn to recognize patterns. The way prey is driven. The way a trap is laid.”

A chill slid down my spine.

“And this feels like a trap?” I asked.

He met my eyes fully now. “Yes. The movements don’t make sense for a simple raid. They’re too deliberate. Too scattered to be random, but too coordinated to be careless.”

I swallowed. “So what are you saying?”

“I suspect Alric himself is close by,” Hunter said.

I didn’t realize I was already on my feet until the chair scraped softly against the stone floor behind me.

“Close by?” I echoed, the word barely more than a breath. “What do you mean, close by?”

Hunter straightened, his full attention on me now. “Close enough to be directing this himself,” he said. “Not from a distant stronghold. Not through messengers alone.”

My pulse thudded in my ears.

He went on, his voice steady but grave. “The orders Kane gave me before he left were clear. My priority is you. And Luca. No matter what happens at the border.”

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

“If my suspicion is right,” Hunter continued, “then there’s a real possibility I may have to move you and Luca out of the keep if Kane isn’t back in time.”

The word hit me like a blow.

Move.

My heart began to race, each beat sharp and frantic.

Move… as in flee.

As in run.

Images flashed through my mind without permission, dark forests, hurried departures, Luca clutched to my chest while danger closed in behind us.

On the run.

While Alric chased.

“No,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “Kane would never...”

Hunter’s gaze softened, but his resolve didn’t waver. “Kane would want you alive. Both of you. Even if it meant retreat. Even if it meant you were angry with him for it.”

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing. “And if Alric finds us while we’re moving?”

Hunter stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Then I make sure he doesn’t get near you.”

I dragged a hand through my hair, my fingers catching in loose strands as I turned away, trying to breathe past the tightness in my chest.

Everything felt like it was moving too fast.

Running. Hiding. Making plans for a future that didn’t include stone walls and guarded gates.

I turned back to him, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “So what happens in the meantime?” I asked. “While you’re waiting for more information. While Kane is still out there.”

Hunter was silent for a moment, studying me with that same assessing gaze he used on battlefields and border paths.

“In the meantime,” he said finally, “I think it’s best we improve your skills.”

I frowned. “My… skills?” I repeated, genuinely puzzled.

“Yes,” he said. “Your awareness. Your reaction time. Your ability to defend yourself if you have to.”

I stared at him. “Defend myself how, exactly?”

His answer was immediate.

“You’ll be joining us on the training ground.”

My eyes widened.

“The training ground?” I echoed. “Hunter, I’m not a warrior.”

“No,” he agreed calmly. “But you are a target.”

The words landed harder than I expected.

“I won’t turn you into a fighter overnight,” he continued. “But I can teach you how to move. How to read a threat. How to buy yourself time if someone gets too close.”

I let out a short, disbelieving breath.

“This is ridiculous,” I said, the words coming out sharper than I meant.

Even as I said them, my thoughts spiraled.

I wouldn’t last a day on the training ground.

I’d seen the warriors train, bruises, exhaustion, bodies pushed to their limits. I was barely settled into my role, still learning what it meant to be Luna. A Luna on the training ground was unheard of. Whispers would spread. Doubts would grow.

They would say I didn’t belong.

They would say Kane’s mate was weak.

I shook my head. “I was just made Luna, Hunter. I’m not supposed to be out there sparring like a recruit. It will look… wrong. It will undermine me.”

Hunter’s expression hardened, not in anger, but in something far more unyielding.

“Ridiculous,” he said quietly, “would be you getting killed.”

The words hit me like a slap.

“Ridiculous would be getting your son killed,” he went on, his voice low and fierce. “Ridiculous would be you having the ability to protect yourself, even a little and choosing not to.”

My breath caught.

“That’s not fair,” I whispered.

“It’s reality,” Hunter replied. “Alric won’t care that you’re Luna. He won’t care about titles or customs. He will see leverage. He will see weakness if you give it to him.”

I turned away, blinking fast.

“I’m not weak,” I said, more to myself than to him.

“I know,” Hunter said immediately. “That’s exactly why you should train.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, staring at the stone wall as if it might give me answers. “You don’t understand,” I said softly. “Everything I do now… it reflects on Kane. On the pack. If they see me fall, if they see me fail...”

“They’ll see you trying,” Hunter cut in. “They’ll see a Luna who refuses to be helpless.”

I looked back at him slowly.

“And if I fall?” I asked.

“Then you get back up,” he said simply. “Like everyone else.”

There was no judgment in his tone. No condescension.

Only belief.

Silence stretched between us.

My heart pounded, torn between fear and something else, something that felt dangerously close to resolve.

“For Luca,” I said finally, my voice barely steady.

Hunter nodded. “For Luca. For you.”

I swallowed hard exhaling slowly. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll train.”

Hunter inclined his head slightly, a warrior’s acknowledgment.

“You won’t regret it,” he said.

I wasn’t sure if that was true.

But as fear and duty warred inside me, one thing became painfully clear.

If Alric was hunting...

Then I could no longer afford to be only a Luna in name.

I had to become something more.