Chapter 137 The Accidental Cut
Three days of personal training had pushed Lila to her limits and beyond. Each session, Adrian drove her harder. Each evening, her body collapsed into exhausted sleep. But progress came with the pain. Her defensive instincts sharpened. Her movements grew more fluid. Warriors who'd mocked her weeks ago now watched with grudging respect.
Tonight's session focused on weapons. Adrian had armed her with a practice sword, lighter than standard but still substantial. They'd been drilling combination attacks for over an hour, Lila's arms burning with fatigue.
"Again." Adrian's voice cut through her exhaustion. "The sequence. Full speed this time."
Lila raised her sword. Her grip was slick with sweat, her shoulders screaming protest. But she launched into the attack pattern. Strike. Feint. Pivot. Counter.
Adrian met each movement, his own blade singing through the air. They moved together like dancers, the deadly choreography becoming familiar.
Then Lila's foot slipped on frost-slick ground.
Her balance shifted. Her sword angled wrong. Instead of blocking Adrian's counter-strike, she moved directly into it.
The blade bit into her shoulder. Not deep, the practice edge wasn't sharp enough for serious damage. But blood bloomed immediate and bright against her dress, a spreading crimson stain.
Adrian froze.
Complete and absolute stillness. His sword dropped from his hand, clattering on frozen earth. His eyes fixed on her shoulder where blood welled and trickled down her arm.
His pupils dilated. Gold flooded his irises completely. A low sound rumbled from his chest, something between growl and whimper.
"Your Majesty?" Lila pressed her hand to the wound. It stung but wasn't serious. "I'm alright. It's just a scratch."
Adrian didn't respond. Didn't blink. His entire focus concentrated on the blood seeping between her fingers.
The warriors training nearby stopped to watch. Marcus stepped forward, concerned. "Your Majesty?"
"Everyone out." Adrian's voice was rough, barely controlled. "Now. Leave the yard. All of you."
"But—"
"OUT!" The word came out as a snarl. Gold eyes swept the yard, promising violence to anyone who disobeyed.
Warriors scattered. They grabbed weapons and equipment, fleeing with the urgency of prey sensing a predator. Marcus herded them away, casting worried glances back at Adrian's rigid form.
Within seconds, the yard was empty. Just Adrian and Lila remained in the gathering dusk.
Lila's heart pounded. "Adrian, it's not that bad. I've had worse training injuries."
He moved then. Three steps brought him directly in front of her. His hands gripped her arms, not roughly but with desperate intensity. His eyes tracked the blood trail down her shoulder, over her collarbone, staining her dress.
"I hurt you." The words came out broken. "I drew your blood."
"It was an accident. I slipped."
"I should have been more careful. Should have seen you were exhausted. Should have ended training before—" His voice cracked. His hand rose toward the wound but stopped, trembling in the air between them. "I swore I'd protect you. And I cut you instead."
"Adrian." Lila caught his shaking hand in hers. "Look at me. It's just a scratch. I'm fine."
But he wasn't listening. Something primal had taken over. His breathing came fast and shallow. His fingers touched her shoulder gently, tracing around the wound without touching it directly.
"Your blood." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I can smell it. Feel it calling to me. The bond is screaming that you're hurt and I caused it and I need to—" He stopped himself, jaw clenching with effort.
"Need to what?"
"Claim you. Mark you. Make certain everyone knows you're mine so no one ever hurts you again. Including me." His eyes met hers, desperate and wild. "The wolf doesn't understand restraint. Doesn't understand why I can't just take what's mine. It only knows you're bleeding and I'm responsible and the instinct to claim is overwhelming."
Lila's breath caught. She'd never seen him like this. Raw. Unguarded. The careful control he maintained constantly stripped away by the sight of her blood.
"We need to clean this." Adrian's hands were still shaking as he pulled her toward the armory. "Treat it properly before infection sets in."
Inside the small building, he sat her on a bench and retrieved a medical kit from a shelf. His movements were efficient but his hands trembled as he opened bandages and antiseptic.
"Let me see."
Lila pulled her dress aside, exposing the injury. The bleeding had slowed but the cut was visible, maybe two inches long across her shoulder.
Adrian's breath hissed through his teeth. He poured antiseptic on a clean cloth, his face twisting as if the injury hurt him more than it hurt her.
"This will sting."
The cloth touched her shoulder. Lila bit her lip against the burn but stayed still. Adrian cleaned the wound with meticulous care, his hands steadier now that he had a task to focus on.
"I'm sorry." He said it so quietly she almost missed it. "For this. For all the other injuries I've caused you. For every cruel word and harsh punishment. For failing to protect you when protection was all you needed."
"Adrian, what happened to us?" Lila watched his face as he worked. "I remember fragments. The cathedral. The bond. Three years of watching you with Celeste. But after she died, everything goes foggy. I can't remember what forced us apart."
His hands stilled on her shoulder. "The rejection ritual."
"Tell me about it. Please. I need to understand."
Adrian resumed bandaging, his movements automatic while his voice went distant. "Three days after Celeste died, the council summoned us. You and me. They said the bond was unnatural. An abomination. That the Moon Goddess couldn't possibly have intended for me to be mated to my dead wife's sister. They claimed it was a curse, not a blessing."
"But that's not true. Mate bonds are sacred."
"I said that. Argued it. Fought them." Adrian's voice hardened. "But they had a diviner. Freya. She performed tests and declared the bond was tainted by Celeste's death. That continuing it would bring disaster to the kingdom. Plague. Famine. The death of innocents."