Chapter 152 The Training Accident
Three days passed in Adrian's chambers. Three days where Lila wasn't allowed to leave. Three days of healing under Keal's careful supervision while Adrian hovered like a vengeful shadow.
Marcus had found the third warrior. The interrogation revealed nothing useful before the man died from his injuries. Either he'd been a pawn with no real knowledge, or he'd been too terrified to talk. Either way, the trail went cold.
On the fourth morning, Lila had finally had enough.
"I need to resume training." She stood before Adrian in his study, her wrist still splinted but healing. "Hiding in your chambers doesn't make me safer. It makes me weaker."
"You were attacked twice. Nearly killed both times." Adrian didn't look up from the reports on his desk. "Training can wait until we've eliminated the threat."
"We don't know when that will be. Weeks? Months?" Lila's voice turned firm. "I won't spend that time locked away like some fragile thing. I need to be able to defend myself. You know I'm right."
Adrian's jaw clenched. He did know. Hated it, but knew it.
"Fine. But modified training. Keal will supervise. Basic defensive forms only. No sparring. No contact drills." His eyes met hers, gold bleeding into gray. "And if you're injured again, training stops immediately. Non-negotiable."
"Agreed."
Which was how Lila found herself in the training yard the next morning, wooden practice staff in her good hand, facing Keal across packed earth.
Guards ringed the entire yard. Marcus stood at the entrance, arms crossed, watching. Adrian observed from a balcony above, his presence a constant weight.
"We'll start simple." Keal's voice was gentle, careful. "Basic blocking forms. Low impact. Your wrist needs to stay immobilized, so we'll focus on footwork and body positioning."
Lila nodded, taking her stance. The morning air was cold, frost crunching under her feet.
Keal moved through a slow demonstration. Block. Parry. Redirect. His movements were precise, controlled, designed to teach rather than challenge.
"Your turn. Mirror what I showed you."
Lila executed the sequence. Her body remembered despite the days of inactivity. The movements felt good, natural, right.
They worked through variations. Keal correcting her foot placement, adjusting her grip on the staff, showing her how to use her whole body instead of just her arms.
"Good. You're improving." Keal smiled slightly. "Your muscle memory is strong. Even after the break, your body knows what to do."
"I'm motivated." Lila blocked his demonstration strike. "Being attacked repeatedly tends to focus the mind."
"That it does." Keal increased his speed slightly. "Let's try a combination. I'll strike high, then low. You block both, then counter with—"
His staff swept toward her shoulder. Meant to tap lightly, give her something to react to.
But Lila's feet slipped on frost-slick ground. She turned wrong, moved into the strike instead of away from it.
The wooden staff connected with her temple.
The sound was sickening. Hollow. Final.
Lila's eyes rolled back. Her knees buckled.
"No!" Keal dropped his staff instantly, lunging forward to catch her before she hit the ground. "Lila! Moon Goddess, Lila, can you hear me?"
Her head lolled against his shoulder. Blood welled from a cut above her eye where the staff had split skin. Her body was completely limp.
"I need a healer!" Keal's voice cracked with panic. His hands shook as he supported her weight. "Someone get—"
Adrian appeared.
One second Keal held Lila. The next, she was violently ripped from his arms.
Adrian moved faster than human eyes could track. His hands were iron as he cradled Lila against his chest, his eyes blazing pure gold.
A growl rumbled from his throat. The sound made every warrior in the yard freeze.
"What did you do?" Each word came out as a snarl. "What did you do to her?"
"Your Majesty, it was an accident—" Keal backed away, hands raised. "She slipped on the ice and moved wrong—"
"You struck her." Adrian's voice dropped to something deadly. "You hit my mate. Made her bleed. Made her unconscious."
"I swear it wasn't intentional! We were drilling defensive forms and—"
Adrian lunged.
Marcus was there in an instant, his considerable strength barely enough to hold the King back. "Your Majesty! It was an accident! Look at him—he's terrified!"
"I don't care." Adrian's partial shift began. Bones cracking. Muscles bulging. Claws extending. "He hurt her. He made her bleed. He—"
"Adrian, stop!" Marcus's voice turned commanding. "She needs medical attention now. Not in five minutes after you've killed your Delta. Now."
The words penetrated Adrian's rage. His eyes dropped to Lila's pale face, the blood trickling down her temple.
Not moving. Not responding. Completely limp in his arms.
"She's not waking up." His voice cracked. "Marcus, she's not waking up."
"Because she needs treatment. Let Keal help her."
"Don't touch her." The words came out as a snarl directed at Keal. "You've done enough."
"Your Majesty, I'm the only healer here—"
"Then you follow us to your laboratory. But you don't touch her. You tell me what to do and I'll do it." Adrian's eyes blazed. "Because if you put your hands on her again, I will rip them off."
He turned and strode from the training yard, Lila cradled against his chest. Warriors scattered from his path like prey fleeing a predator.
Marcus caught Keal's arm as the Delta started to follow. "Give him a moment. Let him get her settled. Then we'll go."
"Marcus, she could have a concussion. A skull fracture. She needs immediate—"
"I know. But if you push him right now, he'll kill you. And then she definitely won't get the help she needs." Marcus's scarred face was grim. "The bond makes him insane when she's hurt. You know this."
"I know. But this was an accident. A pure accident. She slipped on ice!" Keal's voice held desperation. "How can he blame me for—"
"He's not thinking rationally. He's operating on pure Alpha instinct. Mate hurt equals eliminate threat. You're the threat in his mind right now, even though logic says otherwise."
They followed at a distance, reaching Keal's laboratory to find Adrian pacing like a caged wolf, Lila still unconscious in his arms.
"Tell me what to do." Adrian's voice was strained. "Tell me how to help her."
"You need to set her down so I can examine her properly—"
"Not happening. Examine her while I hold her or don't examine her at all."
Keal exchanged glances with Marcus, then nodded. "Fine. Tilt her head slightly to the left."
He talked Adrian through the examination. Checking her pupils. Testing her reflexes. Cleaning the head wound while Adrian held her with impossible gentleness.
"The cut isn't deep. Head wounds bleed heavily but this will heal clean." Keal kept his voice professional, clinical. "The unconsciousness is more concerning. Likely a concussion. She should wake within minutes, but—"
Lila groaned. Her eyes fluttered.
Adrian's entire body sagged with relief. "Lila. Can you hear me? Open your eyes."
"Adrian?" Her voice was slurred. "What... why does everything hurt?"
"Training accident. You hit your head. You've been unconscious." His hands trembled as he brushed hair from her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three. And I'm dizzy. And nauseous." Lila's eyes focused on Keal. "I'm sorry. I moved wrong. It wasn't your fault."
"Don't apologize to him." Adrian's voice went cold. "He should have been more careful. Should have seen the ice. Should have adjusted the drill."
"Adrian, that's not fair—"
"Fair?" Adrian's eyes flashed gold again. "You could have been killed. A few inches different and that staff cracks your skull instead of just cutting it. Tell me what's fair about that."
"It was an accident," Lila insisted, though her voice was weak. "A pure accident."
"Accidents don't happen to you anymore. Not on my watch." Adrian looked at Keal, his expression carved from ice. "You're dismissed from her training. Permanently. I'll handle it myself from now on."
"Your Majesty—"
"I said dismissed. Leave. Now. Before I forget you're my friend and act on instinct instead."
Keal bowed stiffly and left. Marcus followed him out, leaving Adrian alone with Lila.
"That was cruel," Lila said quietly. "He's devastated."
"He hurt you. Intention doesn't matter when the result is you bleeding and unconscious in my arms." Adrian's jaw clenched. "I can't watch you train with someone else. Can't trust anyone else to keep you safe. From now on, it's me or no one."
"Adrian—"
"No arguments. Not this time." His arms tightened carefully around her. "You're mine to protect. Mine to train. Mine to keep safe. And I won't delegate that responsibility again."
Lila was too exhausted and dizzy to argue. She let her head rest against his chest, listening to his racing heart.
"You're being irrational."
"Probably. But I don't care." Adrian stood, carrying her toward the door. "Let me be irrational where your safety is concerned. It's the only thing keeping me sane."
And Lila, despite knowing he was wrong, despite knowing Keal didn't deserve his rage, said nothing.
Because some battles weren't worth fighting when your head was pounding and the world kept spinning.