Andria’s POV
That was when I heard his voice, Tristan’s. Was he trying to use the mate’s telepathy? Well, well, that was a first.
"It is just a class session, don’t be too upset, mate," he teased
I looked up at the combat ring, and our eyes t; he smirked at .
He sure can’t read my mind, but he probably read my expression and decided to try the mate telepathy.
Tricia noticed that Tristan wasn’t paying attention to their team fight again, but was staring at a particular spot in the audience, and decided to follow his gaze until it landed on mine.
Her smile turned to a big frown, and she sized up with her eyes, then turned to Tristan, trying to call his attention back to the ring.
When she wasn’t getting his attention, she started to take on Aven and Liara alone until Aven noticed what was happening.
"Tristan, you have to focus on the practice; you may lose," Athena called out to him.
"You are paired with Zade, how sweet," his wolf retorted in a jealous tone.
"Well, I’m not Kaelric, nor am I a duel master. I didn’t make these things, so you have to concentrate or risk failing," I fired back.
Nice coback, he said before he turned to Tricia, and they both started fighting side by side again.
This ti, he let her touch him anywhere she wanted, hoping it would make jealous, and the funny thing is that it did make jealous.
Tricia turned to look at and shot a triggering smirk, and I felt like storming off the hall, but I will sit till the end of this class, as I have promised myself.
They were soon done with their turn, and then a few others, before I heard my na.
"Aria and Zade, versus Becca and Arlo," Kaelric called out, taking off my thoughts.
What an unfair advantage, but maybe they might win, given that they are a good team with a firm mate bond. I an, they were friends before becoming mates, and they had great chemistry.
I stepped out towards the combat ring, and soon the quiet hall beca noisy, with jeers, whispers, and gestures all pointed towards .
I suddenly recalled that dream, but I brushed it off; they can’t make nervous. Tracy’s spell effect is just blinding them.
Becca ca into the ring with Arlo. She wore a very confident look, even though she knew that she was likely to fail if she was just paired with .
"Rember the the isn’t just to win, but to work as a team," Zade whispered to as if my stance betrayed my thoughts.
"Quite unfortunate that I had to be paired up with you," I retorted. "But for the sake of good grades, let’s do this."
"Well, the tension in your eyes and on your body tells otherwise, but let’s do this," he said, cracking his knuckles.
I felt Kaelric’s gaze on , studying my every move, and that was very distracting.
The combat ring swallowed us whole. The crowd’s noise gradually subsided into a heavy silence, as their attention was locked on the combat ring, though I could still hear whispers piercing through the tension.
My palms grew damp, and the air felt tight against my skin. Beside , Zade stood tall and looked relaxed, like he had all the ti in the world. "What’s so relaxing about this situation?" I murmured to myself.
"I didn’t quite get what you just said, but I hope you let down your guard a little so that we can win this as a team, just like the the says," he teased, walking towards and taking so strands of hair from my face.
Becca and Arlo’s confidence in their teamwork was unnerving, not that they outwardly tried to rub it on , but by their stance, you can see they are a team. Besides, they were even friends before they were mates.
Their movents weren’t sharp or fast, but they had chemistry, and with the way they stood together, it looked as if they were ready to conquer the world together.
The mate bond between them was a thread I could almost see, an invisible tether that let them move as though they were reading each other’s thoughts.
Was I envious? No, after all, she is my friend. I’m just unlucky to be in a complicated situation with my mates.
Kaelric’s voice sliced through the heavy air. "Begin."
At once, Becca lunged forward. Arlo didn’t even need to call her na; he moved in sync with her, covering her weak spots.
Their strikes weren’t powerful, but together they flowed like water, steady, persistent and unrelenting. Arlo struck, and I dodged, and as I was about to stand, Becca imdiately advanced to deliver another blow, while Arlo switched with her to face Zade.
I read their movents; they wanted to take at least one opponent down, and they carried it out perfectly, although with weak punches that I could easily dodge.
Whenever I thought I could predict their next move, Becca would glance at Arlo, and suddenly they’d shift rhythm, catching off guard.
"Watch them," Zade muttered under his breath, circling beside . "This is what it ans to fight as a team"
I gritted my teeth. "I know what it ans. I just don’t trust you."
"You don’t have to trust with your life. Just with this fight," he replied, his smirk never leaving his lips. "Drop the pride, Aria. You’re holding yourself back, and we can’t work as a team like this."
I hated how calm he sounded, how certain he seed. anwhile, my mind was split in a thousand directions, Zade’s words digging at , Becca’s flawless teamwork with Arlo irritating , Kaelric’s eyes boring into my every move.
Arlo struck low, Becca struck high, and though I deflected Becca’s attack, Arlo’s swipe nearly caught off balance. Zade stepped in swiftly, blocking the strike before it landed. His wolf’s voice brushed against my consciousness, deep and commanding. "Bring down your walls, just this once."
I flinched. Not because of the words, but because I felt them inside , sliding through my barriers like smoke. I shoved the voice down, but Athena ignored .
"You traitor," I shunned Athena.
Kaelric’s footsteps echoed closer. Before I knew it, he was standing near the ring. He studied our movent for a while, his gaze fixed on . Then he stepped into the ring.
I thought he was about to stop the fight, just as he had the first ti, but instead, he stepped closer to and said in a low tone.
"You’re forgetting the major the. Work with your partner, or you fail this test."
A test? My head snapped up in disbelief. My breath caught. This wasn’t just practice. This wasn’t just a random class assignnt. It was a test. And I was about to fail.
I can’t afford to fail a test, let alone a combat practice test.
Heat flared through , not from embarrassnt this ti, but from urgency. Failing wasn’t an option. Not here. Not in front of him. Not in front of everyone, waiting for to crumble.
"Fine," I muttered under my breath, straightening my stance. "Just this one ti. For the grades."
I turned to Zade, locking eyes with him for the first ti since we entered the ring. His smirk widened, like he’d been waiting for this exact mont.
"Yeah, that’s more like it," he teased, his voice dripping with satisfaction.
"Scumbag," I rolled my eyes, though my pulse betrayed . "Don’t get excited. This is strictly for the grades."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart," he said, his aura rising, pressing against mine until it nearly fused with it.
This ti, when Becca lunged, I didn’t move alone. Zade shifted with , covering the angle I couldn’t. We struck together, forcing Arlo back a few paces.
Becca recovered quickly, but I was already reading her rhythm, syncing with Zade’s movents in a way I hadn’t thought possible. It wasn’t perfect, but it was sothing.
It reminded of old tis when we fought together, and it hurt. I swear, it hurts too much. This was more than I could handle. I felt like I was going to explode from the intense emotion, heightened by my hormones.
Every ti my instincts scread to block, Zade was already there. Every ti his hand swung wide, I filled the gap without even thinking. It wasn’t trust, it was necessity, I told myself. But necessity had a strange way of feeling natural.
Minutes blurred into motion, claws, strikes, dodges. The crowd’s noise faded, and all that mattered was matching Zade step for step. For the first ti, I wasn’t fighting against him, but with him.
And then, just like that, it was over. Kaelric’s voice cut across the hall. "Enough,"
The sound of his voice alone was enough to draw back to the unpleasant reality and mory of his betrayal, and the fact that he could do it again if he found out I was Andria, because soday he will if I give him the chance to be a part of my life.
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