Chapter 30 – Defying Derek Wolfe the Lycan King

He studied her for a long second, his expression as unreadable as ever. “You seem to keep forgetting we’re supposed to be playing a convincing couple in front of the entire pack.”

‘And you seem to have forgotten that you were practically cuddling with your mistress in the kitchen last night. What would the pack say seeing her all draped over you?’ she wanted to snap. But she swallowed the words, refusing to sound jealous. She wasn’t.

Derek pulled a sleek black card from his pocket and set it beside the clothes. “This is limitless. Use it for whatever you want. I will see you in ten.”

He turned to leave, then paused in the doorway and looked back at her. “From today onwards, we will leave in the same vehicle.”

Kira rolled her eyes but said nothing.

He didn’t react to that, “And we should text each other during the day when we are not together. And for goddess’ sake, put some more effort into the acting.”

“I’m not pretending for another second until you tell me why I’m supposed to sell this lie to everyone.”

He glared at her, but she didn’t flinch.

“I’m rubbish at faking things,” she continued. “If I have to do this, I need to know why. As far as I’m concerned, this marriage was forced on me, and I’m not going to skip around pretending I’m thrilled about it.”

His jaw flexed. “Fine,” he growled. “Listen closely, because I’m only saying this once. My throne is on the line here. I’m required to be married to claim it fully at the coronation. Happy now?”

“Is that why you picked a werewolf? Don’t you care about finding your soulmate?”

“Lycans don’t recognise their mates instantly the way your kind do.”

She frowned. “What does that even mean?”

She had never heard this before. Lycan lore had never interested her much. “So you’re wired like humans, then?”

Derek shook his head, his posture relaxing slightly. “We have soulbonds. We don’t feel it at first sight, but if two Lycans feel a connection, they can either test the bond during the Red Moon ceremony or try marking each other. If their souls bind, they’re mates.”

“And if they don’t?”

Derek’s expression shifted, as if he had said too much. “Then they either stay together if they are in love or part ways until they find the real bond. Now, get ready and get downstairs.”

Without another word or glance back, he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving her standing there with half an explanation and a sudden, sharp curiosity burning in her chest. She scowled.

“Why start an explanation you had no intention of finishing?”

A few minutes later, Connor escorted Kira to the outdoor gym. The moment she stepped through the wide entrance, her heart started hammering against her ribs. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and iron. Mighty Lycans were everywhere, some sparring on the mat and others lifting massive weights that looked heavy enough to crush a car. Even the females were built like warriors.

Kira stood at the entrance for a few moments, watching them train. She scanned the space, searching for Derek, but there was no sign of him. Instead, her gaze landed on Declan, Derek’s beta, near the barbell rack. He was surrounded by a handful of gammas, all taking turns lifting bars loaded so heavy they made her own arms feel like twigs.

Declan’s eyes flicked to her immediately, that same suspicious stare he always carried locking on like a spotlight. She made a mental note to confront him about it soon. She tore her gaze away with a scowl and found Ruby instead, huddled with a group of women in the far corner, already sparring. Her stomach did a nervous flip; she had no prior training.

As she walked deeper into the gym, heads began to turn. The clanking of metal and the grunts of exertion slowly faded until the entire space fell into a heavy hush. Kira ignored the side-eyes and the suffocating silence, keeping her chin up as she marched forward.

“Your Highness,” Connor whispered beside her. “I’ll hand you over to the female instructor now. I need to join the guys over there.”

Kira wanted to ask where Derek was, but she forced a light smile onto her face instead-even though her stomach was churning and she was fighting to keep her hands from trembling. She nodded at him. Connor guided her toward the corner where Ruby and the other women had paused their sparring. Every single one of them turned and fixed their eyes on Kira as she approached. She felt like a specimen under glass, dissected inch by inch, but she kept walking, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her flinch.

“Ladies,” Connor said with an easy smile. The women answered in unison, offering him flirtatious grins. He motioned to one of them. “Sasha, I’ve brought the queen to train. Please take care of her.”

Sasha stepped forward, giving Kira a slow, once-over before turning to Connor with a bright smile. “Of course, Connor. She is the queen of Dravengard after all.”

Kira caught the stifled laughter behind Sasha’s back, the quick whispers hidden behind palms. None of them dared say it out loud, though. Connor nodded at the group, then turned to Kira.

“Your Highness. I’ll leave you ladies, now. Call me when you need me.”

Kira sucked in a sharp breath, forced another bright smile, and nodded. “Of course.”

Connor gave her a small, encouraging smile and a curt nod before heading toward the men. She watched him walk away, and noticed Declan glance over once before dragging his attention back to his weights. Spinning back to the women, she saw them all watching her coolly. She catalogued them quickly-young, mostly single, a couple of years older than her at most, and clearly Ruby’s loyal circle. But she wasn’t here to fight for a spot in their hierarchy. She was here to train.

She flashed them a dazzling smile. “Hi, everyone. Let’s work out together.”

They all scoffed in unison and turned back to whatever they had been doing before she arrived, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the corner. Kira glanced around at the equipment the other pack members were using: machines, ropes, heavy bags, but she didn’t have a clue where to start. As she turned back toward the sparring women, a pair of boxing gloves sailed through the air straight at her face. She caught them instinctively before they could hit her and stared blankly at Sasha, who had thrown them with casual force.

The instructor walked up to her, fixing her with a hard glare. “In this gym, you’re no queen, and you won’t enjoy any queen privileges. This is a place for raw strength, not titles. Understood?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Good. Put those on and show me what your punch looks like. I need to see your strength levels.”

Kira finished lacing the gloves just as Ruby stepped away from her sparring partner. “Why doesn’t the queen show us her sparring skills?” Ruby called, voice loud enough to carry. “I heard werewolves are more primal when they fight.”

Kira shook her head and opened her mouth to admit she had no fighting experience, but Ruby cut her off.

“I’ll spar with her first,” Ruby announced. The other girls immediately began to cheer and whistle.

Kira stood frozen, staring at Ruby. Was this normal, or was it a blatant trap to humiliate her? When she didn’t answer, Ruby’s eyebrow arched.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness? Scared to spar a subject?” Ruby scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not like it’s a duel. We’re just training.”

“Yeah,” Sasha added. “It’s a friendly spar. I’m sure werewolves do it too, so it’s not new to you. You know how this works, don’t you?”

Kira stayed silent.

“Are you by any chance scared of me?” Ruby asked in a soft, mocking voice.

Kira chuckled then. “Why should I be scared of you? Do you consider yourself a monster? I’m only scared of monsters.”

Ruby’s smugness flickered for a heartbeat, then she smiled again. “Of course not. Now, let’s get started.”

Before Kira could blink, Ruby rushed forward, grabbed her around the waist, lifted her clean off the floor, and slammed her down onto the mat. The impact jarred through Kira’s spine; she thought her tailbone might have cracked. Cheers exploded from the girls, clapping and shouting Ruby’s name. Kira sat on the ground, glaring up at Ruby, who wore a twisted, satisfied smile.

“Come on, Your Highness!” Ruby mocked. “Is that the best you can do?”

The sudden roar of cheers from the girls drew eyes from the other side of the gym. A few men, including Declan, turned to look. He dropped the barbell with a heavy clang and folded his arms across his chest, watching them with a deep frown.

Kira pushed herself to her feet, her pride stinging worse than her back. She was ready to challenge Ruby, no matter how badly it hurt. She wasn’t going to let her get away with this humiliation. She raised her gloved hands in a shaky fighting stance, glaring into Ruby’s eyes. Ruby charged again. This time Kira braced herself, steadying her stance. It didn’t matter. Ruby still overpowered her in seconds, landing a sharp swipe across Kira’s face that spun her vision. She staggered, then landed hard on her backside.

Kira had never sparred before, but she knew those hits weren’t friendly. The bitch was making a statement. By now a small crowd had drifted over from their stations, watching the “friendly” spar. Kira caught movement at the edge of the mat; Derek and Kai walking in. They stopped like everyone else, eyes on the scene.

She felt small under all their gazes. Her instincts told her to run, to get out of the gym and hide. But running would only give Ruby the satisfaction she craved, and Kira refused to hand it over. She wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her flee. They could break her body, but they would never break her will. She charged at Ruby again.

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