Chapter 199: The Dance of Steps

The air between them thickened with quiet challenge. Around the field, the sounds of wooden blades clashing and trainees grunting faded into the background hum of Nightshade’s morning rhythm. Snow drifted lazily between shafts of sunlight, and Orion’s smirk deepened as the leather ball rolled once more beneath his boot.

Sophia folded her arms and tilted her head. "Are you going to cheat this time?"

Orion’s chuckle was low and brief, the kind that carried a spark of amusement and something else—something warm. "No cheating," he said, nudging the ball lightly with his foot.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I swear," Orion told her. "There will be no cheating this time. This game’s going to be a little different."

Her brows lifted, suspicion mingling with curiosity. "Different how?"

He gestured to the wooden sword still clutched in her hand. "Drop the weapon first."

Sophia blinked. "You’re telling me to drop my weapon?"

"Yes."

"But what if I need it to defend myself?" she asked him.

Orion blinked at her like he could not fathom what she just said. "Defend yourself against who?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "You and your wandering hands."

"Me?" Orion asked her in shock.

She nodded.

"I’m the last person you need to be protecting yourself against," he told her.

"Really? That’s debatable. My body still feels like it should have done better pushing you away," she told him.

Orion’s voice dropped lower, just so the conversation would stay between the both of them and so no one else could hear—because this pack was filled with gossips who tended to use their ears very well.

"You sure you need protection against me and not yourself? Because from what I recall, you were the one who went down on her knees for me... I just went with the flow," he told her.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Went with the flow, my ass. You didn’t even want it in the first place..."

"...no, I did. I just wanted you to be sure you wanted it..."

"...and you think that makes you sound so smart," she said with an eyeroll. "But for someone who was hesitant at the beginning, you threw all caution to the wind later."

Orion licked his lips, and Sophia’s eyes darkened as her gaze followed the motion. It was something simple—normally, it wouldn’t affect her—but this was Orion. Even him breathing affected her.

"What’s going through your head, shorty?" he asked her.

Sophia cleared her throat. "Let’s focus on what I’m here for and not on something that happened in the past, okay?"

Orion chuckled. "The past... that was just a few hours ago."

"Is it the past or not?" she asked him.

"And does it still affect you or not?" he retorted.

They stared at each other—Sophia with a glare and Orion with thinly veiled humor.

She broke the stare when she heard Garron instruct someone, telling them to start again.

"Do you think doing this is a good idea though?" she asked him.

"Training you specifically?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"No one will suspect we’re literally bound together. Besides, we attended the festival together, and everyone knows that if not for you, I would not be training them. So... to answer your question, it’s not a bad idea," he told her.

"But it’s also not a good one either," she said.

Orion smirked. "That is still to be known. Now, drop the weapon, shorty. You and I both know that wouldn’t even help you defend yourself against me."

Sophia’s lips twitched as she lowered the wooden weapon to the packed earth with a soft thud. Orion gave her a nod of approval.

"I like when you listen to instructions," he told her.

Her breath hitched, and he smiled, knowing he had achieved his aim.

He turned to the other trainees who were focused on their task, then back to her.

"Remember when I told you yesterday that when you played with the ball, it was like you were able to control your stamina—and that we were going to incorporate that footwork into fighting?" he asked her.

"Yeah?"

"That’s what we’re going to do now," he told her.

"So..." she said with scrunched-up brows. "...we’re going to have to play ball to get that?"

"You’d be surprised how many lessons hide in simple things," Orion said. "Before we begin, take note of this: don’t overthink. You need to move freely, stay alert. Let your feet flow and also put the anchor steps you learned into practice. Don’t stop moving, no matter what. Understood?"

Sophia nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

Orion smiled faintly. He tapped the ball with his foot, rolling it forward slightly before meeting her gaze. Just before she moved, he winked at her. "And also, get the ball from me."

The moment his words landed, she lunged.

Sophia’s movements were quick, impulsive—her body reacting before her mind could catch up. She darted to Orion’s left, anticipating a sidestep, but he moved faster, sliding out of reach with a graceful twist of his body. The ball vanished from her sight for a heartbeat, only to reappear spinning lightly between his feet again.

"Too slow," he murmured.

Sophia gritted her teeth. "You didn’t even give me a chance!"

"There’s always a chance on the battlefield, shorty. If you can’t find one, then make one—and be fast about using it."

She scowled and moved again, circling him this time. Her boots scuffed the ground, finding the rhythm of her breath as she feinted right, then left. But Orion read her easily, pivoting just enough to keep her off balance.

When she stretched too far to intercept the ball, her foot slipped on the dusty earth, and she almost fell face-first.

"Careful," Orion said, steadying her with a hand before she hit the ground. "If you were on the battlefield, that fall would’ve cost your life. The beasts around Nirvana would see that as surrender—and would see you as food, even though you aren’t that delicious."