Chapter 218: Get Some Rest

Even with Micah and Nia’s words echoing in her head, Sophia still couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not when the other trainees were still working.

The cleaning moved in easy rhythm. There was chatter everywhere as the trainees polished the weapons and wiped the sweat from their brows. The air smelled faintly of oil and metal — the scent of effort and shared purpose.

Sophia reached for a sword to polish when Dren plucked it neatly out of her hand and leveled a fierce stare at her.

"What?" she asked, arching a brow.

"What are you still doing here?" His tone was sharp, but there was no malice — only the authority of someone who’d seen her push herself too far.

"I’m trying to help."

"The only thing I can see you doing," Nia called from a few feet away, "is yawning like you’re about to swallow the whole training ground."

Sophia frowned. "I yawned once."

"It’s been like three times now," Micah corrected mildly. "And all in the span of one minute."

Nia crossed her arms. "Get some rest, Sophia. Even Alpha Orion pointed out how exhausted you are."

"And also," Dren added, "you’re our winner. You shouldn’t be suffering with us. If not for you, we wouldn’t even have the hope of trying for the test next week."

Sophia opened her mouth to argue, but another trainee walking past chimed in, agreeing with Dren.

"Let us weak ones do all the suffering. Go get some rest."

Sophia hesitated. For a moment she looked as if she might stay — that stubborn sense of duty flickering in her chest — but the growing chorus around her left her little choice.

"You’ve been training nonstop, and it’s finally showing. Go get some rest," someone else called out.

"I never said I wasn’t going to rest," she protested, though her voice softened. "I just wanted to do the work with you guys first."

"We can handle it ourselves," Dren said, giving her shoulder a gentle push. "Go and get some rest."

She hesitated one last time, then sighed. "Okay... I’ll go."

She didn’t move.

"Okay," Laia said, amusement curling her voice. "Go."

Sophia nodded, finally turning away. The group watched her leave — her steps slow, shoulders drooping with exhaustion. No one stopped her this time; they all knew she needed the break. When she finally left, the group collectively released a breath, half relief, half laughter. Convincing Sophia to stop working felt like winning a battle on its own.

As the clatter of weapons resumed, Nia glanced at Micah, a mischievous smile forming. "You know, Micah, you’re not exactly subtle about how you feel toward Sophia."

That single sentence froze the group mid-motion. Heads turned. Eyes widened. The promise of gossip hung thick in the air.

Micah blinked, his expression torn between confusion and panic. "I have no idea what you’re talking about," he muttered, but the faint blush creeping up his neck betrayed him.

Laia folded her arms and pointed a teasing finger. "Oh, please. You can’t lie to us. We all see it — your eyes always find her. Stop pretending you don’t notice yourself."

Joren frowned. "What have we all noticed?" he asked, clearly behind in the conversation.

"Um... that Micah likes Sophia?" Laia offered.

Joren’s eyes went wide. "You like Sop—!"

Dren lunged and clamped a hand over the boy’s mouth before the words could echo across the training field. "It’s a secret," he hissed.

Joren nodded rapidly until Dren released him. Then he whispered, "You like Sophia?"

Micah didn’t even have the chance to answer before Nia said, "Yes, he does."

Joren looked between them all, indignant. "And you all knew?"

They nodded.

"How come I didn’t notice anything?" he muttered.

"You don’t notice a lot," Laia teased. "Unless it involves Orion. You’re useful that way, at least."

Laughter rippled through their little group. Micah groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You’re all imagining things."

"Nah, don’t even try it," Laia said. "You don’t open up to people easily, Micah. But with her? You talk, you listen — you even smile sometimes."

"Let’s not forget that he’s always trying to be wherever she is," Dren added, smirking. "I started as her partner, but now Micah’s always in my spot."

"That’s not—"

"Alpha Orion doesn’t like lies, Micah," Joren said solemnly, which sent another round of laughter through the group.

Cat, who had been quietly cleaning a blade, finally spoke, her tone cutting through the teasing like a knife. "Do you honestly think you have a chance?" she asked, her gaze level. "And what about Alpha Orion? There’s something going on between him and Sophia."

Dren rolled his eyes dramatically. "Cat, please. Alpha Orion and Sophia are just friends. He only spends time with her because he’s watching over her — especially since she’s suffering from that weird brain thing."

"Amnesia," Micah corrected.

"Yeah, that."

Cat didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue either. Dren wasn’t wrong about her track record — she was wrong ninety percent of the time, and she wasn’t eager to make a fool of herself again.

"I’ll put in a good word for you," Laia said to Micah with a grin.

Micah’s ears went pink. "Don’t you dare."

Their laughter carried lightly across the training ground, the sound of camaraderie echoing in the fading daylight.

---

Meanwhile, Sophia’s footsteps were soft against the stone path as she made her way home. Fatigue settled in her bones like lead. Every muscle ached. Still, her thoughts drifted toward Orion.

He had vanished halfway through cleanup — one moment there, the next gone, as if the shadows themselves had swallowed him. Typical, she thought. He always had some Alpha duty pulling him away.

But when she reached her door, something warm and familiar curled in her chest. That faint sense of calm she always felt when he was near — like the quiet after a storm — whispered through her veins.

She opened the door quietly. The scent of something herbal and sweet hit her first — steam, warmth, and the faint tang of burning wood.

Orion was inside.

He knelt beside a small iron kettle, steam curling up in silver ribbons as he stirred. Beside him sat a wooden tub, the kind used for baths, already filled with steaming water. The firelight painted his face in soft gold and shadow.

He looked up the instant the door clicked shut behind her. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just the two of them — no pack, no rules, no duty.

"You’re late," he said, his voice low and threaded with a smile. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Sophia blinked. "How did you get in here before me — and with enough time to boil water?"

"I have my ways."

"That’s just code for you’re not going to tell me."

"You know me so well, shorty."

"But you’re going to get caught one day. Someone’s going to notice you sneaking in and out like this," she said, gesturing between them. "Remember, this is supposed to be a secret?"

He only grinned. "I’m discreet. No one gets information from me unless I want them to."

"But they might suspect," she pressed.

"They already suspect," he corrected with a faint smirk.

Sophia sighed, then yawned — a long, slow yawn that made her eyes water.

"Take off your clothes, shorty," Orion said casually, "and get in the bath."

"Who said I wanted a bath?" she countered, crossing her arms.

"You want to sleep in your filthy clothes? Be my guest," he replied. "I like you when you’re filthy too."

She rolled her eyes. "Is everything that comes out of your mouth going to be a dirty joke?"

"Who said it was a joke?"

Sophia blinked at him. His grin only widened.

"Strip, shorty. Let me take care of you."

"Wow," she muttered, rolling her eyes again. "What a romantic."

"If you keep rolling your eyes," he said, smirking, "one day they’ll get stuck that way."

Sophia lifted a middle finger in his direction before pulling off her shirt.

Orion chuckled, removing his cloak and loosening his tunic as she slipped into the warm water. The heat enveloped her, easing the tightness from her shoulders, drawing a sigh from deep within her chest.

"You can be quiet romantic when you want to be," she murmured.

"I am romantic," he replied softly. "I just reserve it for you."

Sophia turned her head toward him, the steam making the world hazy and soft. "That so?"

He nodded once, the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. "That’s so."

For a moment, silence filled the room — not heavy, but easy. Outside, everyone moved about their day but inside her home, there was only silence except for her soft sighs.

She had thought it was just going to be a simple bath but then Orion moved his hands to her shoulders, massaging her muscles as he rubbed soap against her skin.

Maybe it was because of Orion—okay, it was because of Orion but the first time in a while, Sophia slipped into a blissful sleep.