Chapter 273: After the Dust of Training

The training grounds were never truly quiet, even when training ended. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The clang of metal and the sharp breaths of exertion faded, yes—but they always left something behind.

Heat clinging to the air. Sweat soaked into the earth as snow fell softly. A tension between people who had just spent hours pushing their limits and were now about to return to the rest of their days.

Dren rolled his shoulders, trying to stretch out the stiffness in his muscles as he met up with his other friends.

Cat plopped onto a low stone beside him, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

"I told you," she said, voice smug.

Dren didn’t answer immediately.

"I told you," she repeated, louder this time, nudging his arm with her elbow. "And you said I was always wrong."

"Even you know you are always wrong when it comes to things like this," Dren told her.

She rolled her eyes in reply. "But this wasn’t one of those situations. I heard what my mum and the others said, and I was right after all."

Dren winced then because he hated to admit it, but Cat was right... after all.

"I was right, and you were wrong!" she sang smugly.

"You don’t have to announce it like that," he muttered.

"Oh, I do," Cat replied sweetly. "Because I’m hardly ever right when it comes to things like this."

"You’re enjoying this too much," Laia said, tilting her head toward Cat.

"Obviously," Cat smirked.

Dren’s eyes slid toward the others. "But you three..." he pointed vaguely at Laia, Nia, and Joren. "You’re not even shocked at the news spreading round the pack?"

Laia didn’t respond.

She simply turned her head slowly... and pointed at Joren.

Nia did the same.

Joren, who had been tying his wrist wraps, paused and blinked. "What’s wrong? Why are you guys pointing at me?"

Laia sighed. "He’s the one who opened our eyes."

"How?" Dren asked Joren.

Joren rolled his eyes. "I didn’t open their eyes per se. I just pointed out the obvious."

Dren looked horrified. "Obvious?"

"Yes," Joren replied calmly. "Obvious."

Micah, who had been silent, let out a low breath.

Everyone turned to him.

"Don’t look at me like that. It’s not a funeral," he grumbled lowly.

"It may as well be with how you are grumbling. What’s wrong, pookie bear?" Nia asked him.

Micah gave her a look and she started laughing. "Okay, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I just wanted to say that," she told him.

Laia turned to Micah. "You are sad, aren’t you?" she asked him.

"I’m not sure sad is the correct word. I can’t seem to place what I’m feeling, but I know it’s not joy," Micah muttered.

"Why would you even feel anything resembling joy when you just discovered from the pack members that the person you have a crush on is into someone else? There’s nothing to be joyful about regarding that," Cat muttered.

"And here I thought we were friends," Micah said with an eye roll.

Nia sobered up. "I’m sorry for not telling you when we found out, though."

"There’s no need to be sorry. Besides, I should have seen the signs. When we were at the medical facility, Orion literally glared at me because I kept asking questions about Sophia’s condition. That should have been enough to tell me that there was something between them," Micah said to them.

"That should not have been the first thing you noticed either, though, because there was a lot more and we were just blind to it all, choosing to look the other way because the both of them are friends," Joren told him.

Nia gave Joren a look. "Sometimes, I wonder if I even like you or not and if you’re really an adult yet."

"I’ll be an adult soon," Joren said, puffing up his chest, making the others chuckle.

"What are you going to do now?" Cat asked Micah.

"Regarding what?"

"Regarding Sophia. I don’t believe your feelings for her will just go away like that just because she’s with Alpha Orion, right?" she asked him.

"Are you encouraging him to continue pushing her?" Laia asked her.

"That’s not what I’m saying, but I know..." Cat cleared her throat and said quietly, "...I know what it means to have unrequited feelings for someone and it hurts more when you don’t tell the person, especially when you see them with someone else."

"So you think he should confess to her?" Dren asked her with a frown.

"Yes."

"But she’ll reject him," he said.

"Yes, but it’s better if you tell her. It’s better if she rejects you directly than you just giving up. Trust me," Cat said to Micah.

"I was going to do that anyway," Micah told her quietly. "I plan on trying my luck anyway."

"Your luck isn’t going to do anything though, I’m sure of that," Joren told him.

"Thanks for the not-so-much encouragement," Micah muttered with an eye roll.

"Let’s forget about love and whatever for now. We should concentrate more on the test coming at the end of the week," Dren told them.

"I wonder if Sophia would be able to join us," Cat muttered.

"And I heard something," Micah told them. "The test will be different from the normal one we usually have. I’m not certain, but I heard Instructor Garron speaking with some others saying they were going to propose it to Alpha Orion."

"What’s the test going to be about?" Nia asked curiously.

"I heard something about going into the forest, but I’m not sure because there’s no way they’ll send us into the forest, right?" Micah asked them.

They nodded.

"Yeah, I doubt that will happen. There must be something else," Dren said with a nod.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the pack compound, three old figures were sitting, passing alcohol around. They had heard the gossip spreading through the pack, and while they were excited, they were also annoyed at the fact that Orion had fooled them.

"Goddess knows I’ll deal with that boy when I get the chance," Daniel muttered as he took a sip from the wineskin.

"True," Madam Tyler nodded. "But at least he has a suitable partner."

"That is if the rumours are true," Caspian said.

Daniel smirked at that. "Only one way to find out."

The other two smiled devilishly as they chuckled behind their hands.