Chapter 597: Where Celebration Finds Its Rhythm

Chapter 596: Where Celebration Finds Its Rhythm

One by one, the names continued until there were no more.

Every trainee who had passed now stood wearing their jewelry, a symbol of where they belonged.

Orion stepped forward then, and the moment he did, silence followed.

He glanced briefly at Sophia.

Then back at the gathered crowd.

"...Sophia has already said everything I was supposed to say," he began.

A faint ripple of laughter followed.

Orion’s lips curved slightly.

"So I’ll keep this simple."

He paused and then, with a voice full of pride—

"Congratulations," he said.

Cheers went up again. Joren could hear his father cheering from where he was. Wayne laughed loudly, clapping as he did.

The noise didn’t stop as Orion spoke again.

"Now, let the celebration begin," he said.

The reaction was immediate. The noise became even louder than before.

Families surged forward, pulling their children into tight embraces.

Friends gathered, voices overlapping, joy spilling over in every direction.

People started making their way out of the training grounds and into the square while laughing.

Sophia stepped back slightly, watching it all unfold.

A small smile rested on her lips.

She turned, only to find Ethan and Kevin approaching her.

Kevin stopped in front of her.

"This is the first time we’re speaking directly," he said.

Sophia nodded.

"And I won’t waste your time," he continued.

There was something straightforward about him.

"But based on your results—"

He reached into the tray, pulled out an earring, and held it out to her.

"You’re always welcome to join the hunters," he said. "Any day."

Sophia blinked.

Then smiled.

Before she could respond, Brynhild spoke.

"And if you change your mind too," she added calmly, "you can join the guards as well. It’s an open invitation."

Sophia’s smile softened.

"I appreciate it," she said sincerely.

But before she could say anything again, she heard the sound of drums. They were beating steadily and rhythmically.

The sound spread quickly, weaving through the celebration as music followed, drawing more people away from the training grounds toward where the real festivities would begin.

Ronan stepped closer to Sophia, a grin already on his face.

"That was a good speech, sister-in-law," he said.

Sophia tilted her head slightly, a wide smile on her face.

"I know," she replied. "I was shocked too."

"Maybe being around Orion really has helped," Ronan said.

Orion took Sophia in his arms then, resting his chin on her hair, his hands around her waist.

"Or maybe she really does know how to give speeches," Orion said.

"Or maybe it’s both," Brynhild said, laughing too.

Ethan excused himself then, saying he needed to go.

He passed the tray to Kevin, not even giving the man time to speak before he left the training grounds.

Kevin looked down at the tray, then back at where Ethan was a few minutes ago, and shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if I’m his captain or his assistant," Kevin said.

Gregory laughed at that. "He really doesn’t care." Then he took the tray from Kevin. "I’ll send this back to the jewelers," he said.

"Thank you," Kevin said.

"Ah, that reminds me, I have something to tell you," Gregory said to Kevin, gesturing for him to walk with him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"We should probably get going too," Brynhild said.

"Yes, we—" Ronan paused when his eyes locked on a familiar figure, and his smile widened.

"...it seems I’ll leave you guys alone for a while. I have something to do. Maybe I’ll get points from explaining more about this celebration we are having," he said.

Sophia frowned at that, finding it hard to understand what was being said.

But she couldn’t even speak before Ronan started heading out of the training grounds.

Orion watched as Ronan made his way to a blonde-haired woman.

"Goddess tits!" he said with a laugh.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, shorty, I’m very certain it’s Annabeth, and it seems Ronan has set his eyes on her," Orion said with a laugh.

"Maybe," Brynhild said, laughing. "She’s the woman he saw in his dream."

That resulted in another round of laughter as they walked out of the training grounds, choosing to go to the square to join the main celebrations.

----

Drums beat steadily, deep and rhythmic, echoing through the air as though the very ground had found a heartbeat.

Music followed.

Voices rose over it—laughter, shouting, overlapping conversations that carried without care for order.

Food was already being brought out—large platters carried between groups, shared without thought. People moved freely, no longer separated by ranks or roles, but drawn together by something simpler.

They had made it.

Or they had watched someone who had.

And that was enough.

Ronan stood slightly apart from the thickest part of the crowd.

His gaze scanned lazily across the square before settling on the blonde-haired woman who, according to his sister-in-law, had a very beautiful ass.

Ronan chuckled to himself, remembering that conversation.

The woman stood with a few members of her pack, though her attention didn’t seem fully on them. Her posture was composed, but there was a stiffness to it—as though she hadn’t quite settled into the rhythm of everything around her.

Ronan’s lips curved.

There it was again.

That pull.

It was impossible to ignore when it came to her.

He didn’t hesitate and walked towards her.

Annabeth noticed him before he even reached her.

How could she not?

There was something about him that drew attention—not loudly, not in a way that demanded it, but in a way that made it difficult to look away once you had.

Her brows furrowed slightly as he stopped in front of her.

"Ronan," she said.

Ronan’s smile didn’t falter.

"Disappointed?" he asked lightly.

Annabeth blinked.

"No— I mean—" she stopped herself, then exhaled softly. "Do you not have somewhere to be?"

Ronan tilted his head slightly.

"I do."

She waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. He just stared at her.

She narrowed her eyes just slightly.

"...And?"

"And I’m there," he said simply.

She frowned.

"What?"

Ronan gestured loosely around them.

"It’s a celebration," he said. "Where else would I be except where the celebration is being held? Though it’s normally done at night, but..." He shrugged.