08

Vanessa's POV

I narrowed my eyes.

Transfer student? Since when do we have those? I thought.

She stood there like she owned the entire damn training ground, all grace and wide-eyed wonder and the worst part was that She was..... beautiful. With delicately carved features. Skin like porcelain. Long, dark lashes that framed those annoyingly perfect blue eyes.

And Kade..He was .... smiling. Not the usual smirk he gave me when I flirted with him, this was genuine, softer in fact.

He hadn’t even looked at me like that before and My stomach twisted.

I took a bold step forward, pushing past a few students to get a closer look. My smile was sugary sweet, but every inch of me was burning.

“Oh,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Did she wander in from a modeling agency or… is she actually going to train?”

A few students chuckled under their breath. Ria looked away. Caleb blinked, still catching his breath from the fight. But Kade’s expression didn’t change.

“She’ll train like the rest of you,” he said simply. “And she’s here for a reason.”

I tilted my head, still smiling. “And what reason might that be, Alpha?”

Kade turned his eyes on me. It was cold and unreadable. “That’s none of your concern, Vanessa.”

The way he said it? Final, Dismissive. Like I was a speck of dust he didn’t have time for.

My throat tightened, but I forced a laugh. “Of course.”

I stepped back beside Tanya who was still rubbing her head and whispered to her.

“She won’t last a week.”

Tanya agreed too

I looked at her with burning jealousy in my eyes. We locked eyes for a second and I glared at her before she looked away but she just kept looking around, smiling softly, as if all of this was beneath her concern. Like she had bigger things on her mind.

****

The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the training field. Sweat clung to my skin, but I barely noticed it. I was still pumped, adrenaline buzzing through my veins after my last spar.

I thought we were done with training until Alpha Kade’s voice rang out, cutting through the noise.

“One final sparring match with Rivena. Anyone, Volunteers?”

I didn’t hesitate. I raised my hand high and let a slow smirk tug at my lips.

“I’ll do it,” I said loud enough for everyone to hear, turning just slightly toward her. “Unless our transfer princess is too fragile?”

All eyes turned to Rivena.

I had expected at least a slight flinch or fear but the girl stood calmly, unfazed by the challenge. Her eyes cool, blue, unreadable locked with mine.

Instead, she nodded.

“I’ll do it,” she said. Soft. Steady. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Ohh...The nerve.

The crowd buzzed, all that muttering and whispering setting my teeth on edge.

Dax asked if it was okay for us to spar but Kade didn’t even blink. “Let them,” he said.

I stepped into the center of the training ground, rolling my shoulders and twirling my staff. I knew I looked good, confident, dangerous. I always did.

She joined me, calm as ever. She was almost too calm.

I smirked. “I hope you’re not one of those pretty girls who bruises easily.”

She didn't answer. She just dropped into a stance tight, clean, serious.

The whistle blew.

I launched forward with everything I had. Left swing. Right jab. Overhead strike. Fast. Sharp. Practiced. I’d trained for years, and I wasn’t about to let some newbie steal the spotlight.

But she didn’t even flinch.

She slipped past every move like I wasn’t even trying. No panic. No effort.

Then she struck.

Low. Then high. So fast I barely had time to blink. I stumbled back, and the crowd gasped.

That sound, that gasp made my stomach twist.

“You little—!” I said as I charged with Rage, Power and Speed. My staff was a blur. But something was off. I was off. My swings were faster but wilder.

And she was still calm.

Before I could blink, she caught my wrist, twisted, and flipped me flat on my back. I hit the ground hard, the air punching out of my lungs.

For a second, the world tilted.

The crowd was dead silent.

I shot back up, breath heaving, pain shot through my back but I ignored it, and aimed for her ribs with everything I had.

She blocked, then spun and swept my legs out from under me.

I hit the ground again. Harder.

The world stopped.

I stared up at the darkening sky, chest rising and falling in disbelief.

She stood over me, her staff steady, her face unreadable. Then as if I needed her pity, she offered me a hand.

I slapped it away and pushed myself up.

I didn’t care about the whispers. I didn’t care about the looks.

I was burning.

Rivena just smiled like it was nothing, like beating me meant nothing. She then turned and walked away.

“Rivena wins,” Kade said.

The whispers grew louder. They weren’t whispering about me anymore but about her.

I stood frozen, fists clenched at my sides. The humiliation burned like acid. I wanted to scream, to rip something apart.

I looked at Kade but he wasn’t even looking at me. He was looking at her.