Chapter 14 Part 1 Sparing

CHAPTER 14 – PART 1

SERENA POV

I woke before the sun was shining into my room.

The room was quiet, too quiet, for my liking, the kind of silence that presses against your chest and reminds you that you are alone even in a palace full of people. No one understands what you are going through.

My body ached in places I didn’t know could ache. Every muscle screamed in protest as I pushed myself upright, memories of yesterday’s training flashing through my mind. Also the conversation with my parents and emotional breakdowns I have after it, all gush in at once.

Today, I know it would be worse, but I pray for it to be good and not too much drama.

I welcomed the pain. It reminded me I was still standing.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment, breathing slowly, centering myself. 

Artemis stirred within me, calm and steady.

“Today matters a lot, alot” she said.

“I know,” I replied. I won’t bend, I am ready to face what today was going to bring. I knew that everyday here will be like war until Jayden and everyone accept and acknowledge me.

Artemis was silent through my emotional breakdown, giving me space that I needed without offering consolation because she knows I don't need it.

I rose and prepared quickly, pulling on my training outfit, dark fitted pants, a sleeveless top that clung to my skin, boots laced tight. No panic. No backing down.

Just readiness.

I braided my hair back tightly, every movement precise, controlled. I refused to look like someone who could be shaken.

When I stepped out of my room and made my way downstairs, the pack house was already alive.

Voices echoed softly through the wide halls. High-ranking warriors sat at long tables, eating, talking in low tones. Conversations dipped when I entered. 

Eyes followed me, some curious, some cold, some assessing.

I offered brief nods. Nothing more. I wasn’t here to make friends, not today.

The omegas moved through the room serving food. One placed a tray in front of me without a word, her expression blank. She didn’t meet my eyes.

I didn’t react. I ate in silence, methodical, detached. Food was fuel. Nothing else. I wasn’t in the mood to talk. Not to explain myself. Not to prove anything. That would come later. 

During the warriors conversation I got to know they only trained in their wolf form during the evening in the forest. I want to ask that because in my pack we train in both wolf and human form in the morning. And I don't see them training in wolf form. So it's just that they rested for two days because of the celebration.

After they were done, they stood up and left the room leaving only me here.

Soon, I was also done, I stood up, pushed the chair in neatly, and walked out. The air outside was cool, sharp against my skin as I crossed the grounds toward the training field. 

The sun had just begun to rise, casting long shadows over packed dirt and stone.

Warriors were already gathering.

Some whispered. Some watched openly. Some pretended not to notice me at all.

I felt him before I saw him.

Jayden.

The bond reacted instantly, a violent surge of heat and tension snapping through my veins. My pulse quickened, my breath hitching despite my effort to stay calm.

He stood near the center of the field, arms crossed, posture relaxed in a way that was anything but. His presence dominated the space effortlessly. Alpha. King. Mate I rejected—and the one who had never forgiven me for it. The one who is determined to punish me for it. Who vow to make my life a living hell.

His gaze lifted, locking onto mine. The connection slammed between us, raw and sharp, filled with anger, desire, control, and denial. His jaw tightened, eyes darkening.

I didn’t look away.

Training began without ceremony. The same obstacles as yesterday. Climbing walls. Precision drills. Targets set at varying distances and angles.

I climbed first.

My hands burned as I hauled myself up the wall, muscles protesting with every movement. I didn’t rush. I calculated. Each grip is deliberate, every shift balanced.

I could feel Jayden’s eyes on me the entire time.

Not admiration. Not approval. Evaluation.

I dropped down, moved to the targets, grabbed a weapon, steadied my breathing. The world narrowed to focus and control. One strike. Then another. Each hit clean.

No cheers. No praise.

Just silence thick with expectation.

Then Jayden stepped forward.

“Sparring,” he said, voice calm and dangerous. “With me.”

A ripple went through the crowd.

I moved into the circle without hesitation.

He removed his jacket slowly, deliberately, as if he had all the time in the world. The movement drew attention to his build, power honed by battle, strength held in check by discipline.

He rolled his shoulders once and looked at me.

“Don’t hold back,” I said quietly. 

A corner of his mouth twitched. “You couldn’t handle it if I didn’t.”

The bond flared violently at his words.

We moved at the same time. He attacked fast, too fast for anyone else. A faint, a strike, a sweep aimed to knock me off balance.

I barely dodged, twisting away, countering with a sharp kick that he blocked easily.

He didn’t give me space. Didn’t give me time to think.

Good.

I flowed with it, Artemis guiding my instincts, my body responding faster than thought. Every strike he threw was meant to test me. Every move is designed to break my focus.

His hand brushed my waist as he dodged, heat shooting through me like fire. I felt his breath against my skin when he moved too close, felt the bond strain and snap, pulling us toward something neither of us would name.

“You hesitate,” he murmured as he caught my wrist, twisting it just enough to hurt.

“I don’t submit,” I shot back, using his momentum to break free.

He smiled then sharp, dangerous, and entirely wrong. We clashed again.

His grip tightened around my arm, forcing me down. My knee hit the dirt hard, pain flashing white-hot. He leaned in, close enough that I could smell him, feel the heat of his body, the restraint barely holding him back.

“Yield,” he said softly, voice meant only for me. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze, refusing to look away. “Never.”

Something snapped in his eyes.

He released me abruptly, stepping back as if burned. The bond roared, furious and alive, desire and anger tangling until I could barely breathe.

We circled each other again, both breathing hard, both refusing to be the first to break.

Finally, he raised a hand.

“That’s enough.”

The words landed like a challenge left unfinished.

My chest heaved as I straightened, sweat dripping down my spine, muscles trembling, not from weakness, but from restraint. I know, he went easy on me. He couldn't go hard on me because of the bond. Which I smile lightly at.

Jayden looked at me for a long moment, something unreadable passing through his expression.

“Ten minutes,” he announced to the field. 

“Then you fight Zora.”

A murmur spread through the warriors.

My heart pounded, not with fear, but anticipation.

Jayden’s gaze lingered on me, dark and conflicted, before he turned away.

The bond pulsed once, hard and warning.

This wasn’t over. It was only the beginning.

And in ten minutes, everything would change. The match will decide if I am to train under Zora along with the omega or I will become their leader.