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THE REQUEST
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2026-07-14 01:38:29The sun hadn't even breached the horizon when I limped back to The Pit.
The world was gray and silent, draped in a heavy mist that clung to the trees like wet ghosts. My body screamed with every step. My ankle throbbed, my lip was swollen where Vexa had hit me, and my muscles felt like they had been replaced with lead.
But I showed up.
Kaelen was already there.
He stood in the center of the muddy ring, perfectly still, like a statue carved from obsidian and bronze. He was shirtless again—the cold seemed to mean nothing to him—and his skin was slick with the damp morning air. The scars on his back twisted in the pale light, a roadmap of pain that I was only beginning to understand.
He didn't turn around as I approached.
"You're late," he said. His voice was a low rumble that vibrated in my chest.
"I'm on time," I countered, stepping into the ring. The mud sucked at my boots. "The sun isn't up."
Kaelen turned slowly. His gray eyes swept over me, critical and cold. He looked at my oversized shirt, my messy hair, my bruised face.
"In a fight, the sun doesn't wait for you," he said. "If you're on time, you're dead. You have to be early."
"Noted," I muttered. "So? Where do we start? Do I punch a sandbag?"
"You start," Kaelen said, walking toward me, "by learning how to stand so you don't get knocked over by a stiff breeze."
He circled me, a predator inspecting prey. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
"Feet shoulder-width apart," he commanded.
I shuffled my feet.
"Wider."
I moved them an inch.
"Wrong."
Before I could react, he kicked the inside of my boot. My legs flew out from under me, and I landed hard on my back in the mud. Splat.
"Again," Kaelen said, not offering a hand.
I grit my teeth, scrambling up. I glared at him. "Is that necessary?"
"Vexa put you on your back in three seconds yesterday because your center of gravity is higher than a giraffe's," Kaelen said dryly. "Lower your hips. Bend your knees."
I tried again. I squatted slightly, putting my hands up in fists like I had seen in movies.
Kaelen sighed. He stepped into my personal space.
The air between us instantly charged. The scent of him—rain, pine, and hot skin—filled my nose, drowning out the smell of mud.
"No," he whispered. "Like this."
He reached out.
His large, rough hands settled on my waist.
The contact was electric. A jolt of heat seared through my shirt, making my breath hitch. My skin tingled where he touched me, the dormant wolf inside me stirring, purring at the contact.
Kaelen froze for a fraction of a second, his pupils dilating. I knew he felt it too. The pull. The magnet in our blood trying to snap us together.
But he didn't pull away. He gripped my hips firmly, tilting them.
"Ground yourself," he murmured, his voice rougher now. "Imagine roots growing from your heels into the earth. You are not a leaf, Celeste. You are a tree."
He moved one hand up to my shoulder, pushing it down, while his other hand stayed on my lower back, pressing me forward.
"Tuck your chin," he instructed. "Protect the throat."
I did as he said, but my heart was hammering so hard I thought he must feel it against his palm. He was so close. I could see the flecks of gold in his gray eyes. I could feel the heat radiating from his bare chest.
"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, breathless. "Why help me?"
Kaelen’s eyes locked onto mine. His hand on my back slid up slowly, tracing the line of my spine until it rested on the nape of my neck. His thumb brushed my pulse point.
"Because I watched you yesterday," he said softly. "You looked like a doll that had been dropped."
His gaze darkened.
"Your fiancé... he taught you how to walk in heels. He taught you how to pour tea. He taught you how to bow to your betters."
Kaelen leaned in, his lips brushing my ear.
"I will teach you to bite."
A shiver racked my body—part fear, part thrill.
"Now," he said, pulling back suddenly. "Try to hit me."
"What?"
"Hit me. As hard as you can."
I looked at his broad, muscular chest. "I'll break my hand."
"Aim for the jaw," he said, tapping his scarred cheek. "Come on, Princess. Pretend I'm Magnus. Pretend I'm the one who sold you."
That did it.
The anger that had been simmering in my gut—at Magnus, at my father, at this whole cursed situation—flared up.
I swung.
I put my entire body into it, aiming a fist straight for his jaw.
Kaelen didn't even blink.
He caught my fist in his open palm. Smack.
It was like punching a wall. My knuckles cracked.
He didn't let go. He twisted my wrist, spinning me around and pulling my back against his chest. He locked his arm across my throat in a chokehold—not tight enough to crush, but tight enough to trap.
"Dead," he whispered in my ear. "You telegraphed the punch. I saw it coming before you even moved your shoulder."
I struggled against his grip, kicking at his shins.
"Good," he praised, tightening his hold. "Fight dirty. Use your legs. Use your teeth."
I stomped on his foot. Hard.
Kaelen grunted, loosening his grip for a split second.
I spun around, trying to elbow him in the ribs.
He caught my elbow, but instead of throwing me, he swept my legs again.
This time, he went down with me.
We crashed into the mud, Kaelen on top, pinning my wrists above my head with one hand. His legs caged mine.
We were breathless. Panting.
Our faces were inches apart.
The training was forgotten. The violence faded. All that was left was the Bond.
It roared between us, a deafening noise. I could feel his heart thundering against my chest. I could feel the hardness of his body, the dangerous power he was holding back.
His eyes were pure gold now. He looked at my lips.
I stopped breathing. Kiss me, I thought, the desire hitting me like a physical blow. Just do it.
Kaelen leaned down. His gaze was tortured, starving. His nose brushed mine.
"You have fire, Celeste," he whispered, his voice broken. "But fire gets you burned."
He stared at me for one agonizing second longer. Then, he ripped himself away.
He rolled off me and stood up in one fluid motion, turning his back instantly. He marched to the edge of the pit, grabbing a towel and scrubbing his face aggressively.
"That's enough for today," he choked out. "Go back to the kitchen."
I lay in the mud, my body humming, my lips tingling from a kiss that never happened.
"Same time tomorrow?" I called out, my voice shaking.
Kaelen didn't look back.
"Don't be late."
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