His Balls. Her Boot. DONE.

Eleven minutes. That's how long Jax lasted before he stopped pretending to work, Fin behind him.

She was three stories below and sixty yards out.

Both of them found themselves moving to the balcony so they could hear Draven's training session.

A sunset spilled over the training fields, frost settling on the ground.

"Sterling always brings his best cadets to kick Draven's class's ass," Jax said with a low chuckle. "He's desperate for one of them to come out on top."

"Is that tomorrow?"

"Yes. Apparently this group is hit or miss. Their target practices are basically a circus."

Fin huffed a quiet laugh.

From the balcony, both men watched the field below. It wasn't unusual for leaders to observe classes and trainings from afar—but neither of them were here out of duty.

They both were watching for the same reason, pretending like it wasn't for her.

Down below, a new captain and a handful of first and second lieutenants sparred one-on-one with the students.

"Ah," Jax murmured, nodding toward the field. "They're friends with Draven. Probably volunteered."

Nova was in her full black training suit identical to her classmates. It was one piece and zipped up the back, it was supposed to be skin-tight, but it was a little loose on her. Her silver blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.

It was clear they had been training all day. Her redheaded friend looked equally exhausted next to her.

Exhausted or not, she stood out from everyone else on the field. Neither Fin nor Jax could look away—and they weren't the only ones.

Every pack member, omega, and warrior who passed seemed to do a double take.

A few lieutenants slowed their pace just to watch her, one even tripped over a training spear and earned a round of laughter from his comrades.

Her class barely noticed anymore. They'd been around her long enough to be desensitized to it. Nova herself seemed completely unaware, lost in focus.

Draven, if he noticed, didn't comment.

But Fin and Jax? Neither had blinked in minutes.

Jax didn't like that she was training with the male warriors. For starters, she'd only been training for a few months and the opponents were easily double her size.

Fin's jaw tightened beside him, the realization settling in that every one of those warriors would have to touch her. He'd seen countless women spar and it had never once crossed his mind.

But this was her. And suddenly, the thought of anyone touching her at all, made his blood run hot.

The two men stood in silence, neither voicing what they were thinking.

✦✦✦

Training Master Draven stood at the edge of the sparring ring, his deep voice carrying.

"Captain, pick your opponent."

The recently promoted captain, Hunter Ryker, stepped forward. Tall, broad-shouldered, and far too sure of himself, he carried that easy arrogance of someone used to being admired.

His grin was the kind that had likely gotten him out of trouble and into plenty of beds. Most of the girls in Nova's class were already staring, eyes wide and dreamy.

He was well known among the she-wolves for both his skill and his charm, though Nova hadn't been paying attention long enough to know his name. She was too exhausted, running on sheer discipline.

His gaze, however, had been fixed on her for some time, drifting back to her between every match.

Finally, he nodded toward her with a casual flick of his chin. "Who's that one?" he asked, like she wasn't standing five feet away.

Draven's grin made it clear he'd been waiting for that. "Nova Moonveil."

Nova realized a second too late that she was being discussed. The look she shot at Draven said everything.

Draven only crossed his arms, tone dry. "No way out of it, Moonveil."

It was obvious they'd danced this dance before.

That earned laughter from her class. Nova sighed and stepped forward.

"How long's she been training?" Hunter asked, flashing a grin.

"A few months," Draven said.

He smiled, lowering into a loose stance. "I'll go easy on her."

From the balcony above, Jax and Fin could make out Draven's face. Both noticed his lips twitch for a second. A ripple of laughter broke through the watching students, almost like there was something they'd seen that no one else knew.

Fin's eyes narrowed. "What the hell was that?"

"Why is Nova about to spar?" Jax snapped.

All of his instincts told him he should intervene. But she wasn't his.

The whistle blew.

On the field, Hunter lunged, fast but predictable.

Nova pivoted sideways in a blur, caught his wrist and spun under his arm. Before he could recover, she struck three pressure points—shoulder, hip, knee—and swept his legs out from under him.

He hit the frosted ground with a grunt, blinking in shock.

Draven called, "Hunter, zero. Nova, one."

The class erupted in laughter like they had been expecting that.

The captain rose, brushing dust off his arms, smirking now.

"I like a woman who plays rough," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The lieutenants snickered behind him.

Nova didn't acknowledge it.

The whistle blew again.

This time, the captain came in low with a feint, strike, and pivot.

Nova dodged, sliding under a kick, rolled and came up behind him. Her boot landed in his back, and it sent him stumbling forward.

"Draven, where the hell have you been hiding her?" Hunter called out mid-grapple, laughing breathlessly.

"She never volunteers," Draven answered, casually, as though Nova weren't standing right there.

Nova lost focus just for a split second, and shot Draven a look.

The captain missed his moment. Instead of attacking, he stood there, staring.

"Don't look at me like that, Moonveil. You don't," Draven said flatly.

Nova didn't respond. She turned her attention back to the captain, just as he blinked and realized that he should have attacked.

From the sidelines, one of the lieutenants bellowed out, laughter in his voice. "Gods, Ryker. Her eyes moved and you just stood there!"

Hunter grinned at Nova, not embarrassed at all.

He lunged. She twisted, but he managed to hook her around the waist from behind.

"You like that?" He said in her ear, entirely too pleased with himself. She could feel his bulge hard, pressing against her. "If you keep rubbing against me like that—"

Before the words could leave his mouth, she scorpion-kicked upward, driving her heel into his jaw. The blow sent his head snapping back.