Fighting Dirty

Raiden’s POV

Zayden had only been gone a few minutes. The second the questions ended, he shook his head, laughed under his breath, and announced he was going to find Traci.

I couldn’t blame him. Hell, Traci had practically sprinted out of the conference room. The moment I asked if anyone had any final questions, she was out of her chair before anyone could even inhale. The door hadn’t finished closing behind her before she disappeared down the hallway.

I smiled to myself as I picked up another report from the growing stack on my desk.

“She’s way too damn cute,” Nyx said proudly.

A chuckle escaped me. “That she is.”

The meeting had dragged on for hours, and I’d watched Traci slowly lose the battle against boredom. At one point she’d rested her head on her arm while absentmindedly tracing circles across the tabletop with her finger. Every now and then she’d look toward one of us, silently asking if we were finally finished. Unfortunately for her… We weren’t.

The only subject that had managed to pull her completely back into the conversation was the future of the Silver Claw Pack. That alone had been enough to make me smile.

The moment Ryker mentioned the pack, her head snapped up and her eyes lit with genuine interest. It was like someone had flipped a switch. The room had immediately shifted into discussion. Several suggestions had been made. Since Traci was the rightful Alpha by blood, many believed leadership should return to her now that she was old enough to claim it. Honestly… Tradition supported that idea.

“It should belong to her,” Nyx said matter-of-factly.

“I know,” I agreed.

That had always been the custom. The Alpha’s oldest child inherited the position. If there were multiple children, it passed to the eldest unless extraordinary circumstances prevented it.

In Traci’s case… She had every right to reclaim what had once belonged to her family. The problem was… She didn’t want it. She said Queen consisted of way too many meetings for her and she wasn’t adding to that list of responsibilities.

Instead, she’d suggested Corbin remain in charge. She explained that he already knew the pack, the warriors trusted him, and the transition would be smoother if he officially became Alpha instead of forcing everyone through another major change. She wasn’t wrong.

Another proposal had been raised before the meeting ended. Someone suggested relocating the Silver Claw Pack closer to the palace, allowing Traci to remain connected to her birth pack while continuing her duties as queen.

It wasn’t a terrible idea. If enough pack members agreed to the move, Corbin could continue leading beneath her authority while serving as her Beta. Still… That decision couldn’t wait forever.

At the moment, Corbin remained acting Alpha until something became official. He’d returned home immediately after Traci’s coronation a week ago, making sure the pack remained stable while we sorted everything else out. I’ve also sent to of the elders to make sure order remained.

I sighed and reached for another folder. Paperwork. There was entirely too much paperwork. Apparently becoming king also meant signing enough documents to empty an entire forest.

Since the tournament attack, reports had piled higher every single day. Security updates. Financial summaries. Repair estimates. Threat assessments. Requests from neighboring packs. Half of it involved strengthening defenses while the other half consisted of investigating rumors from people convinced another attack was coming tomorrow.

Most of those reports had turned into absolutely nothing. Somebody claimed they’d seen suspicious strangers near the palace. Another insisted Maddox had been spotted three towns away. One woman swore she’d overheard assassins plotting inside a bakery. Every investigation came back the same. Nothing. Rumors. Fear spreading faster than facts. Only a handful of reports remained open, and those were being monitored closely by our lead warriors.

I had just finished reading another security summary when a mindlink reached me. “My King.”

I immediately recognized the voice. It was one of my lead warriors. “What is it?”

“I thought you should know…” There was a brief pause before the warrior chuckled. “Your queen is causing quite a scene in the training gym.”

One eyebrow lifted. “Oh?”

“You may want to come see for yourself,” he chuckled once again. The connection ended before I could ask another question.

I leaned back in my chair and laughed quietly. That didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Meetings drained her. Training brought her back to life.

Over the past week, she’d slipped into her role far better than I’d expected. The warriors respected her. The palace staff adored her. Even visiting Alphas who’d been uncertain after the coronation now spoke highly of her.

She wasn’t trying to impress anyone. She was simply being herself. People noticed.

Closing the folder, I pushed back my chair and stood. “Let’s go see our girl,” Nyx said eagerly. “I already know she’s up to something.”

“I have a feeling you’re right,” I shook my head with a smile.

The walk through the palace didn’t take much time at all. Long before I reached the training gym, I could already hear the noise spilling into the hallway. Laughter. Cheering. The occasional whistle. Whatever was happening inside… It had everyone’s attention.

The moment I stepped through the entrance, I stopped. The place was packed. Warriors lined every wall. Guards stood shoulder to shoulder around the practice rings while others leaned against the railings overlooking the floor below. I honestly didn’t think another person could fit inside.

Everyone faced the same direction. Every conversation centered around whatever was happening in the main ring. A grin tugged at my lips.

“If I had to guess…” Nyx laughed. “It’s them.”

“I’d bet the palace on it,” I agreed with him.

I slipped through the crowd, offering quick nods to warriors who stepped aside to let me pass. The closer I got, the louder the cheering became. Someone shouted. Another laughed so hard he nearly doubled over. When I finally reached the front of the crowd… I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Zayden lay flat on his back in the middle of the mat.

Traci sat squarely on top of him, but she was sitting backwards. She literally had her ass in Zayden’s face. She was pinning him down while wearing the biggest grin I’d seen all week. Both of her hands shot triumphantly into the air. “Victory is mine!” she yelled proudly.

The gym exploded. Cheers echoed off the walls while several warriors clapped and laughed loud enough to shake the room.

Darren wiped tears from his eyes. “I told you she was going to take him down!”

Elvin folded his arms with a smug grin. “Our queen fights dirty.”

Traci looked over at him without moving an inch. “I fight smart.”

Another round of laughter swept through the gym. Beneath her, Zayden looked completely unimpressed. “You done celebrating?”

She looked down at him. “No.”

His eyebrows lifted. “I’m comfortable down here. By all means, don’t rush getting up.”

“Good.” She smiled sweetly. “Because I’m not moving.”

I couldn’t stop laughing. One week into being queen… And somehow… she had turned the palace training gym into the most entertaining place.