Chapter 10
iselle
The next two weeks passed in a blur.
Ethan had been considerably sweet after he thought he was the one who hurt my feelings the other day. He has evidently been trying to keep a reign on his protective instinct, which I appreciated.
Unfortunately, Emari had moved back into our room after three days missing, but she never tried to kill me in my sleep. She was insufferable to live with, and for two days straight Eva and 1 slept in Max’s room. He had his own room, for some reason, as I soon got to realize it wasn’t a privilege every third year had. It often made me wonder if Nate had his own room too. But I refused to let my thoughts drift to him more than
necessary.
Every training session with Nate was just that–training. No words. No stolen glances. Just movement, sweat, and bruises. The air between us was thick with unspoken tension, but I refused to acknowledge it.
I refused to speak to Nathaniel. I refused to let him get under my skin again. He had made his choice. Now, I was making mine.
But he wasn’t making it easy.
He still poked at me, though. Not physically–not always–but in ways that made my blood simmer just beneath the surface..
Subtle jabs, murmured insults between blows, snide remarks muttered under his breath just loud enough for me to hear.
A lingering touch to correct my stance, his fingers brushing my wrist when he didn’t need to. A sharp, quiet exhale when I executed a move too slowly, or the way his eyes would flick over me, waiting for a slip–up, a moment of weakness. Anything to get a reaction. But I gave him nothing.
Not a glare, not a word, not even the satisfaction of a scoff.
The first few days, I knew he was testing me, waiting for me to snap, for me to fight back with something other than my fists. But I stayed silent. I focused. I learned. And I shut him out.
The way his jaw clenched every time I ignored him was the only reward I allowed myself.
Sometimes, he looked irritated. Other times, almost… sad. A flicker of something unreadable behind his stormy blue eyes before he masked it with indifference.
But i forced myself not to care.
This was what he wanted.
This was what he got.
His stupid promise–not mine.
The only thing I allowed myself to care about was the training itself. And I had to admit he was a hell of a teacher. One hour with Nate taught me more than three days with Eva. He didn’t coddle me. He didn’t go easy. He pushed me past every limit I thought I had, forced me to be faster, stronger, better. J
And it worked.
By the time my next challenge came, I didn’t win–but I wasn’t dead, either.
That alone was a victory.
As I got up from the mat, wiping sweat and dirt from my face, I allowed myself one small indulgence–a smile. Not for myself. Not for my opponent. But at him.
Nate.
His lips quirked, something akin to amusement flashing in his blue eyes. He tipped an imaginary hat in my direction, and for a brief second, there was something familiar there. A ghost of something softer.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
We went back to ignoring each other.
Challenges happened every two weeks. Fitness and Combat training took place every day, but the challenges were the true tests. They gauged our
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progress, determined whether we were getting stronger, or if we were dead weight.
It was the only class that the entire school participated in at once. Though I had no idea how this was fair, their reasoning is ‘In war, you won’t know if your opponent is weaker for stronger than you. Be prepared.
But I had a feeling it was a tactic for the older students to weed out the weak younger ones.
And I wasn’t going to get weeded out.
By now, I had accepted that I wasn’t the strongest. But I was improving. And I knew it.
But I wasn’t expecting the announcement at the end of class.
The entire school was gathered, the only time every single student shared a class. Wolves of all years stood together, sweat–soaked, exhausted from combat, waiting for Instructor Bastian to dismiss us.
But instead of his usual gruff “You’re dismissed,” he cleared his throat, gathering our attention.
“The rest of your classes for the day have been canceled,” he announced, his voice carrying over the murmuring crowd. “Because today, the Academy will host a mandatory combat strategy event.”
A collective groan went through the students, but I stayed silent, waiting for the catch.
“You will all be forced to partner up.”
My stomach dropped.
Partner up? I glanced around for Eva, finding her already looking at me.
Instructor Bastian’s sharp eyes scanned the crowd. “Pairings will be assigned.”
Oh, come on.
The murmurs grew louder. Wolves didn’t like forced partnerships. Especially not here. Strength and dominance were everything, and being paired with the wrong wolf could mean exposing weaknesses.
I had barely begun to process what this meant for me when Bastian continued. The second to fourth years didn’t look surprised, just annoyed, which meant it was something that happened every year, and seemed to be a pain in the ass.
Ignoring our protests, Instructor Bastain began calling out the pairs. I crossed my fingers, hoping to be paired with Eva, or Ethan or hell, even Max.
I chewed on my lip, ignoring the aches in my body as pairs were assigned. A few not so subtle groans and words filled the space, and I soon realized no one was paired with anyone they actually wanted to.
Moon goddess. What if he paired me with Emari?
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, but I blew out a breath of relief when she was called into a pair with one of Eva’s other brothers who I had never me. The two I’ve never spoken to seemed like jerks.
To my dismay, Eva was called to partner with a second year from Red Claw Dorm, and even Max was called to partner with someone within his
year.
I knew damn well they weren’t going to pair me with Ethan, so I lost hope, wishing to be partnered with someone remotely bearable.
“Johal, Morningstar.”
I blinked. That was my name… and Nate’s.
No.
They wouldn’t be pairing Ethan with Nate, yet I asked.
“Which Johal?”
Instructor Bastain gave me a look that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
“Jiselle Johal,” he gritted out.
Freaking great.
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G
Chapter 10
1 looked over at Nate at the exact moment he turned his head toward me.
His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists, nostrils flaring ever so slightly as he cut his gaze away from mine, barely concealing his irritation.
Next to him, Emari bristled, turning red. I ignored the fact that she was still next to him in the first place instead of with her partner and focused on the situation at hand.
It’s okay. It’s just an activity.
I trained with him every night. Surely I can survive a few hours with him?
I exhaled slowly.
The universe was laughing at me. I just knew it.
