Page 38 of Shattered and Saved

“Don’t take it easy on him,”I warned her. While I would hate to break his heart by prohibiting him from taking the trials, it would be far worse if I let him get hurt if he truly wasn’t capable of going through it safely.

She didn’t bother replying. In a second, she was bolting toward the white wolf. A spontaneous quick attack, yet he still managed to escape it. He had definitely grown stronger thanks to his daily training with Theo. Adrenaline shot through my veins, the thrill of a good combat settling in.

Picking up the pace, Kea started using her abilities to camouflage in the shadows of the dimly-lit arena. Disappearing into a patch of darkness and reappearing behind him, my jaws snapping just inches from his hind leg. He leapt away with a speed that surprised me, twisting mid-air to face me before darting toward the center of the arena.

Clever. He wanted to keep me in the open, away from the shadows where I could blink.

The muffled sounds of partying could be heard beyond the walls of the training grounds as Kea prowled after him, circling and feinting to test his reactions. Columbus didn’t fall for any of my tricks, keeping his posture low and defensive, his emerald eyes locked on me. His focus was sharp, his every move calculated. It was a pleasant surprise.

When my wolf surged forward again, aiming to knock him off balance, he ducked beneath me, using my momentum to his advantage. His teeth grazed my shoulder - not enough to harm, just to show me he could fight back.

Shaking off my amusement, I regained my focus, pulling back and melding into the shadows once more, reappearing at his flank. This time, Kea struck hard, her paws slamming into his side. He staggered but didn’t fall, rolling away just before she could pin him.

Perhaps I underestimated him too much to understand his plan. He wasn’t just reacting to my attacks - he was studying them, learning my patterns. But I didn’t realize it until it was too late.

When I lunged a final time, he was ready. Columbus shifted his weight at the last second, sidestepping my charge. Before I could blink to safety, he spun, his powerful jaws locking onto the scruff of my neck. Using his weight and leverage, he slammed me onto my side, pinning me firmly beneath him.

After bracing for the impact and Kea reopened her eyes, they were wide with shock. A hint of disbelief also permeated Col’s features, as if he struggled to realize he had actually beat me. Of course, in a real fight Kea would have been much deadlier and played safer. However, that didn’t diminish how impressive our former mate’s performance had been.

Either way, the truth remained - Koen had learned and was prepared to use his cleverness to deal with our superior power.

Pride surged through me, along with a different feeling. My heart was racing, though not because of the battle. I felt hot even without sweating. As I stared into his eyes, I didn’t see a pupil I was supposed to evaluate, but a partner whose strength had grown significantly. An equal. Koen’s power excited me - no, I lusted for it.

Forhim.

Moved by the shift in atmosphere, no words were exchanged as we both transformed back in unison. Without the fur of our animal counterparts covering our skins, we were completely naked. Koen lay on top of me, his bare chest meeting mine as we panted, our breaths synchronized.

He was the first one to break the silence, his voice husky as he asked, “How’d I do, Alpha?”

“You passed,” I whispered, my hands reaching for his face as I pulled him into an urgent, passionate kiss.

24

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K O E N

When I saw herthrough Columbus’ eyes - the powerful, dark-coated she-wolf - pinned underneath him, trapped between his paws, I couldn’t believe it. I watched as the shock in her icy aquamarine eyes shifted into something warm, resembling pride, before they heated up, sparkling with the intensity of blue flames, igniting a fire within me. Even as we shifted back into our bare human forms, and she tackled me, crashing her lips against mine, I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

I had beaten her.

Obviously, I knew our match had been nothing like a real fight. Neither of us wanted to hurt the other. I couldn’t fool myself into thinking I’d stand a chance if she went all out against me. Still, I had succeeded in my mission. After a month of relentless training, I had learned how to compensate for all the advantages an Ashen Wolf had over me, earning the right to participate in their tradition.

Whether it was the rush of victory or the fire in Avril’s eyes, I was consumed by a need beyond reason. So much so that I didn’t care if anyone walked in on us as we devoured each other like animals in the middle of the training grounds. All I could focus on was her taste, the intoxicating scent of her arousal, the heat radiating from her body, and the velvet texture of her skin as I claimed every inch of her.

By the time we left the training grounds, sweat clinging to our skin and dirt streaking our clothes as though we’d been sparring for hours without rest, the party was already over. For the first time in days, I chose to sleep at my cottage. Avril hadn’t formally invited me to move into the alpha chambers with her - we usually ended up there when desire overpowered everything else. I didn’t want to invade her space or pressure her into defining our relationship, as I was content with how things were. I’d rather not risk ruining it.

To my surprise, she was at my door first thing in the morning.

As I opened the door, I was hit by her marvellous scent - it easily overshadowed the fragrance of the orchids carried by the gentle breeze. The smirk she was clearly trying and failing to suppress let me know she wasn’t here just to chat. She had come with intent.

“You’re up early on a Sunday,” I remarked, the corner of my mouth twitching involuntarily at her energy.

“Early bird catches the worm,” she said, hands stuffed in her jacket pockets. "Or, in this case, drags a stubborn alpha out of his self-imposed boot camp."

I arched a brow. “Dragging, huh? Inviting me would be easier, you know.”

“And a lot less fun,” she replied smartly before gesturing for me to follow her. “Come on.”

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