Chapter 34
“Seriously? Did she just invite Cael to tea–on a battlefield?” Vessa’s voice sliced through the training air, thick with disbelief.
I barely moved my eyes from the sight in front of us. Miela, in all her frilly pastel glory, was waving from behind the fence as if she were at a summer garden party instead of a warriors‘ camp. “That woman has no concept of shame,” I muttered, arms folded.
“She’s at the wrong training field if she’s here to make eyes at Thorne,” Vessa growled. “Let me go chase her off.”
Before I could stop her, Miela’s shrill voice echoed through the open space.
“Alpha Cael!”
Cael froze mid–step. His expression went flat, but he turned nonetheless.
“Would you like to join us for some afternoon tea?” Miela’s fan fluttered like a peacock tail as she flashed him a wide smile.
“Is she… trying to seduce him?” Vessa hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously. “Has she lost it completely?”
“Let him handle it,” I said calmly. “I want to see exactly what she’s playing at.”
Cael strolled toward the fence like he had all the time in the world, his smirk lazy.
“Ladies,” he greeted, voice smooth. “What a surprise.”
All five of them stood up like synchronized dolls, curtsying in unison. The tent behind them was straight out of a fashion magazine–lace, crystal glassware, imported biscuits, and Miela front and center, batting her lashes like a debutante in heat.
“We just needed a change of scenery,” she purred, leaning over the fence so far I thought she’d fall in. “Your training style is so… captivating.”
Cael raised an eyebrow. “Then why not watch your own soldiers train?”
She giggled and leaned even closer. “Because yours are far more impressive. Especially you, Alpha Cael. The way your muscles move, the way your legs–strong, precise…” She trailed her manicured finger along his forearm. “Care to show me how to get a body like that?”
Cael blinked.
“In the gym?” he asked dryly.
She leaned into his ear, breathy. “I was thinking… somewhere more private. Like my bedroom.”
He took a step back immediately, as if she’d shoved a snake in his face.
“Appreciate the invitation,” he said, voice clipped. “I’ll think about it.”
As he walked back toward the field, I waited.
“Well?” Vessa pounced on him.
“She’s hitting on me,” he said flatly, plopping onto a bench.
“Unbelievable.” Vessa looked like she was ready to storm the tent. “What does she want now? Thorne wasn’t enough?”
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me.”
Cael and Vessa turned toward me.
“Everyone thinks I’m your lover,” I continued. “That’s why they think I got the Gamma position. If Miela can get you on her side, it discredits me.”
“That manipulative witch,” Vessa spat. “You didn’t flirt with her, did you?” she snapped at Cael.
He gave her an incredulous look. “No. I have standards.”
Vessa crossed her arms. “You flirt with everything that breathes.”
“I said standards.”
“Oh please-”
“Enough,” I cut in, rubbing my temples. “This isn’t high school.”
They fell into a tense silence.
I glanced toward Miela’s tent, watching her laugh and flip her hair at absolutely nothing. “Time to make her regret crashing my training.”
A plan formed.
I signaled to Jory.
He jogged over. “What’s up?”
I whispered in his ear. He grinned wide. “I’ve been waiting for this.”
Within minutes, our dodgeball training resumed. But this time, Jory and his squad strategically positioned themselves nearest to the fence.
And then the balls started flying.
First one.
Then another.
Then three at once.
Miela shrieked. One had hit her directly in the face.
“You idiots!” she screamed, face turning blotchy. “You’re doing it on purpose!”
“No way!” Jory yelled innocently. “We’re training!”
The next ball knocked over a teacup. Another landed in her lap.
Miela scrambled to swap seats. It didn’t matter. The balls had a homing instinct–for her.
After a third hit, Miela jumped up, holding her temple. “That’s it!”
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Chapter 34
She stomped toward the fence and screeched, “You’re targeting me!”
I walked over, keeping my tone even. “We’re doing agility drills. This is a training field. Maybe you shouldn’t picnic here.”
“You told them to do it!” she yelled, pointing a trembling finger at me.
“If you weren’t here, you wouldn’t be hit.” I tilted my head. “So again–what are you doing here, Miela?”
Before she could answer, she spotted Cael. “Alpha Cael! Tell them to stop!”
Cael ambled over, hands in his pockets. “Miela’s with me,” he said casually. “Be nice.”
Her eyes sparkled. She practically purred.
But I caught the wink he threw me behind her back.
“Enjoy your tea, Miela,” I said with a sugary smile. “Try not to sit near the drills next time.”
She nodded, dazed. And walked back toward her tent, limping slightly from the last ball.
Cael turned to Vessa. “Do I get brownie points for playing along?”
“You’re still a walking red flag,” she muttered.
“But an attractive one,” he replied with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and blew the whistle again.
“Back to training!”
And as we resumed drills under the afternoon sun, Miela sat stiffly beneath her fluttering canopy, nursing a growing bruise and a rapidly crumbling plan.
“Tell me again why I’m not allowed to throw one at her head?” Vessa growled.
“Because I want her conscious when she finally realizes she’s losing,” I said, grinning.
AD
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