Restless Night

Later that night, Lucian lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He had planned to sleep early, to be well-rested for tomorrow. But his mind refused to settle.

Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Aiden.

That expression from earlier-- betrayal and hurt, mixed with stubborn defiance. It was the last thing he wanted to think about, yet it lingered, refusing to fade. His fingers curled slightly against the sheets.

He shifted, exhaling slowly. Ignore it.

He tried again to sleep, but his body remained tense, the unease creeping through him.

His mind picked at the feeling like a wound, an itch he couldn't scratch.

At dinner table Aiden hadn't been there, that was another thing that he had tried to ignore since earlier.

Dinner was always the same- the Alpha, the Luna, and him. Aiden had sat there every night for the past three months, always loud, stubborn, refusing to shrink back even when the Luna made it clear he was barely tolerated.

Even if he was angry, even if he was beaten down from training, he always showed up.

But tonight, he hadn't.

Lucian turned onto his side, resting an arm over his forehead. Why?

The answer was obvious-- the humiliation, the Luna's harsh words, the way Lucian had dismissed him in front of everyone.

But still, Aiden wasn't the type to back down. He fought, always. Even when he shouldn't.

Lucian frowned. Why was he thinking about this? He had no reason to care.

He had made the decision because it was the right one. Aiden wasn't ready. His movements were still too wild, too reckless. He relied too much on instinct rather than control-- Or so he thought.

And yet, the memory of his expression gnawed at Lucian.

You shouldn't even be here.

The Luna's voice echoed in his head. The way Aiden had gone still, the way his fingers had clenched into fists at his sides.

It was unusual for Aiden not to argue back, to not say Something- anything.

He was just there, no frustration. No defiance.

Lucian exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. Enough.

His thoughts shouldn't be caught up in this. He had trained harder men. He had seen warriors break under pressure, seen them pushed to their limits and beyond. Why should this be any different?

And yet... that was not enough to convince his mind to stay away from Aiden.

It still ignored him and decided to wander back to the past three months.

How Aiden had been nothing but an irritation. Loud, intrusive, always pushing into spaces he didn't belong.

He should've known his place, should've acted like the outsider that he was. But instead, he had made himself impossible to ignore.

Lucian had thought it was arrogance at first. But Aiden wasn't just arrogant. He was relentless. And that was just him.

No matter how brutal the training, no matter how harsh the words, he never quit bothering Lucian, nor stopped talking to him however way he wanted.

Lucian had thrown everything at him, expecting him to break, to hate him and just never show up infront of him. Aiden never did.

He talked back. He asked too many questions. He kept showing up. He went as far as entering Lucian's room without an invitation or a knock.

Lucian scowled. That was the problem.

He had spent months trying to drive Aiden away, yet somehow, he had gotten used to him.

Used to the way he never stopped moving, never stopped talking, never stopped pushing.

Used to the way he muttered under his breath but still followed orders.

Used to the way he buried himself in Lucian's space, uninvited, and acted as if he belonged there.

And at some point, Lucian had stopped being mad about it.

When had that happened?

When had he stopped telling Aiden to leave? He just realized that he hadn't tried to send him away lately.

Lucian rolled onto his back again, staring at the ceiling. That uneasy feeling from before only grew stronger.

He had spent all this time trying to force Aiden away, only to realize that he stopped a long time ago. He hadn't felt Aiden's irritation off let, and it's not like Aiden had stopped being stubborn.

He closed his eyes again, realising how he had been having Aiden's voices in his mind- complaining, laughing, arguing, challenging him.

He sometimes thought of what Aiden had said all day long.

Lucian exhaled, pressing his fingers against his temples. This was ridiculous.

°°

The next morning, the battlefield was set.

The banners of both packs hung in the distance, swaying slightly in the morning breeze.

The positions for the alphas, betas, and higher ranks had been carefully arranged, each seat meant to display authority, dominance.

The air crackled with tension, an unspoken weight settling over the gathered wolves.

Two packs. One tradition. One inevitable outcome.

The wolves of the Ironwolf Pack stood in formation, their faces blank, disciplined. Across from them, the warriors of the moonlight Pack waited. Stronger. More brutal. More experienced. Aiden was not there.

And, as always, the pattern would repeat.

The fights had already begun- one after another, warriors stepping forward, testing their strength, their training.

But it was never a question of who would win. No wolf from the moonlight Pack had ever been outright defeated by a warrior from Ironwolf pack.

That was just how it was. They fought, they struggled, and then, at some point, they were deemed good enough, not because they won, but because they had survived long enough to prove themselves.

It was a game they all played. A performance of resistance before the inevitable surrender.

And this time, it was no different.

One by one, wolves from Ironwolf pack stepped forward, fought, and fell. Not easily, not weakly, but they fell all the same.

Out of thirty warriors, only eleven had endured long enough to be acknowledged.

And now, the final fight approached.

The last battle was tradition. Lucian, the strongest warrior of Moonlight, against the leader of the Ironwolf fighters, Dave.

It was never a real fight. It was a statement. A formality. Dave always lost.

And Lucian always reminded him why.

The two warriors stepped forward, facing each other in the center of the battlefield.

Dave rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck with a smirk. "You know, I've actually been thinking."

Lucian raised a brow, unimpressed already, he didn't like small talks. Those two had never gotten along, even when their parents tried to make them work together- it was in vain.

"If you believe your warriors are so tough, if you think you train them so well, why not prove it?" Dave gestured lazily toward the gathered fighters. "Let one of them fight me instead. Let's see just how 'great' your disciples really are."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Lucian's expression didn't change, but a flicker of amusement flashed in his eyes. Then, for the first time after a very long time, he smirked.

"What's wrong?" His voice was smooth, calm. Dangerous. "Afraid of getting beaten to a pulp, AGAIN?"

Lucian tilted his head, thoughtful. "You know," he mused, "that actually might be fun. I'm getting tired of this little game of ours. Every year, we fight, I take you down in under a minute, and we repeat the whole thing again. It's getting boring. So am considering your suggestion and let you humiliate yourself more."

Dave's smirk faltered for a fraction before he sneered, "You seriously think your trainee can beat me?!"

"I'm not good at words, am an action person." Lucian said simply.

His eyes glinted.

"Give me a minute. He'll be right infront of you."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

The silence that followed was thick, charged. Every eye followed him as he made his way toward the mansion. There was no question about who he was going for.

Aiden.

No one had seen him all morning. He hadn't been at the battlefield.

The murmurs started almost immediately. Some whispered in disbelief, others with anticipation.

Because if Lucian was going after Aiden…

It meant he was choosing him.