CHAPTER 40 – Alpha’s Discipline

POV: Lucien Blackveil

David stared at me like I'd grown a tail.

"What?" I asked, raising a brow as I drove toward Silverstone's training grounds.

"You're… smirking." His tone was cautious. "Since when do you smirk without someone bleeding on the ground?"

I scoffed under my breath, adjusting the collar of my training shirt. "You're imagining things."

But he wasn't. I had been smirking. Ever since she said it.

"Okay… Lucien."

Just that. Two words, spoken with hesitant softness, like she was trying them on. Like my name mattered.

And damn me, it did something to me. I couldn't explain it, not even to myself.

Roman, my wolf, had been pacing inside my head ever since. His voice growled with one possessive word over and over.

Mate.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

The thought of her alone was enough to make the corners of my mouth twitch again. Goddess, I was behaving like a newly shifted pup catching scent of his first crush.

I rolled my shoulders and exhaled sharply as we parked beside the Silverstone training field.

No more distractions.

I was here to work.

Warriors lined the grounds, stretching, gearing up, waiting for instructions. My men had already arrived and were blending seamlessly with the Silverstone pack members.

I stepped out, my boots crunching against gravel. Instantly, heads turned. My presence always did that. It wasn't arrogance—it was training. Discipline. Expectation.

Asher stood to the side, flanked by Jack and Gamma Alex. They were already geared up. I gave a curt nod.

Then… she arrived.

Aira.

Her presence knocked the breath out of me.

Pink sports top, hugging her perfectly. Black training leggings that fit like a second skin. She moved across the field like she belonged there, like the wind itself paused to carry her steps.

And the way every male's gaze turned to her?

It made Roman snarl in my chest.

She's not for their eyes.

Aira stood in line beside one of the younger warriors—Smith. I barely registered him before my wolf was growling again. The kid wasn't even subtle with his gaze. He was staring at her chest like he'd never seen a female before.

"Focus," I snapped to myself.

I stepped forward and barked, "Everyone! Line up in your pairs."

The warriors scrambled to obey.

"Today's session is combat-focused," I announced. "Partner one defends. Partner two attacks. You have fifteen minutes. Switch when I say. You're not here to win—you're here to learn. Control. Precision. Respect."

I let my eyes settle on Smith for a moment. He stiffened under my stare.

"Start."

The sound of combat began—grunts, footsteps, light hits.

I kept one eye on Aira.

She moved like a shadow. Smith swung—and missed. Again. And again.

Every attempt he made, she deflected. Gracefully. Smoothly. She didn't even break a sweat.

Fifteen minutes passed in a blink.

"Switch!" I called.

Smith smirked, rubbing his jaw. "Be careful, little wolf," he said with a wink.

Fool.

The temperature shifted. I felt it in my bones.

Aira's eyes turned crimson. Her aura exploded—red, hot, and furious. Even my most seasoned warriors stopped mid-spar to look at her.

Then—

She moved.

In one fluid motion, she ducked, spun, and backflipped Smith over her shoulder.

He hit the ground with a thud that shook the earth.

Silence.

Complete. Utter. Silence.

Then one voice inside my head whispered.

Ours.

I felt pride swell inside me, rising like a tide. She wasn't just beautiful. She was power wrapped in fire.

She didn't need protection.

She was the weapon.

I didn't need to announce anything. The entire field had seen it.

Aira stood calmly, chest rising with control, not exhaustion.

And me?

I watched her like a king watching his queen command an army.

Because one day… she just might.