Chapter 5

A Longer Chapter

Twila's POV

I woke up very late the next morning.. some time around midday.

“Urghh Twila!!” I groaned “Such a lazy ass.” I rushed in and out of the shower and got dressed quickly.

I ran through the hallways, excited to see Orion when suddenly I bumped into a maid carrying a tray of snacks.

“Goodness gracious!!” She exclaimed and then.. “I'm so sorry miss, I should have watched where I was going.” She apologized. I shook my head. I was the one at fault.

I sighed and helped the maid gather the scattered snacks. “No, it was my fault,” I said, placing a few pastries back on the tray.

The maid looked at me curiously, as if surprised by my kindness. “Thank you, miss,” she said before hurrying away.

Brushing crumbs off my clothes, I continued my way to the training grounds, my heart pounding with anticipation. Orion was probably already waiting, ready to push me beyond my limits.

But when I arrived, the grounds were empty.

A few warriors trained in the distance, but Orion was nowhere to be seen.

I frowned and turned to one of the warriors. “Where is The Alpha?”

The man gave me a brief glance before responding, “The Alpha is in a council meeting. He won’t be available for training today.”

“What?” My shoulders slumped. I had woken up late, rushed over here, and now he wasn’t even coming?

I turned on my heel and stormed toward the castle, determined to find him. If he was going to bail on training, he could at least tell me himself.

As I neared the Hall of elders, I saw Orion walking out, deep in conversation with a guy. My excitement returned. “Orion!” I called out, waving.

He barely glanced at me before turning away.

I blinked. “Hey!” I jogged toward him, but he didn’t stop.

Frustrated, I grabbed his wrist. “Orion, I—”

“Not now, Twila,” he said, his voice firm and dismissive.

I scowled. “You promised me training.”

“I have state affairs to handle,” he said flatly, pulling away. “Go back to your room.”

‘Back to my room? Was he serious?’

I clenched my fists. “You could’ve at least told me you wouldn't show up instead of making me wait like an idiot.”

Orion exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Twila, I don’t have time for this.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the guy intervened, stepping in between us. “You heard him,  the Alpha doesn’t have time to babysit you.”

I glared at him. “Screw you!”

Orion sighed. “Enough”. He turned back to the guy. “We need to get back to preparations. We're still dealing with the plague, and we have no idea where the moonstone is. We can't afford to go to war.”

Plague? Moonstone? War? My ears perked up, but Orion was already walking away with the guy.

Fuming, I turned on my heel and stomped off. After waiting for a long while, I decided to take matters into my own hands. If Orion wasn’t going to train me, then I’d train myself. I picked up a sword from the rack and got into position.

I swung. Wrong stance. I readjusted. Swung again. Still wrong.

I growled under my breath. Why was this so hard?

The more I tried, the worse it seemed to get. Sweat trickled down my back, and my arms trembled from the effort.

“I should’ve known you’d be too stubborn to rest.”

I turned at the deep voice, my heart skipping a beat.

Orion stood at the entrance of the training grounds, arms crossed, watching me with an unreadable expression.

I wiped my brow. “You blew me off. I thought you weren’t training today.”

“I’m not,” he said, stepping forward. “I had important matters to handle.”

I scoffed. “Of course. The Alpha has better things to do than keep his promises.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Watch your tone, moon girl.”

I held my ground. “Or what? You’ll throw me across the field?”

His aura flared, heavy and dominant, pressing against me like an unseen force. I swallowed hard but refused to back down.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face before he sighed. “You’re holding the sword wrong.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He gestured toward my grip. “Your stance is weak. Your form is a mess. You’ll die in a real fight before you even swing properly.”

Heat rose to my face. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you come here just to insult me?”

“Would you rather I lie?” He stepped behind me suddenly, so close I could feel his warmth against my back. “Relax your grip.”

His hands covered mine, adjusting my hold. I tensed at the contact.

His breath tickled my ear as he murmured, “Keep your stance firm. If you can’t stand properly, how do you expect to fight?”

A shiver ran down my spine. I hated that my body reacted to him, hated that his presence unsettled me.

He pulled away too quickly, leaving behind an emptiness I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“There,” he said. “Better.”

I swung the sword again, and this time, it felt right.

I turned to look at him, a triumphant smirk on my face. “So, you do care.”

Orion scoffed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” He turned to leave, but then paused. “Next time, don’t make me come looking for you. If you want to train, be ready at dawn.”

I beamed. “You got it, Alpha.”

He rolled his eyes and walked off.

As soon as he was gone, I found myself smiling. Orion was impossible, infuriating—but maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as cold as he pretended to be.

I walked back to my room, determined to get up early the next morning and surprise Orion. Just as I got into bed, my stomach grumbled. Right.

I hadn't eaten anything the whole day. I walked out to the kitchen to get something to eat. After filling my stomach, I returned to my room, ready to go to bed.

Orion's POV

I needed to get answers out of her.

Sure. She seemed innocent, but the ones with the innocent look are always so sly.

I know Ryker, he wouldn't just attack for no reason.

The moonstone. If she wasn't with it, she probably knew something about it— like where her father hid it. Whatever it was, I was determined to find out.

I have a lot of problems to handle and I can't keep giving her protection if she is worthless.

“She is not worthless.” My wolf defended and I rolled my eyes at him.

I need to find a way to fix the problem at hand… my people are dying and the Western Kingdom is ready to wage war against us.

“Huh..” I sighed tiredly as I slumped on my bed, drifting to sleep.

Twila's POV

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me but he kept chasing after me. Already in his beastly form he closed in on me. And just as he jumped on me, ready to devour me, I woke up.

I was panting heavily. “It was just a stupid dream.” I told myself.

It looks at the alarm clock beside my bed. It was just two o'clock in the morning.

Well thanks to Ryker, I couldn't sleep back so I decided to get ready for my training with Orion. He did say I should be early after all.

Orion’s POV

The morning air was crisp as I stood in the training grounds, arms crossed, waiting. Twila was surprisingly punctual. Dressed in fitted training gear, her long dark hair was tied into a loose ponytail. She looked determined, but I wasn’t here to coddle her.

She needed to prove she was worth the effort.

“You’re early,” I commented as she approached.

“You told me to be.” She smirked. “I wasn’t about to give you an excuse to call me lazy.”

I scoffed. “Good. Then let’s get started.”

I tossed her a wooden sword, and she caught it with a slight stumble. Her grip was still weak, but I wouldn’t correct her just yet. I wanted to see how much she remembered from yesterday.

“Attack me,” I ordered.

Her eyes widened. “Just like that?”

“Yes, just like that. No hesitation. No second-guessing.”

She bit her lip, then lunged.

Sloppy. Predictable.

I sidestepped easily, knocking her sword away with the back of my hand. She stumbled forward, barely catching herself before she hit the ground.

Twila growled in frustration. “You didn’t even try.”

“No, you just made it too easy.”

Her eyes flashed with irritation, but she took her stance again. This time, she was more careful. She circled me, looking for an opening.

I waited.

Then, she moved. A better strike than before, but still slow. I blocked it with one hand and flicked her wrist, disarming her with minimal effort. The wooden sword hit the dirt.

She let out a frustrated groan. “You’re impossible.”

I smirked. “And you’re impatient.”

She bent down to grab the sword again, glaring at me as she straightened. “Are you even going to teach me? Or just humiliate me?”

I stepped forward, closing the space between us. “Training is about survival. In a real fight, hesitation gets you killed.” I circled around her slowly, letting my presence weigh down on her. “That’s what happened to your father, isn’t it?”

Her body stiffened. Bingo.

I watched her reaction carefully. “He hesitated, didn’t he?” I continued. “And now his daughter is left to pick up the pieces.”

Twila turned sharply to face me, her grip tightening around the sword. “You don’t know anything about my father.”

I arched a brow. “Maybe. Or maybe I know more than you think.”

She clenched her jaw. “What’s your point?”

I tilted my head. “Your family was powerful. And yet, they fell. Ever wonder why?”

Twila’s breath hitched. She was trying to mask it, but I could see the way her fingers trembled slightly.

She knew something.

Or at least, she suspected something.

I pressed further. “The Western Kingdom attacked for a reason. They wouldn’t risk war without something to gain.”

Her eyes darkened. “Are you saying they had a reason to slaughter my family?”

I shrugged. “I’m saying there’s more to the story than you think.”

She was seething now. Good. Let her anger drive her.

I stepped back, gesturing to the sword. “Again.”

She hesitated but then lunged at me with more force than before. This time, her movements were sharper. Her anger gave her strength, but it also made her reckless.

I dodged and knocked the sword from her hands again.

She let out a frustrated scream. “You’re infuriating.”

I smirked. “And you’re predictable.”

She picked up the sword and exhaled deeply, as if trying to calm herself. “Why are you even bringing this up?” she asked, her voice quieter this time.

I studied her carefully. “Because I want to know why your family was really attacked.”

She scoffed. “You don’t care about my family.”

“Maybe not.” I met her gaze. “But I care about the Moonstone.”

Her breath caught.

Ah. There it was. That tiny flicker of recognition.

She knew exactly what I was talking about.

But instead of pressing further, I stepped back. “That’s enough training for today.”

She looked startled by my sudden dismissal, but I didn’t give her a chance to question it.

I had what I needed for now.