Althea's POV
The palace was beautiful, yes. Grand. Towering stone arches, glass towers, the scent of aged scrolls and burning cedar everywhere. But after a while, the silence of luxury started to feel like a prison.
I needed air. I needed movement. I needed to hit something.
Kaelani found me sitting on the edge of the terrace outside my room, staring at the training grounds far below.
"I want to train," I said the moment she joined me.
Her lips twitched. "With the royal warriors?"
I turned to her. "Yes."
She raised a brow. "You want to get knocked around by six-foot Lycans for fun?"
I stood. "I want to stop feeling like glass. I want to know what I'm capable of. I want them to see me for more than the king's mate."
Her expression softened, the teasing falling away. "Then let's talk to Max."
Maximus was in the garden court overseeing drills when we found him. The way he stood—calm, commanding, every warrior on the field attuned to his presence—it made my stomach flutter. He looked at me as we approached, and I knew he already felt my intent.
"You want to train," he said simply.
"Yes," I said. "With the royal warriors."
He looked at Kaelani. She shrugged, smiling. "I'm going with her. If she gets hurt, I get to scold you."
His eyes met mine again. "Stay close to her. Don't push past your limits."
"I won't."
He stepped closer and brushed his knuckles gently along my jaw. "And if anyone doubts you, remind them who you are."
The sparring yard was a carved ring of stone and sand at the edge of the palace. Dozens of warriors trained there—Lycans with muscle, speed, and decades of discipline. As Kaelani and I entered, a few of them stopped to watch, murmurs stirring.
Lucien directed us to an open circle, eyeing me with curiosity. "Go slow at first," he advised.
But slow didn't last long.
The moment I began to move—sparring with Kaelani at first, then switching partners—I felt something awaken in me. My limbs remembered how to fight. My instincts took over, faster and sharper than I expected.
I dodged, blocked, spun, struck.
Kaelani broke a sweat. Some warriors looked surprised. Others nodded in silent approval.
"She's holding back," Kaelani whispered when we paused for water.
"I'm trying to be polite," I muttered.
"Stop that."
So I stopped.
The next round, I let go—and the earth itself felt different under my feet. Something coiled in my chest, ancient and powerful. I didn't shift, but the strength in my human form pulsed like a promise.
Then someone new stepped forward.
Tall, lean, and graceful like a blade, the female warrior tossed her braid behind her shoulder and gave me a tight smile. "Impressive, Luna," she said. "But skill in drills is not the same as holding your own in a real fight."
Kaelani stepped beside me. "Saela, don't start."
Saela smirked. "Just a friendly match. Unless our future queen is afraid?"
I stepped forward. "No claws. No shift. Just hands."
We faced off. She was fast—I was faster. She was precise—I was instinct. Every strike she launched, I anticipated. Every feint, I read. My body was moving on its own, guided by something deeper than training. Guided by instinct and something ancient in my blood.
I took her down with a sweep of the leg and a twist of her arm. She hit the ground hard.
Gasps.
I offered her my hand. She took it.
Kaelani grinned wide. "That was hot."
I tried to catch my breath. "That was... new."
"You're stronger than any Luna I've ever seen," Kaelani said quietly. "Maybe even stronger than some Alphas."
And for the first time in a long while, I didn't feel broken—I felt like I belonged.
That night, I lay in my room, exhaustion coating my body like warm silk. My arms ached, my thighs burned, but it was a satisfying kind of pain.
A soft knock echoed at my door.
I sat up. "Come in."
Maximus entered slowly, wearing a loose black shirt and dark trousers. His usual armor of command seemed lighter tonight. His eyes softened when he saw me curled under the covers.
"You're sore," he said.
"A little."
He stepped closer. "You were incredible today."
"I didn't expect to be that... fast. Or strong."
"You're more than what they thought you were. You always were."
He paused at the edge of the bed, unsure.
"You can stay," I said before he could ask.
He climbed in beside me. No urgency. No expectations.
His arms wrapped around me from behind, and I leaned into him, letting his warmth seep into my skin.
We lay like that for a while, in silence.
Then he kissed the back of my neck, slow and reverent.
My heart fluttered. "Maximus?"
"Yes?"
I turned in his arms and looked up at him. He bent down, lips meeting mine softly. No hunger this time. Just comfort. Just peace.
We kissed until sleep claimed us, tangled in warmth, in silence, in something beginning to feel like love.