📖 The Wolfless Luna
POV: Kate & Ryker
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🌘 Kate
The training field stretched wide beneath the morning sun, dew still clinging to the grass. The clang of steel and the thud of boots on packed earth echoed from nearby warriors practicing their forms.
I stood at the edge, trying not to feel completely out of place. My sundress had been replaced by fitted trousers and a plain tunic, the fabric light but snug enough to allow movement. Still, I couldn't shake the awareness that everyone here could feel their wolf inside them — except me.
Ryker strode to my side, already dressed in dark training gear that hugged the lines of his body. His black hair caught the sunlight, revealing the faintest shimmer of blue that matched the piercing color of his eyes.
"Don't look so tense," he murmured, lips curving slightly. "I'm not going to throw you into the deep end."
I arched a brow. "You mean you won't start by tossing me into a fight with one of your warriors?"
"Not today." The amusement in his voice was dangerous, though, like he might keep that option for later.
He led me toward a smaller sparring ring, set apart from the main training ground. As we stepped inside, the murmurs from nearby warriors were impossible to ignore. I caught fragments — She's wolfless… She's the Luna?… The Alpha must see something we don't.
I forced my shoulders back and lifted my chin. If Ryker could stand here like a king among men, I could at least pretend to belong.
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🌒 Ryker
He hated the whispers. Every muttered doubt about her scraped along the edges of his control. But he also knew this was necessary. She needed to learn to fight — not just for herself, but to silence them.
"Today," he said, tossing her a wooden training blade, "we start with the basics. Grip, stance, footwork."
She caught it with both hands, almost dropping it before finding her balance. He stepped closer, placing his hand over hers to adjust the angle of her hold.
Her pulse jumped under his touch. He felt it — through her skin, through the bond — a rapid flutter that matched his own.
"Like this," he murmured, his chest brushing her back as he shifted her weight. She smelled faintly of wildflowers and something that was entirely her.
When he stepped away, he almost regretted the loss of contact.
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🌘 Kate
We started slow — stepping forward, pivoting, adjusting my grip. Ryker was a patient teacher, though every correction brought him close enough to set my heart racing.
After a while, he lifted his own blade. "Alright. Let's see if you can hit me."
I blinked. "You want me to attack you?"
He smirked. "Unless you're afraid."
The challenge lit a spark in me. I lunged forward, aiming for his side, but he sidestepped effortlessly. My momentum carried me past him, and before I could recover, he tapped the flat of his blade against my back.
"Dead," he said simply.
I spun around, breathless. "You didn't even try."
"That's the point. Your opponent won't wait for you to be ready."
The next attempt was no better. Nor the next. He was a blur of movement, always just out of reach, always finding an opening I hadn't noticed. My frustration built until I finally growled — actually growled — and charged him without thinking.
This time, he didn't dodge. He caught my wrist mid-strike, twisting just enough to send the blade tumbling from my grip. In the same motion, he swept a foot behind mine, and I landed on my back in the grass with a startled yelp.
Before I could move, he was above me, one knee planted beside my hip, his hand braced in the grass near my head.
"Better," he said, his voice low, almost approving.
My breath came fast, my chest rising and falling beneath him. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, neither of us moved. The world outside the ring faded — no whispers, no doubts, just the heat of his body so close to mine and the steady thrum of the bond between us.
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🌒 Ryker
He should have pulled away. He should have kept this strictly training. But the sight of her flushed cheeks, the determination still burning in her green eyes, made it almost impossible.
He leaned closer — not quite touching, but enough that his shadow fell over her, enough that she could feel the heat of him.
"You have fight in you," he murmured. "It's buried, but it's there. We'll find it."
Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words didn't come. Instead, her gaze dipped briefly to his mouth before snapping back up to meet his eyes.
The urge to kiss her was a physical ache. But instead, he pushed to his feet and offered her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up in one smooth motion, not letting go until he had to.
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🌘 Kate
We trained until the sun began to sink, my arms aching and my hair damp with sweat. I wasn't good yet — not even close — but I'd learned enough to know I wanted to keep going.
When we left the field, the whispers were still there, but this time, I caught something different in them. Not just doubt… but curiosity.
As we reached the palace steps, Ryker's hand brushed mine again, his voice low so only I could hear.
"You did well today."
Something in the way he said it made warmth bloom in my chest. Maybe it was the praise. Maybe it was him. Either way, I knew I'd be back in that ring tomorrow.