Chapter 5 WOUND TENDING

ARIA

The training yard smells of dust and sweat. Sunlight cuts across the ground in sharp angles as I brace myself, determined to hold my stance this time. My arms ache, but I refuse to lower the staff.A sneer cuts across the silence.

"Careful, Luna," Astrid's voice coils like a whip. She circles me with a cruel smile, her own staff balanced lightly in her hands. "You might hurt yourself trying to play warrior."

I straighten. "I'm trying to learn."

"Then learn this."

Astrid moves with sudden force, her staff striking against mine. The impact rattles my bones. I stumble, my wolf snarling inside me. Astrid's staff sliced the air with grace, the wood whistling with each strike.

My arms trembled, but determination kept me going. Each blow Astrid landed wasn't just practice-it was theater.

Astrid presses harder, each blow sharper, faster – more a performance than a sparing lesson. Warriors nearby watch, smirks on their faces.

Then, one strike catches me off balance, pain tearing through my side as the staff clatter away. The bond flares painfully, my wolf growling, thrumming, in resonance with my fear and anger.

I fight hard to rise, but another strike sends me crumpling to the dust. Gasps echo from the sidelines.Before Astrid can smirk down at her victory, a snarl split the air.

"Enough!" The crowd stills.

Damon strides forward, his eyes burning gold, his presence crushing. He shoves Astrid back with one hand, his chest rising and falling with restrained fury.

His snarl roll across the yard, dropping warriors to silence. Power radiate off him, the kind that makes lesser wolves bow without command.

"Who did this to you?" His voice is low, lethal – but his hands are already on me, steadying me as I try to sit up.

For one breath, his thumb brushed her skin, softer than his tone.

I winced, clutching my side. "Why do you care now?"

His jaw tightens. He presses his palm against my ribs, feeling for the break. The touch is firm, almost rough, but beneath it lingers tremor – as though he can't trust himself not to hold me differently.

"Whether we are bonded or not," Damon growls, his voice low only she could hear, "no one touches what's mine."

The words send a shiver through me – not just fear, not just anger, but something hotter that I shove down instantly.

I catch his wrist, yanking his hands away. "Then claim me, or let me go!" My voice crack, fierce with pain and fury.

For a moment, the air thickens. His eyes locked on mine, the bond thrumming like a living thing between us. His thumb brushes against my wrist – whether by accident or instinct, I can't tell – and my breath catches.

Astrid smirk falters, jealousy flaring like fire before she mask it with a cold laugh. The warriors whisper around us, waiting. Watching.

"He touched her."

"Not rejection... but not acceptance either."

"The Alpha doesn't know what he wants."

Damon's nostrils flare. His grip lingers one heartbeat longer – then he pushes to his feet, stepping back as though burned.

Without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving me kneeling in the dust, my heart pounding with a mix of rage, longing, and despair.

Astrid's smirk returns, faint but victorious. Elias, watching from the edge of the yard, is the one who is moving towards me, helping me up when Damon will not.

But the bond still burns. Damon might have walked away, but for the first time, I felt it – the crack in his armor.

The sunlight cuts across the training yard, dust motes floating in the glow, and my resolve sharpens. I will rise. I will endure. And maybe, just maybe, I will find a way to make Damon see me - not as a fragile Luna, but as his equal, his bond, his mate.

DAMON

The snarl tore through the air-an instinct, not thought. Enough.

I start moving before my mind could weigh the consequences, muscles coiled, presence dominating the yard.

Astrid freezes mid-step as I shove her back. My hands find her-Aria-steadying her against the rough ground. My wolf screams for protection, for claim, for dominance, and yet... restraint.

"Who did this to you?" My voice is low, lethal, but soft enough for her ears only.

She winces, hand pressed to her ribs, eyes full of disbelief and defiance. "Why do you care now?"

The bond throbbed, each pulse a reminder that we are tied, that I can not ignore her-even if I wish he can.

"Whether we are bonded or not," I growl, voice trembling with something I refuse to name, "no one touches what's mine."

The words burn, more than anger, more than warning. Aria catches my wrist, yanking my hand away. "Then claim me, or let me go!"

My fingers press her ribs, heat searing out of her through thin fabric. My wolf surged, clawing, demanding I hold her closer-claim her.For one breath, my thumb brushes her skin, softer than my tone.

For a heartbeat, we are suspended between rage, longing, and the pull of the bond. My thumb brushes her wrist-an electric spark neither could deny. Then I step back, jaw tight, eyes flaring gold, and walk away, leaving the dust of the yard swirling around her.

ELIAS

From the edge of the yard, I watch the exchange, teeth clenched, fists tight. Every fiber in my body wants to step forward and fight, to demand Damon see Aria's worth, to shield her from the pain. But I hold myself back, patience layered over desire.

When Damon walks away, I move in silently, hands gentle on Aria as I help her rise. My heart thuds, not with victory, but a mix of relief and something darker I refuse to name.

"You're okay," I murmur, voice steady but warm. "You're stronger than they think."

She leans into me slightly, breathing ragged, wolf still restless. She hasn't yet seen the edge in my green eyes-one only Damon would ever notice.