Chapter 215: Chapter : 215 : Training!

The backyard was wide, open, and scarred with the history of too many training sessions.

It’s been five days since Aiden took over Edda and the house.

Cracked stone tiles, patched walls, a few suspiciously new support beams that had clearly replaced old ones.

Aiden stood a safe distance away, arms folded, eyes flicking between the two women in front of him.

Luna and Thristle faced each other.

The air between them felt charged—playful, competitive, dangerous.

Luna rolled her shoulders, tail swaying behind her. Her ears twitched with excitement as she glanced back over her shoulder.

“Master,” she said brightly, eyes shining. “What will be my reward if I win?”

Thristle snorted, planting her feet firmly. “Oi. Same question. If I win, what do I get?”

Aiden chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “You two are impossible.”

He thought for a moment, then smirked. “Fine. Whoever wins gets… head pats.”

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

Luna gasped.

Her ears shot straight up.

Her tail wagged so hard it almost knocked over a nearby stool.

“Really?!” she asked, bouncing on her toes. “Master will pet me?!”

She immediately dropped into a stance, claws scraping lightly against the stone. “Then I will win!”

Thristle clicked her tongue. “Boring reward,” she muttered, cracking her knuckles. “But if that’s what you’re offering, My King, I’ll take it.”

She rolled her neck once, loose and confident. “And I’ll be getting those pets.”

Aiden pointed at Luna quickly. “Luna. Do not slice the walls.”

Luna nodded vigorously. “Yes, Master! I will be careful!”

Aiden exhaled, already tired.

Internally, he sighed.

This is probably a bad idea…

Another thought followed immediately.

*Luna will obviously win. She’s bonded with me. But Thristle won’t go down easy— she’s got that fighter’s pride. I need to make sure no one gets seriously hurt here. And keep the property damage to a minimum, or Edda will have my head.*

Before he could dwell on it, Luna inhaled sharply.

Her body shifted.

Luna’d muscles tightened as she flowed into her half-beast state. Sharp claws extended from her fingers. Her teeth lengthened into gleaming fangs. Her eyes burned golden, predatory and thrilled.

She grinned wide. “Ready!”

Thristle raised an eyebrow. “Going all out already?”

She slipped into her stance—low, balanced, hands open, breath steady. Every movement was precise, trained, disciplined.

“Don’t cry when you lose,” Thristle added with a grin.

Luna growled playfully.

Then—

They moved.

Luna lunged first, a blur of motion, claws slashing in a wide arc.

Thristle slid back just in time, pivoting on her heel. The claws missed her by inches and carved three deep grooves into the stone floor instead, sending sparks flying.

Aiden winced. “Luna!”

“Sorry!” Luna called, already spinning into another attack, her tail whipping behind her for balance. “But she’s fast—gotta keep up!”

Thristle ducked under a follow-up swipe, her eyes narrowing as she countered with a sharp elbow drive toward Luna’s exposed ribs.

Luna twisted midair like liquid, her enhanced reflexes kicking in, but she still took the hit partially on her side, skidding back a step with a grunt.

She laughed through the pain. “Oof! You’re fast! But that tickled!”

Thristle smirked, shaking out her arm. “Tickled, huh? Let’s see how you like this!”

Thristle surged forward, fists flashing in a rapid combination—jab to the face, cross to the chest, a rising knee aimed at Luna’s gut, and a finishing palm strike to the shoulder.

“Thristle!” Aiden shouted, “Not her belly. You hear me?”

Thrsitle nodded midstrike.

Luna blocked two, took one to the shoulder, then retaliated with a sweeping kick that forced Thristle to leap back.

The shockwave rattled nearby furniture.

Aiden threw his hands up. “Hey! Watch the bench!”

Too late.

The bench snapped clean in half.

Thristle landed lightly, eyes sharp. “You hit harder than last time.”

Luna rubbed her shoulder, grinning wider. “Okay, that one stung a bit! You’re stronger than you look!”

She dropped low and sprang again, claws raking downward.

Thristle crossed her arms, taking the impact, boots sliding back several feet. The stone beneath her cracked.

Thristle cracked her knuckles again. “You’re tougher than expected. But don’t get cocky.”

Luna’s eyes gleamed. “Cocky? Me? Never!”

She dropped low and sprang again, claws raking downward in a feint, then twisting into a spinning kick mid-air.

Thristle crossed her arms, taking the impact head-on, her boots sliding back several feet as the force dug furrows in the ground. The stone beneath her shattered with a loud crack.

She laughed through gritted teeth. “Show-off! Is that all you’ve got?”

“Not even close!” Luna shot back, landing lightly and immediately following up with a barrage of claw swipes—left, right, overhead, low sweep.

Thristle weaved through most, but one grazed her arm, drawing a thin line of blood.

She didn’t flinch—instead, she grabbed Luna’s extended wrist, using the momentum to flip her over her shoulder in a perfect throw.

Luna yelped, twisting in the air like a cat, and landed in a crouch—claws digging into the stone to stop her slide.

*Damn, Thristle’s not messing around,* Aiden thought, his eyes narrowing. *She’s using her full technique—those strikes are meant to disable. But Luna’s taking them like they’re nothing. Good—means the bond is working. Still, if this escalates, I might have to step in before they level the whole yard.*

The wall behind her cracked from the force of her near-impact, sending dust cascading down.

Aiden clutched his head. “That wall is new! Luna, I swear—”

Luna glanced back, ears flattening sheepishly. “I didn’t touch it! Blame Thristle for throwing me!”

Thristle dashed in again, aiming a precise strike at Luna’s jaw. “Don’t blame me for your sloppy landing!”

Luna caught her fist mid-air with a growl, the impact sending a shockwave that rattled the nearby training dummies.

Stone shattered under Luna’s feet from the force.

They locked eyes, muscles straining, faces inches apart.

Thristle’s grin widened. “Not bad. You’re stronger than before.”

Luna bared her fangs. “Told you—Master makes me better! Now let’s see if you can keep up!”

Luna growled, then headbutted her—forehead to forehead—with a solid thunk.

Thristle staggered back, laughing breathlessly as she rubbed her head. “That one hurt. But not enough!”

Luna bounced happily, shaking off the dizziness. “Master will pet me soon! Come on, let’s finish this!”

Aiden groaned aloud this time. “Please don’t let that be your battle motivation. And watch the dummies—those are for practice, not destruction!”

They clashed again—fists meeting claws in a whirlwind of strikes and counters, each blow landing with enough force to crack stone or send dust flying.

A chunk of wall collapsed from a stray elbow.

A flower pot exploded when Thristle’s kick missed and hit the planter instead.

A training dummy lost its head to Luna’s sweeping claw swipe.

Aiden shouted every few seconds, his mental commentary racing.

“Hey! That’s structural—Edda just fixed that!”

*Shit, if they keep this up, the whole yard’s gonna be rubble. Luna’s holding back a bit—good girl—but Thristle’s pushing her. Wait, is Nyxion watching this? She loves a good fight… where is she anyway? Wait, she is coming toward me.”

“Not the support beam—do you want the awning to collapse?!”

“That was expensive!”

Neither of them listened.

Then—

Aiden felt something warm press against his back.

Soft.

Heavy.

He stiffened slightly.

A familiar presence.

He relaxed immediately. “Nyxion?”

A low, shaky breath brushed his neck.

“Heart Lord…” she murmured. “Let me lean on you a bit.”

Her voice was weak. Unsteady.

Aiden frowned and turned slightly. “You okay?”

She leaned into him fully now, her weight settling against his back. Her breathing was heavy, uneven. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes half-lidded.

“This isn’t like you,” he said quietly.

She let out a small, embarrassed sound. “I’ll be better… if I stay close.”

That set off alarms in his head.

Aiden turned fully and caught her before she could slip, pulling her against his chest. One arm wrapped securely around her back.

“Hey. Talk to me,” he said softly. “What happened?”

Nyxion pressed her forehead against his collarbone. “Don’t know. Felt weak. Hot. Like something inside me is… restless.”

Luna and Thristle both stopped mid-motion.

They turned at the same time.

“Luna’s ears flattened instantly. “Master?”

Thristle frowned, all teasing gone. “What’s wrong?”

They hurried over.

Luna sniffed the air, eyes widening. “Nyxion smells… wrong.”

Nyxion winced weakly. “Rude.”

Aiden leaned his forehead against Nyxion’s, closing his eyes for a moment. Heat radiated from her skin, like a fever simmering under the surface.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Stay with me. I’ve got you.”

Nyxion’s fingers curled weakly into his shirt. “I know… that’s why I came.”

Luna stepped closer, worry written all over her face. “Is she sick?”

Thristle crossed her arms, jaw tight. “She doesn’t look injured.”

Aiden shook his head slowly. “Feels like something internal. Maybe bond-related.”

Nyxion let out a shaky breath. “Sorry… for interrupting your fun.”

Luna shook her head hard. “Training can wait.”

Thristle nodded once. “Yeah. This matters more.”

Aiden held Nyxion tighter, grounding her. “We’ll get you inside. Vegia might know something. Or Edda. Or… someone.”

Nyxion managed a faint smile. “As long as you don’t let go.”

He didn’t.

Not for a second.

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END OF Chapter : 215 : PRACTICE!

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