Ascension 50_A Warrior Luna's Awakening

Freya’s POV

 I watched Ss Whitmor lower his weapon, removing the headset to nce in my direction. His eyes, sharp as betrayed the satisfaction of a hunter seeing prey respond to the lure of the hunt.

 “Here you are. Faster than I expected,” he said, his voice as controlled and precise as the rifle he had just fired.

 I stepped forward with the neatly folded coat I’d dry–cleaned. “This is the jacket you lent mest time.”

 +8 Pearls

 wolf’s,

 skimmed the fabric with casual indifference. Wren moved to take the clothing from my hands, his posture rigid

 Ss’s 

 gaze with deference. 

 “Then I’ll take my leave,” I said, turning to step away.

 Ss’s voice cut through the air, calm butmanding. “Since you’vee all this way, why not shoot a few rounds? Consider it a way to repay me for lending you the coat.”

 I pursed my lips. “A few rounds?” 

 “Five rounds. Ten shots each,” he replied.

 A staff member set the pistols, ammunition, and ear protection before me. I looked down at the weapon, and instinct surged through my veins.

 Even after leaving the Iron Fang Recon Unit, even after stepping away from military life, my hands remembered. Checking the pistol, loading it, donning the headset–all of it felt as natural as breathing. Muscle memory carved deep into my bones.

 I raised the gun, aiming at the distant target.

 Bang. Bang. Bang.

 Each shot echoed in the open range, sharp and controlled. My eyes were steady, my expression cold, precise–the calm, lethal calm of a soldier still etched into me. 

 Ss watched me, and for a fleeting moment, his controlled exterior seemed to falter, almost dazzled by the

 presence of another predator. He remembered the past–the chaos of war, the rubble, the moments when he’d thought all was lost. He had felt that same glint of survival then, and now, in my steady hands and unyielding gaze, it returned.

 Round after round passed. We alternated shots, our scores almost neck and neck. Five roundster, I set the gun down and exhaled, a long, satisfying breath. It had been a game for him, but for me, it was the kind of sharp, intoxicating release I hadn’t felt in years. 

 “You are the most skilled female shooter I’ve ever seen,” Ss said, his voice calm, but there was a weight behind it.

 “Thank you,” I replied politely. “But there are many women in the unit whose aim surpassed mine. I’m not the best.”

 Ss tilted his head slightly, curious. “Then why, with your skills, did you choose Caelum Grafton?” 

 My face darkened. “That is my private matter. I don’t owe an exnation.”

 He smiled faintly, a predator’s smile. “And if I don’t like him… if I wanted to make him pay, what would you do?”

 I kept my tone t, neutral. “Do what you will. I will not interfere.”

 “Then you don’t care about Caelum?” he pressed, eyes locked on mine.

 turned to leave, dismissing the question, but his voice stopped me.

 “And Kade? What about him?” 

 I froze. Kade… how did he know about my history with the ckridge Alpha?

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 Ss’s voice cut again, smooth as ice. “If I moved against him, what would you do? I’m genuinely curious.”

 My hands curled into fists, fury and instinct rising in tandem. In a heartbeat, I spun on him, closing the distance in a blur of motion, and yanked at his cor, my amber eyes zing.

 “Don’t you dare touch Kade!”

 It was both a warning and a threat.

 Wren froze beside us, pale and stiff. In The Capital, who had the audacity to seize the cor of the Irond Alpha? No one. And yet, there I stood, my teeth gritted, my wolf’s instinct sharp and raw.

 Ss’s gaze stayed locked on me, unwavering. His amber eyes, so often calm as the dead, now burned with an intensity that rivaled the sun itself–but not for me. For another male. A rival.

 “You hear me? Don’t touch Kade. He is not a toy for your amusement!” I growled, every wordced with the predator’s edge of my lineage.

 Ss’s eyes narrowed. “And you? Would you stay by my side, then? For a while?”

 I faltered. “What… do you mean?”

 “If I leave Kade alone, you remain here, with me. That’s the condition,” he said, calm as a frozenke, as if negotiating the most ordinary of contracts.

 My wolf growled deep in my chest, fury sparking hotter than any gunfire. This man, this Alpha, treated others‘ lives like pawns. And yet… he dared speak to me as if I were merely a piece on his board.

 I drew back, amber eyes shing, heart and wolf both warning me–this was not a man to be underestimated.

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17kNovel

Ascension 50