Chapter 345: New Team Mate

Rebecca’s POV

​For the past three minutes, I couldn’t seem to get my eyes off them. Kaden and Rola were still standing a short distance away from the rest of us, talking quietly. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I didn’t need to. The problem wasn’t their conversation. It was how comfortable they looked having it. There was no awkwardness between them, no careful distance.

​Rola spoke with an easy smile, and Kaden seemed completely relaxed around her. At one point, she said something that made the corner of his mouth lift slightly, and my stomach did something strange.

​I immediately looked away. No. Absolutely not. Whatever was happening between them had nothing to do with me. Kaden and I had rejected each other three years ago. There was no mate bond between us anymore. He could date whoever he wanted, and I could do exactly the same. So why had I spent the last two minutes staring at them?

​I didn’t have time to answer that because I noticed they were walking toward us. I swallowed hard and quickly raised my water bottle to my lips, pretending I hadn’t been watching them like some strange woman who had suddenly forgotten how rejection worked.

​"May I have everyone’s attention, please?" Kaden called.

​Conversations across the field stopped, and everyone turned toward him. I lowered my bottle as Kaden stopped in front of us with Rola beside him.

​"We have one more candidate joining the special unit."

​He nodded toward her, and Rola stepped forward with a warm smile before giving us a small wave. "Hello, everyone. I’m Rola. I’m sorry for arriving late today. There were a few circumstances beyond my control, but I’ll be joining the team as a full candidate."

​One of the male warriors near the front leaned forward. "You’re Princess Rola, right? The heir to the Lycan Kingdom?"

​"Yes." Rola smiled. "But please, just call me Rola while we’re here. No Princess or Lady. We’re all candidates on the same field, and I’d rather be treated like everyone else."

​A few people smiled at that, and I narrowed my eyes slightly. Well, she was certainly polite. Apparently, being beautiful, powerful, and the future Lycan Queen wasn’t enough. She had to be friendly too.

​Marcus folded his arms. "What’s your ability?"

​Rola’s smile faded into something more serious. "Power suppression."

​A sudden hush fell over the field. Even a few people who had still been stretching stopped what they were doing. Aaron sat up straighter beside me, his bright green eyes filled with curiosity.

​"Meaning?"

​"If I make physical contact with someone who has a supernatural ability, I can temporarily suppress that power," Rola explained. "Usually for around five minutes after I release them, although the exact time depends on how powerful they are. With enough concentration, I can also create a small field around myself that weakens supernatural abilities within a certain distance."

​My eyebrows rose. Well, that was definitely useful.

​Silas studied her with interest. "How large is the field?"

​"About fifteen feet at the moment. I can push it farther, but the wider I make it, the harder it becomes to maintain."

​Brenda leaned forward. "Could you suppress the Dark Fire?"

​That was the question everyone wanted answered. Rola hesitated before shaking her head.

​"I don’t know."

​Her honesty surprised me. She could have easily walked in here as the future Lycan Queen and acted as though she had the answer to everything. Instead, she simply admitted she didn’t.

​"I’ve never encountered Dark Fire before," she continued. "From everything our scholars have learned, it isn’t ordinary magic. But the barriers are being maintained by gifted tiger shifters. If their abilities are what keep the Dark Fire active, then theoretically, I may be able to weaken their connection to it long enough for an assault team to break through."

​"That’s one of the things we’ll be testing during the afternoon drills," Kaden said beside her.

​Rola nodded, and Marcus spoke again. "What’s your limitation?"

​"The stronger the ability, the harder it is for me to suppress it. One person is usually manageable, but several people at once are much harder. The field also drains me constantly while it’s active, and if I push myself too far, my own strength starts dropping."

​Aaron nodded with a completely serious expression. "So basically, if we ever end up sparring, I’m staying very far away from you."

​Rola laughed. "That’s probably a very good idea."

​Several people laughed with her, and I found myself studying her quietly. Beautiful. Powerful. Friendly. Future Queen. And apparently dating Kaden. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Could she really not have had one annoying personality trait? Was a little arrogance too much to ask for?

​"Listen up," Kaden called, cutting through the conversations. "You have a two-hour break. Get breakfast, shower, rest, and be back on this field at twelve. Don’t be late."

​People immediately started getting to their feet. Kaden turned toward Rola and added calmly, "Use the break to get to know your teammates."

​"I will. Thank you, Kaden."

​There it was again. Kaden. Not Alpha King. Not Your Majesty. Just Kaden. Apparently, my brain had decided this was extremely important information that needed to be carefully stored for absolutely no reason.

​I pushed myself off the grass and grabbed my bottle, ready to head inside before I heard Logan call after me.

​"Miss Rebecca. Please, a moment."

​I stopped and turned around. Why me? Logan was standing near the edge of the field with a clipboard tucked beneath one arm, and he gestured for me to come over. I reluctantly walked toward him just as Rola approached with her two royal guards following behind her, carrying several pieces of luggage.

​"Yes, Logan?"

​"Rebecca, you and Princess Rola will be sharing the suite."

​For a moment, I genuinely thought I’d heard him wrong. "We’re what?"

​"Sharing the suite."

​Of course we were. Because apparently the Moon Goddess wasn’t satisfied with putting Kaden’s possible girlfriend in the same training camp as me. No. That would have been far too simple. We needed to sleep in the same room too.

​Logan gave me a slightly apologetic look. "The suite you’re currently occupying was originally prepared for Princess Rola. We weren’t expecting you when the rooms were assigned because your application had already been rejected."

​"You mean because I forced myself into the unit."

​His mouth twitched slightly. "Yes. That."

​I stared at him while he continued explaining that the remaining guest rooms were occupied and several rooms in the main wing were undergoing security work. I opened my mouth to complain before immediately stopping myself. What exactly was I supposed to say? Sorry, Logan, I can’t share a room with the beautiful woman everyone thinks is dating the man I rejected three years ago because apparently I’ve suddenly lost the ability to behave like an adult?

​No. Absolutely not.

​"That won’t be a problem," I said.

​"Good."

​"Hi, Rebecca." Rola turned toward me with another friendly smile. "It’s nice to meet you."

​"Hi. You too."

​Logan looked at me. "Could you show her to the suite?"

​Apparently, I was also the welcoming committee now.

​"Sure."