Chapter 348: His Proposal

Rebecca’s POV

By mid-afternoon, we moved on to physical combat training. Melvin stepped into the center of the field while the rest of us formed a wide circle around him.

"Magic fails," Melvin announced, pacing slowly in front of us. "Barriers fall. Dark Fire suppresses. Exhaustion weakens you. If you rely entirely on your special ability, you will die the second an enemy takes it away from you. So now we’re going to find out who can actually fight without powers."

His eyes moved across the group before landing directly on me, and a familiar smirk appeared on his face.

No.

"Rebecca. Step forward."

Aaron made a suspicious coughing sound beside me.

I turned toward him. "Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything," he said with a smirk.

I stepped into the circle, rolling my shoulders. I was already bruised and exhausted, but there was no way I was backing down in front of Melvin. He tossed me a wooden practice blade, and I caught it easily.

"You’re enjoying this," I accused.

"Immensely."

"I hate you."

He ignored me. "Ready?"

I raised the practice blade. "Yes."

"And don’t use your strength ability."

I nodded, and Melvin attacked first. I blocked his strike and immediately moved sideways as the next came toward my ribs. He was fast, much faster than most wolves I’d trained against, but that wasn’t surprising. He was a Dragon King who had spent decades learning how to fight without relying on fire or shifting.

I swung toward his shoulder, but he blocked, our practice blades meeting with a hard crack.

"Better," he said.

"Better than what?"

"The last time I saw you fight."

"That was almost a year ago."

"Exactly."

He attacked again, and I ducked beneath the strike before driving my shoulder into his chest, forcing him backward several steps.

Melvin laughed. "Still aggressive."

We continued moving around each other, and the spar quickly became more serious. Melvin didn’t hold back just because he liked me, which I appreciated. Every time I made a mistake, he used it, and every time I found an opening, I did the same.

"You’ve gotten much faster," he said after blocking another strike.

"Maybe now you’ll finally understand why I don’t need a man protecting me."

Melvin caught my wrist before I could strike him, forcing me to twist free. "I never wanted to protect you because I thought you were weak, Rebecca."

I frowned. "Then why?"

His sea-blue eyes held mine. "Because I want to stand beside you. There’s a difference."

That distracted me for exactly one second, and unfortunately, one second was all Melvin needed. He knocked the practice blade from my hand, and I stared at it lying several feet away before slowly looking back at him.

Melvin smiled.

That smug bastard.

I lunged at him.

He clearly wasn’t expecting it. I slammed into him around the waist, and we both crashed into the dirt. Laughter exploded around the field as we rolled once before I managed to get above him and grab his wrist.

"Yield."

He tried to roll me off him, but I tightened my grip.

"Fine," he said, laughing. "I yield."

I released him and pushed myself to my feet, brushing dirt from my clothes while the candidates laughed around us.

My gaze moved toward the observation area almost without thinking, and I found Kaden watching us. His face was completely blank, giving nothing away. He didn’t look angry, bothered, jealous, or even particularly interested. He simply stood there watching the training like he had been watching everyone else.

For some reason, I stared at him for another second, almost expecting something to change in his expression.

Nothing did.

I looked away, annoyed with myself for even checking.

By the time the afternoon session finally ended, I felt like I had been run over by a pack of rogue rhinos. Every joint in my body ached, my clothes were covered in dirt and sweat, and my hair had given up on life completely. All I wanted was a shower, preferably one that lasted an hour.

I slipped away from the main group and walked slowly along the stone path toward the guest wing.

"Rebecca! Wait up."

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

I turned around as Melvin caught up with me. "What?"

"I meant what I said this morning. I want to discuss something more serious with you."

I folded my arms. "I’m listening."

Melvin took a moment before speaking. "I’ve known you for a year now, Rebecca. I know you’ve kept me at a distance. I also know there are things in your past you don’t talk about."

A cold feeling moved through me, and he must have noticed the change in my expression because he continued before I could respond.

"I’ve never asked you to tell me those things, and I’m not asking now. If you ever want me to know, you’ll tell me yourself."

"Then what are you asking?"

"My feelings for you aren’t a game."

I stared at him. There was none of his usual teasing in his face now.

"I know you think I’m simply being stubborn because you keep rejecting my invitations," he continued. "Maybe I am stubborn. But I wouldn’t have spent a year trying if all I wanted was dinner."

"I’ve told you where we stand," I said quietly. "I’ve said no."

He sighed. "I want your permission to speak to Lord Drake."

My brows furrowed. "About what?"

"About formally courting you."

I stared at him for several seconds, my brain simply refusing to work.

"Courting me?"

"Yes."

"Melvin, I just told you I’ve said no."

"And I’m not asking your father to change your answer."

"Then why speak to him?"

"Because I want him to know that my intentions toward you are serious. I’m not asking Drake to arrange a marriage, and I’m not asking him to pressure you. The decision remains yours."

I searched his face, waiting for the usual smile, but it never came.

"If you eventually agree to let me court you, Rebecca, I’m not interested in something temporary. I’m not interested in keeping you around until I become bored or find someone else."

My stomach tightened. "What exactly are you interested in?"

His answer came without hesitation.

"Marriage."

My lips parted.

Oh.

Well.

That was certainly a very large jump from dinner. A year of flowers had apparently been the warning signs, and somehow I had missed the part where we were heading toward marriage.

"Melvin..."

"King Melvin."

Kaden’s deep voice came from behind me.

Every muscle in my body went still. I slowly turned around and found Kaden standing about ten feet away on the stone path, holding a thick leather folder in one hand. He was completely alone, his expression as unreadable as it had been all day. I had no idea how long he’d been standing there or how much he’d heard.

"The pack commanders are waiting for you in the war room for the evening strategy session," Kaden said.

Melvin looked at him before turning back to me. He reached out and gently touched my arm. "Think about what I said, Rebecca."

He gave me a small smile before walking away. As Melvin passed Kaden, the two men exchanged a brief look, but neither said anything. Melvin continued down the path until he disappeared around the corner, leaving Kaden and me alone.

Silence stretched between us. I hated that my heart started beating faster as I wondered how much he’d heard. Had he heard Melvin say he wanted to court me? Had he heard the part about marriage?

I waited for something from him.

Nothing.

Kaden simply adjusted the folder in his hand. "Morning drills begin at six tomorrow. Don’t be late."

That was it?

"I won’t."

He nodded once before turning and walking away.

I remained where I was, staring after him as his footsteps faded away. A sudden wave of annoyance rose inside me, which only annoyed me more. What exactly had I expected him to do? Demand that I reject Melvin? Tell me I couldn’t let another man court me?

That would have been ridiculous. Kaden had no right to care who courted me, just as I had no right to care whether he was dating Rola. We had rejected each other three years ago, severed the bond, and built separate lives. This was exactly what I had wanted.

Freedom.

I was free to date Melvin. I could even marry him if I wanted. Kaden could date Rola, marry her, and build an entire life with her. It had absolutely nothing to do with me.

My chest tightened at that last thought.

I frowned and rubbed both hands over my face. "Get yourself together, Rebecca."

I dragged my feet back to the room, completely exhausted, shoving every chaotic thought from the field out of my head as I pushed open the door. Rola was sitting on her bed reading, and she looked up briefly when I stepped inside.

"I’m taking a shower," I muttered, kicking off my boots.

I grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom, letting the hot water wash away the dirt and sweat. After drying off, I pulled on my sweatpants, walked back into the room, and collapsed onto my mattress. I dragged the blanket over myself and closed my eyes, ready to pass out.

"Rebecca?" Rola called softly from across the room.

I didn’t even open my eyes. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"