Chapter 82: Combat test
The ride to Dravenhall University was unusually quiet.
Maverick kept both hands on the steering wheel while Yuki rested her head against the window, watching the familiar streets slip past. Neither of them attempted to start a conversation. After everything that had happened yesterday, silence felt easier.
The SUV rolled through the university gates before stopping outside the medical faculty. The moment Yuki stepped out, she realised the atmosphere on campus had changed.
Students were looking at her.
Some paused halfway through conversations while others openly stared without bothering to hide it. Groups gathered along the walkways lowered their voices the instant she appeared, yet not enough for their words to escape her hearing.
Even if the whole pack hadn’t been informed, the top pack officials knew. So did their families, and most of those families’ children attended Dravenhall University.
"Is that really her?"
"I heard the ritual proved she was the heirs’ mate."
"So she’s going to become the future Luna?"
"I still feel bad for Lady Eloise."
"They say the High Priestess herself declared the bond genuine."
"I thought she used witchcraft."
"No. They cleared her."
"Then why would the Moon Goddess choose an orphan?"
The comment struck like daggers, but she kept her face straight.
Yuki continued walking without changing her expression. Whenever she drew close, the conversations stopped and polite smiles replaced the whispers. As soon as she had passed, the murmuring started again.
She could not help finding it ironic. If they truly wanted to keep the conversation private, they could have mind-linked each other. Instead, they spoke just loudly enough for her to hear before pretending they had said nothing at all.
Respect had finally appeared in their eyes, but it came hand in hand with pity, curiosity, and lingering contempt. None of those things made the walk across campus any easier.
Combat training was her first class of the morning, and she honestly could not think of a worse way to begin the day.
The women’s locker room was far more crowded than usual. Girls moved between rows of lockers while changing into training uniforms, chatting about assignments and weekend plans. The room gradually fell silent when Yuki entered, and more than a few curious eyes followed her across the room.
"Is that her?" one whispered.
"She is pretty. Prettier than Lady Aevia..."
"They look so much alike..."
She pretended not to notice the comment. Opening her locker, she changed into the academy’s black training uniform before neatly folding her clothes into her bag.
A familiar voice broke the silence behind her. "Why is the locker room so packed today?" Yuki recognised the speaker as one of the second-year medical students.
"I heard they’re combining several faculties for combat," another girl replied while tying her hair into a ponytail. "Apparently we’re having a surprise assessment."
"A surprise test?" the first girl groaned. "You’ve got to be kidding."
"It’s combat class," someone else said with a laugh. "How difficult can it be?" The taller girl shrugged. From her build, Yuki could tell she was from the defence faculty, same as Xavier.
Another student zipped up her sports bag and smiled. "You medical girls don’t know how lucky you are. At least Lord Kaden teaches your faculty. Those of us in Management Sciences aren’t nearly that fortunate."
Someone sighed dramatically. "We’re stuck with Professor Lewis."
"I’d happily fail combat if it meant Lord Kaden was teaching us."
A chorus of agreement followed before the girls picked up their bags and headed out together. Yuki remained where she was for a moment.
So that explained the crowd. A surprise combat assessment was bad enough on its own, but having Kaden oversee it after everything that had happened yesterday made her stomach twist into knots.
She still remembered the way he had looked before walking out of the temple. The anger in his eyes had been impossible to miss, but beneath it she had caught something else. He looked genuinely hurt and confused.
Yuki shut the locker and rested her forehead against the cool metal for a brief moment.
"Stop overthinking," she whispered to herself before taking a steadying breath. "You’ll only make yourself more nervous."
Leaving her bag inside the locker, she locked it and followed the stream of students heading across campus. The lesson was not being held in the usual gymnasium.
Instead, everyone seemed to be making their way towards the university auditorium.
By the time Yuki arrived, hundreds of students had already filled the seats. The centre of the hall had been cleared completely, with fifteen wrestling mats arranged neatly across the floor. Students sat according to their faculties while lecturers gathered near the front, discussing the assessment.
Yuki found an empty seat near the back of the medical section and let her eyes wander across the enormous hall.
She spotted Xavier sitting several rows ahead with the engineering students. He appeared to be deep in conversation with his classmates, gesturing animatedly as he spoke.
Her gaze drifted towards the instructors gathered near the stage, searching almost absentmindedly for Kaden. She looked once, then again, but he was nowhere among them.
The disappointment caught her by surprise. Her wolf stirred quietly inside her. She felt something stir at his absence, but she shoved it down immediately. Still, a soft voice in her head whispered with subtle disappointment.
’He isn’t here.’ Her wolf sighed disappointedly. She could feel her wolf looking forward to seeing her mate. It was completely pathetic.
Yuki frowned.
Why did that bother her?
After everything he had said yesterday, after the way he had looked at her with nothing but resentment, she should have been relieved not to see him. Instead, she found herself scanning the front of the auditorium one last time before finally giving up.
The Head of the Combat Department stepped onto the stage, and the conversations around the hall gradually faded.
Professor Jedrek was a retired general who had spent decades serving under the Gamma before retiring into academia. Age had added streaks of grey to his hair, but nothing had diminished the commanding presence that came from years spent leading warriors into battle.
"Order."
His voice rolled effortlessly across the auditorium, silencing the remaining conversations.
"I’m sure most of you have realised by now that today’s lesson is a surprise assessment. Many students experienced their Awakening Ceremony only recently, so the faculty has decided to evaluate your control over your wolves."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall.
"This will be a one-on-one combat examination. Every participant will fight in a half-shifted state."
The room erupted with anxious whispers.
Maintaining a half shift was one of the hardest skills for a young werewolf to master. It required the human soul and the wolf spirit to work together instead of fighting for dominance.
Yuki’s hands tightened around the edge of her seat. Even her wolf sounded nervous. ’We’ve never done this before,’ her wolf muttered.
’I know,’ Yuki answered silently.
"The pairings will be completely random," Professor Aldric continued. "Some of you may face students from your own year. Others may find yourselves matched against seniors. Fifteen matches will take place simultaneously."
Groans echoed throughout the auditorium. Nobody wanted to draw a senior. Professor Aldric turned towards the massive display screen mounted behind the stage.
"The first round will now be selected."
The screen remained dark for only a second before the auditorium doors opened. Every head turned at once.
Yuki recognised the scent before she even looked—burnt amber and black pepper. As addictive as ever.
Kaden walked into the auditorium dressed in the black instructor’s uniform. He looked as though he had driven through the night. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and despite the calm expression on his face, fatigue lingered around him.
Their eyes met across the crowded hall. The moment lasted barely a heartbeat before Kaden looked away and continued towards the instructors.
"You’re late, Lord Kaden," Professor Aldric remarked.
Kaden inclined his head apologetically, a show of humility by an alpha. "My apologies, Professor. I was out of the city yesterday and drove back this morning."
Professor Aldric studied him for a moment before nodding. "Take your place. We’re about to begin."
The display screen flickered to life as rows of admission numbers flashed across it. Excited voices filled the auditorium while students searched for their own numbers.
Yuki followed the scrolling list until her breathing hitched. Her admission number had appeared.
Fourth match.
She immediately looked for the number beside hers, but it belonged to another faculty.
*Just my luck.*
The screen stopped a few seconds later, displaying all fifteen matchups. A lecturer stepped forward holding a clipboard.
"Students whose numbers have been called, please report to your assigned mats."
Thirty students rose from their seats.
Yuki stood with them and made her way down the steps. As she passed the engineering section, Xavier finally noticed her. He offered an encouraging smile, and she managed a small nod before continuing.
She reached the fourth wrestling mat, slipped off her shoes, and stepped onto the padded surface. Her opponent had not arrived yet.
She barely had time to steady her breathing before footsteps approached from the opposite side. "You’ve got to be kidding me."
Yuki looked up.
Hazel eyes locked onto hers. A confident smile spread across Eloise’s face as she stepped onto the mat.
"This should be interesting," she said, amusement colouring her voice.
Unlike Yuki, Eloise had spent years training as the future Luna of the Ravencourt Pack. Combat was as familiar to her as breathing, and from the look in her eyes, she had no intention of making this an easy match.