Chapter 84: Not jealous
The entire auditorium was dumbfounded. They could not understand what the hell had just happened in front of them. Even Kaden stood puzzled. Every move Yuki had used was something he would have used himself effectively.
"Is she alright?" Yasmine asked Kaden. His jaw clenched tightly then unclenched slowly. "She is fine," Kaden replied. His tone came out clipped. He helped Eloise up but she stumbled back immediately. Pain shot through her ankle. She fell straight into Kaden’s arms with a soft gasp.
Yuki did not know if it was an act Eloise was putting on. Watching her act so helpless after almost killing her made Yuki’s eyes twitch with irritation. She convinced herself that was what made it so annoying. It had nothing to do with Kaden. After all, they had always been this way around each other.
"Kaden, my ankle hurts so much," Eloise whined in a soft pitiful voice. She burrowed deeper into his arms and pressed her face against his chest. He let out a helpless sigh. The sound was low and resigned. He squatted before her leg without hesitation. He did not care if there were eyes around. In fact, he wanted someone to watch the scene unfold.
Kaden reached for her ankle with gentle fingers. Although awakened werewolves had faster healing abilities he could not stand the thought of Eloise suffering even a second more. White light immediately appeared at the tip of his fingers. It was pure unadulterated healing magic that glowed softly in the auditorium lights.
Kaden was naturally born with this gift. Kieran was the only one who had actually perfected his healing spells over time. Everyone knew the only person Lord Kaden ever used his abilities on was Eloise. Not even his mate had received such personal care from him.
The more Yuki watched the scene the more exhausted she felt inside. She had already repeated in her head several times that she should not care. Yet it was not that simple. A dull ache settled in her chest as she observed them together.
Seeing that Eloise was fine Yasmine nodded with satisfaction. She recorded the final results on her tablet. Then she gave Yuki a complicated look full of understanding. She understood how annoying it must be to watch Eloise and Kaden together especially for a fated mate. She could not even stand her own husband smiling longer than necessary at others.
"You should visit the infirmary," Yasmine mentioned in a kind voice. She patted Yuki’s shoulder gently. "They will give you some potions to aid your wolf. That performance was unexpected. You handled yourself remarkably well out there."
A small smile touched Yuki’s lips despite the pain. She grabbed her stomach which was still throbbing with sharp pain. She stumbled away from the mat with careful steps. Kaden noticed her limp even when he tried not to look. Frustration bubbled up in his chest. It took everything in him to fight against his instincts that screamed to go to her.
His wolf scoffed inside his mind. ’You know you are fighting a losing battle.’ He was starting to find the situation increasingly annoying.
"Yuki." A warm voice called out. It was Xavier rushing over to her with a bottle of water in his hand. "Are you feeling any better?" He asked. Concern was clear in his tone. "Those hits must have hurt quite a bit."
She was a bit surprised by the genuine worry on his face. "I feel horrible." She admitted. Her face scrunched up as fresh pain rang through her body once she tried to straighten up.
"Let me walk you to the infirmary." He offered kindly without hesitation. His voice was soft and gentle.
Yuki instinctively wanted to turn him down. "You do not have to." She argued. "You have not sparred yet."
As soon as the words left her lips Xavier blurted out. "Hold on." The next second he was walking toward Kaden. Of all the professors there he deliberately chose him.
Kaden had just finished healing Eloise’s leg. The white light faded from his fingers. "All done." He chimed in a gentle tone. She gave him a weak smile and slowly stood up. She felt genuinely happy that he still came to her aid so quickly.
"Thanks." She chimed back with a gentle smile. "By the way did Yuki’s style feel unusually similar to yours?" She asked nervously. Her stomach was in knots. Kaden was not surprised she had noticed. After all, he had sparred with her many times before.
"Have you given her..." Eloise was about to pry further when Xavier’s voice cut through the conversation.
"Kaden I need a favour." He mentioned. His gaze flickered to Eloise with that usual annoyance. He had never really been a fan of her in the past but he had to hide it carefully.
"What favour?" Kaden asked as he rose. His voice was calm but guarded. He and Xavier were almost the same height. They stood eye to eye.
"Can you delay my match?" Xavier asked casually. "I do not know if I will make the next draw but I have to take Yuki to the infirmary." He spoke like it was a regular day and he wasn’t simply telling someone he wanted to help the other man’s mate.
"Why are you asking me of all people Xavier?" Kaden asked. He sensed the other man’s intentions clearly.
Xavier patted his shoulder in a friendly way. "Because you of all people should understand how much your girlfriend’s kick must have hurt." He shrugged then smirked at Eloise. "You were kicking her like you wanted her dead." There was a clear hint of accusation in his tone.
Eloise clicked her tongue sharply. "It is not my fault she is an amateur." She snickered in a defensive voice.
"Yet that amateur took you down." Xavier retorted smoothly. Eloise’s jaw clenched visibly. "You seem oddly defensive of her." She sneered.
"There is nothing wrong with being defensive of her." He replied without blinking. Then he glanced back at Kaden who had gone oddly quiet. "So how about the permission? Just cover for me."
Kaden’s gaze darkened noticeably. "Why must you go?" He asked. His annoyance was obvious in his clipped words. "Someone who was not injured from the first batch should take her."
Xavier sighed heavily. "Come on Kaden. What are friends for?" He groaned. "I cannot give up this opportunity to get into her good graces. If another guy helps her, what if she likes him? I cannot risk it."
Kaden wanted to comment that Yuki was not going to easily fall for someone else since she was fated for him. He bit his tongue instead. Xavier patted his shoulder again. "I knew you would understand. After all, you said you did not care if she was with someone else." That was a deliberate provocation.
His entire message was simple. If you ignore your mate do not blame me later. Xavier straightened up and gave Kaden a casual smile. "Thanks." He chimed brightly. Then he walked back to Yuki who was still clutching her stomach in pain.
’He is deliberately provoking us.’ His wolf whispered inside Kaden’s mind.
’I am not provoked.’ Kaden snapped back. It was an obvious lie. His wolf of all people knew exactly what he felt inside. Lying to him was pretty pathetic. Kaden watched as Xavier whispered something soft to Yuki before squatting down in front of her.
She climbed onto his back. Her arms wrapped securely around his shoulders. Xavier gave her a piggyback ride with steady strength. His eyes met Yuki’s for a brief moment before he tore his gaze away and they started walking toward the infirmary.