WALKING IN AFTER Lira, My eyes widened at the width of the large gymnasium we were currently in, bleachers stretching on each side.

It was surely a miniature version of the arena, only instead of the dome, there was a large cage at the center, bars stretching even over it.

I took all this in surprise, never having known that there were such rooms like this in The Cube.

My eyes trailed down to the group of greens casually dressed, talking amongst themselves and lounging around the bleachers sparsely spaced.

My gaze met the familiar gaze of Hazel, a smirk growing on the boyish face as he stood up from his friends to his full height.

Lucas Bowne got down from the high bleachers with a short jump, dusting his hands off as he approached us, whilst we walked further in.

His hazel eyes shined with warmth, shifting around the small group headed by Andrew Myers, eyebrows arching momentarily.

"Her?" he asked him.

Andrew nodded, "she knows almost every ability," he replied, with a short grunt, "weakness and strengths."

He glanced at Lira whose gaze moved between the two. I didn't mind that Claire, David, and I were shadows to this conversation because I liked being able to look at Lucas Bowne, still unable to believe that only two days ago he had been a depleted shell of the being before me now, whose was exiting both radiance and dominance at the same time.

I felt a tingle of relief that this was the OK Lucas Bowne.

The one that towered over everyone and everything unapologetically. Broad shoulders, a kind, and yet firm look, and a certain boyish warmth around him.

It was funny how standing in his presence right now, seemed to erase all the dark feelings I had been hoarding inside me since Harvest happened.

"Probability," Lucas stated with a firm nod, eyes studying Lira for a second, "stacking the odds up."

Lira nodded folding her arms, "I calculate how likely it is for a certain event to take place, and how likely it is to be true," she huffed, sounding more technical than ever, using her firm voice, the kind she used when she was talking to Harvest.

"To do that," she continued with a slow sigh, "I put in several factors. In this case, the 'event' is the likelihood that fish boy here-"

Andrew scoffed at that name, whilst humor could be seen echoing in Lucas' eyes as his gaze traveled between them, "can win against a dragon blood, and the factors are both their strengths and their weaknesses," she stated.

Lucas watched her curiously, a mischievous look in his eyes, "and what strength does he possess that Roman doesn't- both have creature physiology," he stated, his tone rounding up to be firmer, eyes still playful though.

"I shouldn't have to tell you that, I'm sure your Amarok has already weighed the pros and cons-"

"I'm asking you," Lucas countered, eyes narrowing down on her, yet not too harshly.

"A test then? I love tests," Lira grinned hands dropping to her side, glancing back at me with humor in her eyes. I chuckled slightly at this, folding my arms, my eyes meeting Lucas' humorous ones for a moment, "see, I tend to ace them," she added, looking right at him, recapturing his gaze, " like a lot," she added, pursing her lips.

Claire and I exchanged looks, whilst David looked not so comfortable.

Then again- he never did when it came to be in the presence of any Alpha, actually, now that I think of it.

"Speed, a slightly stronger sense of smell, and ofcourse, claws," she stated, eyes resting on Andrew, studying his face, for a moment before looking back at Lucas.

He paused for a second seemingly studying her too, before nodding, his smile growing, "yes, she is a good choice," he huffed, turning to Andrew, "wish I could help, but-"

"The games, we know," Andrew replied looking at the rest of us, "I hope it's alright if they watch," he huffed, clearly referring to the three onlookers, namely, Claire, David, and I. "Apparently. it's a full package now, can't take one without dragging in the rest of 'em," Andrew grumbled folding his arms.

Lucas, eyes trailed amongst us, his eyes ending on mine, a certain sparkle in them, that made my cheeks heat up, and my heartbeat slightly faster.

"It's complimentary packaging," Lira grinned.

"I-It was either sit in a field all day or this,' Claire voiced, tilting slightly to see the gymnasium behind Lucas, "I prefer this," she added, pushing her glasses up her nose, her eyes trailing to Lucas's who seemed rather surprised- "Alpha," she added with wide eyes, clearing her throat.

Lucas's eyes glimmered in humor, nodding, whilst I tucked in an amused snort.

"Well, welcome to the shifter combat room," he replied with a huff, his shoulders lowering, as he stepped aside lightly giving us a direct glimpse into what looked like a slightly bigger tha-normal boxing ring with a cage.

"Why does your combat room have a cage?" David stuttered slightly, eyes not readily reaching Lucas's only falling short.

It wasn't hard to see David was intimidated by him.

Not that I blamed him anyway.

Even the Lucas before the blood moon had been intimidating even if his face was almost always covered up by hoodies back then.

Now. he wore a plain shirt, seated nicely on his jeans.

Good god, he had a good build- no cap.

"Now is not the time to be drooling reddy," Lira whispered lowly, and my cheeks only heated more, knowing Lucas and everyone else had probably caught her low remark.

Yeah- that light smirk on his face was a dead giveaway.

I shook my head looking away, but maintained the silly grin on my face that simply refused to walk away.

Lucas turned to David, slightly those his low hazel eyes kept darting my direction, "Shifters belong in the wild, mostly," he added, "however, in such environments, it would be wise to keep some beasts in a cage," he added, eyes falling on David, who nodded nervously in reply.

There was a short silence between us before Andre broke it-

"Alright, we have a day and a half to get ready-  Lira?" Andrew motioned beckoning to the side.

Lira's gaze flowed from Lucas to Andrew, "R-right. Let's go prep you up the puppy," she huffed, leaving us all in low chuckles, whilst Andrew threw her a harsh look shaking his head, but followed right after her like a puppy as he walked away, bust suddenly paused,  turning to Lucas.

"Where is the mysterious red you chose for training?" he huffed.

"She's coming," Lucas stated.

Andrews's eyebrows arched, studying Lucas's face for a second, seemingly very unconvinced, but backed away, following after Lira.

Lucas watched him leave for a few seconds before turning back to us, his gaze resting.

"You can pick seats anywhere you like," he stated, gaze shifting between Claire and David, "I simply suggest you do not sit too close to Ari- she's in a mood today," he stated, my eyes traveling to a pissed-off looking Ari, who barked at someone down below, who was quote. "blocking her view of the cage,'  green veins traveling up her neck for a short minute as the boy scrambled off.

I raised an eyebrow at this, Claire nodding probably remembering that we were not in rainbow books with Ari either.

"Definitely avoiding that," David agreed, walking past Lucas. Claire glanced at me for a moment then back at Lucas, eyebrows arching but moved with David.

I was going to do the same when his hand locked onto my wrists, causing me to turn, near him.

His gaze flowed behind me, before dropping to me, warmth in them.

"Come with me," he stated lowly.

I searched his eyes, my breathing low, "I have something for you," he whispered lowly against my ears.

A shiver ran through me and light tingles ran up my arm as he gently tugged me along to the entrance. I failed to protest, eyes trailing behind him to what was happening inside, no one seeming to pay much attention.

I honestly wanted to watch whatever was going to happen in there with Andrew, but it was already too late.

We moved out of the door and into the white hallways, his hands on my wrist had long moved to hands, our fingers intertwining together.

It was so flawlessly done it wasn't half as awkward as it would have been with Harvest.

My heart was a nervous beat, but not in the slightest the stuttering mess it could have been if it had been Harvest.

Here, with Lucas, everything felt okay- it felt normal.

I grinned stupidly at his joke, into the hallways, chuckling.

"Any guesses?" he asked, "about my surprise?" he grinned.

I pursed my lips, thinking.

"You can go all out by the way- I'm very extravagant," he boasted playfully, his tone turning posh at the last word.

My gaze narrowed on him suspiciously, he was definitely the naughty type.

"It's not something scary-" I signed.

"It's not?" he echoed, eyebrows arching.

My eyes widened at this stopping in my tracks.

"I'm kidding," he chuckled pulling at my hand, "trust me, it's going to make you happy," he added, his eyes momentarily gazing into mine almost as if he had seen the hint of sadness that had once hidden beneath them.

"Sounds' extravagant," I signed and he grinned at this, shaking his head as we rounded the corner.

We both came to an abrupt halt, almost bumping into someone, but Lucas pulled me back in time, my breath low and harsh, eyes wide as I stared at the person.

Raskei stood before us, looking only slightly startled, something she was an absolute pro at covering up, taking a step back, a blank look on her face.

"Raskei," Lucas huffed, seemingly startled too, for a wolf boy with sharp senses I would have thought he would have sensed her, then again- he may have been simply distracted.

My heart somehow was a rattling mess inside me at the sight of her, her endless brown eyes seemed to rummage through me before they suddenly dropped down, her face stoic and expressionless, much like her best friend.

My eyes followed where she was looking, meeting the sight of our entwined hands.

I immediately let go gently, swallowing softly, not bothering to look at any of them, knowing I could feel both their eyes on me though for two totally different reasons.

I couldn't help but wonder if she knew- if she knew what Harvest was-

"Thank you for coming," Lucas stated, my eyes shot up, looking between the two of them in confusion.

Lucas glanced momentarily down at me, before looking back at her folding his arms, "I didn't think you would come, honestly," he huffed, "considering..." he trailed off and I watched as Raskei nodded as if she was aware of what he was talking about.

"Good. I don't expect you to go easy on him- but please remember he still has an opponent to fight on Tuesday," he huffed.

Raskei smirked, nodding, however, and he did the same.

I watched as she casually passed us, moving the same way we had come.

Lucas turned slightly, watching as she disappeared around the corner with a short sigh.

"He's going to hate me for a good week, tops," he huffed.

My eyebrows arched at this, as his gaze fell on me, snorting, though amusement in his eyes, "she's the red I asked to help Andrew train," he stated.

I raised an eyebrow at this, signing [but]

"Yes, their history runs deep, but she's good for him," he sighed, "for closure," he added, eyes trailing down to me, " if he can get her on the ground even once, Roman won't stand a chance, with or without his extra abilities," he explained.

I nodded at this.

I knew I was missing some kind of drama, I mean I would pay to see the look on his face, but I know I had Claire and David who would have been more than happy to fill me in.

[what abilities does Roman have?] I asked as we paced beside each other, this time our hands to ourselves.

"Sharp senses, above-average strength, scales, and the worst," he huffed, eyes straight ahead, "dragon fire- the hottest flames on earth," Lucas replied, as we paced beside each other, "Well, second only to hell and holy fire," he grunted, "but those are of a rarity," he added, as we moved out of the Cube the sun still bright in the sky, though slowly climbing down as the afternoon faded into cool shade.

We walked the path to the Crown as I listened curiously, asking more questions.

"he's scared of fire?" I asked, "That's his weakness?"

"To be fair," Lucas replied, "practically every creature beneath the sun, dislikes the flame," he added, "you know the whole, getting burnt alive thing," he stated, " or just burned, even if its a lick," he expressed with disapproval, to which I found myself chuckling.

"Dragon fire not only burns the hottest but also spreads the fastest," he stated, "coupled with the summoning of his fireproof scales that are strong enough to hold most of the heat out, they are also a good defense for an ordinary wolf bite,-" he finished glancing down at me, "He needs Raskei for guidance and Lira for assurance," he stated, "being a tracker means a lot to him- if he does not win this, he may be taken off the squad."

I frowned at this, now realizing the urgency of the situation.

"He should trust his instinct though," he hummed, " it rarely steers you wrong," he added, eyes shining down on me.

I nodded at this, not knowing what to say further- but got startled when he said-

"My Amaroq is quite fond of your scent," he stated, causing my eyes to flash to him as we paused in the shaded paths. 'During the blood moon," he stated, "he wanted to get to you," he replied, his jaw ticking, shaking his head.

"When I realized it was you and not just an illusion, I was terrified," he breathed lowly, a confession on his lips, "I tried so hard to keep him away."

My eyebrows arched at this, eyes searching his,

"He's a beast Talanda," he grinned though it didn't reach his eyes, "I can barely control him when I'm me, it's worse on that night," he added, lowly, his eyes dimming, smile fading, honesty only.

I gulped slowly, looking away for a moment silence roaming between us before I looked up at him holding his gaze.

[Does that mean he likes me?] I signed, a small playful smile playing against my lips.

His eyebrows creased at this, a funny look on his face, "enough to eat you," he huffed.

[Good, then he knows I'm a whole meal] I signed back, and this sucked out all the seriousness from him, as he threw his head back bursting out laughing, his long hair tied back, grazing his shoulders, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Even this you make pleasant," he grinned in between chuckles. I shrugged as he chuckled more, my eyes traveling momentarily to the crown, my eyes spotting a shadow in the window, one that moved away almost immediately, causing my eyebrows to arch, a dark feeling traveling down my spine.

"if you must know," Lucas began, recapturing my attention, but his eyes momentarily strayed to the window I was looking at seemingly confused but brushed it off, humorous eyes looking down at me.

"He really does like you- " he stated eyes holding mine for a moment.

I broke out of this moment by looking away, licking my lips, proceeding to continue our walk, [and your Gigan? does he adore me too?] I signed, playfully.

Lucas shook his head, "he thinks you're a little bit too short," he huffed, causing my jaw to drop, and this only made him laugh more, his shoulds toppling off, as my gaze narrowed on him. Was he joking? he was joking, right?

He only grinned, turning to walk away, with me following behind him, demanding a better answer.

-------------------------

"When I first came to Kingsland, when the King dropped me off," he added, as we walked through the doors of the Amory tower, "Ogun became my guardian and in more ways than one he was more like a father to me. Considering he is our prime, it was logical I stayed with him," he huffed as I took in the familiar sight of Mr. Ogustus work station, absent of the man himself.

Lucas motioned to the stairs, and I followed after giving one last look at the jars.

"Still, he was a lot like a father to me," he grunted giving me a wide grin as we walked up the stairs.

"When I was in quarantine, here, for the blood moon, it was different than others," he huffed his eyes trailing forward, yet his gaze looked lost like he was remembering, "my body and mind felt like they were building a cage for me, just for that specific night," he breathed out slowly, "Ogun talked to me for a bit, as always he encouraged me to focus on anything else, something to calm me during the changes," he sighed, as he walked toward two doors.

"He told me to choose something- I did," he added. He paused before them, turning to look at me, "I guess when you've been around someone for so long, some things tend to rub on you," he grinned, opening the doors.

He stepped aside, beckoning me forward.

A smile was already wedged on my face, but it faltered when I walked in.

The room was darkly lit, with only one thing in it. It was a life-sized statue, like the ones I had seen with the Prime gods. But its back was faced to me.

I glanced at Lucas who had walked into the room too but had paused near the door.

He gave me an encouraging nod, and I slowly circled it, my breath leaving my body when I saw it.

It was me.

A statue of me. I looked like me and yet, it looked different.

It was not the shy girl I always see in the mirror, the one that needed constant protecting.

The one that couldn't defend herself.

No, she was different.

She stood with Mr. Ogustus's spear, the one he had let me hold. Her wild curls looked fierce instead of messy, her stance was strong and bold. Like the thing that mom said she could see in me.

"I just think, you think, everyone looks at you like you are trapped, the same way I was trapped," Lucas began, his tone low and gentle, " I just wanted you to know, exactly how I see you."

I shut my eyes at this. Tears stinging beneath my eyelids, begging myself not to cry here, cry about how utterly perfect this was, how light this made me feel, that he saw me- really saw me.

I pursed my shaky lips, folding my arms and looking at him, miserably faking anger.

[My hair is a mess] I signed as he walked towards me.

He looked at the statue, then back at me, "It's always a mess crazy locks," he replied in an 'I thought that fact had already been established' way, accompanied by a grin as he ruffled my locks, making a mess of it again.

My tears rolled down my cheeks, the sound of soft chuckles filling the air, as he brushed my hair off my face, eyes trailing down to mine

His smile faded when he saw the tears in my eyes, the concern now flooded in them as he tilted my face upwards towards him, searching my eyes.

"You don't like it?" he whispered lowly, I could see a low panic in them ranked in confusion.

I chuckled at this through my tears, shaking my head, as I wiped them off my cheeks.

'No, it's perfect- utterly perfect' I signed, throwing myself into his arms in a bear hug, a wide smile on my face.

He let out a relieved sigh, his arms, coming around me.

I smiled against his shoulders breathing in his scent, my eyes opening slightly as I gazed at the door, eyesight still blurry with tears, but I could have sworn I saw a shadow.

•~•
Chile... I don't know. I like Lucas a little bit more. 👀🙌
•~•