“Are we fighting, or are you a coward after all?”
Kaelen straightened, his posture relaxed but charged with purpose. “Let it be known I wasn’t the one inviting you to fight.”
The crowd parted further as the two Alphas squared off, the space between them crackling with unspoken challenge. Jodhar sneered, circling Kaelen like a predator sizing up its prey.
“By Rokuyu’s balls, you’re a pretty one.” His voice was mocking, edged with something darker. “I’ve seen Omegas not even half as fetching as you. Are you a Sunborn, or something?”
“Yes,” Kaelen answered curtly, taking his stance. His voice remained calm, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword.
The crowd gasped, murmurs rippling through the audience. Jodhar’s eyes widened briefly before he forced a smirk.
“Fucking Sunborn Alpha,” he muttered, the venom thick in his voice. He stepped closer and spat at Kaelen’s feet. “You think being a Sunborn makes you faster, stronger, smarter? I’ll show everyone here you bleed the same, and die the same.”
Kaelen sighed and tilted his head, as though Jodhar’s words were scarcely worth the effort.
“The only thing you reveal is how woefully obsessed you are with me, Jodhar. Try harder—you might yet wring a laugh from me.”
The words hit their mark. Jodhar’s jaw clenched, his fingers twitching toward his sword. The crowd’s murmurs grew louder, a buzzing of curiosity and unease.
Elder Tasim’s voice cracked through the tension, though it trembled slightly. “Enough! Both of you, stand down.”
Reiya sagged with relief as the anxious caravan leaderfinallystepped into the fray. His eyes darted between Kaelen and Jodhar, as if weighing the risks of his intervention.
“I will not have this kind of spectacle disrupting the caravan. Thisis a place of order, not chaos,” he said, though his tone wavered with more plea than command.
He glanced between them, pressing his lips into a thin line. “You’ve both made your point. Now let it end.” He shuddered, pointedly eyeing their weapons. “Whoever unsheathes their blade first will be expelled—no exceptions. This is your only warning.”
Reiya bit her lip, glancing between Tasim and Kaelen. He still hadn’t relaxed his stance. Tension still hummed in the air. Silently, she prayed Kaelen would yield—if only to deny Jodhar the satisfaction of drawing him further in.
Kaelen exhaled, finally releasing his grip on his sword. He inclined his head toward the elder, a picture of compliance.
“Understood, Elder. I wouldn’t dream of causing trouble.” His voice was smooth, almost too smooth. His gaze flicked to Jodhar. “I’m sure he feels the same.”
Reiya tensed. There was something in Kaelen’s tone—as if delivering a private joke only he understood.
Jodhar muttered a foul curse but turned on his heel, shoulders rigid.
A flicker of gratitude settled in Reiya’s chest. Maybe this night would end without bloodshed, after all.
Then, Kaelen sighed loudly, his voice a taunt on the wind. “There’s no point picking a fight with someone who’s already lost anyway.”
The words landed like a thunderclap. Her stomach dropped as Jodhar froze mid-step. The air shifted. Tension swung back sky high, and her pulse hammered in her throat.
Jodhar was big and menacing, but he was also reckless, and most of all—stupid. He relied on brute force over strategy, too blinded by his own arrogance to recognize the game Kaelen was playing.
Or maybe he didn’t care, convinced he’d always muscle his way into getting what he wanted.
Precisely what Kaelen had counted on.
Jodhar turned slowly, his expression dark and thunderous.
“Say that again,” he growled.
Kaelen didn’t even bother to face him. Instead, he smirked, tiltinghis head just enough to be dismissive. Then, without a word, he turned away, posture loose and unhurried, the very image of indifference.
Reiya saw the shift in Jodhar’s stance—the way his hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening. Kaelen might as well have thrown down a gauntlet without lifting a finger.
“Don’t you walk away from me, mutt,” Jodhar snarled.
