The sun was barely up, but Stormveil's training grounds were already alive with movement. Warriors sparred in the open field, their growls and sharp commands filling the air. The scent of sweat, dirt, and morning dew clung to the crisp breeze.
And right in the middle of it all—stood the heirs of the Four Fang Alliance, looking varying degrees of pissed off, exhausted, or completely unbothered.
"Are they insane?" Pond muttered, arms crossed as he eyed the sparring groups. "Who the hell trains before breakfast?"
"You'll survive," Win said, sounding far too unaffected for someone who had just been informed they'd be put through Stormveil's full warrior training.
"Will I?" Pond shot back. "We're businessmen. Political leaders. Not whatever this is!" He gestured toward two massive Stormveil warriors grappling in a brutal display of combat. One slammed the other into the ground hard enough to shake the dirt.
"Your stance is already weak," Phuwin commented casually, flipping through the training schedule he had somehow acquired. "I'd give you three minutes before you collapse."
Pond turned, affronted. "Excuse me?"
Phuwin barely looked up. "Five minutes if you actually take this seriously. But you won't, so three."
Pond narrowed his eyes. "You wanna bet?"
Phuwin smirked. "Loser does laundry for a week."
Win sighed, already tuning them out.
Meanwhile, Nani stood beside Sky, arms crossed as he surveyed the field with a calculating expression. He wasn't opposed to training—he had been raised with it—but Stormveil's way was different. More instinct-driven, more physical. Less structured than F4's disciplined combat training.
"This isn't a bad thing," Sky murmured beside him.
Nani arched a brow. "You say that because you're used to this."
Sky smirked. "You'll adapt."
Nani hummed. "So will you."
Sky frowned slightly. "To what?"
Nani tilted his head, watching as the Stormveil warriors prepared for their 'warm-up'—which looked a lot like hell. "To us."
Sky chuckled. "Fair point."
Further away, Dew stood apart, arms loose at his sides, his sharp gaze sweeping over everything. He didn't complain. Didn't argue. But his mind was clearly working.
And from the edge of the field, Tee watched him closely.
----
"Alright, heirs," one of the Stormveil instructors called out, voice sharp and commanding. "Since your Alpha has personally guaranteed that you'll be training like our warriors, we won't be going easy on you."
Pond scoffed under his breath. Like hell they won't.
"First rule of Stormveil training," the instructor continued, ignoring him, "You don't whine. You don't complain. You adapt. If you can't keep up, you'll fall behind. And in a real fight, that means you die."
"Cheerful," Phuwin muttered.
The instructor clapped his hands. "Warm-up. Three-mile run through the forest. Now."
"Three miles?!" Pond gaped. "That's the warm-up?"
Phuwin didn't even look at him. "Two minutes in and you'll be gasping like a fish."
"Shut up, Phuwin," Pond hissed, already regretting his life choices.
—Three Minutes Into the Run—
"…Okay, I see your point," Pond wheezed, already trailing behind the others.
Nani and Win ran with steady, even breaths—used to rigorous training. Dew kept pace effortlessly, his mind clearly elsewhere. Sky, naturally, was in his element, his movements effortless as he glanced back at Nani with an amused smirk.
"You good?"
Nani glared. "Don't patronize me."
Sky chuckled but didn't push.
Meanwhile, Pond was suffering. "I swear Phuwin's cheating," he panted, glaring at the Omega beside him, who was running like this was a casual morning jog.
"I planned for this," Phuwin said smugly. "You, however, ignored the schedule I hand-delivered to you."
Pond groaned. "I hate you."
Phuwin smirked. "That's fair."
—Obstacle Course—
By the time they reached the next part, Pond was already rethinking his life.
"Climb the wall, cross the ropes, crawl through the mud, and then—" the instructor pointed to a steep hill, "—sprint up that, and back here. Five rounds. Move!"
Pond turned to Win. "There's a wall."
Win adjusted his gloves. "Yes."
"We have to climb it."
"That's how walls work."
Pond scowled. "Are you even struggling?"
Win hummed, considering. "No."
Pond hated him.
Meanwhile, Nani and Sky were already moving. Nani scaled the wall with ease, his movements precise, landing with a roll. Sky followed effortlessly, landing beside him.
Dew was next, moving without hesitation. Tee watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, his sharp gaze locked onto Dew's form.
"You should be resting," he murmured as Dew passed him.
Dew didn't look back. "And you should mind your own business."
Tee smirked. Stubborn.
Meanwhile, Pond finally reached the wall. Looked up. Then turned to Phuwin. "I swear if you make a comment—"
Phuwin smirked. "I wasn't going to say anything."
"Liar."
"You make it too easy."
Pond sighed. "I hate my life."
And then Phuwin scaled the wall with surprising ease, landing on the other side with a graceful roll.
Pond scowled. "…I hate him more."
Win patted his shoulder. "Up you go."
Pond groaned.
----
Training Grounds Chaos
The Stormveil warriors gathered as the heirs prepared for sparring. It was supposed to be a serious training session.
Supposed to be.
Pond vs. Phuwin
Phuwin rolled his wrists, stretching as he stepped onto the training field.
Pond cracked his knuckles. "You sure you don't wanna sit this one out, nerd?"
Phuwin smirked. "Afraid of losing to an Omega?"
"You're this close to getting knocked out," Pond grumbled, motioning with his fingers.
Sky, already irritated, sighed. "Start."
The second he gave the signal, Pond charged—only to swing at thin air.
Phuwin was already behind him.
Pond spun around. "Okay, you're fast. But can you hit?"
Phuwin didn't hit. Instead, he dodged, sidestepped, and taunted every single one of Pond's attempts.
"Gonna swing at me or do you need a nap first?" Phuwin teased.
Pond's eye twitched. "Oh, you little—"
He lunged. Phuwin ducked.
Pond tripped over his own foot.
Phuwin gasped dramatically as Pond stumbled forward. "Are you okay? Should I get you a cane?"
The warriors watched howled with laughter.
Sky pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Get out," he ordered flatly.
Pond pointed at Phuwin. "This isn't over."
Phuwin patted his shoulder. "It's already over."
They were both promptly kicked off the field.
---
Bright vs. Win
Unlike the last match, this one was quiet. Too quiet.
Bright and Win faced off, unreadable expressions in place.
Sky gave the signal.
The first move was Bright's—a quick jab aimed at Win's side. Win deflected it effortlessly. Their movements were smooth, almost too in sync.
Then they touched.
The moment Bright's fist grazed Win's forearm, a spark shot through both of them.
Bright twitched. Win stiffened.
It happened again when Bright blocked Win's kick.
A faint crackling sensation. Like static.
Bright recovered faster. "You feel that?"
Win didn't answer, but his grip on Bright's wrist tightened for half a second before he let go.
The warriors watching exchanged confused looks.
Pond, still sulking from his defeat, squinted. "What the hell are they doing?"
Phuwin, now comfortably seated on the ground, hummed. "Chemistry."
----
Sky vs. Nani (or not?)
While the others sparred, Nani leaned against a wooden post, arms crossed.
"You're up," Sky said, stepping toward him.
Nani made a face. "No, I'm not."
Sky frowned. "You're training. Everyone fights."
Nani shook his head. "I'm not sparring you. That's not fair."
Sky raised a brow. "And fighting someone else is?"
"Yes."
Sky exhaled. "Not happening."
Nani scoffed. "So what, we just stand here?"
Sky gave him a look. "You can fight me, or you can sit out."
Nani rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue.
-----
Dew vs. Trainer
The training session had already seen its fair share of questionable fights, but nothing compared to what happened when Dew stepped into the ring.
His opponent? A seasoned Stormveil warrior, skilled but not overwhelmingly strong.
Dew? Cool, composed, and fully in control.
The match began. Quick footwork. Calculated strikes. Dew held his own effortlessly—until a sudden twist forced him to move awkwardly, sending a sharp twinge through his ribs.
He winced. Barely.
That was all it took.
Tee broke the warrior's arm.
No hesitation. No buildup. Just a clean snap.
The warrior screamed.
Everyone: "BRO???"
Silence. Then—
Pond: "Oh my—he actually—"
Phuwin: "Sure—sleep outside tonight"
Nani: "Tee. WHAT. THE. HELL."
Win: slow blinking. "That was… excessive."
Bright: "That was insane."
Sky, pinching the bridge of his nose:
"Tee, STOP BREAKING MY PACK."
Tee, completely unbothered: "He hurt Dew."
The Stormveil warriors instantly took a step back.
The injured one was still groaning on the ground.
Dew, absolutely done with this:
"I AM TRYING TO FIGHT—NOT BE BABIED."
Tee: "You were hurt."
Dew: "I WAS BREATHING FUNNY."
This happened again. And again.
A different opponent.
A new match.
Same result.
Opponent lands a hit → Tee intervenes.
Opponent barely grazes Dew → Tee intervenes.
Opponent thinks about swinging → Tee intervenes.
Every single time.
Sky, officially losing patience:
"I swear to the moon, if you dare to move again—"
Dew, beyond frustrated, finally turns to Tee:
"THAT'S IT. FIGHT ME INSTEAD."
Everyone: "OH SHiT."
Tee: "…If that's what you want."
Sky: "NO, THAT IS NOT WHAT WE WANT."
---
The tension in the training grounds was unbearable.
Stormveil warriors stood frozen, some still clutching their freshly broken bones.
Tee had done it again.
The fifth time.
Sky had had enough.
He stormed forward, voice sharp and unwavering.
"THAT'S IT. TRAINING IS OVER. TEE, YOU'RE DONE."
Tee barely glanced at him. His focus remained on Dew. Only Dew.
"He could have been injured," Tee said, calm as ever.
Sky's breath left him in an exasperated growl.
"HE COULD HAVE WON—IF YOU WOULD JUST LET HIM!"
Tee didn't blink. "Unacceptable risk."
Sky clenched his fists, barely restraining himself from physically throwing the vampire out of the training ring.
"DO YOU THINK I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY PACK? ABOUT MY FRIENDS?"
Tee didn't answer—because to him, it didn't matter.
There was only Dew.
Dew had reached his limit.
He ripped off his training gloves, marching up to Tee, rage burning in every step.
"You don't get to decide this for me."
Tee looked down at him, utterly unmoved.
"I do now."
Silence.
The weight of those words crashed over Dew like a tidal wave.
Something snapped inside him.
His fingers twitched, subconsciously rising to his throat—where Tee's mark burned beneath his skin.
The bond. The connection. The undeniable truth.
Even if Dew hadn't fully understood it before…
Now?
Now, he knew.
And he hated that a part of him didn't hate it at all.
Pond was the first to break the silence. "Oh. Oh, that's bad."
Bright, eyebrows raised: "That's worse than bad. That's mate-level possessive."
Win, deadpan: "So Tee tried to kill people because he's in love?"
Phuwin, shaking his head: "Told you, tonight Tee sleeps outside."
Nani, voice softer: "…Dew?"
But Dew didn't answer.
His breathing was uneven. His skin burned where Tee's mark lingered.
He needed to get away.
He tore off his gloves, threw them to the ground, and walked away.
Tee Doesn't Stop Him.
But not because he doesn't care.
Because he doesn't have to.
Dew can run all he wants.
Tee will always find him.
---
Outside the training hall, Dew paced.
His pulse roared in his ears, a steady thump-thump-thump that refused to slow.
His fingers pressed against his marked skin.
It still tingled. Still felt like Tee.
His heart pounded harder.
"This isn't happening."
But deep down, he knew—
It already had.