Page 17 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
Most impressive was how Maseo learned as they sparred, adapting to Jaega’s preferred combinations and shifting his defensive positioning to counter them. It surprised Jaega he had to exert actual effort in intense combat to disarm Maseo, sending his practice sword clattering across the wooden floor.
Rather than concede defeat or call for a regroup, Maseo switched to martial arts. His empty hands rose into a defensive stance that Jaega recognized as a hybrid of different fighting styles. Helaunched into a flurry of kicks and punches, his movements now faster and more unpredictable than they had been with a sword.
“Excellent adaptation,” Kitsuki murmured, his eyes tracking every motion.
When Jaega swept Maseo’s leg out from under him, the halfling executed an impressive back handspring, propelling himself clear of the general’s follow-up attack. Without missing a beat, Maseo took the offensive, pressing forward with a series of strikes.
Considering Maseo’s slight build compared to Jaega’s imposing frame, his hits landed harder than Jaega had expected. Each attack showed precise technique, targeting pressure points and vulnerable joints rather than relying on brute force.
“Excellent work, Maseo. Now, let’s see how you handle an actual weapon,” Jaega said. He picked up a sword for himself and gave the half-wolf shifter a battle-axe. “This will be a true test of your abilities.”
Maseo tested its weight and balance with the careful attention of someone who understood its demands.
“Uncle,” Kitsuki said, his voice taut with controlled tension, “I believe I should join the assessment.”
Jaega glanced at his nephew, noticing how the king’s blue eyes now contained shades of silver. His gaze seemed riveted to Maseo as he tested the axe’s swing.
“Are you certain that is wise?” Jaega asked in a neutral tone.
“My dragon insists,” Kitsuki replied, already moving toward the weapon wall to select a sword. “He wants to test Maseo personally.”
Both dragons took their positions, flanking Maseo in a loose triangle formation. Jaega noted how the half-shifter’s posture shifted as he faced two opponents instead of one. The young man’s grip on the axe handle tightened slightly, but his expression remained composed.
Without warning, Jaega struck first, testing how Maseo would manage the axe’s limitations against a faster weapon. To his surprise, Maseo used the axe’s weight and momentum to his advantage, sweeping it in a defensive arc that forced Jaega to redirect his attack or risk having his blade caught in the heavier weapon’s path.
Kitsuki moved in perfect coordination with his uncle, pressing Maseo’s opposite flank with calculated strikes that would have overwhelmed most fighters. But what followed was a dance of steel that impressed Jaega’s seasoned warrior instincts.
Maseo moved with calculated precision, each swing of the heavy axe perfectly timed and positioned. He used the weapon’s reach and devastating power to keep both dragons at bay, compensating for its slower speed with superior footwork and tactical positioning.
His resourcefulness was remarkable. When Kitsuki pressed close to exploit the axe’s weakness in tight quarters, Maseo reversed his grip and wielded the weapon like a staff, driving the king back with rapid strikes.
“Impressive,” Kitsuki’s dragon growled through the king’s lips. His silver eyes blazed with predatory approval and something far more heated. “Such strength in those arms. Such control.”
Kitsuki’s gaze lingered on the flex of Maseo’s muscles as he wielded the heavy weapon was unmistakable. Jaega recognizedthat look; it was the same one dragons used to evaluate potential mates by cataloging prowess and combat ability with barely concealed desire.
However, it was more than simple attraction that caught Jaega’s attention. He had seen his nephew spar with countless warriors over the years and had watched Kitsuki maintain perfect control even in the most intense training sessions. Yet against their current opponent, Kitsuki’s dragon had emerged with silver fire burning in his eyes.
It wasn’t about combat interest but an instinctive pull that resonated with the deepest nature of the Ariake clan dragons. Jaega had witnessed it before when Kitsuki first encountered Auslin. The same magnetic draw, the same inability to maintain distance, and the same way his dragon seemed to take control without conscious permission.
The realization struck Jaega with sudden clarity. It was well-known that one partner had never been enough for any Ariake dragon. With Kizoshi hinting at a trinity bond in Kitsuki’s future, everything became clearer.
Watching his nephew circle Maseo with the focused intensity of a mate claiming territory, Jaega understood why Kitsuki’s control was slipping. His dragon recognized what his logical mind had yet to accept. The fierce warrior with a defiant spirit was what Kitsuki’s bond had been missing.
Maseo spun the battle-axe in a complex pattern that deflected both their simultaneous attacks, the heavy weapon moving in his hands as if it weighed nothing at all. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the exertion, his tunic clinging to the defined muscles of his chest and arms. Jaega noticed Kitsuki’s nostrils flare as he caught Maseo’s scent.
“Your form is flawless,” Kitsuki’s dragon purred, pressing his attack with renewed vigor that forced Maseo to give ground. “We have rarely seen such mastery of a weapon so demanding.”
He delivered the praise in a tone that suggested Kitsuki’s dragon was evaluating far more than combat skills. There was possessiveness in that voice, a claim and hunger that spoke to instincts older than civilization itself.
Jaega smothered a knowing smile as he drew back from the fight, wondering how long it would take his nephew to realize they were the only two engaged in battle.
Chapter 9
Kitsuki
Kitsuki’s control slipped every moment the fight continued. His dragon, usually content to observe from within, had surged forward the instant Maseo had switched to the battle-axe. Now, it prowled at the edges of his consciousness, demanding more involvement, more contact, more of everything related to the green-eyed half-wolf shifter who moved with such lethal grace.
He fights as if he were born for it, his dragon whispered in his mind.Look at how he anticipates our movements, how he compensates for the weapon’s weight. Imagine him protecting our Auslin on the battlefield.
