NovelNext Chapter 120: Drake Onyx vs Dean Dark
Chapter 120: Drake Onyx vs Dean Dark
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Chapter 120
~Author’s POV~
Professor Halden’s whistle rang out, cutting off the silent standoff brewing between Drake and Dean.
"Gather around, everyone!" Halden commanded. "Training begins immediately. We are kicking off today’s session with sparring assessments."
The students quickly formed a wide circle around the central combat mat. Jade stood beside Ziva and Claire, watching as the Triplet Alphas moved to the front of the crowd.
Their eyes were fixed entirely on Drake, and unfortunately for the latter, the hostility rolling off them was thick enough to choke on.
Before Professor Halden could call the first names, Xavier stepped forward. His voice dropped into an absolute Alpha command that made weaker wolves instantly lower their heads.
"Alpha Drake Onyx," Xavier said smoothly. "I hear you are from Lunar Crescent High. And since you are participating in the Mock Trials, you cannot remain unaffiliated. You must be sorted into one of the five academy clans."
"I am aware of the rules," Drake replied.
"Good," Xander sneered, stepping up beside his brother. "Because here at Prestige Lunar, we do not just assign you a clan based on a piece of paper. You have to prove where you belong. You will spar against the top student in this class."
He pointed a single, threatening finger directly at Dean.
Professor Halden nodded, officially sanctioning the match. "Drake Onyx versus Dean Dark. Step onto the mat."
A nervous murmur rippled through the gathered students. Everyone knew the stakes. Drake had already replaced Kai in the five-man tactical unit, but his actual Faction placement rested entirely on this fight.
Currently, Silver was in Eagle, Adrian was Phoenix, Isadora was Tiger, Silvie was Shark, and Jade was assigned to Dragon Faction.
Where Drake ended up depended on how much power he displayed today.
Drake casually stripped off his blazer and tossed it aside before rolling his shoulders. He stepped onto the mat opposite Dean.
"Begin," Halden shouted.
Dean did not waste a single second. He let out a low growl, his eyes flashing red as he initiated a partial shift. His balled his fist, and launched himself at Drake with terrifying speed.
Drake barely blinked.
He handled the spar effortlessly. It was almost lazy. Drake sidestepped Dean’s brutal right hook, his hands barely leaving his sides as he dodged the aggressive strikes while the students watched.
Nobody dodged Dean that easily.
Frustrated, Dean let his Alpha aura bleed out, trying to force Drake into submission.
In response, Drake’s eyes flashed a brilliant, icy blue. He unleashed his own aura, and the violent clash of their energies hit the room like a physical shockwave.
Non-alpha wolves in the front row whimpered and stumbled backwards to escape the suffocating pressure.
"Keep your auras contained!" Halden yelled over the commotion. "Remember the Alpha suppression laws inside the academy walls!"
Neither of them listened.
From the sidelines, Jade felt a sudden, sharp yank through the mate bond. Xavier, Xander, and Xade were pulling on her energy, their possessive instincts flaring violently as they tried to completely anchor her to them.
But at the exact same time, Javelin was practically purring in her mind, undeniably drawn to the sheer power Drake was displaying on the mat.
Dean threw a heavy kick, which Drake easily blocked with one forearm.
"You are spending an awful lot of time with Jade," Dean taunted in a low voice, trying to get under Drake’s skin as they circled each other.
"She is my assigned chaperon," Drake replied evenly.
Dean smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Good."
"Good?" Dean nodded and threw another punch, but Drake pulled his arm and threw one of his own at Dean’s stomach. "Why? Besides, it’s been just one lecture period. No need to pout."
Rather than stopping the fight, Dean fought on. "No, she doesn’t need such distractions."
"And what are you? Her dad?"
Dean’s lip lifted in a smirk and then he went in for the kill. "No, but because I have been meaning to ask her out properly, and I would hate for a temporary exchange student to get in my way."
Drake stopped moving.
The lazy, effortless demeanour vanished in a split second. A feral, terrifying darkness swallowed his blue eyes. He stepped inside Dean’s guard so fast it looked like a blur, before Dean could do anything.
And in the next second, his aura tore through in a strong force.
"I would strongly advise against that," Drake whispered, his voice vibrating with lethal intent for only Dean to here. "Stay away from my mate."
Dean completely froze. His eyes went wide as his composure shattered. "Mate?"
That was all Drake could ask and the next second Drake’s fist connected with Dean’s face with a sickening crunch.
The force of the blow lifted Dean completely off his feet before he crashed onto the hard mat, his nose visibly broken and blood pouring down his chin.
A collective gasp echoed through the training hall as Dean groaned in agony.
Drake stood over him, breathing steadily, his hands finally dropping to his sides.
The silence only lasted for one heartbeat. Across the room, Xavier, Xander, and Xade all stepped forward onto the mat at the exact same time.
The air in the arena turned to absolute ice. Three sets of glowing, lethal eyes locked onto Drake.
Professor Halden opened his mouth to intervene, but Xander cut him off.
"New pairing," Xander announced. His voice was a dark, vibrating rumble that left absolutely no room for argument."Perhaps someone needs a gentlier paring to teach control."
"You wanted strength. I showed exactly that," Drake snapped, barely able to hide his rage.
Xander scoffed. "How about the one whom you can’t seem to get your gaze off?"
Saying that, both Xavier and Xade snapped their heads in Xander’s direction.
Xander didn’t look at Drake. His burning gaze snapped directly to Jade. "Drake Onyx versus Jade Snow. On the mat. Now."
Jade’s jaw tightened so hard her teeth ached. Disbelief swept through the students.
Putting a female student—even a highly skilled one—against an Alpha who just shattered the top fighter’s nose in one punch was absolute madness.
But Jade had no choice. Refusing a direct command from an instructor would only draw more attention.
She stepped forward onto the centre mat.
Drake turned to face her. The feral darkness in his eyes vanished the second he looked at her, replaced immediately by an intense, burning heat that made Javelin howl in the back of Jade’s mind.
"Begin," Xander barked.
"What the hell are you doing?" Xade questioned Xander through their mind-link as they stepped back.
"I know what I am doing. I don’t trust him, but I want to observe him through this fight. He has eyes for our mate," Xander responded back.
Drake turned to face Jade, and this time there was no trace of that infuriating smirk or teasing calm. His expression became serious, his stance relaxed like he was measuring her without underestimating her.
"Begin," Xander barked.
Drake did not move first, he waited to see what she would do. Jade did not give him the chance to think for long.
She closed the distance between them in a split second, and drove her fist straight toward his jaw.
Drake blocked it easily, but she did not pause. Her second strike followed immediately, aimed lower at his ribs, only for him to intercept that as well.
Jade pressed on without hesitation, chaining her attacks together in a rhythm—punch, elbow, pivot, kick. Each move was clean, forcing Drake to keep up as he deflected every hit she threw at him.
But he still did not attack, only defended. That alone irritated her.
"Fight back," she muttered under her breath as she drove another strike toward his shoulder. "Or did you lose your wit when you broke Dean’s nose?"
This time, Drake caught her wrist mid-motion. His grip was not painful but impossible to ignore, grounding her movement.
Jade reacted instantly, twisting her wrist free and stepping back to reset her stance, her breathing steady even as irritation curled tightly in her chest.
If he wanted to hold back, then she would force him not to.
"Whatever did he do or say to you that made you lose your cool?"
Drake’s eyes narrowed. He caught her punch, pulled her closer and whispered, "He wanted to date my mate. So, I told him and attacked."
For a second, Jade’s eyes widened. "You did what?"
She lunged again, this time dropping her center of gravity as her leg swept toward his ankles, aiming to knock him off balance. Drake stepped over it at the last second, but she had already anticipated that.
Using the opening, she rose sharply and drove her shoulder straight into his chest.
He staggered back half a step. It was subtle, but it was enough to draw a reaction from the watching students.
Jade did not slow down. She pressed forward immediately, her attacks coming faster and heavier now, each strike carrying more force as she pushed him to respond properly instead of simply blocking her.
Drake adjusted. He caught her next strike and redirected it, turning her momentum sideways before releasing her again. Even then, he still did not retaliate, and that only made her jaw tighten further.
"Stop holding back," she groaned. For a brief moment, something shifted in his expression, then he moved.
The change was immediate.
He stepped into her space with sudden speed, one hand catching her arm while the other steadied her shoulder, turning her body slightly off balance in a way that would have sent a less experienced fighter straight to the ground.
Jade did not fall.
She dropped her weight instead, twisting her hips sharply as she hooked her leg behind his knee and used his own movement against him.
This time, it worked.
With a strong push, she drove Drake down on the mat hard as a collective murmur rose from the students.
Jade followed through without hesitation.
She straddled his waist and pinned him firmly in place, her forearm pressing against his throat as she held him down. Her breathing came slightly faster now, but her grip refused to give him any opening.
The room fell silent. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Drake lay beneath her, completely still, his chest rising and falling evenly despite the position he was in. His hands rested loosely at his sides, not attempting to push her off or break free.
Instead, he simply looked at her. "I yield
Jade did not move immediately. She kept her position, her eyes locked on his as if waiting for some trick, some sudden reversal.
"Get off him."
Following Xander’s command, Jade froze before turning her head toward the voice.
Xander stood at the edge of the mat, his eyes glowed a deep, dangerous red, and fresh blood coated his hand where it hung at his side.
The metal equipment rack beside him had been crushed inward, the steel visibly warped from the force of his grip.
Only then did Jade’s hold loosen slightly. "Dismissed everyone. Class is over," Xander snarled.