Thwack!
Luke fell hard onto his back, groaning from a burning pain boiling in his ribs and chest.
"Get up!" Paige ordered sharply, tightening the white wraps around her powerful fists.
Luke exhaled deeply and rose slowly and steadily to his feet. He raised his arms to lock them tightly in front of his face, lowered his head slightly, bent his body to lower his center of gravity, widened his stance to challenge her completely, and then instantly launched himself like a rocket toward her.
Paige raised her hands with a hint of indifference and waited for him with the patience of an expert hunter.
Luke swung his fist toward her head with terrifying speed, but Paige dodged the blow with chilling agility and delivered a lightning-fast punch.
Luke blocked the blow with his crossed forearms, groaning with overwhelming pain from the force of the impact, but he held his ground without retreating, instead kicking her thigh with brute force.
Paige leaped over his kick with grace and retaliated with a vicious kick toward his chest with destructive force.
Luke was surprised by her speed, but his reflexes saved him; he rolled on the ground just in time for her kick to pass inches over his head and claw at the empty air.
Paige landed on the ground with the lightness of a cat and spun quickly to counterattack, but she was shocked by Luke's fierce and sudden rush toward her.
Paige punched without hesitation, her strike landing on Luke's cheek with a thunderous, brutal impact:
Thwack!!
The sound of flesh colliding with bone echoed, and a long, bloody gash opened across Luke's cheek. But, driven by his burning desire to learn and prove himself, he completely ignored the pain and punched her with all his strength in the stomach.
Ughhhhhh!!
Paige groaned from the sudden pain, glaring with simmering fury at Luke as he quickly retreated backward.
Paige advanced instantly without giving him a single chance to catch his breath, kicking his head wildly.
Luke smiled lightly and confidently when he saw her kick coming; he raised his arms quickly, caught her foot between his hands with absolute grip, and lunged forward until his body was flush against hers, lifting her thigh straight over his shoulder so she was balancing on only one foot.
Paige's eyes widened with sudden amazement as she realized Luke's well-set trap. Before she could react or adjust her posture, Luke kicked her other supporting foot, causing her to lose her balance and fall instantly.
Paige frowned sharply, wrapping her thigh tightly around his shoulder, and swung her other leg toward his neck to choke him with her powerful thighs.
But Luke had anticipated her moves intelligently and read her motion long in advance; he flipped her body mid-air with mastery, turned his back to her, and brought her down with a crushing, explosive slam onto the stone floor.
Thwaaaaaaaaaaack!!
Aaaaaghhhhhh!!
The sound of Paige's body crashing violently against the ground echoed, and she shrieked in excruciating pain as she felt her stomach press hard against the hard earth.
Before she could regain her balance or resist him, Luke locked her arms behind her back with skill and lay fully on top of her with his complete weight, forcing her head down firmly to the ground with one hand.
Paige froze abruptly as she felt Luke's warm body mounting her and exercising absolute control, only to hear his cold, confident whisper echo directly in her ear:
"You lost, Paige."
Paige groaned in muffled pain, laced with a hidden, unexpected sensation of unusual pleasure. She shook her body violently beneath him, trying to break free and shatter his hold, but his grip and her new bodily strength left her utterly powerless to move.
Her breathing settled for a few seconds, then she stopped resisting altogether, a sarcastic smile curling onto her lips as she said in a stiff tone: "Fine, I lost... you can let me go now, Luke."
Luke's smile widened further, a spark of playfulness shining in his golden eyes. He brought his face slowly close to hers and whispered in his rough voice directly into her ear: "I don't know about that... your body looks extremely tempting in this position."
Paige's body trembled noticeably at his sudden words, a faint flush of mixed anger and embarrassment washing over her face as she said in a sharp, shaky voice: "Luke... let me go right now and stop this nonsense!"
Yet he didn't obey her command; Luke slowly pulled himself off her, sitting up while resting on her thighs, gazing intently at her back and well-proportioned curves. Then, with a sudden softness, he smiled and reached out his fingers to massage her back with gentle movements.
Paige's body trembled violently from his warm touch, and she lowered her head to rest on the cool grass, speaking in a soft, breathless voice: "Stop..."
But Luke didn't listen to her, continuing to trace his fingers all the way down her back with deliberate slowness, following a calm rhythm that dispelled the lingering tension and violence of their fight moments ago. The tense muscles beneath her skin began to relax gradually with every touch.
His hands lowered to encompass her relatively broad shoulders, kneading them with firm, calculated pressure to erase the aftereffects of the harsh slam and training fatigue.
Paige let out a faint sigh from the depths of her chest, punctuated by a short, soft moan carrying a strange and confusing mix of physical exhaustion and sudden relief.
Luke's fingers moved slowly toward her waist and stomach, gliding his palm across her exposed skin with delicate, electrified touches that filled the air with intimate tension and hidden electricity.
Paige felt a deep shiver course through her limbs, causing her back to arch slightly as an instinctive, involuntary reaction, and she whispered in a breathless, broken voice: "Luke..."
Yet he didn't stop.
His hands drifted lower with increasing boldness, his fingers gradually slipping from beneath the edges of her short undershirt (crop top), directly touching her soft, warm skin without any barrier.
"Ah~"
Paige's eyes darkened, and she let out another, deeper moan this time, echoing softly among the trees as she resigned herself to lying on the grass without the ability or the genuine desire to push his hands away.
Finally, his fingers continued their journey slowly downward, resting upon her curves to massage them with light, tender movements laden with all the contradictory emotions that had built up between them.
Paige was trembling violently beneath him with a hidden shiver, her face partially buried in the cool grass, and her rapid breathing filled the place in absolute silence, completely surrendering to that intimate moment where all boundaries of harshness and hostility melted away, replaced by a deeper, more complex bond between the teacher and her student.
Before Paige could fully process what had happened, Luke suddenly and boldly pulled back, standing up to his feet with a playful, mischievous smile gracing his face.
Paige froze in place when she felt his sudden departure, washed over by a strange and sudden feeling of emptiness and lost warmth resulting from the disappearance of his intimate closeness.
She rose in absolute silence, a neutral expression masking her face to pull back her armor of toughness, then turned to him with slightly wandering eyes.
Luke smiled with a special gleam shining in his brown eyes, parting his lips to utter a teasing remark, but Paige rushed to cut him off, saying sharply:
"Not one word... I don't want to hear anything about this ever again."
She spun around quickly, pushed open the door of their shared cabin, stepped inside, and slammed the door shut behind her with a force that rattled the wooden walls.
Luke stood in place for a few seconds, looked at the firmly closed door, and shook his head with a cynical, highly defiant smile.
A month.
A full month had passed since that day his arduous, brutal training with Paige began.
During this month, everything had changed drastically. He was no longer the frightened, lost youth weeping over the ruins of his old life; instead, he had plunged into the depths of this new world and learned everything possible about being a werewolf: from the ancient culture and traditions of werewolves, advanced martial arts, tracking skills, how to conceal trails and camouflage in the wild, utilizing natural herbs for his healing and survival, down to mastering the skills of absolute hunting and preparing his food professionally.
He had mastered all of that at an astonishing speed that exceeded even Paige's boldest expectations; it had taken him a mere two weeks to completely immerse and dive into this new awareness.
Accepting his werewolf nature and embracing it felt like living in an entirely different universe, where the guilt and resistance of his old mind vanished. Since he had been an ordinary, weak teenager in his previous human life, possessing this immense physical strength, supernatural speed, enhanced senses, and fast regeneration factor felt like a mad dream coming true every single second. Therefore, he no longer viewed being a werewolf as an annoying "curse," but rather as a magnificent and absolute gift.
The only remaining flaw was that painful full moon transformation, but Paige had repeatedly told him that with time and continuous practice, he would grow accustomed to the pain until it became momentary and completely controllable with proper training.
Yet, the one thing that underwent the greatest change during this month wasn't his mentality, nor his way of thinking, nor even the flood of his new strength..... but rather his relationship with Paige.
In the beginning, Paige always treated him with absolute, parental authority; she viewed him as a heavy responsibility resting on her shoulders... much like her "adopted son."
Yet he never settled for that.
How could he accept it? And how could any man resist the temptation of an attractive, strong-willed, and sharp-witted woman living with him under the same roof?
He had died once in an incomprehensible way without ever being with anyone because he lacked the courage to pursue any girl who caught his eye.
But he wouldn't make that mistake again.
Paige was everything he had ever dreamed of and imagined with women in his past life... well, if you ignored the fact that she had previously forced him to kill someone, or the fact that she led a group containing organized killers starting from age six, or the fact that she was 22 years older than him.
Yet all of that had become irrelevant to him.
All that mattered was that he wanted her.
Thus, he began intentionally crossing boundaries with her every single day with stubbornness and determination, showing her boldly what he desired and what her presence meant in his life, until he completely shattered that innocent, childish stereotype she held of him in her mind.
Even with all of that, Paige continued to push him away and reject him, refusing to allow any emotional or physical closeness between them, using her past, deep relationship with his parents as an impenetrable shield and barrier.
Luke exhaled deeply, clenching his hand tightly until his knuckles turned white as he remembered the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, and told himself with absolute certainty: "I don't care how many times you reject me, Paige... I'll make you mine sooner or later."
With this bold and burning idea in his chest, Luke followed her steps and entered the wooden house where they had lived side by side under the same roof for an entire month of transformation and shared struggle.
The scent of light firewood and domestic warmth emanated from the cabin's hearth, where Paige stood in front of the wooden table, busy preparing and processing the fresh venison they had hunted together during the early morning hours. She moved her knife with quick, disciplined motions reflecting her long experience living in the wild.
Luke stepped into the small kitchen with quiet, light paces, heading straight toward her without leaving any safety margin.
He leaned in slightly to approach her shoulder, watching her meat-cutting technique with a playful smile shining in his golden eyes.
He spoke in a low, velvety voice caressing her ear: "You know, Paige... if I didn't know you well as a fierce, terrifying pack leader that men tremble before, I'd genuinely think you were a professional chef who escaped from a high-end restaurant in New York."
Paige stopped cutting for a brief moment, casting a sharp side-glance laden with manufactured warning, and said with quiet sternness: "Luke... focus on your work and don't stand over my head like an annoying shadow."
Luke didn't retreat an inch, instead moving closer until his broad shoulder brushed hers, intentionally closing the trap, and said with a mischievous gleam: "And how am I supposed to focus when my main job this entire month has become watching you? Honestly, this deer is lucky to have ended up in your hands like this... but I wish I were in its place sometimes; at least for you to care for me with this much passion and caution."
Traces of hidden fluster appeared on Paige's features, and she tried to hide a slight smile threatening to curve onto her lips, tightening her grip on the knife handle and speaking in a threatening voice: "If you continue this nonsense and cheap flirting, I'll make this deer your sole meal for weeks to come without any spices or salt... do you understand?"
Luke laughed a light, deep, manly laugh, and her threats didn't stop him from reaching out calmly to pick up the nearby wooden spoon, pretending to help while his fingers intentionally brushed the back of her hand for slightly longer than usual.
Paige's body trembled slightly from this sudden contact, and she felt the heat of his close breath unsettling her usual stability.
Confusion.
This was the sole feeling that overtook Paige's mind and clouded her thoughts throughout the past period.
She never understood what was going on, or how things had turned into this crazy curve. This fool loved her... indeed, he adored her with unbelievable intensity.
Throughout all the years she had known him, "Luke Caven" had been a cold, gloomy, and isolated youth away from everyone, but he had changed radically and astonishingly ever since he lost his memory over a month ago.
She couldn't understand how or why these burning romantic feelings toward her had sprouted in his chest, despite the massive age gap between them and despite his intertwined past with her and his family.
The biggest problem was that he was extremely stubborn.
He never stopped chasing her, and his attempts to dismantle her defenses never ceased.
Even when she made it unequivocally clear to him that she was not interested and never would be, and even when she was forced to break his leg in cold blood to draw a red line between them and establish her boundaries...
He didn't give up.
He fought and tried to get close to her as if he feared not expressing his feelings more than he feared death or pain itself.
And this blind persistence.....
Made her feel something creeping deep into her against her will.
All her life, Paige had never paid attention to the opposite sex, not even once.
She hadn't even considered it as a viable option; her entire focus and existence were confined to leading the pack, protecting it, and ensuring its survival in a world full of dangers.
Even when she was just a young girl, she was entirely convinced that her sole destiny was to lead her people toward a better tomorrow.
Every man who desired her or aspired to get close to her trembled in fear of her harshness and imposing aura, and none had ever dared to flirt with her or try to win her heart with this stubbornness and fierce confrontation the way Luke was doing now.
Worst of all... she couldn't kill him or get rid of him; he was her final trust.
Paige exhaled with impatience, speaking in a sharp tone through which she tried to hide her agitation: "Luke, seriously... stop."
Yet the only response she received wasn't words, but a sudden sensory assault—a strong, bold embrace that contained her entirely from behind, her massive, warm hands resting with absolute boldness over her large breasts, pressing his hard, muscular body against her back.
Paige froze completely in place. A massive wave of static electricity and blazing heat swept through her entire body, and she felt a chill paralyze her limbs. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to stutter in a breathless, shocked voice: "Luke... what are...?"
Yet Luke didn't give her a chance to object; he rested his chin firmly on the curve of her neck from behind, inhaled the scent of her skin, and whispered directly into her ear in a rough, warm voice dripping with dominance: "Keep cutting the meat."
A flood of conflicting and unknown emotions erupted in Paige's chest; a mix of anger, shyness, and a strange pleasure she had never grown accustomed to throughout her dry life. She bit her lower lip hard to force herself to hold together, then her trembling hand reached toward the wooden knife handle.
With a hand losing its usual steadiness, she began cutting the venison slowly, in a desperate attempt to ignore the rising heat coursing through her chest and his hot breath brushing the skin of her neck with every movement.
A deep, triumphant smile of satisfaction spread across Luke's lips, and his hands continued to caress Paige's body with deliberate softness and boldness that melted her defensive fortresses one by one.
Paige let out a faint, broken moan, failing to control her body as it moved involuntarily backward to press closer against his solid chest, as if she were instinctively searching for more of his warmth and closeness despite all her outward resistance.
Luke leaned his head further, pressing a long, dewy kiss onto the delicate expanse of her neck, causing Paige's body to tremble with overwhelming intensity as if a blazing electric current had coursed through her veins, and her head tilted toward her shoulder, surrendering to that captivating moment.
Paige turned around slowly to face him face-to-face, while Luke's hands settled with absolute firmness to embrace her waist and pull her closer to him. She raised her gaze to look at him with a complex expression laden with shadows of the past, speaking in a breathless voice barely audible: "I could be... your mother..."
Luke cut her off instantly with confident sharpness and an overwhelming passion boiling in his golden eyes: "But you're not."
Before she could add another syllable, Luke leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a sudden, deep, and burning kiss.
Paige froze for a single second under the shock of the surprise, but her final hesitation quickly dissipated and vanished; every logic and rule dissolved before the sweeping flood of emotions. Paige surrendered completely, returning the kiss with wild passion matching his eagerness, their hands entangling in a frantic caress as she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled him toward her relentlessly.
In the midst of that heated moment, their clothes scattered in the cabin's hallway, and with their accelerated breathing and irresistible longing gazes, they moved together, exchanging hot kisses, ascending with fast and uncoordinated steps toward the upper floor.
Luke pushed the dark room's door open with his foot, and they entered together, slamming the door shut behind them with a thunderous force that isolated the entire world from them, fusing their bodies in a long day of passion and absolute melting.