Kessa drove the board into the dirt at the edge of the yard.

The three names stood clear at the top: Jenna, Vessa, Rina.

A low current of voices moved through the ranks as women crowded to read it.

Some looked satisfied. Others looked hungry. A few looked openly hostile toward the blonde who had claimed first place in a single morning.

The remaining drills ran harder after that.

Jenna did not ease off.

She finished every set at the front, forcing Vessa and Rina to match her pace or fall behind.

By the time Kessa called the final rotation, the three of them stood apart from the rest, sweat-darkened, breathing hard, but clearly above the field.

Kane watched the last exchange in silence, then turned away to the open stretch of packed earth near the far wall where he could work alone.

He needed the movement more than the observation now.

Mjoldr rested against his shoulder while he ran through a series of deliberate strikes and footwork drills meant for his own body rather than instruction.

The system window flickered at the edge of his vision when he focused on the blonde still cooling down with the other two.

[System Scan Initiated]

[Target: Jenna of Milfheim]

[Combat Potential: High]

[Growth Rate under Host Command: +38%]

[Ambition Index: Extreme]

[Current Loyalty: Conditional]

[Submission Threshold: Not Yet Reached]

[Recommendation: Prolong ranking pressure. Early claim may produce unstable bond.]

[Secondary Note: Physical compatibility with Host – Excellent. Structural durability – Questionable under full output.]

Kane closed the window with a thought and continued his forms. The swing of the hammer, the controlled pivot of his hips, the way his muscles loaded and released, none of it was for show.

He was measuring the days left and the strength he would need when the sky finally broke.

A voice cut across the yard behind him.

"Warlord."

He finished the last strike before turning.

Jenna stood alone. Vessa and Rina had already moved toward the water barrels. The rest of the formation was breaking apart for the midday rest. Jenna’s blue eyes were fixed on him, chest still rising from the final sets, leather clinging to the heavy curves of her body.

"Private word," she said.

Kane glanced once toward the platform.

Kessa was occupied with the board. Seraphine was speaking to a cluster of younger warriors near the opposite side. No one was close enough to overhear.

He jerked his chin toward the narrow gap between the weapon racks and the outer wall. Jenna followed.

The moment they were out of direct line of sight, she stepped in, rose onto her toes, and kissed him hard.

There was nothing tentative about it. Her mouth opened against his, tongue pushing in, one hand fisting in the front of his shirt while the other slid down and gripped the length of his cock through his trousers.

She rubbed herself against him at the same time, the heat of her mound dragging along the ridge of his shaft as if she already knew exactly how she wanted to be taken.

Kane let the kiss continue for three full heartbeats.

Then he caught her wrist and pulled her hand away from his cock, breaking the contact of their mouths at the same time.

Jenna’s breath came fast. Her lips were wet.

"I never saw a man like you before," she said. Her voice was rough with the same hunger that had driven her through every drill.

She reached for him again, fingers closing around the outline still straining against the fabric.

"I will be loyal. Take me."

Kane looked down at her.

"Weren’t you hostile yesterday?"

"I was."

Jenna’s grip tightened once, deliberate.

"But knowing I can develop as a fighter faster with you, I threw it away. Ranking first in a single day proved it. I want the path that makes me stronger. That path runs through your bed and your command. I’m not stupid enough to pretend otherwise."

Kane did not answer immediately.

He pulled her hand off his cock and stepped back just far enough that her body no longer pressed against him.

"There’s still two more days of training," he said.

"Finish it first. And also, even if you were to fuck me, I don’t think your body can handle it."

Jenna’s blue eyes flashed. For a moment it looked like she would argue. Then she forced the reaction down, jaw tight.

"We’ll see."

Kane turned and walked away without giving her another word. He felt her stare on his back the entire way across the yard.

High above, on the open gallery that overlooked the training grounds, Empress Slovia stood with one hand resting on the stone railing.

She had watched the entire exchange, the kiss, the grip, the way the blonde warrior had pressed herself against the barbarian, and the way he had refused her.

Her expression gave nothing away, but her eyes remained on Kane until he disappeared into the shadow of the weapon racks.

Kane found Seraphine near the water barrels.

She was rinsing her hands, silver hair still bound high, the short training leather marked with dust from the morning’s work. She looked up as he approached and dismissed the two younger warriors with a quiet word.

"You saw," Kane said.

"I saw." Seraphine’s voice stayed even.

"She kissed you. She put her hand on your cock in full view of anyone who might have turned their head. And you turned her down."

"Yes."

Seraphine studied his face.

"She’s not going to stop. Ranking first only made her bolder. She believes the path to power runs through your bed, and she is willing to crawl into it to get there."

Kane leaned one shoulder against the stone wall, arms loosely crossed.

"What do you think of her?"

"As a fighter? Strong. Aggressive. She learns quickly, and she does not break under pressure. As a woman who wants to bind herself to you?"

Seraphine’s mouth curved in something that was not quite a smile.

"She will test every boundary you set. She will try to climb over Me, Thora and Misha if she thinks the position is open. And she will resent every order that does not come with the reward she wants."

"Can she be made useful?"

"Yes. But only if the ranking finishes cleanly and she is forced to earn the night the same way everyone else does. Give it to her early, and she will believe she can negotiate every future command."

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