Chapter 17: Roxanne Threatened to Leave

The Moonball court was already alive with noise by the time Roxanne arrived with Isla, students shouting across the field, laughing, competing over drills that hadn’t even started yet. For a moment, Roxanne let herself enjoy it. It felt like a normal school day instead of another reminder of everything that had happened with Arabella.

Then she saw them.

The four Moonstone brothers, already waiting near the center of the court.

Liam spotted her first, grinning. "Look who finally decided to show up."

"I never decided anything."

He pointed toward a posted roster nearby. "Your name’s right there."

She looked. It was.

She turned slowly toward him. "You put me on your team."

"I prefer to say the academy recognized your potential."

"You put me on your team."

"Technically, yes."

She threatened to leave right then, but Lucien’s calm voice cut through before she could turn around.

"You don’t have to play if you truly don’t want to."

That made her pause.

"You’re good at it," he added. "And you seemed to enjoy yourself yesterday."

Roxanne wasn’t used to compliments from Lucien, and she didn’t quite know what to do with one. She shrugged instead. "I used to play."

"Then you’re officially ours," Liam said.

"I am nobody’s."

"We’ll work on that."

Isla laughed. Roxanne shot Liam a warning look before stepping onto the court anyway.

Practice began, and within minutes Roxanne discovered something genuinely hilarious. Four royal Lycans, gifted with strength and speed most students could only dream of, were absolutely terrible at cooperating with each other.

Liam kept attempting ridiculous, flashy moves. Kai kept stealing the ball straight out from under him. Roshan kept calling out positioning errors nobody was listening to. Lucien kept ordering all three of them to stop playing like individuals.

"You four do realize you’re on the same team, right?" Roxanne finally said.

Liam pointed at Kai. "Tell him that."

Kai threw the ball at him without warning. Liam barely caught it.

"You’re proving my point," Roxanne said, laughing before she could stop herself.

It was the first time she’d laughed around them without immediately remembering she was supposed to keep her distance.

Liam noticed. "There it is."

Her smile faded. "What?"

"That laugh."

"What about it?"

"Nothing." He smiled. "Just wanted to make sure it existed."

She rolled her eyes, but the moment had already done its damage.

Liam decided she needed to prove herself and grabbed the ball. "One-on-one."

"Why?"

"I want to see if you’re actually good, or if Lucien was just being charitable."

Lucien told him to stop provoking her. Roxanne took the challenge anyway.

Liam, confident in his speed, started teasing immediately. "You can still surrender."

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Only when I’m interested."

That caught her off guard for half a second, and he used it, cutting past her. She recovered fast and stole the ball back before he could shoot.

He stared at her, then broke into a slow smile. "Oh."

"What?"

"You’re fun."

"You’re annoying."

"You noticed."

She tried not to smile. Failed. He noticed that too.

For a moment, she wasn’t the rejected mate. She wasn’t the girl everyone whispered about in the hallways. She was just a student, playing a sport, actually having fun.

Kai stepped up next. "Again."

"With you?"

He nodded. She agreed without hesitation.

Unlike Liam, Kai didn’t tease. He didn’t flirt. He simply played, and he was good — good enough that she couldn’t rely on speed alone. She had to read him instead. She tried one approach; he countered. She changed direction; he matched her instantly.

Eventually she found an opening and scored, turning around with a triumphant grin.

"Better," Kai said.

"Was that a compliment?"

"Yes."

"I’ll treasure it forever."

His mouth twitched. "Don’t."

They started again, and midway through, Roxanne lost her footing. Kai caught her arm before she could fall, and for a brief second they stood close enough that she felt the warmth off his skin, his eyes steady on hers.

Then he let go. "Your balance."

"I know."

"No. You don’t."

He explained she leaned too far forward changing direction and demonstrated the correction. She tried it again, got it right, and he gave one small nod.

"Good."

She felt strangely pleased. Not because of who he was. Simply because he wasn’t treating her like something fragile. He challenged her, and she liked it more than she wanted to admit.

During a break, Roshan approached and told her, without preamble, that she dropped her shoulder slightly before changing direction.

"Are you criticizing me too?"

"No." He nodded toward the court. "I’m telling you what an opposing team will notice."

"How did you catch that?"

"I pay attention."

He demonstrated the fix. She tried it, and it worked immediately.

"That’s actually helpful."

His expression softened, just slightly. "I know."

She laughed, and he walked off before she could respond, leaving her to realize something about him. He didn’t talk much. But he noticed everything.

Especially her.

Practice dissolved into chaos again — Liam showing off, Kai getting irritated, Roshan analyzing everything from the sidelines — until Lucien finally blew a whistle sharp enough to cut through all of it.

"Your individual skills mean nothing if you can’t function as a team," he said, and began assigning positions. When he reached Roxanne, he gave her a critical role in the play without hesitation.

"You’re trusting me with that?"

"Shouldn’t I?"

She didn’t have an answer. She was used to people assuming she was weak because her wolf had never shown itself. Lucien simply assumed she was capable until proven otherwise.

They ran the play. Roxanne passed to Roshan, who redirected to Kai, who sent it to Liam, who threw it back to her for the final shot.

It landed.

The whole team erupted. Liam grabbed her by the shoulders. "I knew you were good!"

"Get off me!"

Kai laughed quietly. Roshan smiled. Even Lucien looked pleased.

Roxanne looked around at all of them and realized, uncomfortably, that she’d had real fun.

Leaving the court afterward with Isla, hair messy, cheeks flushed, laughing at something Liam had said, Roxanne passed Dorian without noticing him at first.

He noticed her.

She looked nothing like the devastated girl he’d rejected. For the first time, it truly registered that she wasn’t waiting for him to change his mind.

He told himself it didn’t matter. He’d made his choice.

Still, he kept watching.

"What are you looking at?" Arabella asked, appearing beside him.

"Nothing." But his eyes drifted back toward Roxanne once more before he forced himself to look away.

Nearby, Joanna approached Liam with her usual easy warmth. "Are you going to the bonfire this weekend?"

"Probably."

"Is she going?" Joanna asked, glancing toward Roxanne.

"Who?"

"The new girl."

Liam’s grin returned. "Why?"

"No reason." There clearly was one.

Roxanne noticed the exchange from a short distance away and told herself she didn’t care.

Later, back in the dorm, Isla brought up the academy bonfire happening that weekend, down by the lake, music and food and half the school gathered around a fire.

"I’m not going," Roxanne said immediately.

"Why not?"

"I don’t need another reason for people to stare at me."

Before Isla could argue, Liam’s voice cut in from the doorway. "You’re going."

"Did I ask you?"

"No."

"Then why are you answering?"

"Because I’m helpful."

"You’re unbearable."

"And yet you keep talking to me."

She opened her mouth. Nothing came out.

Liam grinned, victorious. "I’m still thinking about it," she said, turning away.

"Good," he called after her.

"Good?"

"Yes." Then, as she started walking off: "Roxanne."

She turned.

"Wear something pretty."

"Why?"

His expression turned mischievous. "Because I want to see you in it."

Roxanne stared at him, and for once, she had absolutely no idea what to say back.