Chapter 32: The Fight She Couldn’t Avoid

The arena was packed by the time Roxanne made her way to the edge, and everyone in the stands seemed to understand this match carried more weight than any other round of the Alpha Challenge. It wasn’t just another fight. It was Roxanne against Joanna, and the whole academy had shown up to watch it happen.

Isla found her stretching her arms near the entrance and told her she didn’t have to prove anything to any of them. Roxanne agreed, though her stomach stayed tight regardless, and when her eyes drifted across the arena she found Dorian watching intently while Arabella stood beside him looking far too confident for someone who wasn’t even competing. She looked away quickly, reminding herself she wasn’t fighting for either of them.

The four brothers approached before she stepped into the arena, and Liam immediately offered his own version of encouragement, suggesting she trip Joanna if she started cheating. Lucien told her flatly not to listen to him, and Liam insisted he was only trying to help. Roshan added that she shouldn’t let Joanna dictate the pace, and Roxanne nodded, absorbing every piece of advice without letting any of it crack her focus.

Kai stepped closer than the others, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear it. "Don’t fight angry."

"I’m not angry."

His eyes held hers. "Good. Then don’t become angry when she tries to make you."

She realized he already knew exactly what Joanna intended to do, and something about that certainty settled the last of her nerves. She told him she could handle Joanna, and he said simply that he knew she could before stepping back, leaving her steadier than any pep talk could have managed.

The announcer called them both forward, and Joanna entered with the kind of confidence that filled the entire arena before she’d even said anything. She looked Roxanne over and asked if she’d actually shown up, and Roxanne asked if she’d been hoping otherwise. Joanna said she’d hoped Roxanne would realize she didn’t belong here, and Roxanne gestured toward the packed stands and pointed out it seemed a little late for that.

Then Joanna’s smile sharpened into something crueler. "Dorian rejected you once. Don’t embarrass yourself by getting rejected by the academy too."

The words landed exactly where they were meant to, not because Roxanne still wanted Dorian back, but because Joanna knew precisely which wound to press. She took a slow breath and let Kai’s words surface again, refusing to give Joanna the reaction she was fishing for.

"That’s the best you’ve got?"

Joanna’s expression flickered before the referee raised a hand and called the match to start.

Joanna came at her immediately, fast and aggressive, and Roxanne barely dodged the first strike before the second one connected hard enough to force her backward. Joanna was stronger, and every hit that landed made that painfully clear, especially the one that caught her shoulder and sent pain shooting down her arm. The crowd started cheering for Joanna, but Roxanne stayed steady, refusing to rush forward out of frustration.

Instead, she watched. She remembered Kai telling her she used too much force, that she needed to stop trying to prove herself and start thinking instead, and she studied Joanna’s feet, her shoulders, the way her right hand always followed a small shift in her left foot before she struck.

There it was.

Joanna attacked again, and this time Roxanne moved right as the tell appeared, letting the punch sail past her before landing a clean hit against Joanna’s side. The crowd gasped as Joanna stumbled back, and Roxanne didn’t chase, just waited for the next attack, dodging and landing another hit the moment the same pattern repeated.

Liam jumped to his feet cheering, Lucien’s expression carried quiet approval, and Roshan smiled from where he stood. Kai didn’t move at all, but his eyes never left her.

Joanna’s fury grew with every miss. "You think you’re clever?"

Roxanne didn’t answer, just kept moving, letting Joanna wear herself down instead of matching her strength for strength. When Joanna swung and missed again, Roxanne swept her leg out from under her, and Joanna hit the mat hard enough that the crowd erupted around them.

Joanna scrambled back up, humiliation burning across her face. "You got lucky."

Roxanne wiped a smear of blood from her lip and shook her head. "No. I paid attention."

Joanna’s eyes narrowed. "You’re still pretending you don’t care?" When Roxanne stayed silent, she pushed further. "You lost everything because nobody wanted you." The arena seemed to hold its breath, Dorian stiffening somewhere in the crowd. "Dorian chose me. Your own mate rejected you. And now you’re clinging to four royal Lycans because you need someone else to make you feel important."

That one nearly landed. Roxanne felt her fingers curl, anger flashing hot for half a second before she remembered why she was even standing here. She wasn’t trying to prove she was lovable. She didn’t need Dorian’s choice to mean anything about her worth.

"You talk about Dorian a lot," she said instead.

Joanna froze.

"Maybe you’re the one who’s still thinking about him."

The crowd reacted immediately, and Joanna’s composure cracked visibly. She charged again, reckless this time, and Roxanne saw it coming from a mile away. She sidestepped at the last second, caught Joanna’s arm, used her own momentum against her, and brought her down onto the mat with total control.

Joanna struggled to break free, but Roxanne kept her pinned while the referee began the count. Five. Six. Joanna tried rolling away, and Roxanne adjusted her grip without loosening it. Seven. Eight. Joanna screamed for her to let go. Nine. Ten.

The whistle blew, and the referee’s voice cut through the noise. "Winner, Roxanne Silver!"

The arena exploded.

Roxanne stood slowly, taking in the sight of the same students who’d whispered about her the day before now cheering loud enough to shake the stands. Isla was screaming somewhere in the crowd, Liam was celebrating like she’d just won something historic, and Lucien gave her a proud nod that meant more than any speech could have. Roshan reached her first, asking if she was hurt, and she admitted her shoulder ached, though she waved off his attempt to check it properly.

Kai arrived last, and there was no dramatic reaction waiting from him either. Just a simple observation. "You didn’t fight angry."

"I listened."

His gaze lingered on her a beat longer than necessary. "Good. I’m impressed."

For some reason, that landed harder than the win itself.

As she started walking away, Joanna called her name from across the arena, her pride clearly still wounded but far from finished. "You won one fight."

Roxanne stopped and looked back at her.

"Don’t think that changes anything," Joanna said, her voice dropping. "You’re only standing there because the Moonstones chose to stand beside you." Her smile returned, thin and pointed. "Let’s see how long they keep choosing you."

Roxanne glanced toward the four brothers, then back at Joanna, and said nothing at all.

She simply turned and walked away, because for the first time since arriving at Moonstone Academy, she wasn’t interested in convincing anyone that she belonged there.

The scoreboard had already said it for her.