The field, which was once silent, now roared with cheers as everyone clapped and cheered for Kira. The battle had indeed taken an unexpected turn.
Kira slowly rose to her feet, brushed her hands together to clear the dirt before tilting her head to the side. Though she had won as Tahila had ended up unconscious, it was not over yet.
She walked forward calmly toward Tahila, who lay unmoving on the ground. She stopped a few feet away from Tahila, looking at Tahila as so many thoughts crossed her mind. She then turned her head slightly toward a group of warriors who were standing nearby.
“Bring me a bucket of water,” she ordered, her voice cutting through the cheers.
The cheers started to falter as confusion swept through the crowd. The warrior who Kira had ordered didn’t hesitate for a split second before he rushed to fulfill her command.
“What is happening?” Orion asked his sons, his curiosity at its peak.
Bryan and Aiden exchanged knowing glances before turning to their father with identical smirks.
They raised their brows cockily as they smirked before Aiden chuckled under his breath and turned his attention back to the field; Bryan did the same, their eyes on Kira. “Tahila’s about to meet the dark side of our mate,” Aiden said with an amused tone.
“Oh,” Orion muttered as he straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. “I see,” he said simply before letting out a quiet laugh. “Well… alright then.”
The warrior returned quickly, carrying a metal bucket brimming with water. Kira stepped forward and took it from him, holding the handle tightly.
“Wait,” she told him, her tone leaving no room for argument. The warrior nodded and stepped back, straightening his posture as he watched.
Turning back to Tahila, Kira’s gaze was calculating and cold as she tilted the bucket, allowing the water to trickle out. She purposely aimed the flow directly at Tahila’s nose, watching as the water splashed against her face.
At first, there was no response from Tahila, but Kira wasn’t finished. Not yet. She adjusted her grip, then poured the remaining water in a hard gush at Tahila’s face to wake her up.
The water drenched Tahila’s face entirely, hitting her nose as she jerked awake with a violent gasp. She sputtered and coughed uncontrollably as she tried to move away, stand or just lift herself from the cold, wet ground.
Kira was not surprised as she watched Tahila choke on the water that had entered her nose.
Now done with the bucket, she handed the empty bucket back to the warrior. “You can go,” she said, giving him a brief wave of dismissal.
The warrior nodded, retreating as Kira refocused her attention on Tahila.
Tahila was still coughing, her chest heaving as she tried to clear her lungs. She dug her hands into the dirt beneath her, and managed to push herself to her knees, while closing her eyes.
“Get up,” Kira commanded as she stepped closer, her cold gaze drilled into Tahila. “On your feet.”
But Tahila didn’t move immediately. Her breathing steadied, but her body remained hunched-her knees sinking into the wet dirt. She kept her eyes tightly shut, her fists clenched, as her bruised ego kept her rooted in place.
Kira’s jaw tightened as she leaned forward. “Get the f*ck up, now!” she ordered, her voice booming across the field.
The command came with anger, and it hit Tahila hard. Gasps rippled through the crowd as they felt and experienced their Luna’s anger.
Tahila flinched and finally opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as she sucked in a deep breath, before she slowly rose to her feet. She brushed off the dirt on her palms, her posture stiff as she looked at the ground to avoid meeting Kira’s angry gaze.
Tahila could feel the tension. Her pride was bruised, and she knew she had crossed more than one line. It showed in her movements-the way she was stiff and the way she hesitated.
“Look at me,” Kira commanded, her voice calm but no less filled with anger and no less dangerous.
But Tahila didn’t, she didn’t want to, afraid of what she might see. Every line she had crossed earlier started settling in, and she wondered how she would be able to escape this alive.
“I said… Look. At. Me!” Kira dragged out angrily.
Swallowing hard, Tahila blinked and cleared her throat before she slowly raised her gaze, her eyes meeting Kira’s for the first time since the fight ended.
“The battle is over. I won, but right now, I do not care about that,” Kira said. She stepped even closer, the proximity making Tahila want to shift away or avert her gaze, which she dared not do under Kira’s order. “Instead,” Kira continued, “You are going to tell me if you have a problem with me. Do you have a problem with me, Warrior?”
Tahila’s lips parted immediately when she heard the question, but no sound came out at first. She inhaled shakily before answering, “No, Luna. I don’t!”
Her voice wavered, a hint of panic seeping into her tone. She was starting to regret everything she had said and done. It was normal for some exchange of words during fights, but Tahila knew she had done more than just exchange words, and not just any words.
“It didn’t seem like it earlier, you know,” Kira said, letting out a low, humorless laugh as she shook her head slightly. “You had quite a lot to say about me. And I can swear that you have had a problem with me even before this battle.”
“No, Luna, I don’t. I’m sorry, I am truly sorry, Luna,” Tahila apologized, her voice trembling as the words spilled out quickly. “I am a strong warrior, respected, and I should not have crossed the lines. I do not know what got over me, Luna. I have never acted this way before. Please forgive me… spare my life.”
Kira studied Tahila for a long moment, wondering what to do with her. “She was all proud earlier,” Kira thought. “Had lots to say, now look where the f*ck we are.”
Slowly, Kira nodded while watching Tahila. “Kneel,” she ordered, her voice firm. “Kneel to your Luna.”