Misato settled onto the grass beside them. The California morning sun caught the ocean in gold, and Jordan clutched his water bottle like he’d earned the right.

"Good job on the morning workout," she said. "You all pushed harder than usual today."

Belle rolled onto her back, blue hair fanning out against the green. "My abs are going to file a formal complaint. This is cruel and unusual punishment, Misato."

"Since when do you care about formal complaints?" Naomi laughed, her pink and black braids catching the light. She looked tired but satisfied, the kind of exhaustion that came from genuine effort.

Jordan made a sound somewhere between a groan and a whimper. "I think I’m dying. Actually dying. My legs have abandoned their posts and my arms are staging a rebellion."

Misato couldn’t help but smile at their dramatics. Complaining, yes, but still here. Still together. Still pushing each other to be better than they were yesterday.

"Don’t stress about keeping up," she said, pulling her knees to her chest. "Vale is working with Jace on elite training protocols. We need to step up our game anyway if we want to match that level."

The mention of Vale made her chest tight. The strongest hunter on faculty had chosen Jace personally. That kind of recognition didn’t happen to lottery kids who stumbled their way into academies. Vale saw something in him that others missed.

Something she’d felt when he held her last night.

Heat crept up her neck and she forced her attention back to the squad.

"You think Jace is okay up there?" Naomi asked, worry threading through her voice. "Vale has a reputation for making people cry."

"He’ll be fine." The words came out more confident than she felt. "Vale doesn’t waste time on students who can’t handle his methods. If he’s training Jace personally, it means he believes Jace can take whatever he dishes out."

Belle sat up, grass sticking to her tank top. "Plus, Monroe’s gotten scary strong lately. Have you seen his shoulders? Kid went from soft to dangerous in like three weeks."

Misato’s face heated again. She had noticed. Last night, when his arms wrapped around her and she felt the solid strength of his chest against her cheek. The way her head fit perfectly under his chin. How safe she’d felt for those few minutes when the world stopped trying to destroy everything she cared about.

Stop it.

She was his squad captain. Professional distance. Emotional control. These were the things that kept people alive in gates and out of trouble with academy administrators.

"I need to get cleaned up," she said, pushing to her feet. "Classes start in two hours, and I promised to get coffee with Jace after his workout."

Jordan perked up slightly. "Coffee sounds amazing. Can we come?"

"Squad leaders meeting," she lied smoothly. "You three should hit the showers and review yesterday’s gate report. We’re presenting our findings to Professor Chen this afternoon."

Belle’s grin turned wicked. "A private coffee date with Monroe. How scandalous."

"It’s not a date. It’s mission debriefing and strategic planning."

"Sure it is," Belle said. "That’s why your face is doing that thing."

"My face isn’t doing anything."

"You’re literally red right now," Naomi added helpfully. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Misato turned and walked away before they could pile on more observations. Behind her, she heard Belle laugh and Jordan make another dying animal noise.

The walk back to the residential building gave her time to think. Which was dangerous territory these days.

Jace wasn’t available. He was dating Naomi, clearly and obviously. The girl lit up whenever he walked into a room. She touched him constantly, casual little gestures that spoke of intimate familiarity. They had that comfortable couple energy that made other people feel like intruders just by witnessing it.

And then there was Belle.

The three of them had some kind of arrangement that defied easy categorization. Misato had heard enough through thin hotel walls to understand exactly what kind of arrangement it was. The sounds that came through the adjoining room had painted vivid pictures she couldn’t erase from her memory no matter how hard she tried.

Moaning. Gasping. The rhythmic sound of a bed hitting the wall. Belle’s voice calling out encouragement while Naomi made sounds of desperate pleasure. And underneath it all, Jace’s voice, commanding and confident in ways that made heat pool low in her stomach.

She’d pressed her pillow over her head and tried to sleep. Failed completely. Ended up staring at the ceiling for hours, her body responding to sounds that weren’t meant for her ears.

That was the real problem. Not just that Jace was unavailable, but that she wanted him anyway. Wanted to know what his hands would feel like on her skin. Wanted to see if he’d use that same commanding tone when he was alone with her.

Completely inappropriate thoughts about a squad member she was supposed to be training and protecting.

Her apartment door beeped as she swiped her key card. The familiar space felt like sanctuary after the complicated mess of emotions. Clean lines, minimal furniture, everything in its proper place. Order and control in a world that seemed determined to create chaos at every opportunity.

She needed a shower. Clean clothes. Coffee with Jace that stayed strictly professional despite the way her heart sped up thinking about seeing him again.

The hot water helped wash away the sweat and tension from training, but it couldn’t touch the bigger problems lurking on the horizon. Blair’s sister would be arriving today. Cassandra Davenport, Diamond-tier hunter with resources and backing that made the academy itself look like a community college.

The school had no choice but to accommodate her. When someone with Cassandra’s connections and her father’s influence requested guest quarters, you didn’t say no. The VIP villa would keep her from directly interfering with classes and official activities, but after hours was a different story entirely.

Misato stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, considering the implications. Cassandra could observe. Question students. Probe for weaknesses. All perfectly legal as long as she didn’t disrupt actual academy functions.

And Jace would be her primary target.