The Forest girl : Luna

Chapter 21 : The Heat of the Hunt

The morning sun poured through the large windows of the training hall at HQ, casting long shadows across the polished floors. As we entered, the energy in the room was almost palpable. The trainees were already waiting, their excitement evident. I could feel their eyes on us, the Wolf Team—the ones who had just returned from the rescue mission in Rome. It was time to show them what came next.

"Looks like the rescue mission made a real impression on them," Dean muttered under his breath, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I glanced over at the trainees. Leo was in deep conversation with Elena and Zane, all of them talking animatedly. Tess and Jace stood a little farther off, discussing something quietly between themselves. Every single one of them looked eager, filled with anticipation about what we were going to do next.

I caught a snippet of Leo's voice, his words carrying across the room. "Did you guys see how they took down that whole crew in Rome? It was like they knew every move before it even happened. Maddie, especially—she was everywhere, like she knew what would happen next."

Elena nodded, wide-eyed. "They worked like a single mind. I've never seen a team that smooth. Maddie, especially—her coordination was incredible."

I couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at my lips. It felt good to know they were paying attention, but I quickly shoved the pride aside. I wasn't here to impress them. I was here to make sure they were prepared for what was coming.

Zane turned to Leo, impressed. "I still can't believe they did all that in under ten minutes. How do you even pull that off?"

I overheard their conversation as I walked toward the front, but I didn't join in. Instead, I took my place in front of the room, waiting for the chatter to die down. I could feel the air shift as soon as I stood there. The room quieted, and all eyes turned toward me.

"Alright, everyone," I said, my voice steady. "We're back, and it's time to get down to business. I know you've all been eager to start, but I need you to remember something. This isn't a game. What we're about to dive into isn't going to be easy."

A few of them exchanged nervous looks, but none of them backed down. If anything, their faces lit up with even more determination.

Leo, always the first to speak up, raised his hand. "Are we going to be doing missions like the one you just came back from? I mean, that was insane. You guys moved like you knew exactly what was going to happen. How do you even do that?"

I smiled at him, but my gaze was steady. "You'll get there. But it's not just about speed or being everywhere at once. It's about precision. It's about knowing when to strike, when to wait, and when to make that impossible decision. That's what we're going to teach you in the next few weeks." I paused, letting my words hang in the air. "And trust me, it's going to be harder than you think."

Elena, who always seemed to have a thousand questions, spoke up again. "But how do you handle situations when everything's going wrong? I saw you on that mission—everything was so fast, but you stayed so calm. How do you do that?"

I glanced over at Edward, who stood beside me, arms crossed, his face unreadable. He had that look in his eyes—the one that said he was deep in thought. But we'd been through this before. We'd learned how to make decisions in high-pressure situations.

"Control comes from training. A lot of it," I said. "And experience. You'll learn how to think in chaos, how to make decisions on the fly. But most of all, you'll learn how to keep your head when everything around you is falling apart."

Joel chuckled from the back of the room. "And if that doesn't work, we'll be there to kick your ass into shape," he added, his grin almost mischievous.

Leo's face lit up with a grin. "I'm ready for that."