The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Watching Nova wrap the bandage around Sophia’s arm with such practiced movements, Maxwell felt a sharp sting pierce his heart.

After all, Nova was his sister; they shared the same mother.

When Nova got separated from the family as a child because she’d wandered off, she must have gone through things they couldn’t even begin to imagine.

The car crash that took their mother and grandmother hadn’t been her fault directly.

‘She must’ve missed us so much, after all those years out there alone,’ Maxwell thought. ‘But when Hannie and I met her again that first day, she looked so distant. What was she thinking back then?‘

He silently moved to the end of the line.

When Nova finished tending Sophia’s wound, Maxwell couldn’t help himself. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his touch filled with quiet affection.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” he asked softly.

Nova could’ve easily avoided his hand, but she didn’t.

It was the first time in her life she had ever felt a brother’s touch.

A shiver ran through her. It was as if someone had flipped a switch inside her, one that awakened a long–lost sense of family she had never dared to reach for.

Nova quickly composed herself and replied, “I’ve picked up a thing or two.”

Her cool exterior betrayed nothing, not even the faintest ripple of emotion.

But Maxwell knew she wasn’t telling the truth.

The way she’d handled Sophia’s wound, swift, steady, and precise, was far beyond a thing or two. That level of skill came from experience, not casual learning.

Still, he chose not to expose her lie.

He stayed composed, deciding not to press.

If she ever wanted to talk about it, she would in her own time.

“You two-” Hannah stammered, having watched the exchange between them from start to finish.

It wasn’t jealousy that made her voice tremble. Hannah wasn’t the petty type. Her coldness toward Nova had never come from fear of losing her brother’s or parents‘ affection.

Seriously, after all those years of training in martial arts, Hannah wasn’t about to waste time on stupid

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Chapter 32

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Her refusal to forgive Nova had always been simple. Nova’s childish carelessness had caused the separation that led to their mother and grandmother’s fatal accident.

Yet Nova had returned years later, perfectly fine, dressed in branded clothes, carrying herself like she was somehow above them all, not a trace of guilt on her face.

Hannah snorted and looked away in disgust.

The other students in the group saw the tension but said nothing, exchanging awkward smiles.

This was, after all, a family matter. It wasn’t their place to interfere.

“The brush around here’s pretty thick,” Maxwell called out as he moved back to the front of the group. “Some leaves are sharp. Watch your step and don’t wander off.“”

The team pressed on.

It had already been noon when they’d left campus.

The drive from Ravenport to Wodisen had taken over two hours, and trekking through the forest with all the stops and detours had eaten up even more time.

Now, dusk was fast approaching, and they still hadn’t found a cave suitable for the night.

Since setting up tents and shelters would take time, Maxwell led the group to a clearing that looked relatively safe.

Everyone got busy assembling tents, gathering firewood, and starting a campfire.

Some toasted sandwiches, others heated up their packed meals.

Amid all the movement and chatter, Nova alone lay stretched out along a thick tree branch nearby, her eyes closed as she rested.

One hand rested lightly on the hilt of the military knife strapped to her waist, never leaving it for a second. “Nova, do you want some? You sure you’re not hungry?” Sophia’s voice broke through the crackling of the fire. By the time everyone had finished setting up camp and sat down for dinner, the sun had already dipped below the horizon.

A cold breeze cut through the trees, biting against their thin layers of clothing. Many were already regretting not packing extra blankets.

Sophia stood beneath the tree, holding out a sandwich, concern etched on her face.

“Why are you even bothering with her?” Hannah snapped. “She didn’t bring food. If she wants to starve, that’s her problem.”

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Claire giggled beside her, adding mockingly, “Exactly. Who comes to a survival training trip without food? She probably thinks she’s some kind of wilderness expert.”

“Be real,” she went on, rolling her eyes. “We all know our limits; that’s why we packed enough to last.”

She snorted. “It’s not like this forest’s dangerous. If there really were wild beasts out here, the school wouldn’t

have sent us.”

“Besides,” she added, grinning, “she brought two knives. What’s she going to do, eat them?”

Their laughter grew louder, each insult sharper than the last.

Claire burst out laughing again, tears forming in her eyes.

The image of Nova gnawing on a knife out of hunger was too funny for her to handle.

A few of the boys, the ones who followed Claire and Hannah around like puppies, joined in, their laughter echoing.

Their jarring, mocking jeers rang out so loud it almost felt like even the trees around them were shivering in embarrassment.

And in that moment, high up on the tree branch, Nova, who had kept her eyes closed and ignored them all this time, suddenly opened them.

The next second, without a moment’s hesitation, she pivoted and leapt down from the branch.

As she dropped, she drew the knife at her waist and stabbed downward with the blade aimed sharp and true- driving it deep into a creature that had lunged out of the darkness.

The blade sank into its back with a wet sound. Blood sprayed everywhere.

It hadn’t even finished its ambush before the knife pierced its heart; it collapsed at once, its breath gone.

In the half–light of the fire, everyone saw that it was a savage wolf.

The sudden threat cut off the laughter mid–syllable.

There was no time to scream or react; everyone simply stared at the scene unfolding before them.

Under the glare of flames and the spray of blood, Nova turned after killing the wolf with a single stroke.

She looked cold and merciless.

Every person there felt their breath catch.

Claire and Hannah, who had just been mocking Nova, felt as if a splinter had lodged in their throats.

As they looked at Nova, their thoughts matched everyone else’s. ‘What a cold–blooded killer.’

But within a few seconds, they forced themselves to reason it away.

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After all, they were students; none of them truly believed Nova was a murderer.

It had to be a trick of the moment.

“They’re coming,” Nova said, her voice cutting through the dark.

She stared toward the shadowy brush.

Hidden there was a danger even Maxwell, the strongest in the group, hadn’t spotted at first.

In less than three seconds, more than twenty wolves emerged from the undergrowth.

Their eyes gleamed red in the dark as they slunk forward and blocked the group’s path.

There were more than twenty of them.

Everyone felt their heads go numb at the sight.

No one knew where that first wolf had come from.

Even if Nova hadn’t killed it, Maxwell and Hannah together could probably have handled one.

But twenty–there was no way.

Most of the students in the group didn’t have the strength to take on a single wolf, let alone face a pack. Maxwell might be able to fight several at once, but against twenty–one or more wolves, there was no chance. Unlike tame wolves in a zoo, wild wolves were vicious and brutal. They could tear flesh with razor teeth.

If Maxwell couldn’t handle them alone, then nobody here could defeat an entire pack in one go.

‘We’re done for. That thought passed through every student’s mind.

And yet, at that moment, everyone watched Nova curl her lips into a bloodthirsty smile.

She flipped both knives into her hands and strode toward the wolves.

Then she said something that sent the whole group nearly into a frenzy. “They’re my prey. Leave these useless beasts to me.”

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