Jax stepped forward, leaving Seraphina behind.

Then from an unexpected angle, he charged directly at Zharina.

Sensing a punch coming out of nowhere, her combat instincts activated instantly. She retaliated without hesitation. Turned her body and launched a powerful side kick toward the threat.

But Jax was prepared.

He blocked her kick with his forearm. His other fist stopped mere inches from her exposed abdomen. A punch that could have landed but didn't.

Perfect control. Perfect demonstration.

Zharina's eyes widened with shock. Then narrowed with burning fury.

"Jax..." She caught herself immediately.

"Professor Jax. What is the meaning of this?"

Jax smiled with practiced innocence. "I was just pinpointing the flaw in your technique."

She glared at him with enough killing intent to make lesser men flee.

"I mean, they're my students too." He gestured casually at Draven and the female dragon student watching nearby. "I can't let them learn some flawed steps from their instructor."

Zharina's smile turned razor sharp. Dangerous.

"Now YOU will tell ME how to fight? You will teach ME about martial arts?"

Jax's grin widened even further. "Don't I have that right? Because the last time I remembered, I defeated you."

He tilted his head mockingly.

"Or has your memory become sluggish? Should I remind you what happened back in my fun interview? Or the bet that followed after that?"

She just hissed through clenched teeth.

"Care to explain then?" Her voice dripped with condescension. "Which step did I mess up? Where was my wrong?"

She was asking purely to test him. To humiliate him when he couldn't provide proper reasoning.

Jax began rotating around her slowly. His mind racing with calculations. Thinking what to say. How to poke BOTH of them with a single strike.

Then he found it.

"Professor Zharina, you always mess up your steps when you get too carried away."

He stopped beside her.

"You did mess up your steps just now. Just like our times in my room."

The killing intent radiating from her multiplied tenfold. Good.

Jax glanced at Draven next. The dragon prince looked confused. His small brain was clearly struggling to process the implications of those words. But he was certainly not happy watching Jax humiliate the woman he adored.

Zharina wore her standard practical training attire. A fitted sleeveless combat top that hugged her curves while allowing full arm mobility.

Tight training shorts that ended mid-thigh for unrestricted leg movement.

Her toned midriff was completely exposed, standard for martial instructors who needed to demonstrate proper core positioning and muscle engagement during techniques.

Jax hovered his hand near her bare waist.

"This was the flaw."

She instantly slapped his hand away with force. Before she could unleash whatever verbal assault was forming on her tongue, Draven moved.

He stepped up aggressively. Grabbed Jax's shirt collar. His face twisted with protective rage.

"What do you think you are?! How DARE you touch her with your filthy hands!"

Jax was imagining grabbing Draven's throat. Lifting him high. Giving him a devastating chokeslam right into the training ground dirt.

But he controlled himself.

Jax hated violence. Well, until he had some proper motive behind it. Right now, violence would ruin everything.

He spoke calmly instead. "I was just telling the truth. Her waist wasn't positioned at a good angle."

He met Draven's furious eyes without flinching.

"If she had it open while attacking, if she had twisted it more, then it would have been easier for her to turn quickly and protect herself. Or even counter-attack with more force."

Jax grabbed Draven's hands. Slapped them off his shirt like removing trash.

"By the way..."

His voice dropped to something dangerous.

"Why did you act like I touched your lover?"

Draven's face flushed crimson at the word 'lover.'

"It was just between adults. Me and Zharina."

Jax smiled knowingly.

"Our bond goes old. We can touch each other wherever we want."

Draven's blush instantly transformed into pure rage. His hand began sparkling with crackling fire. He was about to attack.

Zharina caught on immediately. She stepped directly in front of him. Faced him with commanding authority.

"Don't do anything stupid."

Draven listened like an obedient dog. His fire extinguished. He pulled his hand down. But his deadly glare at Jax remained.

Zharina turned to face Jax. Her eyes calculating. Suspicious.

"What is your motive now? What do you want?"

'Damn,' Jax thought internally. 'She knows I have ulterior motives here. I have to be careful.'

He feigned innocence.

"What I want? Oh, come on. I'm also an instructor here. I was just helping the students improve."

He placed a hand on his chest dramatically.

"What do you take me for?"

Then his expression shifted. Eyes widening as if he'd suddenly realized something shocking.

"Don't tell me... is it that time again? Where your mood swings and you become ferocious and challenge me? Just like in the interview? Or our very first combined class?"

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Or maybe now that the tournament is coming, you want to place a new bet?"

She was hissing with barely contained fury.

Jax continued relentlessly.

"Maybe dragon girls like you have these mood swings during your period. And thinking about it carefully, we would be around that time in your cycle."

His smile turned insufferably smug.

"Do you like me that much? That I'm the one who comes to your mind during this phase?"

He leaned closer. "Do you love me that much?"

"ENOUGH!"

Her voice was a thunderous roar that made nearby students flinch.

"You walk in here! Disturb my teaching! Or precisely, DISRESPECT my teaching! Then you TOUCH me! And now you're spouting complete nonsense!"

Jax raised his hands defensively.

"Whoa, easy there, Professor. I was just worried about your health."

He patted his own cheek casually.

"High blood pressure is really bad for the skin, you know."

Zharina clicked her tongue in frustration. She knew he wouldn't drop this easily. Fine then.

"You think you're better?" Her voice was ice cold. "You think you can teach better than me?"

She stepped forward challengingly.

"Then how about this..."

Jax's heart was racing with anticipation. 'Come on. Say it.'

"The upcoming inter-academy tournament. Why not have a bet?"

Jax maintained a completely disinterested expression. Inside, he was celebrating.

"Bet?"

"Why not see whose students secure better rankings? Between us mentors, this is the perfect setup for our current situation."

Her smile was predatory.

"It will decide who is truly the better teacher."

Jax scratched his head casually.

"And what's the bet?"

"Anything the winning party wants."

He caught the devilish grin spreading across her face.

'This bitch has planned something terrible for me,' he thought with amusement. 'Well, that makes it more fun.'

"You can ask whatever you want," Jax said. "I will surely honor the bet. Unlike a certain someone who didn't respect it last time."

Then Jax started thinking. Or more accurately, ACTING like he was thinking. Because his real plan hadn't even started yet.

After a deliberately long pause, he spoke. "But I think I have to decline this time."

"Decline?" Zharina scoffed loudly. Her voice dripped with mockery.

"So you ARE a coward. All talk and no spine."

Jax shrugged casually.

"It's true I have nothing to gain. I already got everything I wanted from you. Even broke you multiple times."

His eyes met hers with dark amusement.

"Even your body."

Her face contorted with murderous rage. Draven looked utterly confused by the statement.

Jax quickly corrected himself.

"I mean your ego. From the inside."

He sighed dramatically.

"But it isn't about that. Or even about courage. It's about resources."

He gestured at Draven.

"You have elite students like him tailing you. Meanwhile, I don't have a single potential student."

His voice turned pitiful.

"Without a student, I can't even enter the tournament. If I had just ONE potential student, I could build a team around them. Maybe complete my roster."

He paused for maximum effect.

"In fact, there was a girl who was happy to join. But because of this motherfuck—"

He caught himself.

"I mean, because of their mother-father bond... their family obligations... she can't join."

Zharina frowned with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Jax smiled. "Seraphina. His sister wanted to join my roster."

He pointed directly at Draven.

"But because of HIM and his family's expectations, she can't. He wants her to join whatever team he joins. Inseparable."

Zharina's eyes flickered with understanding. "What if I make her join your team?"

Her voice was sharp. Decisive.

"What if I tell him to change his mind?"

Jax's smile widened triumphantly. "Then the bet is on."

Draven's face went pale.

"Professor Zharina, I can't do that—"

She spun on him with terrifying fury. "Draven, WHY can't you do that?!"

Her voice was scalding.

"For god's sake, when will you leave her alone?! What do you want?! To trail her like a dog your entire life?!"

Draven flinched like he'd been physically struck.

Zharina wasn't finished.

"I really HATE a man who doesn't value independence!"

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