CHAPTER 173: THE GRIND

One week later,

The forest’s damp night air still clung to Jayden as he vaulted silently over the balcony railing and landed on the cool wooden floor of his room. It was just past 5 a.m.—the hour where the night reluctantly loosened its grip and the first silver hints of dawn began to creep across the horizon.

His boots were caked with dirt, the faint scent of beast blood still lingering on him from the hunt. For five nights straight, he’d been going out there—moving through the wilderness like a shadow, hunting until the stars faded and the world stirred awake.

The room was dark, exactly as he’d left it, the lights switched off before he slipped out the night before. He shut the balcony door behind him with barely a sound, eyes adjusting to the inky shadows. His muscles ached with a dull, satisfying burn as he made for the light switch near the door.

But before he could take a step...

Click.

Light flooded the room in a warm glow, chasing away the darkness—and revealing her.

Jessica.

She sat casually on the edge of his bed, one hand still hovering near the switch on the nightstand. Her expression was unreadable, though her eyes—calm yet piercing, never left his.

Jayden froze mid-step, his body tensing before recognition eased the sharpness in his stance.

"Jessica..." His voice was low, a breath half-sigh, half-question. "...What are you doing here?"

Her head tilted slightly, studying him for a second too long. "I missed you," she said simply. "So I came here. But you weren’t in. So I waited."

Jayden exhaled, a quiet chuckle under his breath. "Oh." He took a slow step toward her. "Well... I’m here now." A faint smile tugged at his lips.

He crossed the room and leaned down, brushing his lips softly against hers. The kiss was brief, a quiet promise rather than a deep dive, and when he pulled back, he turned toward his bedside cabinet.

Kneeling, he opened it and reached inside, fingers closing over two packages. One was sleek and blue, long and flat—like a book. The other was a compact black box. A knowing smirk tugged at his mouth as he set the black box aside and took the blue one in hand.

Straightening, he faced Jessica and stepped back to her side.

"Happy birthday, Jessica."

She blinked, clearly caught off guard, and accepted the package slowly.

"Sorry I couldn’t package it," Jayden said with a faintly wry smile. "It got delivered just a few hours before I left last night."

Jessica’s fingers ran over the smooth surface as her lips curled into a chuckle. "I don’t care about packaging, Jayden. I’m not a kid," she murmured, still focused on the gift.

Jayden’s smirk deepened. "Says the girl who threw a tantrum on Christmas morning because Santa didn’t wrap the bike she asked for."

Jessica’s head shot up, pouting. "That was one time! And I was still a kid. Santa shouldn’t have left a present unwrapped. That’s just—"

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes locking on the blue item. Her voice dropped to a stunned murmur. "Wait... is this...?"

It was a limited-edition disc case, the iconic silver emblem etched across the blue casing. Inside, the latest release of a game franchise she adored.

Jayden’s smirk widened. "Yeah. Cyberpunk VII. The latest one."

Jessica stared in disbelief. "But this only came out two days ago. And it’s limited edition. How the hell did you—?"

"Online auction," Jayden said casually, almost smug. "It wasn’t hard to get cause most people there couldn’t afford the starting bid."

Her jaw dropped slightly. "Wow! So it must be really expensive." She looked up at him, a genuine, softened smile spreading across her face. "Thank you, Jayden."

"You’re welcome," he said, his voice warm. "I’m just glad you like it."

"Oh, I do." Her tone shifted—lighter, then heavier all at once. Her eyes softened, the sparkle of excitement in them replaced by something deeper, more intent. "But..."

Jayden tilted his head. "But?"

Her voice came barely above a whisper. "I want something else from you."

He raised a brow. "And what’s that?"

Her gaze locked onto his, unwavering. "Your touch."

Before the meaning could fully sink in, she moved—quick and fluid. Her hand slipped behind his neck, fingers threading into his hair as she pulled him down to her. Their lips met in a kiss that was nothing like the first—this one deeper, hungrier, the kind of kiss that carried the heat of something unspoken and the inevitability of something about to ignite.

Jessica’s kiss deepened with sudden intensity, and Jayden responded instinctively, one arm snaking around her waist, pulling her so close he could feel every quickened breath against his chest.

The world outside ceased to exist... no ticking clock, no faint hum of the city, only the heat between them, only the feel of her lips and the faint taste of something sweet lingering there. Jessica’s hands moved over his shoulders, down his arms, exploring every hard line of muscle like she’d been waiting months for this. Jayden’s fingers, tentative at first, began moving too... over the curve of her waist, the small of her back, feeling her shiver.

They were both lost in it, the heat building, her lips leaving a trail along his jaw to his ear, her breath warm, her heartbeat quick. Jayden’s claws threatened to push through just from the rush of adrenaline, but he forced them to stay retracted.

Then, without warning, her hand slid lower, brushing the zipper of his pants.

Gasp.

Jayden flinched. His hand caught hers instantly, firm but not rough. The sudden halt was like someone had cut the power in the room.

Jessica froze, blinking in surprise, before pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes. "What’s wrong?"

Jayden exhaled, his hand still gently lowering hers. "I don’t think you’re ready for that."

She stared at him, her lips parting, eyes narrowing slightly in disbelief. "What?" Her voice was quiet, but the edge was already there.

Before he could get another word out, she tilted her head with a smirk that didn’t reach her eyes. "You’re denying me this on my birthday?"

Jayden sighed. "It’s not like that. I just think you should think about it. Is this really what you want? Or is it... something else?"

Jessica let out a small scoff, looking away for half a second. "You think I haven’t thought about this before I came here?"

"I know you have," Jayden said gently. "But... do you really want to do this right now?"

Her smirk vanished. "You’re not the one who’s gonna tell me when and when not to have sex, Jayden." Her tone had sharpened into steel.

"That’s not what I meant to do." Jayden claimed. "I just wanted you..."

"And don’t even start with that ’I’m not old enough’ crap," Jessica cut in, voice rising. "The fact that I love you doesn’t mean you get to control how I live my life."

Jayden rubbed his neck, sighing. "I know. And I’m sorry." He stepped toward her, but Jessica backed away like his presence was suddenly too much.

"You’ve just deprived me of something I wanted, Jayden," she said, her voice trembling, not from weakness, but from tightly wound frustration. "And I don’t think you care about whether I want it now, or if it’s what I really want."

Jayden open his mouth to speak but no words could come out.

"I think you don’t want to do this because you’re scared." Jessica continued. "You’re scared of the consequence, scared of getting too attached."

Jayden’s jaw tightened. "No, I—"

"Forget it." Jessica said, her tone dropped cold, final. "Just forget this ever happened."

She turned for the door. The sharp, decisive click of her heels on the floor felt louder than it should. She reached the threshold, paused, and glanced back one last time—her eyes a storm of hurt and defiance.

"You’ve ruined my mood, Jayden," she said evenly, but her voice carried that undercurrent of bitterness. "And for that... no cake for you."

The door slammed shut behind her with enough force to make the frame rattle.

Jayden stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway. "...No one told me being in a relationship would be this complicated." he sighed.

[I did] Luna’s voice chimed dryly in his head.

"You?" Jayden scoffed. "Weren’t you the one who told me to ’Get the girl.’"

[Hahaha!] Luna’s laughter was sharp and unhelpful. [Sure, I gave you bad advice—but it’s not my fault you decided to take it]

Jayden just sighed, the weight of the silence pressing in, and headed for the bathroom to freshen up

.....

Jayden twisted the faucet knob, the steady stream of cold water spilling into his cupped hands. He splashed it over his face, letting the icy shock bite into his skin. Droplets rolled down his jawline, dripping onto the porcelain sink. He gripped the edges and leaned forward, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

His golden eyes glimmered faintly in the bathroom light—feral, sharp, the kind of gaze that didn’t belong to an average teenager. The faint trace of dried beast blood still lingered under his nails despite scrubbing his hands earlier.

He inhaled slowly, then straightened, summoning the system’s interface with a silent thought.

With a soft hum and a flash of silver light in his vision, the translucent interface materialized before him—sleek, clean, almost clinical in design.

*Name: Jayden Starrk

*Race: Werewolf

*Level: 13

*Exp: 1500/4200

*Hp: 650/650

*Ep: 310/310

*Shop points: 10

*Strength: 183

*Speed: 204

*Agility: 94

*Stamina: 201

*Perception: 76

*Defense: 96

*Charm: 56

*Mastery: 58

Stat points: 90

[Heart Rate: 45 Bpm]

Skills

*Health Regeneration [Passive]

*Beastlord Aura [Passive/Active]

*Beast Gene Integration [Active]

*Partial Transformation [Active]

*Dragon Eye [Active]

*Lunar Empowerment [Passive]

Abilities

*Beast Energy Acquisition

*Telekinetic Force

*Poison Secretion

*Invisibility

*Enhanced Strength

Titles

*Regent Alpha

Jayden exhaled. He let the numbers sink in.

Level 10 to Level 13 in just over a week. Three level-ups, something that would normally take weeks, maybe months to achieve. His stat gains were sharp too; strength and agility had surged the most.

It wasn’t luck. It was the grind.