Uncle Raf clears his throat. “Pardon me, alphas. I believe Eve needs a more formidable opponent.”
He glances at Tabitha. “No offense, Tabitha,” he says, then turns back to the alphas. “Eve is more skilled than you realize.”
Before Alpha Ben can respond, Alpha Alex jumps in, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Well, if that’s the case, she won’t mind proving her worth.”
It seems they’re starting with the women today and will likely challenge the men tomorrow. But they’re in for a surprise. I can take down half the men here, if not all of them.
Uncle Raf is an exceptional trainer, and I’ve been lucky enough to receive his personal training for most of my life.
I step into the makeshift battle area and wait. The smartest thing to do is observe your opponent. Watch their movements and, before long, they become predictable.
I casually place my hands behind my back, waiting for Tabitha to make her move. As expected, she tries to punch me—first right, then left—which I easily dodge.
She attempts a kick, but I sidestep, causing her to stumble and nearly face-plant. She’s getting frustrated.
She lunges at me, and, growing bored, I swiftly kick out my leg, my foot landing squarely on her chest, effectively knocking her to the ground, gasping for breath.
I turn to face the alphas, waiting for their next move, hands still tucked behind my back.
Alpha Ben grins; he knows I’m a skilled fighter. Alpha Alex gives me a challenging, almost playful, look.
“Next, Misty.”
There are only five girls in training, including me. Misty is better than Tabitha, but she’s also very timid. She always hesitates, which will be her downfall one day.
Misty steps into the battle area, a nervous smile on her face as she looks at me. She glances at my feet before swinging her leg in an attempt to knock me down.
Predictably, I jump over it, then kick her over from her crouched position. Before she can even stand, I wrap my arm around her neck.
“Snap. You’re dead.” If this were a real fight, her neck would be broken.
This continues with the rest of the women fighters, none of whom pose a challenge. After the last one taps out, I stand, waiting for the next move.
Alpha Alex seems deep in thought before he smirks, “Well done. Let’s try something different. Julian, your turn.”
Julian groans as he moves to the center. I give him a playful smile. Julian has only ever beaten me once.
“Don’t worry, Jul, I’ll go easy on you,” I tease. He sticks his tongue out as he gets into position.
Uncle Raf is smirking because he knows that Julian is one of the better fighters, but I still have the advantage with my size.
Julian and I circle each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. I know he’s hesitant because he doesn’t want to hurt me, but I give him a nod to reassure him.
That’s all he needs before he steps closer and throws his first few punches. I block them with my arms, then deliver a solid uppercut, followed by a right hook.
He steps back, shaking his head before smiling. Suddenly, he steps toward me and spins, landing a punch to my jaw and one to my side.
Fight training is dangerous, especially because tempers can flare quickly, regardless of who we’re up against.
Half the reason we do this is to help control our tempers; it’s incredibly helpful in battles with rogues, who have no control over their anger.
Julian and I are usually good at holding back, but knowing Julian didn’t sleep well last night, I’m a little worried that if I push him too much, he’ll shift.
But I’m not backing down. I have something to prove. We exchange a few more punches before I slide between his legs and jump up to kick him in the back.
He lands on all fours and I can see his shoulders shaking before a deep growl rumbles from his chest. A second later, he’s in wolf form, snarling and growling at me.
Alpha Ben and Alpha Alex stand up.
“Enough, the match is over,” Raf announces. But I raise my hand to keep everyone calm, never breaking eye contact.
I know Julian would never hurt me, but his wolf is a different story. He can’t control it when he’s angry.
Julian crouches, ready to pounce.
He leaps into the air and, as quickly as I can, I slide under him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and my legs around his torso.
He drops to the ground, writhing and struggling to break free. He manages to claw my thigh with his hind leg in his efforts to shake me off.
I hiss in pain, but squeeze tighter. “Shift back, Julian! Now!”
I growl menacingly—my wolf is on the edge, ready to take over and finish him. He goes limp, feeling the authority in my voice and knowing he’s been defeated.
He does as he’s told. Within seconds, a naked Julian is beneath me, facedown with me sitting on his back. I roll off him onto my back, knowing he’s back in control.
I’m panting heavily, trying to calm down.
Raf and the alphas rush over to us. “Are you okay?” they all ask. I nod, pushing myself up to a standing position, hissing in pain as I look down at my stomach.
There are three deep cuts, oozing blood, that don’t look good. I look farther down at my thigh, where I have another set of scratches, but not as deep.
My vision starts to blur and I stumble slightly. Looking up, I see four worried faces staring at me. They seem to be saying something, but I can’t make out the words.
The world starts to twirl around me, and I feel myself tipping over, the edges of my vision darkening until everything is swallowed by blackness.
