Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Pack Training
All four girls share nervous looks before reluctantly grabbing training gear and heading toward the wrestling mats
Nyra tries to brush it off. "Why would he? We’re not like a thing... I never expected him to want to go with me."
None of them miss the way her voice cracks at the end.
---
The three girls look like they want to say more, but thankfully the sound of the bell cuts them off.
Nyra groans when she realizes what period it is--pack training time, where students do physical activities like sparring, combat, relay, werewolf shifting, and other activities.
She always dreads having to go. The last time, someone slammed a ball against her face, and no one picked her for team work.
Nyra has been skipping pack training for the last one month, using the period to draw instead.
But if she keeps missing training like this, she might fail and repeat it next year during her first senior year--and practicing with juniors as a senior is even worse than having a ball thrown at your face.
Her three friends, Leah, Naya, and Lena, sigh in understanding when they notice her expression.
"Don’t worry, we’ll stick together this time," Leah says. "No one can bully you anymore."
"Besides, pretty girls have to stick together," Naya adds, pulling her arm toward the open field.
Nyra smiles at them shyly, enjoying their support. Pretty--it still sounds strange to hear people call her that.
Lena, behind them, just sighs, muttering something under her breath about how girls shouldn’t be allowed to do heavy labor.
The training hall is already packed with students by the time they get there. The chatter and scent of pheromones fill the air as Nyra and her friends try to squeeze into one of the sparring groups, but every ring is already full.
"Too many participants," the instructor says, pointing toward the other end of the hall. "Go and join the wrestling drills instead."
Of course it’s the only drill that’s not completely full yet... no one wants to get hurt the day before the Moon Dance.
All four girls share nervous looks before reluctantly grabbing training gear and heading toward the wrestling mats.
"At least we can fight each other." League whispers behind them. But unfortunately, the Instructor has other plans.
"Today, it’s Omegas versus Alphas."
"What? But that’s not fair! The Alphas already have their pheromones as an advantage," someone shouts from the back.
All the other Omegas also seem to think the same thing because they all look hesitant to fight now.
"You need to learn how to fight as equals. An Omega can channel his or her wolf to be just as powerful as an Alpha’s... you need to practice that."
The group falls completely quiet as the instructor starts to pair them up. But there is obvious worry in their eyes.
The first pair does surprisingly well. A male Omega and a male Alpha--the Omega doesn’t win, but he makes the Alpha fight very hard.
Everyone is cheering him on even though he loses.
That seems to give the Omegas some motivation because they begin to fight harder. One tall female Omega even wins her match against the Alpha paired with her.
Finally, it’s Nyra’s turn.
The instructor calls her name, ushering her into the middle of the ring. But the moment she sees who her wrestling partner is, her blood runs cold.
Thomas--one of the boys who drugged her that night. The one Adrian had almost beaten to death.
As a werewolf, it is no surprise that he is completely healed. If it had been a human, they would certainly still be in the hospital till now. Though it seems he still has a slight limp as they circle each other in the ring.
"You should be scared to even enter this ring," Thomas threatens, smirking viciously. "Your boyfriend broke ten of my bones, so I’m going to break yours too, you stupid bitch!"
"I should be the one threatening you for what you did!" Nyra bites back, refusing to let her fear show. She won’t give him that satisfaction.
She also wants to snap that Adrian is not her boyfriend, but swallows the words back down. Now is not the time to go back and forth over their weird relationship, when the Alpha in front of her looks like he wants to skin her alive.
She can feel the worried stares from her friends behind her, but there’s nothing anyone can do. The bell rings--the fight is about to start.
She’s terrified, but she refuses to show it. Her hands are trembling and sweaty. She wipes her palms on her shorts, trying to study his movements.
Nyra barely has time to brace herself before he pounces on her. He throws a punch aiming straight for her ribs.
She tries to duck clumsily, but Nyra is too slow. He hits her with a loud thud, the impact sending her stumbling back against the training mat.
Pain tears through her side. The impact steals the air from her lungs, and for one terrifying second she’s back at the pool party--drugged, unable to fight back.
She shakes the thought off, forcing her breathing to steady. No, she can’t let him win again.
The entire training hall has gone quiet, and even students from the other drills gather around the ring.
"You’re still as weak as before," he spits, rolling his shoulders with a smirk. "I don’t even know why Blackwood even bothered saving you."
Don’t freeze, Nyra. He’s just trying to distract you, she whispers to herself, forcing her legs to stand firm just as the instructor had taught them last month.
Thomas comes at her again, and this time she tries to block, but the boy is just too strong. His fist slams into her upper thigh, making her gasp out loud in pain as she falls to the ground. Her legs feel like they’ve been hit by a truck.
He doesn’t wait to let her catch her breath. He rains punches down on her while she’s still writhing on the floor, trying to block his attacks.
The crowd around them is divided. Some of them are urging her to get back up, while others--mostly male Alphas--are cheering Thomas on.
Nyra stays on the ground, trying to drag air into her lungs. Her whole body hurts, and it feels like one of her arms is broken.
Maybe this fight isn’t worth it?
But then something inside her stirs, urging her to finish the fight. She can’t quite tell what it is, but it is very strong. It tells her to stand up and fight, insisting that she will win this time.
Her friends are also cheering her on from the back. It gives her more courage.
She coughs--mostly blood and spit splattering against the sand--as she rolls to her side, forcing herself to stand up again despite the pain.
A strange sense of calm washes over her. Her entire body is aching, and her vision is a little blurry from all the blows, but something pushes her to continue, taking a fighting stance again.
Thomas kisses his teeth in annoyance when he sees her standing. "What’s with that smug look? Just because you managed to stand up?" He spits onto the ground grinning smugly,
"Let’s see if you can stand again after I break your bones... just like they broke mine."
He cracks his neck and draws his right hand back, ready to throw another hard punch meant to finish her completely.
Nyra clenches her jaw, raises her arms to shield herself, already bracing for the pain--when suddenly she freezes. Something is very, very odd. She can’t feel any pain in her body anymore.
"Nyra, watch out!" Lena yells from the back, just as Thomas is about to punch her again.
That’s right. She needs to finish the fight first.
Her movements are easier now without the pain slowing her down. But that’s not all.
It feels like something inside her is teaching her exactly how to fight. It tells her where to hit--his ribs, the side of his neck, his knees--and every time she follows the command, Thomas howls in pain, looking shocked.
After several brutal minutes of fighting, Nyra finally delivers a winning blow to his temple. He groans in pain, falling to the floor, more blood trickling from his busted lips and nose.
Two... three... four... five...
Thomas doesn’t get up again, completely exhausted. He can’t move, holding his head and twisting on the sand from the pain.
Everyone is completely shocked. Even the other Omegas weren’t able to inflict this much damage--much less the same Omega who had been on the floor just a few minutes ago.
The instructor doesn’t hesitate. He rushes over and grabs her hand.
"Nyra Hale is the winner!"
The other Omegas cheer happily, calling her name. Leah, Naya, and Lena all rush in to hug her. But Nyra isn’t looking at them.
Across the room, her eyes are locked on him. Adrian--he is watching her with pride and satisfaction.
But that’s not what gets to her.
What gets to her is the blood dripping from his nose, the way his hand looks stiff with pain even though he tries to hide it, and how his chest is rising and falling too fast.
What the--everything suddenly makes sense now.
The way the pain had suddenly disappeared. The way she knew exactly where to hit to inflict the most damage, how to stand, all the skills she never had before.
Almost like a professional.
Almost like she was borrowing someone else’s experience.
Her eyes widen at the realization as she meets his gaze again. He smiles at her through the pain. And the intensity in those silver eyes makes her shiver without warning.
She looks away quickly, staring down at her hands again in disbelief.
Because just how did Adrian manage to not only fight in her place through their bond, but also take her pain?!?
