Chapter 239
Chapter 239
I trail behind her until she reaches her place at the forefront of the training group, where a crowd has already begun to gather around us. This moment is bound to be humiliating for her, especially since she’s the lead trainer here. But sometimes, a little humility is necessary to keep egos in check.
We stand face to face, and she wears an unreadable expression. That’s curious. Until now, I’ve only observed her fighting from a distance, carefully avoiding interfering with the other warriors. She lifts her fists, signaling that she’s ready to begin, and I respond with a slow nod. She gets the first strike-patience is one of my virtues.
Without hesitation, she darts forward. Her speed catches me off guard for a split second, but then the familiar cross and jab come at me. I manage to dodge the first blow, but the second one lands squarely on my cheek, sending a sharp sting through my face. She steps back, giving me a moment to recover, and I hold my ground. I can’t help but admire her skill, even if I’m reluctant to admit it. Still, she’ll have to step up her game to actually beat me.
She attacks again, this time from my left side. I anticipate her usual double strike and evade both with ease, but then her leg sweeps out, catching my front leg. We both fall, rolling across the ground as we struggle for dominance. She regains her balance first, dropping to one knee. With a swift backhand from her left, she strikes me, then wraps her strong right arm around my neck. I lurch forward, flipping her onto her back right in front of me.
She twists away from my punch and slips behind me once more, now standing. Her knee presses firmly into my back as her arm snakes around my neck again. She’s smaller than I am, so this position is more about buying time than overpowering me. I could flip her over my shoulder all day if I wanted. Reaching behind me, I grab her leg and pull her body forward. But as she comes around, she jams the base of her palm into my nose with a sharp force that dislocates it. Blood sprays across us both. It’s a brutal move, but effective. My vision blurs, and just before I hit the ground, I feel a kick to my chest. I’m flipped onto my stomach, one arm pinned behind my back, and her knee presses hard against my cheek.
Laughter bursts out from the crowd, mixed with teasing shouts of “Rookie!” echoing all around me. I should feel angry. And I admit, there’s a flicker of irritation that her reckless move actually worked—but that’s on me. I’ll need to study her moves more carefully and come back stronger.
She smirks and taunts, “You alright, Rookie?” I roll my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh as I push myself up from the ground. Slowly, I turn around and brush the dirt off my clothes.
“Yes, Warrior Greta, ma’am,” I say with a playful wink before striding away, hearing some of the other guys chuckle behind me.
“You do realize she’s going to kick your ass one of these days, right?” Sammy jogs up beside me, grinning.
I gesture over my shoulder with a thumb. “Wasn’t that just now p>
He laughs. “Nope. She fights just like you, actually. I saw her take down three guys during that fight with Claude’s crew. She went easy on you-only made you bleed a little p>
“Fantastic,” I mutter. “Now I’m the rookie and a pansy. I’m sure all these warriors are wondering why I was ever in charge. I need to clear my head with a run. Catch you later p>
“Come on, don’t be like that,” Sammy calls after me, but I don’t look back.
Lately, I’ve been running the pack borders alongside the other warriors as part of our integration into the Dark Moon pack. We’re still on probation for a year before Ryker will officially accept us as members. Most of us remain here, though a few have moved on to other territories within this vast pack.
Even during probation, we’ve been entrusted with a surprising amount of information. I don’t quite understand it. Growing up as a rogue, knowledge was a matter of survival. Not knowing something could get you killed, and knowing the right things was how you kept people in line. But Alpha Ryker shares his information openly. Well, not everything, of course, but enough to make us feel involved and heard. He gives us just enough to follow orders without questioning his reasons. It’s a strange concept to me, and I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get used to it.