“Stay focused,” he coached. “Anticipate my movements and counter them accordingly.”
“Right,” she panted, ducking under a sweeping kick, and attempting to retaliate with a punch.
Liam easily blocked her attack and pushed her away, grinning at her. “Not bad, but you need to be faster.”
I watched her closely, my wolf struggling to stay still as Liam roughed her up during the sparring match. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed in my ears, making it almost impossible to hold back the protective instinct that threatened to take over.
“Let’s try that again.” Liam circled Liza like a predator stalking its prey. “Remember, keep your weight on your back foot, and don’t let yourself be thrown off balance.”
Liza wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. In one swift motion, she lunged toward Liam, directing a forceful punch at his chest. He sidestepped easily, grabbed her arm, andpulled her into a chokehold. She gasped for air, clawing at his forearm, but he didn’t relent.
“Focus, Liza! Use your legs!” Liam barked.
With a sudden burst of understanding, she lashed out, landing a swift kick behind his knee, and forcing him to release his grip on her throat. She spun away, coughing and wheezing as she tried to catch her breath.
“Better,” Liam said, rubbing his leg where she’d struck him. “You need to be faster. If this were a real fight, you might not get a second chance.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to block out the image of Liza struggling against an enemy. It went against every fiber of my being—both man and wolf—to watch her in such a vulnerable state. I had to keep reminding myself that this was for her own good.
“Come on,” Liam said, beckoning her forward for another round. “You can do this. Just remember what we’ve been practicing.”
As she squared her shoulders, her expression hardened with resolve, propelling her forward to attack him again. This time, she managed to land a solid hit on his jaw before he could react, but it didn’t deter him for long. He retaliated with a swift kick to her midsection, sending her sprawling onto the ground with a pained grunt.
“Look at that, you’re dead,” Liam taunted, standing over her.
My wolf couldn’t take it anymore. A low growl escaped my lips, and I bared my teeth at Liam, ready to tear into him for hurting our mate. But Liza cut through the haze of rage, stopping me in my tracks.
“Stop it,” she admonished, pushing herself up from the ground. “I’m fine. This is what I need to do to protect our pack.”
Her words stung, but she was right. Swallowing down the bitterness, I forced myself to step back. As much as I hatedseeing her hurt, I had to trust that she was strong enough to handle whatever fate had in store for her.
One thing was certain: if Castro or anyone else ever dared to lay a hand on Liza in a real fight, they’d have to get through me first, and I would make sure they regretted it for the rest of their very short lives.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting my tense scrutiny of Liza’s training. I glanced at the screen and scowled at Hiram’s name on the screen.
“It’s Hiram,” I said to Liam.
“Put it on speaker,” he said.
“Ty, we need to talk,” Hiram said, not bothering with the niceties of a greeting. “ASAP. I’m sending you a location.”
The text came through just as he finished speaking, and I stared at the address he’d provided. It was a couple of hours away. It pissed me off to no end that he dared to summon me, but it must have been important.
“I’ll be there,” I said, swiping the screen to end the call.
“Let me come with you,” Liam said. “We’ll leave some extra security here for Liza while she continues her training.”
I chewed on that, my gaze drifting back to Liza as she squared off against one of our pack’s trainers. Despite her heavy panting and sweat-soaked face, her eyes blazed with intensity. The thought of leaving her behind, even with extra protection, had my wolf snapping his jaws at the edges of my mind.
“Ty, I get you don’t want to leave Liza, but we have to find out what Hiram has to say,” Liam said quietly.
“Fine,” I replied reluctantly. “But we’re not taking any chances with her safety.”
“Agreed.”
Once we had everything arranged, and the security were told they’d be out on their asses if they so much as blinked and took their eyes off Liza, Liam and I set off for the meeting point.
While we drove, my mind raced with possibilities. What could be so urgent that Hiram needed to speak with us immediately? Why hadn’t he given us any hint of what was going on?
