Page 113 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

I smirk as I step forward. “I’ll go easy on you,” I remark arrogantly.

“Please don’t. I can handle you,” she replies with a small smirk, her eyes sparkling. She doesn’t need me to go easy on her. I’ve seen her fight.

Sienna steps into the clearing without hesitation, taking her spot opposite me.

I watch her as she rolls her shoulders, loosening herself, her fingers flexing once at her sides before she faces me, that same faint smile playing on her lips.

But where there was once a girl who was full of uncertainty, there is now a woman with pure confidence. No hesitation, no second-guessing, just that steady, burning confidence that proves the vast difference from back then.

“Try not to get distracted, Alpha,” she says playfully. A strand of her hair falls across her cheek.

A few of the warriors snicker behind me, and I step closer, closing the gap between us, her own heart spiking. I smirk as I lower my head.

“Likewise, or you will lose before we even begin,” I reply, my voice low, my eyes dragging over her in a way I don’t even try to hide.

Her eyes dip to my pecs before she looks up into my eyes. “I don’t need to win. I just need to keep up with you.”

“Let’s see if you can,” I murmur.

“Alright, on three,” Anthony says. “Three!”

It’s almost as if we both knew to expect that.

We both move at the same time.

She’s faster than I’ve ever seen her move, her body closing the distance in a blink as she comes straight for me, no hesitation, pure determination burning in her eyes, her fist already aimed for my jaw.

I block on instinct, but the force behind it sends a sharp jolt through my arm, enough to make my muscles tighten as I step back half a pace, more surprised than I let show.

She’s packing strength far stronger than before.

With the bond complete, we would both be stronger than ever.

Her second strike aims lower, and I catch her wrist, but instead of pulling back as I expected her to, she uses my hold in her favour, pivoting into me, her body brushing mine as her leg hooks behind my knee.

I shift my weight in time, her move missing by inches, but the proximity alone is enough to send pleasure dancing through me.

I push her away, but she holds her balance well before she comes at me again, her movements sharp, precise, controlled in a way I’ve never seen from her before. There’s no wild surge of power, no chaotic burst or out-of-control chaos.

I counter, stepping into her space this time, catching her arm as I twist, aiming to throw her off balance, but she moves with it instead of against it, slipping free with incredible agility.

Our bodies collide again, chest to chest for the briefest second, and for a moment the fight falters, just for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to feel the heat radiating from her, the steady rhythm of her heart against mine-

Then she shoves me back, which doesn’t throw me off, but it forces me to put space between us.

She lifts her hand then, and this time I feel it before I see it, that familiar power rising around her, but it’s different; the chaos that would have once spiralled out of control is now forged to such precision. It’s like a blade ready to destroy all in its path, forcing me to raise my own aura to meet it.

I push through it, stepping forward instead of back, letting it break against me as I close the distance again.

“Switching to your powers, huh?” I taunt arrogantly.

She smiles, not answering me. Instead, she matches my every attack. Strike for strike.

Her body moves like every lesson has been burned into her muscle memory, and I feel it: the improvement in the way she’s closed the gap between us, the way she blocks and deflects my throws.

I grab her wrist again, twisting, pulling her into me, intending to pin her, but she spins under my arm, her back brushing my chest as she slips free, her hand coming up to my throat.

I catch it.