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“Alpha,” they said in unison, bowing slightly to Nolan. I rolled my eyes at the formality.
“Um, at ease?” Nolan laughed at their posture. “Nice job with training, the three of you seem to have put them through their paces.”
Taylor and Lucas exchanged a look, as if not sure if Nolan was telling the truth or not.
I sighed.“Will you two just act normal?”
“Oh, shut it, Kas,”Taylor relaxed his posture, smacking my arm playfully before grabbing his water bottle from next to me and taking a quick swig.
“Thanks,” Lucas answered first, sitting down on the other side of me, using a discarded cloth to wipe his chiseled face and shaved head. “We gave them a fifteen-minute break before shuffling the pairs and having them do a mock sparring match.”
“Well, while they’re on break, why don’t we give them a little show?” Nolan nudged me with his shoulder, my body seizing up at the contact…and the suggestion.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the only Hierarchy member I haven’t sparred with yet, so how about a little hand-to-hand?” he winked at me. “Since you find me so distasteful, why not put me in my place?”
“Um…” My eyes narrowed at him.
He made it seem so innocent, even a little fun. Yet too many questions about his motives filled my mind. What if he was trying to embarrass me in front of the young recruits? To prove that I was weak? What if he wanted to find a reason to report me to the High Faction?
There were just so many unknowns with this man, and I hated unknowns.
He leaned toward me, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. “Are you trying to tell me that the idea of punching me isn’t tempting enough?”
I cocked my head to the side, lips spreading into a matching grin. Well, that idea certainly made the noise in my mind stop. “Fine, but when I beat your ass, just know you brought this on yourself.”
I laid my journal down, placing my Amalgam Blade on top before standing to stretch my muscles out. I didn’t even give him a second look before sauntering into the center of the ring, ignoring the growing ache in my stomach. This was an important moment, the moment where I fought the Alpha for the first time. If I won, it would prove to him, and myself, that I deserved that job. That no matter my past, I’d earned the title of Alpha, in spite of what the High Faction decided. Yet, if I failed, it would confirm everything the High Faction believed. That I was unworthy and weak and useless…
I let that thought disappear from my mind, refusing to let it distract me from this moment. This was my time, and I would not back down.
He followed behind me, giggles erupting from off to the left, a handful of the recruits whispering to each other and batting their eyes as Nolan sauntered up to where I stood. I didn’t even try and listen into the conversation, the sweet scent of their attraction to Nolan enough to confirm what they were thinking. I glanced back to him, his lips twitching, teeth gnawing at the edges. His gaze flicked over to them for a brief moment, giving them a wave before he turned back to me, as if the giggling that surged on was completely normal.
Ugh. That just added fuel to the fire; I was ready to punch him a few times.
I readied myself with a wide stance, fists poised in front of me, Nolan doing the same. He winked a beat before someone called start from the sidelines, and I watched his face transform in front of me. No longer the joking Nolan, but a predator ready to fight.
Little did he know, I was a predator, too.
I didn’t hesitate to take the upper hand, aiming for his left side with a series of jabs and strikes. Unlike him, I had watched my opponent fight multiple people already, and I’d studied his fighting style. He favored his right side, and he relied more on his strength than speed, using his height to his advantage whenever possible. That would be my biggest handicap in this fight, since it would be difficult to counter an attack from above, which he could easily do if I let myself get too close. So, I made sure to keep us moving, our footwork in sync while we threw punches and blocks.
I sent my next flurry of jabs, yet instead of trying to block them, he reached forward, his fingers curling around my wrist and yanking me right toward him. My mind had only a moment to react before his free hand came down toward me, his fist aimed right at my face. I spun away, his knuckles barely missing my face and colliding with my shoulder. I used the force of the impact to my advantage, stumbling backward and free of his grip.
I caught myself before falling to the ground, shoulder pulsing with dull pain, lips curling up into a snarl.
I would not let him win.
I faked to the left before rounding on him, my elbow cutting across, smashing into his face, a growl escaping both of us at the scent of blood pooling in his mouth. I didn’t let that stop me, seeing his dazed look and taking advantage with a sharp jab to the ribs, feeling the impact under my knuckles.
“Well, aren’t you just a little vicious,” Nolan laughed, wiping a slick of blood coating his pouty lips.
“You’re so vicious…”
My feet stumbled backward, the memory hitting my mind and body with force, the room beginning to spin.I tried to hold it in, to lock the chaos inside before it captured me in its clutches, but it was no use by this point. I’d been forced back to that night when I’d lost everything.
Whenever I found myself back there, I slipped away from reality and into a place I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. If I didn’t get out of here soon, anything could happen; I could start crying or screaming or even black out. Although I kept blocking his attacks, I could already sense the control over my movements slipping, each one a bit weaker and slower than the last.
This couldn’t happen here, not in front of Nolan and the recruits. There was only one thing that would end the fight quickly.
