Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Nia winced from the floor. Grimacing, she rubbed her foot, looking at the practice dummy like she’d pay to never have him as her opponent again. “How did you learn all of this stuff? You know moves I’ve never heard of.”
Nia was back on speaking terms with me, at least for this class. Our martial arts instructor, Allard, took one sniff of the omega and benched her, saying that she didn’t need to learn martial arts, and he wasn’t going to waste his time teaching her.
While I took one look at him, and said I knew more about fighting and self-defense than he ever would, and he’d be smart to sit back and learn something. He’s ignored me ever since, which left me and Nia to our own devices.
The entire class was out on the field, practicing with dummies or on mats. My fates were paired up with each other. Nyx against Orion, and Edric against Badr. Unfortunately for Edric, he was getting his ass kicked because his gaze kept drifting to me and my ass in my athletic pants.
“I’m the mother wolf,” I replied to Nia, shifting the dummy so my back was to Edric. The man looked like a warrior with those glistening muscles and tight, ripped pants. He was distracting me too. “Vampires have been trying to kill me since birth. The first thing my parents did after I learned to walk was break out the video camera, and then sent me to training.
“You think this is hard? Imagine how hard your instructors ride you when you’ve got to learn how to kill people who are already dead.”
She whistled. “Wow. Intense. I always thought being the mother wolf made you the luckiest wolf alive, but I guess... some days it didn’t feel that way.”
I tensed, falling out of my stance. “It didn’t feel that way the first time vampires kidnapped my mother to force my father to trade me for her. And it fuck sure didn’t feel that way when they killed her the second time to prove they were serious.”
“Oh my gods,” Nia breathed, clapping her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t... I didn’t know that’s how it happened.”
“The alpha council didn’t want people to know. Couldn’t have Wolf Nation knowing a major threat got that close to me—twice—and nearly ended the entire werewolf race. You might stop thinking they’re infallible.” I punched the dummy harder than I needed to—snapping it back and bouncing it off the floor.
“I’m sorry, Daze.”
I looked away. “Yeah,” I whispered. “Me too.”
Shaking myself, I drew back from that well of grief inside of me, and reined in my tongue. I knew better than to talk about Mom. I got a little too honest when I did, and no one here was ready for the truth, or what would happen when I told it.
“Okay, your turn.” I stepped to the side, motioning for Nia to take my place. “I know your toes have healed, so you’ve got no excuse. I want a perfect roundhouse kick three times, then five times, then ten times, then three times again. No more than thirty seconds rest between sets.”
“Fucking hell, Daze. Has anyone ever told you you missed your calling as a drill sergeant?”
“Anybody ever told you flapping your gums is a weak stall game? You want to get out of these sets for real, woman up and break something else. Otherwise, get to it.”
She mumbled a string of filthy words under her breath, but Nia got up and settled into her position. Despite her moaning and groaning, Nia did everything I said and listened close to my instruction. The first step was getting stronger, and she was committed to it.
Nia kicked the dummy square upside the head.
“Okay, good,” I called. “Just remember to use your arm as a counterbalance.”
“Like this?” she asked, swinging her arm out in time with her leg. “Oh, wow. I felt the difference! That’s so much better. Thanks, D—”
“Isn’t this cozy.”
The hackles would’ve risen on my wolf’s back if she was out, but since she wasn’t, my body settled for standing my neck hairs on end.
“A couple of best friends,” Badr drawled, coming up beside us. “Looks like you’ve gotten over your hangups on getting buddy-buddy with a murderer, Nia.”
Nia stumbled back, losing her smile. “It’s not like that, Badr. No one’s forgotten Castor or what happened to him—”
“What she did to him,” he snapped, correcting.
“—but Dagem ordered me to stay with her at all times. You can’t blame me for making the best of it.”
“Are you sure? Because I think I can. I like you, Nia, but no decent person laughs, and jokes, and plays mentee to a killer. You say you’re forced to hang out with her, but the least you can do is not enjoy it so much.”
“And what are you going to do about it, Badr?” I stepped between Nia and Badr. “Get her kicked out of the alpha track like you did to Paxton. Funny how your loyalty dries up fast when you’re not getting your way.” His frostbitten eyes seared into mine. “Remind me because I forgot, but is that how decent people treat their friends?”