“That’s my girl,” Remi nods in approval.
Logan walks over to stand next to us. “No claws or fangs allowed and no eye jabbing either, “he says, speaking to me since Remington knows these rules. I don’t miss the look he gives me as he talks. It’s a mix of fear and respect. “Tap the mat when you’ve had enough.”
We both nod at him, and he walks away.
“So do we just begin or—“ I start to ask her when her fist comes flying at my face.
I barely have enough time to evade her punch, and as I lean back, I feel the air whoosh past my face. I duck quickly when she wastes no time aiming another punch in my direction.
“Good, you’re quick. That’ll be useful,” she praises, but the moment is short-lived when she spins around and sends a roundhouse kick to my abdomen, knocking the air out of my lungs. I stumble back a few feet, grabbing my stomach and trying to catch my breath.
“Watch where my muscles tighten and anticipate my moves,” she coaches.
I nod in understanding and right myself again. I hold my arms in front of me to block any more of her attacks as we begin circling each other. I feel my wolf getting irritated with me that we aren’t attacking first. Like Remi said, I need to learn how to anticipate someone’s advances, so instead of attacking, I watch how her muscles tighten and move.
When her shoulder tightens up, I raise my hand and block the punch that’s thrown in my face. I grin at this, proud of myself for seeing it coming.
“Don’t get cocky,” Remi scolds before she kicks out her leg in a sweeping motion, causing me to lose my balance and fall onto the mats. I land on my back with an oof.
Dammit!
I see a flash of movement, and I roll out of the way just in time. I watch as Remi’s fist connects with the mat right where my head had been a second ago. But I don’t move quickly enough when her other fist comes down and connects with my chin. I taste blood immediately.
When I attempt to move out from under her, she grips my shirt, causing it to tear. I push her with all of my strength and send her flying backward.
Grunting, I roll and spring to my feet. I look down at what’s left of the shirt I’m wearing and quickly pull it over my head. Now standing in a plain black sports bra, I throw the damaged shirt to the side, wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and keep my eyes on Remi.
“Pru, that’s enough. You’re—” Ryker starts to say from the sidelines.
“Shut up, Ryker!” I yell, silencing him.
I don’t have enough time to worry about the look on his face when I say it. Instead, I’m too focused on the she-wolf that’s circling me and the vibrating power building in my chest and limbs. I feel my eyes shift into wolf form, and I know they’re now glowing bright-green. I sense the wolf side of my subconscious take over mine, and I’m unable to stop the grin that appears on my face.
My wolf is in charge now, and she’s ready to fight.
My body springs forward and in rapid-fire succession, delivers two blows to Remi’s head and face. While she’s still recovering, I wrap my hands around the back of her neck and force her chest forward at the same time I bring my knee up, ramming it into her middle.
She’s hunched over trying to catch her breath, and even though now would be a good time to attack again, I don’t. I want her to be able to fight back when I do.
Remi is breathing hard when she straightens. “Good. Now it’s a fair fight.” She smirks, her eyes now glowing in wolf form too. Unlike Ryker’s gold or my green wolf eyes, Remi’s are a vibrant silvery-blue.
She snarls before launching herself at me again, and I barely feel her fist connect with my cheek or the second blow to my stomach. I retaliate with my own punches and kicks to her body.
I grab hold of her arm when it flies in my direction and use the momentum behind her swing to flip her over my shoulder. I allow my body to fly back with her, and we roll multiple times onto the mat.
When we finally stop spinning, I find myself positioned behind her. I wrap my arms around her slender neck and apply pressure, slowly choking the air out of her.
I feel the strength and power seeping out of me as I hold onto Remi, and I also hear the voices all around us, but I don’t understand what they’re saying. I’m too focused on getting my opponent to surrender. Remi still struggles against my hold, and I apply more pressure to her airway. I watch her hands, waiting for her to tap out.
It feels like forever when she finally bangs her hand on the mat. I remove my arms from around her neck and roll out from beneath her body weight. When I stand, my legs are shaky with adrenaline, and I’m out of breath.
The room is still silent as I glance around at the people who stand there. Everyone looks at me with shock and wonder on their faces, and honestly, I understand why. They think since I can’t shift into my wolf, I’m weaker than them. But they just learned that isn’t the case. I’m just as strong as they are, whether or not I can shift.
The proud and total look of astonishment on Ryker’s face makes me break into a big grin, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m running across the mat
