Elena’s POV
The next morning arrived with Corbin’s familiar demanding presence, though he at least permitted to finish breakfast before dragging to the shooting range. Every step sent sharp reminders through my body from yesterday’s punishnt, but I refused to let him see any weakness. My pride wouldn’t allow him that satisfaction.
At the range, I snatched up a weapon with practiced efficiency. The siren’s shrill call echoed through the facility, and I plunged into the course with determination coursing through my veins.
Sothing felt wrong imdiately. The familiar moving targets that usually challenged my reflexes were nowhere to be found. No werewolf silhouettes erged from behind barriers, no civilian cutouts appeared for to protect. The course stretched before , empty and eerily silent.
A sudden, searing pain exploded through the back of my thigh, sending crashing to the concrete floor. My vision blurred as agony radiated from the impact point.
Corbin’s boots appeared in my peripheral vision as he approached with calculated slowness. In his hands was so kind of modified weapon I’d never seen before. He yanked a dart from my leg with clinical detachnt.
"That burning sensation? That’s exactly what a bullet feels like tearing through muscle. The effects will fade soon enough, but now you understand what real combat ans."
"What the hell is this about?" I demanded through gritted teeth.
"Simple. You’re going to hunt down and take out."
His words hit like ice water. We were about to engage in live combat training, predator versus predator.
He confiscated my standard weapon and handed one of those dart guns instead. Apparently, he didn’t trust not to put actual ammunition into him given the chance.
I limped back to the starting position, my leg still throbbing from his surprise attack. When the siren wailed again, I moved with deliberate caution through the maze-like course. Every shadow could conceal danger. Every sound demanded my complete attention.
The training area had been sealed off today. No observers in the gallery, no witnesses to whatever twisted ga Corbin wanted to play. Just the two of us locked in this concrete arena.
He proved himself a formidable opponent. Ti after ti, darts found their mark before I even spotted him. Hours dragged by with sprawled on the floor, pain coursing through different parts of my body as he systematically hunted down.
His refusal to let leave until I succeeded only fueled my growing rage. Each failure added another layer of fury to the fire building inside .
I reset once more after the latest dart’s sting faded from my shoulder blade. This ti, sothing shifted. My anger had crystallized into laser focus.
Footsteps. Barely audible, but unmistakably real. They ca from sowhere close but not in my imdiate vicinity.
That was impossible. The course’s acoustics were specifically designed to muffle such sounds. I’d never been able to hear footsteps before in all my years of training here.
I froze, processing this new information. Then Corbin rounded the corner ahead of , moving with his usual predatory confidence.
The dart gun bucked in my hands before I’d even consciously decided to fire. The projectile caught him center mass, and he dropped to his knees with a grunt of surprise.
Rather than gloat, I simply dropped the weapon at his feet and walked past him without a word. I needed air and space away from his twisted training thods.
Outside, I collapsed against the building’s exterior wall and tugged off my boots to assess the damage from yesterday’s torture. Bracing myself for the sight of raw, bleeding flesh, I peeled away my socks.
Nothing.
My feet were completely unmarked. Smooth, healthy skin showed no trace of the horrific blisters and open wounds that had been there just hours ago. Last night I’d thrown away blood-soaked socks and could barely hobble to my bunk.
Had I imagined the entire ordeal? Exhaustion could play tricks on the mind, but the pain had been undeniably real. The evidence of my suffering had been right there.
This made no sense whatsoever.
Asher’s approach interrupted my confused examination. I quickly shoved my boots back on, not wanting to explain sothing I couldn’t understand myself.
"Everything okay?" he asked with genuine concern.
"Fine. I finally took the bastard down so I could get out of there."
"What’s his endga here? This seems excessive even for Hunter training."
"No clue. Maybe we should disappear before he recovers and dreams up sothing worse."
Asher helped to my feet, and we made our way toward the library building.
The quiet space was blessedly empty. I grabbed a random book from the shelves, desperate for anything other than the sa novel I’d been rereading endlessly. We settled at a corner table where I could finally let my guard down.
Too many impossible things were happening simultaneously. My mysteriously healed feet, Corbin’s escalating brutality, my complicated relationship with Asher, his persistent questions about escaping this place.
My mind felt like a battlefield where too many wars were being fought at once.
Asher seed to understand my need for silence. He sat beside without attempting conversation, offering nothing but his steady presence. The quiet between us felt natural and comforting rather than awkward.
I spent the rest of the day deliberately avoiding Corbin’s presence. After everything I’d endured recently, I decided I’d earned a reprieve from his training regin.
"I really want to get you away from here if Corbin’s going to continue this harassnt," Asher said as we headed toward the ss hall.
"I know you do. But we both understand that’s not realistic."
He nodded reluctantly. "I still don’t understand why you’re so valuable to them. Military bases don’t typically adopt children."
"I’ve never t anyone else they’ve done this to. Maybe I’m their experint. If I turn out successfully, perhaps that’s their recruitnt strategy moving forward."
"Don’t you ever question their motives?"
"You learn quickly not to challenge their decisions here. I’ve accepted my situation."
"Well, I still want to take you sowhere safe," he said softly.
I managed a small smile despite everything. "Thank you for caring. Nobody ever has before."
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