redith.
Jeffery moved first.
One second, he was standing there, and the next, his fist was cutting through the air toward my face.
I jerked back, just barely dodging it as the rush of air from his swing brushed my cheek. My stomach clenched. If that had landed, I would already be on the ground.
I countered Jeffery’s first move with a quick jab to his side, but he blocked it with ease, like swatting away an insect.
His other hand ca at , aiming for my ribs. This ti I ducked and rolled, the dirt rough under my palms.
"Good," Draven’s voice carried from the side, calm and controlled. "Stay sharp, don’t freeze."
Jeffery didn’t give a second to breathe. He spun the next mont and swept his leg toward mine. I jumped, but not high enough as the edge of his boot clipped my calf and sent stumbling.
I gritted my teeth as I caught myself before falling.
Darting forward this ti, I threw a low punch toward his stomach, then another feint toward his jaw. He blocked both, but his brows lifted slightly as if acknowledging I wasn’t just flailing.
My heart pounded harder, sweat starting to bead at my temple. Every strike, every dodge, and every breath felt like I was walking on a knife’s edge.
But beneath the nerves, sothing hot and steady simred in my chest.
Jeffery lunged at again, faster this ti. But sothing shifted—my eyes caught the twitch of his shoulder a heartbeat earlier, the tightening of his fist before it moved. I saw it coming.
I slipped sideways just as his punch cut through the air. My chest rose with a sharp breath.
I shouldn’t have been able to read him like that, but now his movents ca to in flashes, as though ti stretched just enough for to react.
A grin almost touched my lips—until he pushed harder.
His blows rained faster, stronger, and though I dodged two, the third ca at an angle I couldn’t escape. His fist slamd into my side and imdiately, pain shot through like fire.
"Ah!" I cried out, clutching my ribs as I hit the ground.
"My apologizes, my lady," Jeffery’s for voice cut in, as he pulled back with regret in his eyes.
But Draven’s tone snapped sharper than a whip. "Who told you to stop?"
I blinked up at him through blurry eyes. ’What is he doing? Can’t he see I’m in pain?’
Groaning, I tried to push myself up. My arms trembled as my vision wavered. Then my gaze landed on Jeffery, and for a flicker, I felt sothing—an edge of wild energy rolling off him. His wolf.
’This isn’t fair.’
"You are right, this isn’t a fair fight." Valmora’s voice surged inside , cool and sharp. "The Beta is using his wolf. Let take over and show you how things are done."
"How?" I rasped inwardly. "I can’t even wolf out yet."
But she didn’t seem bothered instead she said to , "Don’t worry. Free yourself, redith. Leave the rest to ."
Just then, Draven’s low and commanding voice cut through my thoughts "Get up and continue the fight. Don’t just rely on any past knowledge, you haven’t fought Jeffery before now. If you don’t let your instincts lead, you will take more blows."
I sucked in air as my breathing steadied, deep and calm, as if I had fought a thousand battles before this mont.
Slowly, I planted my palms to the ground as my hands no longer trembled. Also, the throbbing pain in my ribs dulled, not gone, but overshadowed by sothing fiercer.
Jeffery ca at as soon as I was up on my feet, his fist cutting through the air like a hamr.
But my body moved before my mind could catch up—swift, smooth, and perfect. I arched back into a clean backflip, landing lightly on my feet. His punch missed by an inch.
A spark lit in my chest as I understood one thing. This wasn’t . This was... us. Valmora and I.
Jeffery didn’t give a second to breathe. He pressed harder and faster, his strikes coming in sharp angles ant to corner .
Yet every blow skimd empty air as I twisted away, spinning low under his arm, springing back with impossible grace.
My hair whipped around , my silver strands catching the sunset light as I pivoted, dropped, and flipped.
My body felt like it belonged to soone else—soone faster, soone stronger, and soone untouchable. Soone who had once been a queen.
I caught the flicker of surprise in Jeffery’s eyes. For the first ti, he was forced to adjust, his calm Beta composure cracking.
"Good," Valmora purred in my mind. "Make him chase you. Break his rhythm. A wolf who loses rhythm loses the fight."
Jeffery’s leg swept toward mine, but I launched into another backflip, my toes barely grazing the dirt before I twisted into a spin, forcing him to turn sharply to keep up.
The ground beca my ally, my springboard.
Draven’s voice rang across the field, low but edged with sothing that sounded almost like pride. "That’s it. Don’t stop."
Jeffery gritted his teeth and charged, his strikes now fueled with Beta-level force. But I was already there, already moving, my instincts guiding in ways I couldn’t explain.
I slid under his guard, sprang behind him, and tapped his back with a sharp flick of my fingers. It wasn’t a strike—just a taunt.
A ripple of laughter wanted to bubble in my throat. ’—taunting Jeffery?’
Jeffery spun around, his expression was deadly serious now. But I smiled instead. I was now having a lot of fun because he was now taking seriously.
Our fight continued after a breather.
His wolf pushed through his strikes, with raw strength behind every blow.
Before, one hit would send sprawling, but now, every strike he threw was mine to read, dodge, and counter.
My body did all sorts of things. It bent, twisted, and even leapt. A backflip here, a side roll there, each movent flowing like water, swift and clean.
My pulse thundered from ecstasy. I almost couldn’t believe that I had moved from keeping up with him to outpacing him.
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