Page 47 of Wolf's Vow

She spat to the side and then came in again—quick jabs and tight footwork. She was about my height but more compact. Years of fights, no doubt. Years of fights with Cody, Axel, Killian, and her whole pack. Stonefang were born into this. Her strikes weren’t messy, they were tactical.Controlled.

I took a hit to the shoulder. Another to the ribs. The second one knocked the wind out of me for a second too long.

I ducked under her next punch and threw my weight into her torso, slamming her back a step, maybe two. She grunted, off-balance just long enough for me to drive my knee into her thigh. I landed a punch when she lowered her head with the impact.

We broke apart. Circled.

I could taste blood in my mouth. A split lip from the first hit. She had a shallow cut just above her brow now. Small, but it dripped red, streaking down her cheek like war paint.

The others watched. Silent. Stonefang didn’t cheer.

Thalia’s next strike came high, but I caught her wrist, twisted, and flipped her over my hip. She hit the ground hard enough to shake the dirt.

But she didn’t stay down.

She rolled. Kicked. Her heel connected with my thigh, and I stumbled. Her shoulder slammed into my ribs before I could regain balance, and we both went down in a tangle of limbs and fury.

We hit the ground. I tasted dust. Her hand was at my throat.

Mine was already fisted in her tank top, my fist drawn back to fly forward.

We held there. Breathing hard. No one moved.

Then she let go.

I did too.

We both stood, bruised and filthy. Thalia swiped blood from her brow with the back of her hand. Gave me a single nod. Not submission.

Acknowledgment.

I dipped my head in return and then she walked off without a word.

The circle around us dissolved.

But I stayed a little longer—feeling every ache, every bruise. Every set of eyes that now looked at me like I wasn’tjustthe alpha’s mate.

I was earning something by being here. By showing up every day. I didn’t know what they called it. But I knew what it felt like.

And I liked it.

I turned and saw Killian watching me.

“You lean too heavily to the left before you throw your punch,” he said. “It’s a tell we need to correct.” He walked into the fighting area. “Shift. Then we go again.”

I looked at him warily. “I thought Cody was my sparring partner?” I asked cautiously.

“You bloodied Thalia,” Killian said with a shrug. “Cody will be busy for a while.” He saw my confusion. “She bleeds, she wants to fuck. Trust me, Cody will thank you later.”

“Oh.” Not knowing what to say, I pulled my top off, then my pants, shifted, healed, and returned to my human form, put my soiled clothes back on, and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Killian drove me harder than Cody, which I expected. He was also very thorough when he saw something; he pulled back immediately, corrected my stance, raised my arm, or pushed his palm down on my shoulder to drop it. It was one lesson, and yet by the time that he stepped back to say the lesson was over, I felt like a new fighter.

“You can shift if you need,” he said. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“I’m okay,” I told him, using the back of my forearm to wipe across my brow. “How are your grandparents?”

Killian gave me a look of amusement. “They’re doing fine.”