Chapter One Hundred and One
Catherine hit the mat with a thud that ripped all the air from her lungs. She gasped and tried to suck in air. Lucas’ head appeared approximately six feet above her with a shit-eating grin she wished she had the ability to wipe off his face.
“Go on then, Kitty, shift,” he urged.
She finally succeeded in inflating her lungs an inch. As she took in a small stream of air, she held up her shaking middle finger at him. He cackled and stepped back.
“That’s why you’re not allowed to shift during training. You have to be prepared for the possibility that you can’t. Same as with your gift,” Lucas explained as he walked away to take a water break. A few members of the crowd they’d attracted clapped for him.
Catherine continued to lay on the cold mat staring up at the ceiling. It had been six days since Dominic and Curtis appeared in Sterling. True to her word, she started her training back with Theo. It took two days to figure him out and take him down enough times to convince Lucas it was his turn. He came with a stipulation though: she couldn’t use her gift.
The door leading into the hallway came open and Graham strutted in with a duffle bag hanging precariously on his shoulder. He was drenched in sweat from his own sparring session with Mark who followed in his wake clasping his bleeding nose. To an unfamiliar observer, Graham seemed perfectly at ease as he walked to the edge of the mats and surveyed the room. To those who knew him, his eyes held a dangerous glint. He stood for a moment in silence as he analyzed his mate for injuries.
The first training session she had with Theo ended suddenly the first time he managed to knock her down. Graham, unable to quell his instinct to protect his mate, nearly succeeded in pummeling Theo into the ground before Lucas managed to pull him off. It was decided afterward that someone needed to distract him while she trained. She didn’t ask for any details but his friends’ injuries certainly alluded to a difficult time. The fact that Catherine couldn’t breathe clearly brought his sparring session to an abrupt and violent end.
“Better help me up before I sick my mate on you,” Catherine goaded Lucas as he sauntered back over.
Lucas snorted but held his hand out for her to take. He heaved her up with one swift yank that sent her stumbling a few feet away. “I’d like to see him try.”
“How’s it going?” Graham asked before proceeding to chug his water.
“It’s not,” Lucas answered before Catherine could. “She’s hit a stalemate and says she needs to shift in order to get over the hump.”
“I’m not at a stalemate.”
-“It’s been four days and you haven’t made any progress.”
“Only because you’ve told me to block my gift. I spend half my energy trying to ignore it.”
“You need to be able to fight without it.”
“Then you fight without your alpha blood.”
Lucas shot an annoyed glance at the people watching from the training room walls. “Shut the hell up, Kitty.”
“What?” she asked, placing her hands firmly on her hips. “I don’t see how what I’m asking is any different than what you’re forcing me to do. All’s fair in love and war, no?”
He took a few steps closer until he was practically towering over her. “I can’t simply get rid of my alpha blood.”
She raised her chin. “Give me your fucking knife, Theo,” Catherine ordered, holding out her hand for effect. Lucas scoffed. “What do you think, Graham?” she asked. She glanced at her mate who was watching the pair squabbling like siblings with a raised brow.
“Why have you asked her to repress her gift, Lucas?” he asked, turning his gaze to the Lead Warrior.
“You gave me this position, Grey. You said you trusted my teachings. She needs to learn the basics.”
“I agree,” Graham nodded. “But we’re also on an accelerated timetable here. Why can’t she use her gift?”
1/3
Chapter One Hundred and One
“Look at how she froze up last week,” Lucas argued, making the room go silent and Catherine’s entire body to lock up. “I’m sorry, Catherine but it’s the truth. Curtis stopped time. Who knows what else he can do. Maybe he’ll suck the magic out of you too. Then what?”
“He didn’t stop time,” Catherine responded with a roll of her eyes and tightly clenched fists.
“You’re right,” Lucas relented. “He paralyzed everyone in the room. My bad.”
Catherine groaned. “What you’re saying is I need to prepare for losing my gift but I can’t simply ignore it. It’s part of me, it’s inseparable from me, it’s…”
“Innate,” Graham supplied.
Catherine gave him a grateful smile. “Yes, innate, thank you.”
“Lucas, I want to see what she looks like utilizing everything she has to offer.”
Lucas’ head fell back as he groaned. When it snapped back up, his expression was one of annoyance and determination. “Fine then, I won’t hold back on her though,” Lucas warned.
Catherine stretched her arms while she waited for Lucas to get in position. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She felt the air crackle around her and the pulse of everyone in the room. When she opened her eyes she saw a deep green current of energy flaring. She ducked left, narrowly avoiding Lucas’ clawed hand. He didn’t give her a second of reprieve before driving her back with strikes from his hands and feet. Catherine focused on the feel of the room, the tingle of anticipation, the frustration of another miss.
The only self-defense training she ever took was a week-long course with Juno after first moving to Sterling. Her attempts to fight off the instructor were abysmal. She never expected to pick it up as fast as she did this second time around. Her deep connection with her wolf… and lycan?… already gave her a slight bump up from where other trainees. With the addition of her gift, she felt unstoppable.
Lucas and Theo were both offensive fighters. Theo was quick. He struck first, thought second and when his blade entered the picture, it was as though he had a third, far more dangerous arm. He was incredibly easy to read, however. He practically planned his assaults ahead of time and while his strategy was quite effective at first, it was no match for her gift to read.
As for Lucas… He was an old, psychotic, well-trained, very aggravating fighter. He was quick too, but rather than relying on that, he relied on his brute strength. One blow from him was enough to keep her down for an hour. She spent much of her time dodging debilitating hit after debilitating hit until she was so worn out from being on the defensive he would eventually succeed in curb-stomping her to the ground. He was also good at hiding his next move… or used to be.
His energy fizzled and cracked as Catherine continued to dodge attack after attack. His frustration caused his guard to slip. Catherine managed to get two good hits to his stomach. As he staggered back, she gave him the final kick that sent him to the mat with a thwack. The room went silent. It was Lucas’ turn to stare dejectedly up at the ceiling.
“You okay, Luke?” Theo called.
“I quit,” Lucas hissed under his breath.
Catherine turned a beaming smile on her mate who kept his face unreadable other than the nearly imperceptible tilt of the right side of his mouth.
“Theo, get in there and let’s see how she does against two attackers,” Graham suggested.
“What?!” Lucas asked, shooting up into a sitting position. “She got lucky, once. It won’t happen again. She knocked Theo down eight times before we moved on.”
“Hey,” Theo whined. “Not in front of my girl.” Theo jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where Natalie watched with a cheek-splitting smile.
“It’s okay, Hun! I still think you’re the fucking hottest male here!” Natalie assured him. Theo blew her a kiss.
Theo held his hand out for Lucas to take. Catherine bounced on her toes, her ponytail swinging behind her while she waited. He clapped Lucas on the shoulder and then gestured for him to come closer. They whispered to each other.
“Hey, no strategizing!” Catherine yelled.
Theo waved his hand in her direction telling her to hush. The two men nodded at each other and then turned to face her. Theo smirked and his knife appeared in his palm.
2/3
“Ready, Kitty?” Lucas asked with a sinister smile.
She held her fists out in front of her chest. “Let’s go.”
Theo’s knife sliced through the air. She turned her head to watch the knife whizz within two inches of her face. The hairs on her arm raised in warning but before she could look back, Lucas tackled her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and shoved her to the mat. He grappled for her flailing hands and then shoved them above her head. He took her wrists in one hand and the other wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air. Catherine panicked for a moment before she closed her eyes, focused her energy, threw her hips forward so he would readjust his weight, and then she jerked to her right with a gargled
grunt.
She and Lucas tumbled sideways. Catherine was able to get her feet up and shoved hard against his stomach until he released her. Catherine coughed as she rolled away and stood. She brought her fists up and glanced wildly around for Theo. An arm wrapped around her neck from behind. Catherine bounced several times on her toes before she dropped her weight, slung her legs up and wrapped one around the back of his head. She flung herself back down, launching Theo into a flip that ended with his back on the mat.
The hair on her arm rose again but this time, she was expecting Lucas’ attack. She sidestepped, barely missing his right hook. She took several more steps back, swaying to avoid his attacks. She dropped to the ground, catching him off guard. She swung her legs and kicked the back of his knee. Lucas stumbled forward but stayed on his feet. Catherine jerked back, avoiding Theo’s knife as he plunged it downward into the mat where her knee had just been. He backhanded her, and she fell to the mat. Catherine flipped herself up, ignoring the sting his knuckles had left on her cheek.
“Come on, Boys! She’s just a little she-wolf!” someone yelled from the crowd.
“Yeah, come on, Boys. I’m just a little wolf,” she taunted. She spit blood to the floor.
“That was cute,” Lucas growled.
He ate up the space between them. She dodged his jab only for him to grab hold of her ponytail and yank her down. She didn’t let him gloat for long. She extended her claws and dug them into the meat of his calf. He howled out as the leg collapsed. While on his knee, she sat up and wrapped her arm around his neck. Behind her, Theo jammed his knife into her shoulder. She ignored the searing pain as she tightened her hold on Lucas.
She closed her eyes and felt Lucas’ defiant energy surge with every strained beat of his heart. She felt it pulse outward, demanding yet pliable. Theo tried to get her to release his comrade but she focused on the energy. Lucas eventually started to become limp. His hand fell from her arm. Theo finally managed to wrench one of her arms away. She spun and saw the reflection of her bright neon blue eyes reflecting in his wide black ones. She shoved her flattened palm against his sternum and he flew backward. His head cracked against the far wall and he slumped to the floor.
Catherine held a hand to her head as she stood on wobbly legs. Lucas inhaled sharply and his eyes flew open. Natalie was already beside her mate and gave Catherine a thumbs up. She put her hands on her hips and looked over at Graham who had his arms folded while he watched the attack.
“What’s next?” she asked, feeling a sinful sort of pride in herself.
The duffel bag slid from his shoulder and landed on the wooden floor with a thud. He reached behind his head, gripped the collar of his soaking black t-shirt and pulled it off. He ran his hand through his wet hair and stepped onto the mat.
“Me.”
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Surrendering to Destiny
