Chapter 32
Aaron led me past the general area, into a private room designed with faux forest wallpaper that wrapped around the space. The air was filled with the mixed smell of rubber mats,
bleach and steel.
Artificial trees were propped up at different spots. There was a punching bag at the center of the room, surrounded by foam moats and agility ladders. On one side, a rope hung from the ceiling, next to a pair of gymnastic rings and a set of monkey
bars.
This was clearly designed as a training ground for shifters in
their supernatural form.
A tall, lean woman with a platinum buzz cut waited a few feet away from us, arms folded over her chest. “This her?” she asked.
I hoped she wasn’t talking about me. This woman looked like
she could easily snap me in half.
But Aaron nodded. “Jane, this is Becca. She’s your personal
trainer. She’s a top warrior from my pack, the recipient of many
honors.”
Her gaze flickered to me, suddenly making me uneasy, I’d
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barely had any training since I was a child. My mother didn’t
think it was necessary. According to her, I didn’t need to be
strong. The only thing I needed to know as a woman was how
to tame my man.
I’d failed woefully in that area.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jane.” Becca’s voice was gentle, but it still
frightened me.
I could hear Aaron stifling a laugh beside me. He was obviously enjoying himself, watching me squirm must be entertaining for
him.
Becca gestured at the training ground. “Alright, let’s begin.”
I turned to look at Aaron, using my eyes to beg him not to leave
me here. But he just waved a hand and mouthed the words,
“You’ll be fine,” before sauntering off with a mocking smile.
Damn it.
As I followed Becca deeper into the room, I noticed a rugged
weight sled sat beside stacked sandbags. The area she led me to
was filled with stretching mats that had definitely seen better
days.
“Let’s wake up those muscles,” Becca said. “Start with jumping
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jacks. Thirty seconds. Keep your arms loose, land soft on your
feet. Go.”
I started moving, my heart already racing. After what felt like an eternity, Becca checked her watch. “Next up, skater jumps…”
We continued like that for the next thirty minutes. She called it ‘simple‘ stuff, but my lungs were screaming. Becca corrected my form, “Tighten your core.” “Don’t lead with your shoulders.” “You’re stronger than you think, move like it.”
My muscles were already burning when Becca clapped her hands together. “All right now, let’s talk about not dying. First rule: never let someone take you to a second location. If they want to drag you somewhere, fight like hell, scratch, scream, bite, gouge their eyes out, break their fucking knees. The goal is
to survive.”
She motioned for me to square up in front of her. “Try to push
me off balance.”
I planted my feet and shoved forward with all my strength.
She didn’t budge. Not even by an inch. “Good effort. But
strength alone won’t work. It’s about using your weight against
your attacker. Watch.”
In a blink, she hooked her arm around mine, shifted her hips
and I was on the mat with a soft thud, blinking up at the ceiling.
I could sense how strong her wolf was. She was definitely holding back.
“That was a simple hip toss.” Becca offered me a hand. “Get up.
Let’s try it again. And this time, when I come at you, I want you
to shout.”
“Shout?”
“Yes. From your gut. Let me hear it.”
We reset and she lunged forward.
“Help!” I yelled, throwing my weight sideways.
“Louder!”
“Help!!”
“Do you want to survive? Louder!”
My wolf growled, and with all the energy I could muster, I
yelled, “HELP!!!!!”
She still took me down, again and again. The screaming didn’t
make me any better at defending myself, but it made me feel
better.
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“You’re getting there.” Becca hovered over me as I lay sprawled on the mat for the fifth time. “One more…”
My phone rang, interrupting her. I shot up instantly, scrambling for my bag in the corner. “Sorry! I think it’s Aaron.”
She nodded and stepped back, while I snatched the phone and answered breathlessly. “Hello?”
“Hello sweetheart.”
No.
The voice on the other end wasn’t Aaron’s. It was my mother.
*Jane*
“You’re supposed to be in prison,” I muttered more to myself
than her.
