CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: COMBAT TRAINING

Two days had passed since my fight with Kieran and I still felt like my heart was broken into a million pieces.

I barely left my room except for meals and even then, I avoided looking at Kieran when he was in the kitchen.

I could feel his eyes on me during those brief encounters, but I wasn't ready to face him yet.

His words - "Maybe I'm wasting my time trying to help someone who clearly doesn't want to be helped" - kept replaying in my mind.

On the third morning, Marcus knocked on my door.

"Laila?" he called gently.

"Can I come in?"

"I'm fine, Marcus," I said through the door.

"I just want to be alone."

"I know you're hurt," Marcus said.

"And I know my brother said something stupid that he's been beating himself up about for days. But hiding in your room isn't going to help anything."

I opened the door reluctantly.

Marcus looked concerned but also determined.

"Kieran sent you to check on me?" I asked bitterly.

"Actually, no," Marcus said.

"Kieran is too busy feeling guilty and staring at your door like a kicked puppy to send anyone."

"I came on my own."

Despite my pain, that image almost made me smile. Almost.

"What do you want, Marcus?"

"I want to help you feel stronger," he said simply.

"I think part of why you're so hurt by what Kieran said is because deep down, you're afraid he might be right about you being weak."

His words stung because they were true.

"So what if I am weak?" I asked defensively.

"Then let's do something about it," Marcus said.

"Come with me to the training grounds. Let me teach you how to fight."

"I can't fight," I protested.

"I can't even shift into my wolf form."

"So? Some of our best fighters are stronger in human form than wolf form," Marcus said.

"Besides, learning to defend yourself physically might help you feel stronger emotionally too."

I wanted to say no, to stay hidden in my room where no one could hurt me with their words.

But something about Marcus's suggestion appealed to me.

Maybe if I could learn to fight, I wouldn't feel so helpless all the time.

"Okay," I said quietly.

"I'll try."

Marcus's face lit up with a smile.

"Great! Get dressed in clothes you can move in and meet me at the training grounds in twenty minutes."

When I arrived at the training area, I saw several pack members practicing combat moves with each other.

Some were in human form, others had shifted into their wolf forms.

Everyone looked strong and confident - everything I wasn't.

"Don't worry about them,"

Marcus said, noticing my nervous glances at the other fighters.

"We'll start with basic defensive moves."

For the first hour, Marcus taught me simple blocking techniques and how to dodge attacks.

I was clumsy at first, tripping over my own feet and missing blocks completely.

"I'm terrible at this,"

I said, breathing hard after falling down for the third time.

"You're learning," Marcus corrected patiently.

"Try again."

But as we continued practicing, something strange started to happen.

My movements began to feel more natural.

My reflexes got faster.

When Marcus threw a slow punch at me to practice blocking, I not only blocked it but also somehow knew exactly where his next attack would come from.

"Good!" Marcus said, looking pleased.

"You're starting to anticipate my moves."

"How did I know you were going to try to grab my arm?" I asked, confused.

"Natural fighting instinct," Marcus said.

"Some people are born with it."

We practiced for another hour and I continued to improve rapidly.

By the end of the session, I was successfully blocking most of Marcus's attacks and even managing to land a few hits of my own.

"This is incredible,"

Marcus said, stepping back and looking at me with amazement.

"Laila, I've been training fighters for years, and I've never seen anyone pick up combat techniques this quickly."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Really. You have natural talent."

Marcus paused thoughtfully.

"Actually, your fighting style reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"My mother. She was an incredible fighter, even though she couldn't shift either."

"She always said that sometimes not being able to rely on wolf strength made humans develop better technique and instincts."

The idea that I might be good at something - anything - felt amazing after days of feeling worthless.

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Marcus said with a grin.

"But right now, you should probably eat something and rest. You've worked hard."

As we walked back toward the pack house, I felt different than I had in days.

Not completely better - my heart still ached from Kieran's harsh words - but stronger somehow.

"Marcus," I said as we reached the main entrance, "thank you. For believing I could do this."

"Thank you for proving me right," Marcus replied.

"Laila, you're much stronger than you think you are. I hope today helped you realize that."

It had helped, but as we entered the house, I caught sight of Kieran in his study.

He looked up when he heard our voices and our eyes met for just a moment.

I could see the regret and longing in his silver eyes, but I wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

I looked away quickly and hurried upstairs to my room.

But as I showered and changed clothes, I found myself thinking about the training session.

For two hours, I hadn't thought about being weak or worthless or broken.

I had just focused on learning and improving.

Maybe Marcus was right.

Maybe I was stronger than I thought.

The next morning, I woke up sore all over from the training, but I was eager to continue.

When I met Marcus at the training grounds, he had a different exercise planned.

"Today we're going to work on awareness," he said.

"A good fighter needs to be able to sense what's happening around them, even when they're focused on one opponent."

He blindfolded me and had me stand in the center of the training area while he and two other pack members moved around me quietly.

"Tell me where we are without looking," Marcus instructed.

At first, I couldn't sense anything.

But as I concentrated, I started to become aware of subtle sounds, changes in air movement, even what felt like different energies from different people.

"Marcus is behind me," I said.

"Someone else is to my left and... there's a third person moving toward my right side."

"Perfect," Marcus said, pulling off my blindfold.

"How did you know that?"

"I could just... feel where you all were,"

I said, surprised by my own accuracy.

"That's very advanced,"

Said Sarah, one of the other fighters who had been helping with the exercise.

"Most of us had to train for months to develop that kind of spatial awareness."

But as the day went on, I started to notice something even stranger.

During combat practice, I wasn't just sensing where people were physically - I was sensing their emotions too.

When Marcus was about to attack, I could feel his determination.

When Sarah was preparing a defensive move, I could sense her caution.

When Tom was holding back during sparring because he didn't want to hurt me, I could feel his reluctance.

At first, I thought I was just imagining it.

But the feelings were too clear, too distinct from my own emotions.

"Marcus," I said during a break, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When you're fighting, are you usually thinking about... your breakfast?"

Marcus looked confused.

"My breakfast? No, why would I be thinking about breakfast during combat training?"

"Because right now you're feeling hungry and specifically craving eggs and bacon,"

I said, then immediately felt foolish for saying something so strange.

But Marcus's eyes widened in shock.

"How could you possibly know that? I haven't eaten today, and I was literally just thinking about how good some eggs and bacon would sound right now."

I stared at him, feeling scared and excited at the same time.

"I think... I think I can sense what people are feeling and maybe even what they're thinking about."

"That's impossible," Sarah said, overhearing our conversation.

"Is it?" I asked. "Marcus, think of a color. Don't say it out loud."

Marcus concentrated for a moment, and immediately I felt a sense of calm blue washing over his emotions.

"Blue," I said. "You're thinking about blue."

Marcus went pale.

"Laila, that's exactly right. How are you doing that?"

I didn't know how to answer because I didn't understand it myself.

But as I looked around at the other pack members who had gathered to watch our training, I realized I could sense emotions from all of them.

Curiosity.

Amazement.

Fear.

Suspicion.

And from somewhere in the distance, I could feel a familiar presence watching us.

Kieran was nearby, and his emotions were a complex mix of pride, worry and deep regret.

"I think I need to sit down,"

I said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by all the feelings that weren't my own.

As Marcus helped me to a bench, I realized that discovering I could fight wasn't the only change happening to me.

Something much bigger was awakening inside me and I had no idea what it meant or how to control it.

But for the first time since my fight with Kieran, I felt like maybe I wasn't as powerless as everyone - including myself, had believed.