Chapter 10

LYRA

Our female packmates rush in, surrounding her, and their voices overlap. Orders, concern, panic. Within seconds, Tabitha is lifted and carried toward the med wing, leaving a thick silence in their wake.

Nessa’s eyes meet mine across the mat. She doesn’t look surprised. Just… thoughtful. Like she expected this. Like she saw it coming. And I hate it. My beast is still close to the surface. I know my eyes are glowing, and her emotions are still all over the place. I do have some semblance of control… which just means I haven't removed anyone's head or heart.

I try to take deep breaths. Watching the vulnerable positions of the women walking behind Tabitha. All the backs turned to me… all the exposed necks. 

“He’s going to hear about this.” Someone mutters from the side, pulling my attention from the sea of prey leaving the hall. 

I turn to face the line of male warriors across the floor, and their expressions range from wide-eyed shock to subtle winces of secondhand pain to full-on judgmental horror.

Well… fuck.

I didn’t mean to hurt her. It was supposed to be just a pin. Now she’s screaming all the way to the med wing, and I want to throw up. But I plaster on a shrug.

“Shit happens.” My voice doesn't sound like my own… It's deep and rough, laced with that of a beast, and I try my best to ignore how disgusting I sound, “Who's next?”

The training hall is buzzing with low voices when I step onto a clean mat. 

A growl rumbles in my chest when I feel the gazes tracking me, some sceptical, some amused, some… calculating. Are they still fucking doubting me?

I just crushed someone's bones, and somehow I’m still being underestimated?

What kind of women-deprecating shit goes on in this pack?

I sigh and shake my head. Then, the first warrior steps forward. He’s a brunette, broad-shouldered, thick-necked, and built like a freight train. He eyes my bloody claws. His gaze lingers on my canines before moving to my eyes. But the bastard’s smile is cocky, the kind that says he’s already decided I’ll last five seconds… ten if he’s feeling generous. 

As we square up, the air between us sharpens, charged with tension and silent judgment.

He lunges first. He's fast, clearly strong, and definitely aiming to overwhelm me with raw power. Idiot. 

I try to gain control of the beast, fighting as a human even in my partially shifted form. The urge to rip out his throat is right there…  it would be so easy…

He's constantly on the offensive, protecting his face somewhat, but his torso? One hand and I can slash him open. Gut him like a fish. 

He's giving me easy access. 

This idiot doubted me; he deserves to have his head completely sliced…

No… No biting, no slicing. 

I don’t block. I don’t try matching strength with strength. I keep moving. 

I duck low, sliding past his arm, and my leg sweeps out, catching his shin, barely touching it. Just enough to make him stumble. But I hear a slight crack… 

He grunts loudly, frustrated, spinning to grab me, but I’m already behind him again.

I slam my elbow into the base of his spine, another crack. He mutters a curse when I make contact, and a warrior in the ‘audience’ actually gasps. 

Fuck, Lyra. Take it easy. Be gentle!

I drop to the mat as he whirls, throwing a punch, and it misses by inches. When I spring up, I put one hand on his shoulder, my foot behind his knee, and I flip him backwards. But I hear a loud pop coming from his knee. 

The crash of his body hitting the mat echoes through the hall.

Amazingly, he’s still not done. He snarls loudly and rolls to his feet slowly. The man actually charges at me again. He’s limping, but well done to him. 

I should just put him out of his misery. Tear him… 

No. No tearing.

Just keep him down, without breaking him… even more.

This time, I meet him head-on.

I jump, wrap my legs around his neck, and twist, bringing us both down as I slam him into the mat with a force that makes even me wince when my knees hit the mat harder than expected. His throat is right there…

No…  focus on something else.

Look at the fucking ceiling if that helps. 

I take some time to assess my injuries… There is something seriously wrong with my knees right now. They’re swollen and look completely deformed. 

Kneecaps are definitely dislocated… should I pop them back into place or let them heal on their own?

I opt for the latter, waiting until I feel my body work its magic. It takes much longer to heal than the injuries Tabitha gave me, but I’m still healing much faster than the idiot below me.

Guess I should stop calling him an idiot. 

I look down when the guy groans. His eyes are dazed, and the wind is clearly knocked clean out of him when he tries to choke something out.

I close my eyes and wait a while longer. The minutes pass, I’m not even sure how many. The only sound in the hall is the guy’s laboured breathing. Which I should stop focusing on, right now. 

I slowly try to stand, testing whether I can straighten my legs. They’re definitely not perfect yet, but the beast is working to heal me ASAP. My knees tingle, but the beast keeps me upright. The bitch still wants blood. 

When the warrior finally catches his breath, I hold out a clawed hand to help him up… he doesn’t take it, and who can blame him? I imagine I don’t exactly look like a helping hand right now. 

When I lift my gaze to the others, a ripple of murmurs flows through the room, and the watching males exchange strange glances.

Fuck.

Please don't be scared. 

This is a military pack… the warriors should be able to fight anything. Besides, I've kept my claws and my teeth to myself, haven't I? 

I’ve done well.

And I'm proud of that. Something about this place, and the energy here. It makes my beast more… agreeable. She’s not completely losing it. 

The next warrior steps forward. He is tall, sandy-blond, and smiling. But before he can move, another male steps in beside him.

It’s the one I noticed before.

He’s beautiful in that devastating, rugged way that could ruin a girl’s life if she let him.

His expression is unreadable. Calm. Focused.

Alpha blood, I realise.

Delicious.

The two of them step into the ring like wolves called to the hunt.

Behind them, I catch a flicker of movement in the shadows. Rion, Zane’s Beta, is watching silently from a dark corner of the hall.

Perfect.

Let him see what I’m capable of. Let him report every detail to his brooding boss.

I roll my neck, stretch my arms overhead, and flash both men a smile that says I dare you. My canines are still on full display. I know my voice is still not back to normal, but right now… I don't care. 

Just don't kill anyone, Ly.

“Now this,” I say, baring my teeth, “is a real challenge.”