Chapter 9

ZANA’S POV

I went for the last class of the day – combat training.

Combat training took place at the far edge of the Academy grounds. The field was wide. I liked it better than the halls. Out here, there was less pretending.

Besides, I used to be a warrior in my dad’s pack. I loved to fight.

Students lined up in rows, stretching, talking, sizing each other up. I stood alone at the end of one line, rolling my shoulders. I could feel every single stare on my back. Combat class was probably the only class in this academy where strength mattered.

The instructor stepped forward. He was tall and he looked experienced, like someone who had fought more battles than I could count. He had old scars on his arms and neck. They looked like they were earned.

“Listen carefully,” he said. “This is controlled combat. Not a brawl. You will strike to disable, not to kill. You stop when I say stop. You use your head before your strength.”

Everyone went silent.

He continued, demonstrating grips, pressure points, balance breaks. “Size means nothing if you know where to hit. Speed means nothing without control. And rage will get you killed faster than any blade.”

I watched closely, though none of it was new. My father had taught me these things before I could read. Survival first. Precision always.

As he spoke, my eyes moved without my permission.

Percy stood near the edge of the field, relaxed with his arms crossed. Darren was beside him, looking quietly as his eyes tracked evrything. They were just watching, waiting their turn. Power radiated off them like a second skin.

I hated them. Or I told myself I did.

Their pack had destroyed mine. Their bloodline ruled over ashes that had once been my home. I should have felt only anger.

Instead, my wolf stirred.

It wasn’t hunger. Not exactly. It was awareness. Looking at them made me feel a lot of heat under my skin. I felt this unwanted pull to them. It made my heart race faster.

They were beautiful. They looked strong….dangerous.

Stop, I told myself.

For some reason, I had this pull to three of them.

Why all three? Why did my wolf react like that? It made no sense. I forced my eyes away, focused back on the instructor, but the distraction was still there. They kept buzzing under my thoughts.

“You shouldn’t even think about it,” someone whispered behind me “They’re way out of your league. They wouldn’t be caught dead with someone like you”

My spine stiffened.

Heat crept up my neck. I didn’t turn around. I pretended I hadn’t heard it, even though I felt embarrassment on my skin. I had been caught staring. How pathethic.

The instructor finished the demonstration and clapped his hands. “Pair up.”

A name was called. Then another. When mine was spoken, a girl stepped forward.

She was twice my size.

She had broad shoulders and thick arms. She had confidence written all over her face. She looked down at me and smiled like she already owned the win.

“Well,” she said under her breath, “this will be quick.”

I met her eyes but said nothing.

We moved to the center of the field when it was our turn. The students formed a circle around us. I could feel the attention This was what they wanted to see.

“Begin,” the instructor ordered.

She came at me hard, fast, trying to overwhelm me with size alone. I let the first hit land, absorbing it, rolling with the impact. Another strike followed. Then another.

She laughed. “Is that all rogues know how to do? Take hits?”

I didn’t answer.

I tested her rhythm, her balance, the way she favored her right side. She kept talking, kept mocking.

“They let anyone in now,” she sneered. “Even strays.”

Still, I stayed quiet. She charged again. She was all strength and confidence. Her fist came at my face. I ducked just in time, felt the wind of it move past my ear. She followed with a knee aimed at my ribs. I twisted away, but not fast enough. The pain burned me. I grunted but stayed upright. She was twice my size so the hit was hard.

The crowd reacted. I heard laughter. I tasted blood where I had bitten my tongue.

Stay calm, I told myself. Feel her.

She came again, faster now. Her elbow slammed into my shoulder. My arm went numb for a second. She grabbed my collar and shoved me backward. My boots dug into the dirt as I fought to keep my balance.

“You’re weak,” she said close to my face. “Just like the rest of your kind.”

Something inside me snapped.

I let her think she had me. I let my body go loose. I made my weight shift. When she tried to knee me again, I caught her leg and twisted. She stumbled. I stepped in, slammed my palm into her throat, not hard enough to crush, just enough to shock. She gasped. Her eyes went wide.

I didn’t stop.

I drove my elbow into her solar plexus. She folded forward, breathing heavily. I grabbed her wrist, bent it back, and felt the joint strain under my grip. She cried out. I swept her other leg and sent her crashing into the dirt.

I went down with her, knee to her ribs, forearm across her throat. Her struggles were wild now, panicked. I adjusted my hold. She couldn’t breathe properly. She couldn’t move.

Her eyes met mine. The arrogance was gone. There was only fear.

“Yield,” I said quietly.

She shook her head, still stubborn even now. I tightened my grip just a fraction. She screamed.

“Enough!” the instructor shouted.

I released her instantly and rose to my feet. My chest was heaving. I could hear the blood roaring in my ears. My knuckles throbbed. My ribs burned. I welcomed the pain. It reminded me I was alive.

She lay curled on the ground, coughing, clutching her wrist.

The field was silent.

Around us, students started to whisper. I could feel their emotions while staring at me - Shock. Fear. Something close to awe.

I felt eyes on me again. When I glanced to the edge of the field, Percy and Darren were watching. They didn’t look amused. They looked…focused.

I straightened, breathing steady. Inside me, my wolf felt calm and satisfied.

I had survived worse than this.

And this was only the beginning.