Brooklyn-Tate continued to help me with my form, each time my punching improved and I was soon able to throw a proper punch. The longer we worked on it, the better I started to feel. It felt good knowing that I could now throw a punch. It may not be much, but it was better than what I had known.“Let’s call it a day for now. We can work on your kicking tomorrow in class.”Now was my chance. I could see if maybe I could work on my own up here. I wasn’t going to tell him the real reason, but maybe I could convince him to let me train alone, at least until I approved.“I would like to train on my own.”“No, out of the question.”“I promise I will work hard every day, but I am only holding everyone back. It isn’t fair to them that they are being trained at my level.”I hadn’t wanted to use that reason, since it showed just how unskilled I really was, even though he a

Brooklyn-As much as I knew Tate was right, I needed him to train me more than he realized. If he would just give me a chance, I am sure I could overcome this fear. I had to, if I didn’t everything I was doing was for nothing.I had chased after him to try to convince him I was ready, but I had hesitated too long. Just as I caught up with him, he had already been on a bike and driving off like a mad man. I had been given the opportunity to become stronger and finally defend myself. Yet this fear I held onto was holding me back.I have been training nearly every waking moment I could. Learning early on that I couldn’t push myself so hard, I found a pace that suited me. When I wasn’t training I was working on building up my strength by eating more. Or I was learning my way around the territory. Albeit, this was a lot large of a territory I was used to.There were stores I had never even heard of. Everything here was large and extravagant.

Brooklyn-I don’t know how long I had walked around the forest for, after leaving Jason to get back to his patrol. The sun had already set and the night chill was setting in. The feeling like I was being followed still flowed through me. Every cell in my body was urging me to run. I would, but I didn’t even know where I was.I must have veered off slightly, it was like I was walking in a never-ending forest. If it weren’t for my ability to adjust well to the dark, I wouldn’t even be able to see anything. I no longer knew if I was even in the pack territory any longer. Maybe if I just stopped and got a sense of where I was, I could figure out which direction to go.Coming into a small clearing, I stopped and turned around a couple of times, trying to see if I could see a path that would lead me out of the trees. When I came full circle once more, I found I was no longer alone. I hadn’t heard him, smelled him, or even sensed him. Stan

Brooklyn-I couldn’t wrap my head around any of it. Not what Felix had done, but what Tate had done for me. He protected me, turned against his friend and Beta. Never had anyone ever stood up for me as he did. I couldn’t fathom why, it made no sense. Especially considering he seems so cold to me. Maybe not all the time, but his mood swings around me were enough to give me whiplash.What was it about him that made him so different? Why was it that looking at him right at this moment, I felt safe? How was it that even after what just happened, looking at his bare chest, I wanted to run my hands over him and kiss him? This wasn’t the first time I have seen him without a shirt. I just never thought anything of it. So why now?“Are you okay?”Even his voice sounded different to me. It was the same, but so very different at the same time. Now hearing it, I felt my heart skip a beat and a light feathery caress moved over my skin. I

Brooklyn-I woke up feeling different. When I looked into the mirror in the bathroom after taking a shower, I barely recognized myself. Today I looked as if I slept well for the first time in a long time. I had certainly slept longer than usual and couldn’t even remember what I dreamt of. I looked refreshed and healthy.My cheekbones weren’t as prominent as they use to be, I looked like I filled out a bit more just in one night. Even my complexion looked brighter and not as dull. I wasn’t stressing over what I was going to do about leaving. Nor was I worried about running into any problems. After seeing Tate do what he did last night, I actually felt safe for the first time in years.Walking out into the living room, I paused when the front door came into view. It no longer had a hole in it and looked new. When had it been replaced? I knew I hadn’t imagined the hole. Had I really slept through someone replacing it last night? Forgetting w