Chapter 44
“Fifty laps around the field, now,” Bec ordered and Kenji stood there, watching them take off at the command- all twenty-five of the Pack’s warrior wolves in their human form.
Okay, that was a lie.
He only watched Ashley. He could not figure out why she decided to wear the pair of shorts she knew were his weakness.
He caught the bottle of water Bec threw at him with one hand and screwed it open, he gulped the water down.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
Bec was in front of Kenji by the time he was done. Kenji flashed him a half smile.
Bec was a very quiet man and both men barely spoke to each other, despite being Beta and Gamma of their pack. Kenji had nothing against him, in fact, he highly respected his privacy and silence.
“What’s up, man?” Kenji decided to start a conversation. The man, Bec, only shrugged.
“Been busy scouting for more wolves to join the warriors. We might need more strip dancers, it’s the easiest way to get fit wolves.” He replied.
“I’ll talk to the Alpha concerning the new girl,” Kenji replied, it had been on his mind for a while. Bec narrowed his eyes at him.
“Thought she doesn’t have a wolf?”
“She doesn’t, I cannot smell her scent no matter how I try,” Kenji spoke again.
“She’s lost her wolf.” Kenji saw Bec’s keen eyes travel around the field.
“She has.” He agreed, then continued, “But she can be trained, to try to summon her wolf back. She only needs to be strong enough to hold it down this time.”
Bec did not seem to think it was a bright idea, still. He spoke, “There’s no trace of her scent, Kenji. She must have lost her wolf for years now, it would be almost impossible to summon it now. But please, by all means, give it a shot.”
“I will,” Kenji replied. The alpha had been moving in strange ways for days. He couldn’t wait to hear what he’ll say.
The girls returned one after the other, the instant they went quiet. Many times they had been attacked by rival packs/rogues, and our girls had been underestimated. No one expected them to win against male warrior wolves. But, the survivors – if any – were forced to eat their words along with sand every time. They had never lost a fight.
It was now time to show off their skills. Kenji pulled out a chair, a few inches from the stage the fight was to take place, and settled into it. He waited for the first set of warriors to challenge each other. He had not been here in weeks. Bec was his medium of information, the man guarded the warriors like a furious mother hawk.
Kenji was keen to see what they all had for him. Especially Ashley. He needed her to impress him.
“Zelda and Sia, you will both take the first round,” Bec called out.
It was great matchmaking, Kenji thought.
Zelda and Sia were not friends, they worked different nights being strip dancers and therefore, there would be no emotions in the way. Exactly how he liked it.
“Start,” Bec ordered and they did not immediately go in for the kill, both observing each other firsthand. And then suddenly, Sia lunged toward Zelda with a hard fist, but she ducked to the side, allowing get to punch the air and stagger before regaining her stance. Before she could turn to launch another attack, Zelda wrapped her arms around her throat from behind and held her two hands hostage at her back, then obstructed her breathing. Sia tapped Zelda’s knee with the back of her leg, but not as hard as she ought to.
When it looked like she was about to give up, she lifted her leg with newfound strength, hitting Zelda’s right knee severally until Zelda released her, clutching her knee in pain. Sia gasped for breath and Zelda limped away, discomfort evident on her face. Sia charged towards her, successfully delivering a punch to her face this time, more punches to her neck, face, and stomach until Zelda fell to the floor- losing the fight. She was carried out of the circle and Sia stood inside still, awaiting the next opponent while wheezing and clutching her throat area.
Sia still stood in the circle, three opponents later and her eyes mirrored bloodlust, even with her body stained with the very familiar liquid already.
The next name caused him to sit up on his chair.
“Ashley, you’re next,” Bec ordered and she was inside the circle in split seconds like she had longed for this very moment. She had not looked in his direction since they arrived.
Kenji hoped it was part of the surprise she had for him.
His phone lit up with a new text message from Jade. She was asking him to visit. He made a mental note to do so immediately after the training. His eyes returned to the circle.
Ashley ducked Sia’s punch immediately it came, returning the failed attack with an elbow to the side of her cheek, and blood spilled from Sia’s mouth, showing the intensity of the blow.
He sat there, a proud boyfriend. She was doing good so far. Sia delivered her first punch right to her stomach and Kenji watched her stagger back, her mouth opens to take in any air she could get. He sought to find her eyes, even without knowing why. Sia went in again, severally but Ashley dodged all hands and struck her neck with an elbow. Sia was getting weak and he could see it.
Kenji rose and called the order.
“Shift!”
Ashley transformed into her reddish brown wolf immediately, fierce and pretty just like she was. She held the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. Sia transformed right after, into her dark grey wolf, some inches bigger than Ashley’s. They charged at each other, snarling madly and attacking each other even more veraciously now that they were in their wolf forms, no more reserves. Just how he had wanted it. Animals had no emotions, they did not think, they acted.
With bloodied furs, they still bit at each other, their canines sinking so deeply into their hounds. Sia was close to losing consciousness from the loss much blood. Ashley noticed and ended the round with a powerful push to her using her nuzzle. Sia hit the floor, still in her wolf form, submitting to her victor.
Everyone else cheered as Sia was carried away. He watched Ashley with pride, even though her wolf had only spared him one quick glance. She brought down the next four opponents and was finally brought to submission by Zita Lowe, who also brought down her share of victims.
Zita Lowe was eventually injured heavily by Hadley, who brought down everyone else who dared to face her and she was eventually declared the winner.
To close the training session, Kenji faced Bec in his wolf. Unlike the last time they fought, Kenji took him down in minutes. He sustained minor injuries after the fight but was sure they would heal in no time. The training ended on that note, and everyone shifted back into their human forms.
Ashley walked up to him, her steps slow and her eyes were unapologetically seductive. She surely wanted his eyes to linger on her while she came up to him. Kenji graciously granted her request. His eyes remained on her the whole time. Ashley was far from the most beautiful woman he had seen, but every minute he spent with her left him craving for more.
“Hey, fighter.” He called and her cheeks lighted up with a tinge of red. She placed her lips against his in response. Kenji hesitated and pulled Ashley away from him in the politest way he could.
Who did she think she was? We could not do this here.
Ashley must have understood. She cowered in shame and wiped her lip gloss stain off his lips.
Zita Lowe limped past them, shooting Ashley a dramatic death glare. Ashley returned it, hers was more intense. She wrapped her arms around Kenji’s neck.
Zita Lowe walked away in anger.
Kenji was left with lingering questions after watching this act between the women. Was Ashley with him to spite Zita? Was that why she kissed him? Was their relationship some kind of power tussle between the women? Most importantly, why the hell did he care?
She was just a game, right?
He nodded to himself, right.
But it did not help the empty feeling in his chest.
“‘l need to leave now.” He said curtly.
Without waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her and headed for the exit.