Secrets Behind the Betrayal

Chapter 11

I tie my hair into a ponytail, looking into the mirror. I smooth down the tank top I'm wearing, taking a deep breath. Noax approaches from behind me, placing his hands on my hips. He leans down and brushes his lips against my neck, making my whole body shiver.

"Your shorts are going to distract everyone else," he murmurs. "You should probably wear ones that are a little longer."

I turn to face him, putting my hands on his cheeks. "These are the only ones I have for training and I know for sure your shorts won't fit me. It just gives you an excuse to beat up other males if they stare at me."

He rolls his eyes. "After training, I'm tearing those clothes off of you," he says before pulling back.

I grab his hand and drag him towards the door. "We have to go or we are going to be late."

He groans, but follows me out the door.

We head down the stairs, hand in hand. Walking out the front door we go over to the closest building which is only a short walk down the driveway. As we reach the double doors, Noax stops me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks, staring into my eyes.

I nod, but he cuts me off before I can say anything.

"You won't be working with me. You will be paired with a random warrior. Rick and I are strictly observers and instructors. There's only a handful of wolves among our warriors, but this session is mostly lycans. They will be bigger and stronger than you," he says, concern in his voice.

"Noax," I say firmly. "I want to do this. If I can prove to you guys that I can be of any use as a fighter, then I'm going to do that. I want to be right there next to you when you have to fight. It's the only way I can be sure I'm doing everything I can to protect you," I say, placing my hand gently on his cheek.

He sighs. "I don't deserve you," he says as he pulls me into a quick hug. "I love you."

"I love you too," I murmur before pulling away.

He leads me into the building. Inside looks like a large gymnasium with white painted circles spread out on the floor. There's about twenty people lined up in front of a rise where Rick stands. Noax smiles down at me and gestures for me to stand among the ranks of those gathered in front of Rick. I nod and stand on the edge of the group as Noax steps onto the rise to stand next to Rick. Rick leans over and mutters something which makes Noax smirk.

"Alright, everyone," Rick calls loudly. "We will be simply assessing you today. So don't hold back and make sure you pull out all the stops. But remember, absolutely no injuries. There will be consequences if you deliberately injure your partner. Got it?"

"Yes, Beta," the crowd says in unison.

"Pair up!" Noax yells.

Everyone scatters, pairing off. I stay off to the side, watching everyone mill about.

"Lady Zena."

I turn my head to see a tall, muscular female approaching me, a smile on her face. I smile back.

"I'm Talia. Would you like to partner with me?" She asks nervously.

"Of course. It's nice to meet you," I say as we walk towards an open circle.

We stand across from each other. I crouch into a fighting stance, my hands held up in front of me. She does the same, her eyes narrowing as she assesses my build. Her muscle mass and size are going to make her slow. I have speed to my advantage, but if she gets a good hit on me, I'm done for. I feel nervousness building in my stomach, but I push it down. I have to stay focused.