ONYX✔️

Chapter 10

I choked, desperately trying to inhale air, as I felt like I was on the verge of passing out. After what felt like forever, Clover finally removed her boot from my throat. "I'll give you a two minute break, and then we're going again."

I coughed in response, clutching my neck and rubbing it tenderly. Clover definitely did not take it easy on me. I didn't think it would bruise, but goddamn if it didn't hurt like hell.

Clover tossed me my water bottle as she stood above me, since I continued laying on the ground. "Okay, break is over," she said after I sipped my water.

Rolling my eyes, I mumbled that she definitely didn't even give me a minute long break, but whatever. Clover stood in a fighting stance, and I sighed as I mimicked her. We had been going at it for nearly three hours now.

We stood staring at each other for a few seconds before as always, she threw herself at me. She always made the first move. She said that the strongest defense is a brutal offense. I wasn't sure if that's how the saying goes, but considering I could rarely get a hit on her, it was hard to argue with her.

By some miracle, I was able to sidestep her charging at me. I quickly kicked at leg while she was behind me, but as quickly as I kicked, she turned and grabbed my leg. She pulled my leg hard enough for my other leg to go into the air, sending me falling to the ground.

Clover quickly straddled my waist, pinning me to the floor by my wrists.  "Fuck," I cursed. It's not like I was truly expecting a different outcome, honestly. Clover had pinned me every match for as long as I've been training with her, which was now a week.

"Not your worst sparring, Onyx," Clover's mouth turned up in what I would have called a smile if I didn't know that she wouldn't smile. "That's the first time you haven't let my first hit land. That means we're making progress."

Clover got off of me and I stood up with her, rubbing my wrists where her grip had restrained me. "Oh, yeah. Excellent progress. I went from being pinned right away to being pinned almost right away. Someone get me a medal," I sarcastically responded. I was spending too much time with Thane.

Clover frowned at me. "You can't give up, Onyx. You've been putting a lot of work in this last week. The outcome of the Luna challenge is not set in stone yet."

She was right about me putting a lot of work in. Ever since I had lost my gift a week ago, I threw myself into training. Not only because if I lost the Luna challenge I would die, but also because even if by some miracle I survived it, I would have to learn how to defend myself without black magic. Despite Thane and his men's investigations, nobody had any concrete explanation for how my Gift could just vanish. It's not like I was going to wait in bed and bawl every night until my Gift magically reappeared. I may be pathetic but I'm not that pathetic.

I made a noncommittal noise in response to her attempt at reassurance. Clover and I both knew that I didn't stand a chance at beating Brenna. Brenna wasn't even abnormally strong for a she-wolf, I was just extremely under average due to my lack of training from being a rogue. I immensely regret always turning Greyson down when he tried to teach me how to fight. Until now, I always considered myself somewhat of a pacifist, but I suppose that since I'll be trying to kill another person in three weeks, that label no longer applies.

"Miss me?" I heard a deep voice question from behind me.

"Thane," I breathed out. I would never get used to how quickly and quietly he could appear. "I missed being around someone who isn't trying to kick my ass," I joked as I turned around to look at him.