Her Fated Mate

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Let's go, Reeve!" 

"Come on, Beth!" 

Voices mixed in a heated battle of cheering. She hardly payed attention, her eyes were focused on her opponent. Beth was grinning, fists readied. They danced around each other. Where sparring had once taken place when she was healing, they were gathered again for a round of fun and memories. Once again, they learned each others strengths and weakness. 

Beth had poor footwork. She would catch several windows of opportunity when Beth let her defenses down and she always struck. Landing a light jab at Beth's ribcage, she danced back to avoid the right hook. 

"Center your weight," She scolded, "Stop using your heels with every move." 

Beth swung again, "You're impossible to beat!" The poor girl was panting and she easily dodged the advances. Vaguely, they heard their pack cheering them on. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Cassius making bets. She grinned. 

"Focus." 

"You don't have a weakness!" 

"I wasn't born this way," She jabbed again, dodged, and swung down, "I learned just like you will." Then, she swept Beth's feet from beneath her. 

Beth hit the ground and everyone erupted into obnoxious cheering. She smiled and offered Beth her hand. Cassius was the first to reach her side and slap her across the back. 

"Undefeated champion!" Cassius cheered. 

She laughed and shook her head, brushing the dust from her jeans. She was beatable, she knew that. Leon had beat her because he knew her weakness. Leroy was capable of beating her and she never quite matched Fox's strength. But, she saw herself as no less capable because as she taught Beth, they also taught her. It wasn't about beating the other person, it was about helping them to get better. That was how the pack worked. 

Kian was smiling as she walked up to him. 

"You're impressive," He said, "I never got to watch the warriors train much, but I really enjoy this." 

"You can join if you want." She suggested. 

He chuckled, "I'm good." 

"Awe, come on. They won't rough you up too bad." 

They were quiet a moment, watching the Enforcers go up against each other, and it made the onlookers go crazy. Sometimes, she would place a mental bet on who would win based on body language and footing. A good warrior always knew where their feet were. 

Even though Cassius had no wolf, he wasn't afraid to jump into the fray. She loved that about him. He wasn't pitying himself for being a half-blood anymore and he engaged whole heartedly with his brother's activities. In fact, she was quite impressed with how long Cassius would hold out. Hand in hand combat was becoming his specialty and she was proud of him. 

"You can learn a lot by watching," Kian said, "Everyone has a pattern." 

She nodded, glancing at him, "That they do. I always teach to fight unpredictably because it gives the upper-hand." 

Another round of sparring ensued and people began to settle down as the time went on. Lazy white clouds hung in the blue sky and the sun glittered off the white snow, almost blinding. It was crisp outside, winter letting them know it wasn't leaving yet, but it didn't bother anyone. 

"I can see why people look up to you." 

She turned her head, "Don't tell me its because they secretly pity me."