Page 13 of Wolf's Gambit

Landon watched me and then nodded. “I suppose you needed an advantage,” he said smugly.

“I’m going to enjoy beating your ass,” I warned him.

Landon sprang forward, his left hook landing squarely on my ribcage, causing me to grunt with pain. My left jab caught him on the jaw, and his head snapped back. Pressing the advantage, I followed with a high knee to his kidneys.

He stumbled.

“Feel that?” I taunted him as I advanced.

Landon dropped and swept his leg out, taking my feet from me, but I landed in a half roll and was on my feet instantly. Running at him, I half jumped and brought my fist down on his sternum, and both of us went down.

Landon twisted and had me on my back, trying to pin me. But my legs were free, and I used them to push me off the mat and buck him off me. Twisting, I sprang to my feet again.

“Luna, Kez, dial it back. I don’t want to hurt you.” He grunted as my roundhouse kick caught him in the kidneys.

Dial it back? I’d never felt so in tune with my body. There was no way I was dialing anything back.

“Have you been holding back?” I sneered. “Bring it, pretty boy, so I can say I beat you fair and square. Or are you scared of being beaten by a girl?”

“Pretty boy?” Landon’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll pay for that.”

As I lashed out at him again, he was ready for me, and then neither of us talked as we sparred. I hit, and he hit back. I yelped in pain, and so did he. When he had me in a headlock, I bit him, and as he howled in pain, I punched him in the kidney, getting free.

With Landon in a leg lock, sure he would tap out as he struggled to breathe, I screamed in rage when he used his strength to flip me over onto my stomach and pressed my leg up and into my spine. I struck back wildly, and by sheer luck, I kicked him in the groin. As he rolled off me in agony, I was on him. Fists, feet, even using my teeth, I attacked, and he fought me off as he struggled to regain the upper hand. The blows were no longer felt. I was numb from pain or exhilaration. We went at each other, hissing and cursing, fists bloody and tempers high.

Large hands grabbed me, and I was hauled to my feet. I saw Landon being pulled away from me as I struggled against who held me from the fight.

“No!” I screamed. “I do not yield! I do not yield!”

“Bitch!” Landon shouted back. “You’re damn right you’ll yield to me!”

“Enough!” The roar filled the room, and we dropped to our knees as we recognized who was there. “What in the Goddess’s name is the meaning of this?”

Firm hands still rested on my shoulders, and I recognized it was my brother who was behind me. How did he get into the room? I thought Landon had locked the door. With a quick glance, it startled me to see the door to the training room hanging off its hinges.

“Dad?” Landon looked up at his father, and I saw the glaze of fury fade from his eyes. He looked terrible. His right eye was almost swollen shut, and a cut was bleeding freely from above his eyes. Landon’s nose was bleeding, and a large bruise was forming on his cheek. His body was covered in bruises, scratches, and bite marks. But as his eyes met mine, his widened in horror as he scrambled to his feet, ignoring his father’s warning to stay down. “Oh Goddess, what have I done? Kezia? Oh, holy moon, what have I done?” he asked as he fell beside me.

“You look like shit,” I told him as I reached out to touch his face. Landon snorted as he lifted his hand but pulled back when he saw his torn and cut knuckles.

“One of you explain to me right now,” Bale demanded from above us both.

I felt Kris’s hand tighten on my shoulder, warning me to be quiet.

“I took it too far,” Landon spoke hurriedly. “Kezia was training, and I told her I could beat her any day of the week, and she took the challenge. It was never supposed to be…” He looked at me once more and winced at whatever he saw. “This.”

“Are you telling me that this was your idea?” Bale asked as he looked between the two of us.

“Yes, Father,” Landon said clearly.

“You’re telling me that my son, a renowned fighter in this pack, willingly struck a female in the fight circle as if she was his equal?” The scorn and disbelief of the pack leader’s voice made Landon close his eyes in shame and me grit my teeth in temper.

“Yes, Father.”

Kris’s fingers were digging so hard into my shoulders. I tried to move out of his grip, but he simply tightened his hold.

“Look at her,” Bale demanded as he watched his son’s head dip in disgrace. “I said look at her.”

Landon raised his head to meet my eyes, and I once again saw the guilt. “Kez…” he whispered, gazing over my face and body.

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