Page 25 of Clawless

She gave a tired laugh. “You think a few classes are going to help me? Thanks, but we know they’re a ruse. Just another of Jasper’s control freak ideas to keep the vulnerable wolves in line.”

I didn’t like the way she sneered at her weakness. And while I’d had my part to play in it, Jay was the one driving it home. He might have though he was protecting her in some fucked up way, but even omegas needed to feel like they had some control over their own safety. “I don’t care why the sessions are happening. And even one class can make a difference.” She shrugged, and fingered the edge of the scarf she’d wrapped around her neck. I wondered if she’d been wearing it all day, and if I should tell her it did nothing to suppress the waves of alpha power coming off the collar. But I figured she’d had enough bad news without adding to the pile. “Let’s just give it a try. Unless you want to ask Ms. Costa to set you a cheer routine instead…”

She gave a delicate shudder. “Punching and kicking sounds like a blast,” she muttered.

She might have thought so, but working with Vail was a strange kind of torture. Mainly because of the painful pulses coming from her collar, but also because of the jittery energy seeping out of her pores. From her first moments at the academy, when she’d fainted at seeing Jasper shift, my wolf had decided he liked the taste of Vail’s fear. It was part of the reason I’d ridden her so hard about fitting in or taking off. But she was an omega now, and one of my own pack, and my wolf should have stopped salivating over her vulnerable moments.

For our first class, I’d chosen one of the small rooms set aside for physio and conditioning, instead of joining the other omegas in the main gym. I figured if she’d been the center of attention all day, the last thing she needed was to be ogled while she wrestled with her alphason.

Wrestle being exactly what we were doing, less than five minutes into the lesson. And I was very close to getting my ass handed to me by an omega half my size. “Okay, I believe you.” I cleared my throat and pulled out of the chokehold she’d had me in. “You’re really good.”

She beamed at me, and for a brief moment I let her bask in her victory. But getting me pinned to the mat during a controlled encounter wasn’t going to help her against a shifter attack. “You can grapple. You’ve got the holds. And you can take a human on the ground. But you need to learn to fight like a wolf.”

She lost her smile and went back to fiddling with the pendant against her throat. I’d convinced her to toss the scarf, but she seemed even more aware of the collar than I was. Which was saying something, since the fucking thing was rolling over my muscles like a freight train. “We’re going to start with kicks and strikes. Then we’re focusing on escapes.” I stepped closer, even though the collar made her radiate like a hot plate. “But the overarching goal is getting your wolf out. Until you can fight and defend yourself in both forms, you’re always going to be at a disadvantage.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes huge in her pale face. “I know. When the Black Denners came for me, I was so screwed. One of them shifted, and he was so big…” She shuddered. “There was no way I could fight even one of them off.”

I’d heard the basics in the report from my dad, but that was nothing like hearing it from her own mouth. As she succumbed to her memories, her fear was sharp in my nose, and as always, my wolf perked up at the scent. To keep him in check, I reached out and took her hand, sliding her fingers through mine. I meant it as a reassuring gesture, but she jerked in surprise. Better than fear, but I clearly had a long way to go to earn her trust. “What happened? How did you get away?”

She swallowed hard. “I had help. And the guy who didn’t shift, I hit him on the back of the head with a pitchfork.”

My lips quirked. “Good for you. But in the event you can’t reach for a gardening tool, we need to get your claws out.”

Her eyes shone, and she squeezed my hand. “I want that. More than anything.”

“Then we focus on both. Self-defense, and shifting.”

She gave a shaky sigh. “Okay.” Taking a step back, our hands came apart and I couldn’t say I wasn’t relieved. Looking directly at the collar for more than a moment was impossible, but close proximity of any kind still stung. Part of me was impressed with the alpha power Jay had pumped into the thing, but the larger part thought he was a fucking lunatic. Vail seemed oblivious to my reaction, or maybe she shared Jay’s sadistic streak, because she planted her feet and wiggled her fingers at me. “Hit me with your best shot.”

I called time thirty minutes later, and she bounded over to her towel and water bottle like she’d just fought off an army. I smirked a bit at her cockiness, but had to admit she’d definitely held her own. Not just because her collar sapped the strength out of me, but because she was a far more aggressive fighter than most omegas. Like all shifters, she was naturally athletic, but Vail was also quick and controlled, with a good eye for my weak spots. Maybe it was growing up in a tough environment, or her previous training as a wrestler, but with a few more lessons, I figured she’d be able to take on a strong beta.

Until they shifted, that is.

I thought about letting my wolf out as a little reminder, but as much as he liked that idea, I decided I’d pushed her enough for one day. And I had something more pressing on my mind. While she was busy patting herself down with a towel, I went to my gym bag and pulled out a box. When I handed it to her, she looked at me in surprise. “What is it?”

“Your omega ring.” She thumbed the lid open and bit her lip in pleasure. “The ruby says you’re a Marshall wolf. I would’ve given it to you at the dinner dance…”

“But I went off with Jasper.” Her lips twisted with remorse, and that jittery energy was seeping out of her again. When her hand drifted towards her collar, I grabbed it, and taking the ring from the box, slipped it on her index finger. She touched the stone carefully, turning it back and forth to admire it. “It’s really pretty, Reed. Thank you.”

“It’s probably not the right time to give it to you, but maybe it balances out the collar a little.” Her eyes dipped, but I caught her chin, determined to make my point. “These are just bits of metal, Vail. They don’t control you. And they don’t define who you are.”

She stared back at me, those wide green eyes so hypnotic, I found myself shuffling towards her. This wasn’t fear, or need, but something softer. Something both more tender, and more dangerous. Her breath caught, her eyes darkening, the color in her cheeks from her workout taking on a rosy glow. She was back to staring at my lips, and her focus was so intense, I could see her pulse beating under the collar.

And I wanted to kiss her.

Despite the fact wolves didn’t casually kiss. And I sure as shit didn’t go around kissing my omegas.

But she broke the moment by touching her throat and asking in a soft voice, “What does it feel like when you look at me? Does it hurt?”

I swallowed hard, reminding myself she was talking about the collar. And that she was only wearing the damn thing to stop this exact situation from happening. “Not as much as he probably wishes it did.”

She raised her brows at that, her gaze lingering on my mouth. “Why? Is it because I’m a Marshall wolf?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I just think I deserve a little pain when it comes to you.”

She tilted her head, intrigued. “Really? Why?”

I blew out a breath and took a step back, changing the subject before I really fucked up. “Next lesson, you can show me another of your chokeholds. That first one was brutal.”

---