Page 26 of Fighting Furry

He nodded. “The alpha moved with them and they seem to have settled down. That or the alpha has an easier time controlling a smaller group. We still have wolves leave the pack to go to the valley a couple times a year. I let them go. I'm not going to force anyone to stay where they don't want to be. Sometimes, wolves leave the Aspens Whiten pack to join us.”

“And this all went down with no bloodshed or harsh words?”

“I didn't say that. Just no fights to the death.”

He pulled down Darius's drive and parked near the woods.

“Sounds like there's a story there,” I said.

“Not one I'll be telling today.” He got out and waited for me to join him. I wrapped my hands and stepped out. He was in jeans and a t-shirt. He claimed he hadn't brought workout clothes to LA. He spread his legs, bent his knees, and raised his fists. “Okay,” he said. “Hit me.”

I bounced on the balls of my feet a few times, warming up, then I lunged and snapped out a hard right jab. He blocked, but only managed to divert my punch to his temple. I didn't think I'd hit him that hard, it felt more like a grazing punch, but Axel's head flew to the side, something snapped, and he dropped like a jellyfish, all loose limbs. I fell to my knees next to him. “Very funny,” I said. “Get up, you big baby.”

He didn't move, his eyelids didn't flutter. He was so still, I had to check his pulse to make sure his heart was still beating. I rolled him onto his side and paced in front of him. There was nothing I could do but wait for him to revive. I couldn't exactly call 911. They'd probably recognize he wasn't human.

“Ow, fuck,” Axel said. I dropped back down next to him and helped him sit up. He put a hand to his head.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He narrowed his eyes and turned his head slowly to look at me. “I tell you that you have superhuman strength. I say you might not be able to control it. And you aim for my head, anyway?”

“Um, habit?” I said, because it was the truth. If I was going to hit someone, I always aimed for the head first. “I was aiming for your jaw, but you blocked and knocked the punch into your temple.”

“If you'd hit my jaw, you'd have broken it.”

“I can control it,” I said. “I just need to get a handle on it.”

He breathed deep and got to his feet. “You're lucky I heal quickly. If I'd been human, I'd be dead.”

That made it suddenly hard for me to breathe. “So, I need practice before I go up against a human.”

He shook his head and winced. “First, let's see what we're dealing with. Punch that tree.” He pointed out a huge old Oak near where yard ended and forest began.

I looked over to see if he was joking. He had to be joking. I might be super-strong, but I'd still break my hand punching a tree.

He sighed. “You'll heal. Just give it a try. I don't want to die today. Hit that tree with everything you've got.”

I went back to the car, dug through my gym bag, and pulled gloves on over my hand wraps. I was sure I was about to do the dumbest thing I'd ever done. I walked over to the tree and faced it, widening my stance so I could use my body weight behind the punch. I pulled in a deep breath, pulled back my arm and punched forward with every bit of force I could manage. My fist hit the bark of the tree, but it didn't stop there. It continued to plow about a foot into the tree. I yanked my fist back out and looked at the hole I'd made. This was very, very bad. This wasn't just accidentally-kill-someone strong, this was accidentally-rip-someone's-heart-from-their-chest strong. I looked at that hole and I saw my future, I saw any shot at fighting again, vanish. I was a freak, a monster.

Anger fired through my veins, chasing away my sadness, and I punched the tree with a left cross. I didn't make quite as large a hole with that punch. I punched again and again, harder and harder, trying to find some relief from the maelstrom of emotions, chief among them fear, because if I wasn't a fighter, if I couldn't get in a cage and kick ass, then who the hell was I and what the fuck was I going to do?

Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back just as the tree split and toppled to the ground right where I'd been standing. I didn't feel grateful to Axel. I fought my way out of his arms and spun to face him. “You knew,” I said. “You knew I'd never be able to fight again.”

“I suspected. I've never in my life seen anyone as strong as you in your human form. I didn't realize-”

“You knew.” I stabbed my forefinger into his chest. He winced but didn't step back. “You knew, and you let me think I might be able to do this. You let me think I might be able to go back to my old life.”

“I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure. You haven't tried holding back. You haven't tried fighting without putting everything you have into it.”

“And if I forget for a moment? If I get caught up in the adrenaline of a fight and I stop holding back, that's how my opponent will look?” I pointed at the tree I'd demolished. “I can't take that chance.”

I wanted him to argue more than I wanted my next breath, but he didn't. “It would be a huge risk.”

“One I won't take. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I killed someone, especially when I know how easily I could do it without meaning to.”

He nodded, his expression bleak, and something occurred to me. “That's why you're a pacifist. Not because you're scared or self-righteous.”

“Because I understand how fragile life can be.” He reached over and brushed a tear from my cheek. I hadn't even realized I'd been crying.

---