Page 54 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

"Keep your guard up," Ty corrects gently when she drops her protective hand. "Always protect your center."

They continue drilling the basic movements, adding small refinements but never rushing. Every new technique is introduced with clear explanation and demonstration first.

"Want to try it a bit faster?" Chase asks after she's comfortable with the sequence.

Sunny pauses, considering. "Yes," she decides. "But... maybe not too fast yet?"

"You set the pace," Ty reminds her. "We'll match you."

They increase the speed gradually, letting her find her comfort zone. Her movements become more fluid, more natural. The hesitation fades as muscle memory begins to take over.

"Look at her form," Zane murmurs, pride evident in his voice. "She's picking this up faster than most of our new guys do."

I nod, unable to speak past the tightness in my throat. Watching her learn to defend herself — it's both beautiful and heartbreaking. Beautiful because she's so strong, so determined. Heartbreaking because she needs these skills at all.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Zane

Tycallsforabreak, and Sunny drops her hands, chest heaving. Sweat darkens her shirt and plasters strands of hair to her neck. Despite her obvious exhaustion, there's a light in her eyes I haven't seen since before she was taken.

"I want to keep going," she says, reaching for her water bottle. The confidence in her voice makes something in my chest tighten.

Chase and Ty exchange approving looks. "You're doing great," Chase says, tossing her a towel. "Picking it up faster than some of our guys did."

I watch her face carefully as she fidgets with the towel, recognizing the telltale signs of her being uncomfortable. Her shoulders hunch slightly, eyes dropping to the floor.

"Actually..." she starts, then stops and takes another sip of water. "I was wondering if... if you could maybe teach me something specific?"

The hesitation in her voice sets off warning bells in my head. Beside me, Levi leans forward, obviously picking up on it too.

"There's something I really want to learn," she continues, voice barely above a whisper now. "But to be honest, it scares the shit out of me."

My gut clenches. Chase and Ty wait patiently, giving her space to find the words.

"I need..." Sunny swallows hard. "I need to know how to get out of a chokehold. When someone's bigger. Stronger."

An image flashes through my mind of the bruises circling her neck when we found her.

"Fuck," Levi breathes, running a hand through his hair. "Z..."

"I know." My voice comes out rougher than intended. We both understand exactly why she's asking, why it matters so much to her. And why it's going to be hell for us to watch.

On screen, Chase and Ty share a look loaded with understanding. They were there when we rescued her, they know what Garrett did to her.

"We can teach you that," Ty says carefully. "But we'll need to take it slow. Build up to it."

I watch Sunny's face as she processes this, see the mix of relief and determination settle over her features. She straightens up and lifts her chin in that stubborn way that I love so much.

"I can handle it," she says firmly, though her hands tremble slightly as she sets down her water. "I need to know I can handle it."

The pride and pain in my chest threatens to choke me. She's so fucking strong and brave it hurts to watch.

"We should stop them," Levi mutters, though he makes no move to do so. He understands as well as I do that this isn't about us or our need to protect her. This is about Sunny reclaiming something stolen from her.

"No," I reply, forcing myself to unclench my fists. "She needs this."

"Let me show you the technique first," Ty's voice carries through the speakers. "Chase will demonstrate on me so you can see exactly how it works."

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