Page 32 of Fated to the Hunters
Scarlett tried to tamp down her anxiety as they stepped into the training hall for the warriors. Every pair of eyes in the space rested on her as Maximilian led her to the training room. He opened the door and closed it behind her. Unsure of what to do, she watched her brother tug some mats into the middle of the room.
“What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of learning self-defence?” he asked.
She thought back to the attack. “They pulled my hair. I didn’t know how to get out of that.”
“Of course, you’d choose the one that I never found helpful to learn.”
She bit her inner cheek and followed when he beckoned her closer. “But you know how?”
“I do. Felix insisted on us learning it since some of us enjoy longer hairstyles. Stand behind me and grab as much of my hair as you can.”
Though it was difficult, Scarlett latched onto as much of Maximilian’s hair as she could. He reached both of his arms around and found her thumb.
“It will always hurt to get out of someone pulling your hair. There are different ways of doing it, it just depends on what works best for you. Find their thumb, and that’s your anchor point.”
He crouched down, took a step back, and twisted. Her arm bent uncomfortably as Maximilian freed himself. He took anotherstep and wrenched Scarlett’s arm behind her back. It didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable.
“The discomfort will usually let your opponent free your hair, but you still might lose some. Want to give it a try?”
She nodded and they swapped places, with Maximilian loosely gripping her hair. She searched for his thumb but before she could move, he guided her in the opposite direction.
They took their time, practising the move repeatedly until she had it. He was very patient, and didn’t chastise her once for taking so long to figure it out.
After a while, Maximilian smiled and nodded his approval. “I think we’ll let it be for today. Are you free tomorrow evening after the bingo tournament?”
Scarlett scoffed. As if she had anywhere else to be. “Of course, I am.” Every week they offered board games in the big hall with finger foods and games for the smaller children. The pack loved getting together for it and she always helped.
“Perfect. We’ll repeat what we learned today and then I’ll show you some different moves.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled her into a side hug and kissed her hair. “Don’t thank me yet. That was the easiest exercise.”
Once changed, fed, and armed with a book, she returned to Kurt’s clinic room.
He sat on the edge of his bed, his feet flat on the floor. She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her right away. “I was ordered to be more agile since the wound is healing so well. Paul and Daniel were given the okay to leave.”
“Are you in pain?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
He rolled his eyes and Scarlett sat next to him, her feet dangling off the bed. “I just wish I could take a damn shower.”
“You don’t smell that bad… yet.”
He tilted his head, brows furrowing. “You seem much calmer today.”
“Thank you.”
“Care to share?”
“Maximilian is helping me train in self-defence.”
“I assume your dad knows since you’re telling me.”
She nodded, setting her book aside to fidget with her fingers. “I went to him earlier. He didn’t want to hear any of it, but I had to try. I felt so useless and stupid when the hunters came. I never want to feel that again. Maximilian was the one who convinced him.”
