Page 159 of Knot Baked Out For This
"N-no," she stammers, and I've never seen Reverie stammer. "Just unexpected."
"I like being unexpected."
The tension between them is thick enough to cut, and Mila makes a sound like a kettle boiling.
"Right," Rowan interrupts, clearly in captain mode now. "Let's go over the rules before we start."
He stands at the front of our little group, and I have to physically stop myself from staring at the way his shirt stretches across his chest when he crosses his arms.
"First rule: This is about practical defense, not winning fights. You're learning to get away, not to become action heroes."
"But what if we want to be action heroes?" Mila asks.
"Then take up kickboxing after you learn not to trip over your own feet."
"Rude but fair."
"Second rule," Rowan continues. "We'll be demonstrating holds and escapes. That means contact. If anyone's uncomfortable, speak up immediately."
"Define contact," Rosemarie says with a grin that suggests she's very comfortable with contact.
"The legal kind," the white-haired Alpha says dryly. "I'm Marcus, by the way. I teach aikido at the community center."
"And I'm Tank," the mountain of muscle adds. "Security consultant."
"Your name is actually Tank?" I ask.
"Legal name's Terrence. But..." He gestures at himself. "Tank fits better."
"Fair enough."
"Third rule," Rowan's eyes find mine. "No holding back. The point is to learn what works when you're really threatened. That means using full force on the pads, really trying to escape holds, actually practicing like it matters."
"Because it does matter," Nash adds, his voice going serious. "Especially for Omegas. The world's not always safe."
"Speaking from experience?" Reverie challenges.
"Speaking from statistics. And from wanting you prepared." The 'you' is supposedly general, but his eyes are on Reverie.
"Fourth rule," Marcus adjusts his glasses. "What happens in training stays in training. No social media posts, no gossip about who did what. This is a safe space to learn, maybe fail, definitely sweat."
"I don't sweat," Mila declares. "I sparkle."
"You're about to sparkle a lot then," Tank says with a grin.
"Last rule," Rowan says, and now he's definitely looking at me. "Have fun. This is about empowerment, not fear. You're stronger than you think."
Stronger than you think.
After this morning, burning years of pain and screaming at the sunrise, I actually believe him.
"Stations are set up," Nash says. "We'll rotate through. Basic strikes with Tank, escape holds with me, ground defense with Marcus, and situational awareness with Captain Cambridge."
"Captain Cambridge," Mila whispers. "That's so official."
"That's so hot," Rosemarie corrects.
"Can we please be normal?" I beg.
