She did as I asked.
“If I attacked your left side, what would be your best escape route? Keep your eyes shut,” I shouted when her eyelids fluttered.
“How am I supposed to know that?”
“You’ve spent forty minutes in this clearing and can’t remember anything?”
She was silent.
I snorted. “Were you even looking?”
“You expect me to look around when my bones have liquefied from excessive use?”
“I expect you to keep your guard up. Escaping might not be the most exciting thing to learn, but the chances of you surviving hand-to-hand combat are slim to none. Your best chance will be utilizing evasiveness and your surroundings to stay safe. To do that, you’ll need to put distance between you and your attacker.”
She glared at me, putting her hand on her hip. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“It’s not about confidence but safety. It would be irresponsible of me to make you feel like you’re capable of doing things you can’t. Now, close your eyes.”
***
“Lethal strikes are a last resort.” I slowly circled Isolde, letting her feel my presence. “But incapacitating an enemy is crucial if there are no other options. For this, we’ll focus on using your claws. But we won’t stop there. You will also need to learn to defend yourself in situations where your wolf is not an option.” I pulled out a small tactical knife and handed it to her hilt-first. Hesitantly, she took it. “This is going to be your new travel companion.”
The blade was about four inches, and she carefully turned it in her hand.
“A knife is a great option to have. This one is easily concealed and a good substitute if you can’t shift. Strike me.”
“What? No,” Isolde exclaimed. “I could hurt you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “If you did, I’d be impressed.”
Her resolve hardened, and her voice took on an air of offense. “You don’t think I could?”
“Not even if I wore a blindfold,” I said, smirking.
Her brows furrowed. For a moment, I thought my goading was too much, but she lunged at me before I could apologize. The tactical knife made a wild arc through the air before it curved toward the ground. I sidestepped, positioning myself behind her and bringing my palm to the back of her elbow. She yelped in surprise as I grabbed her knife hand and yanked her back, throwing her off balance.
“I thought you were going to hurt me,” I taunted, jumping back a few feet as she whirled on me, teeth clenched.
She bared her teeth. “It’s still early.”
***
Water spilled from the corners of Isolde’s mouth, and tiny rivulets dripped down her chin and the smooth column of her slender throat.
My wolf hummed, and a growl of satisfaction tore from my chest. Our eyes met, and the flush on her face had nothing to do with training when I slipped my hand to the small of her back. I savored the warmth of her skin as I guided her up the steps of our home.
I was satisfied with the progress she made today. With the self-control of a saint, I ignored my rock-hard dick and said goodbye before I spent the rest of the afternoon between her thighs, expending what was left of her energy.
I scanned my surroundings as I pulled out my comms unit and headed toward the security building. With Isolde’s training over, the pack’s looming problems weighed heavily on my thoughts. The Council was growing impatient. It set my teeth on edge and made me wonder how the other Omegas were being treated within their units. My mother had begged my father not to leave her in the room with the males he’d given her to that night, and the memory made me clench my fist. The bite of my claws shocked me out of my haunting reverie, and I sealed the door on those thoughts. Exhaling deeply, I dialed Valor’s extension.
“Any word from the hand?” I asked as soon as he answered.
The hand was our special tactical unit we used for missions. They were some of the few shifters born with Goddess-blessed gifts. No one was sure why or how a shifter was born Goddess-blessed, but those who were had extortionary abilities. The hand was made up of these shifters.
“Nothing. The line has been silent since deployment.”
Impossible. We should have heard something by now. “What about the trackers? Are they still on location?”