So what would you say about me teaching you how to fight ? Joey asks as we sit at the bar in the kitchen with pancakes and bacon sitting in front of us that Lila had made for us.
I glance over at him to see he’s completely serious as is Cody, who sits next to him with a cup of coffee in his hand. Uh, what ?
Joey shrugs his shoulders as he sips his water. You know, just teach you some stuff that could help if you ever get cornered like you did in the bathroom.
I let out a sigh, hating that this is something that has been talked about for days and I just wish we could all forget it happened and not keep bringing up the occurrence. I shake my head, running a hand through my hair, hoping that just saying no initially would get him off of my back.
But knowing my mate, he definitely wouldn’t let me off that easy. I just think it would be best for all of us that if I teach you some basics things that could help you if you’re ever in a fight like that again.
I chuckle. Joey, that wasn’t a fight, it was a beating.
He reaches out to grip my hand and I look up to see him, Cody, and Melissa all staring at me with super serious looks. Joey clears his throat. Please, baby, it’s for the best. If this does ever happen again somehow, we want you to know how to get the upper hand so you can escape in some way.
I give him a confused look. But I have you to protect me.
His face softens and he turns on his stool so he’s facing me completely and takes both of my hands in his. I wish I can be there with you all the time, but we both know that bad stuff can happen at any point. I would feel a lot better if you would train with me, just so you can learn some things to help you if this ever does happen again.
You mean right now ? I ask him.
Well, now is a good time. I’m not busy and we’ll be alone, he tells me.
With a lot of persuading, I agree with what he’s saying even if I don’t necessarily like it. He forces me to put on gym shorts and a t-shirt before dragging me to a practice spot in the middle of the damn woods. There are baskets of boxing gloves and a few punching bags set up along with a mat placed on top of the grass in case someone does get thrown to the floor and they have a soft cushion to protect them.
He notices my confused look and chuckles. This is our training quarters. We have classes with wolves who are interested in learning the art of self-defense. It’s pretty private because people do tend to get self-conscious when they have a crowd watching them.
I nod my head as I watch him put on a glove type thing on his right hand before holding it out to line up with his waist. What’re you doing ?
Kick it, he says, motioning towards his protected hand.
I know how to kick, we don’t need to do this, I tell him, crossing my arms and staring at him as a playful smile shows up on his lips. He clears his throat before moving closer to me and setting his hand in the same position.
Then show me what you got.
I sigh, balancing myself on one foot before thrusting my foot into his gloved hand, which he grabs with his other and twists my ankle so I fall back on my ass with a thud. I immediately start to sweat from the exercise as I look up at him with a confused look. What the hell was that for ?
You didn’t follow through after you kicked it, which meant that a predator could’ve done exactly what I did very easily. You need to be focused until you bring your foot back to your body, he tells me, reaching out to help me up.
I sigh. Are you going to go easy on me ?
He chuckles. Baby, I am going easy on you. If you were anyone else, you would still be on the mat until you surrendered.
Well, damn, that’s rude, I tell him while wiping the sweat off of me before crossing my arms to look at him. His smile is bright and he looks alive like this is what he is meant to do and it is. He’s meant to teach our pack how to fight and how to deal with everything that gets thrown at them. It makes him look slightly crazy, but also very much real and happy, which is all I ever want to see of him.
It’s real, not rude. In a fight with a real threat, they won’t stop and give you a moment to breathe. They’ll keep going until they think you’re dead or not getting up anytime soon.
I nod my head, completely understanding what he’s saying. Yeah, okay, I get that.
Come on, let’s keep going, we have a lot to go over apparently. I think someone’s a little too confident with these things, he says, teasing me with that playful smile still on his lips which speeds my heart rate up a considerable amount.
Oh, you can kiss my ass, I tease back.
He chuckles. You’re right, I can and I will.
I laugh, running a hand through my hair as I take a step closer to him. Oh, shut up !