After lunch, Anderson, Noah, Kyle, and Anthony escorted me to Ring 7 for my match. I still had time before the match, so I went off to the side and stretched out beforehand. I put my earbuds in so I could concentrate on relaxing and stretching out. I was oblivious to any and all activity taking place in and around the ring since I had my eyes closed while I was stretching.
‘Melanie, you’ve got ten minutes until you begin,’ my father’s voice floated into my head from our link.
‘Thanks, Dad for letting me know,’ I sang out as I opened my eyes. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised we had a lot of people there to watch our match. I slowly stood up from my sitting down position. I shook out my arms and legs to get out the last of the kinks before I approached the ring with my things.
Anderson and Noah just smirked as I walked closer to the ring. They knew exactly how I approached each spar or fight by now. By now I was watching my opponent across the ring to start sizing her up. She was about the same size as me with a little more muscle mass than me. She seemed to be a little more hardcore than I was, but we’ll see.
The Referee called us into the center of the ring. He went over the rules once again and asked us if we had any questions to which we both replied, ‘No.’ She had a look of disgust on her face when she looked at me to which I only chuckled.
“What’s so funny bitch,” the she-wolf demanded to know.
“Nothing is funny. I’m just sizing you up is all,” I replied with the same chuckle.
“Fight!” commanded the Referee.
“Hmm, we’ll I’m here to prove that I’m better than you are, so let’s get this party started shall we?” commanded the she-wolf.
“Yes, let’s,” was my only reply.
The she-wolf lunged at me with a right-left combination but I deflected it easily and connected with her in her midsection with a knee. I quickly followed up with a sweeping motion of my legs which dropped her down on her back. I put my right knee on her sternum, my right hand around her neck, and grabbed her right hand with my left hand and applied pressure to the pressure points.
Just like that, I had her pinned with minimum effort and without causing her injury. She began whimpering. The crowd assembled was deadly silent waiting to see what would happen next.
“Submit!” I demanded of the she-wolf.
She was still whimpering, but lower. She finally tapped her left hand on the canvas of the ring. The crowd assembled went wild with cheers and howls of approval.
I released my hold on her. Then, I held my hand out for her to take so I could help her up. She refused my hand. She knocked it out of the way with a huff. When she got up she tried to attack me.
“Enough! Stop. Right. Now!” commanded Alpha King Matthew to the she-wolf. He entered the ring as the Referee restrained the she-wolf. “She won fair and square. Attacking her after the fight is being a sore loser and is a punishable offense. Why did you try to do so?” inquired the Alpha King to the she-wolf.
“She cheated. She didn’t fight fair and square Alpha King!” bellowed the she-wolf.
“She did fight fair and square. She used tactics to cause the least amount of injury. That was her plan of action. What was your plan of action she-wolf?” asked the Alpha King to the she-wolf.
“Isn’t the point of the tournament to prove who the better warrior is? You can’t do that without hurting the other opponent. Right?” asked the confused she-wolf.
“No, it’s not. Being a warrior is not all about causing injury to the opponent. It’s about using your head. Think about how to bring your enemy down with the least amount of blows in order to achieve your goal. In Melanie’s position, she will not cause harm if she does not have to. And she didn’t. She incapacitated you to the point where you had to surrender,” explained the Alpha King.
“She did that to embarrass me? To make me look like a fool?” sneered the she-wolf.
“No, she did that not to CAUSE you ANY BODILY HARM. You embarrassed yourself when you tried to attack her after she won the match,” explained the Alpha King. “You will be punished for your actions after the fight. Right now, you need to apologize to Delta heir Melanie for your deceitful and disrespectful behavior toward her. Do it, NOW!” Alpha King Matthew commanded.
The she-wolf visibly gulped before she began, “Delta heir Melanie, I apologize for my deceitful attack behind your back. Please accept my apology.” Then she bowed her head toward me.
“I accept your apology,” I stated as I nodded my head toward her. “Would you be interested in helping to properly train other she-wolves? If so, please let me know. Our pack will be assisting other packs in training their she-wolves, we could use some assistance,” I offered with my hand outstretched waiting to see if she would shake my hand.
“I’d like that Delta heir Melanie. Thank you,” she answered as she shook my hand.
“Good, now then, let’s clear the ring and call it a day. Shall we ladies?” beamed the Alpha King.
“Yes, Alpha King,” we chorused.
I exited the ring only to be enveloped by my father. “I’m so proud of you Melanie,” he stated out loud for everyone to hear. In our link, he said, ‘You have always been a shining example for others to follow. I’m so proud of you. Like I said, you have exceeded my expectations time and time again.’
“Thank you, Dad,” I exclaimed as I hugged him back. ‘Did I overstep when I offered her a chance to come to our pack to help us train others? I think she could learn from us as well.’ I asked my Dad.
‘No, you didn’t. I already told the Alpha what you did. He’s proud of you too. He knows what the Alpha King said as well. You are incredible, I couldn’t be prouder of you. I just wish your Mom and brother were here to share in this moment,’ gushed Dad.
‘Thanks, Dad. I wish they were here too. I would like to introduce Anthony to them as well. Anthony was raised by his grandparents after his parents died when he was 11 years old. I think he’ll fit right into our family,’ I shared with Dad as I released him from our hug and kissed him on the cheek.