It should have been a spar. Instead, it became a battle.
But first, I had to survive the rest of yesterday.
Caleb had left the library without another word, practically running from Darius's Alpha command. I'd grabbed my things and walked out too, refusing to look at Darius, refusing to acknowledge what he'd done.
He'd followed me all the way back to my dorm. Silent. Watching.
I'd slammed the door in his face.
My wolf had howled all night, confused and hurt and angry. She didn't understand why our mate kept pushing and pulling, claiming and rejecting, acting like he owned us when he'd made it clear he didn't want us.
I didn't understand either.
But I knew one thing: I was done being his punching bag.
Combat Training was mandatory for all students. Twice a week, everyone gathered in the arena to spar under the watchful eye of Coach Ramsey, a grizzled former Alpha who'd retired from active pack leadership but still had enough bite to keep even the cockiest students in line.
I'd been dreading it all morning.
The arena was an outdoor space behind the main training building, surrounded by bleachers and covered in fine sand that was supposed to cushion falls. Supposed to. I'd seen enough training sessions from a distance to know that the sand got stained with blood regularly.
Students were already warming up when I arrived. Stretching. Practicing strikes. Showing off for each other.
I found a spot near the edge and started my own warm-up routine, trying to ignore the stares.
"Alright, listen up!" Coach Ramsey's voice boomed across the arena. He stood in the center, arms crossed, looking like he could still tear through half the students here without breaking a sweat. "Today we're doing partner sparring. I'll be assigning matches based on skill level and weight class."
Groans echoed through the crowd.
"None of that," Ramsey snapped. "You don't get to pick your opponents in real fights. You work with what you're given."
He started reading off names from his clipboard. Pairs were called and moved to designated sections of the arena. Some matches looked even. Others... not so much.
I waited, hoping I'd get paired with someone reasonable. Another new student, maybe. Or a Beta who wouldn't try to kill me.
"Bennett!"
I straightened.
"You're with Fenrir."
The arena went dead silent.
Every single head turned to look at me. Then at Darius, who stood on the opposite side of the arena with his arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face.
"Coach," I said carefully. "I don't think—"
"Did I ask what you think, Bennett?"
"No, sir, but—"
"Then get in position." He gestured to the center ring. "Fenrir, center. Now."
Darius moved. So did I, because refusing a direct order from Coach Ramsey was a good way to get expelled.
We faced each other in the sand. Ten feet apart. Close enough that I could see every detail of his face. The tension in his jaw. The gold flickering in his eyes.
The bond hummed between us, electric and angry.
Students crowded around the edge of the ring, whispering.
"She's dead."
"He's going to destroy her."
"This is insane. She barely has her wolf."
"She'll be crushed in seconds."
My hands curled into fists. My wolf stirred, responding to their mockery with a low growl.
"Standard rules," Ramsey said, walking around us in a slow circle. "Fight until submission, knockout, or until I call it. No killing blows. No permanent damage. Everything else is fair game." He stopped and looked directly at Darius. "That includes Alphas who think they can throw their weight around. You fight clean, Fenrir, or you're out. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Ramsey's eyes shifted to me. "You sure about this, Bennett? You can forfeit if you're not ready."
Every instinct screamed at me to take the out. To avoid the humiliation of getting destroyed in front of the entire class.
But then I saw the look on Darius's face. That slight smirk. That absolute certainty that I'd back down.
That I'd show my throat like a good little wolf and let him win.
"I'm sure," I said.
Ramsey nodded once. "Alright then." He stepped back. "Fighters ready?"
I dropped into a defensive stance. Darius did the same, moving with the kind of fluid grace that came from years of training.
"Fight!"
Darius moved first.
He came at me fast, closing the distance in three strides. His first strike was a test, a jab aimed at my shoulder that I barely blocked. The impact jarred my arm.
He was holding back.
That made it worse somehow. Like he was proving a point. Like he was showing everyone that I wasn't worth his full effort.
My wolf snarled.
I countered with a low kick aimed at his knee. He dodged easily, stepping back, circling.
"Come on, Elara," he said quietly. "You can do better than that."
"Shut up and fight."
His eyes flashed. "Careful what you wish for."
He came at me again, faster this time. A combination of strikes that forced me back, back, back until I was nearly at the edge of the ring. Students pressed in closer, sensing blood.
I ducked under his last punch and rolled to the side, getting some distance.
My wolf was restless. Angry. She wanted to fight properly, wanted to shift and tear into him with claws and teeth.
But I'd never shifted before. Didn't know how. Didn't know if I even could.
So I fought as a human. Using the self-defense moves my uncle had taught me. The dirty tricks I'd learned from growing up unwanted and having to defend myself.
Darius lunged. I sidestepped and drove my elbow into his ribs. Not hard enough to do real damage, but enough to make him grunt.
The crowd gasped.
"Good," Ramsey called out. "Use your speed, Bennett. You're smaller. Make it count."
Darius's expression darkened. His wolf was closer to the surface now, I could feel it through the bond. Feel his irritation that I'd actually landed a hit.
He stopped holding back.
The next strike came so fast I almost didn't see it. His fist connected with my shoulder and sent me stumbling. I caught myself before I fell, but barely.
Pain bloomed across my arm.
My wolf surged forward, protective and furious. She pushed strength into my limbs, heightening my reflexes, sharpening my senses.
I could feel her power flooding through me even though I hadn't shifted.
Darius charged again. This time I was ready.
I dropped low and swept his legs. He went down hard, sand flying. Before he could recover, I was on him, knee pressed to his chest, arm cocked back for a strike.
Our eyes met.
The bond screamed between us. Want. Need. Anger. Confusion.
"Submit," I said.
His wolf rose to meet mine. Gold eyes blazing. "Never."
He bucked me off with pure strength, and we both scrambled to our feet. The sand was churned up now, our footprints everywhere, evidence of the battle neither of us was willing to lose.
The crowd was going insane.
"Did she just take him down?"
"Holy shit."
"He's not even trying."
"Are you kidding? Look at his face. He's pissed."
Darius and I circled each other. Both breathing hard. Both bleeding from minor cuts and scrapes.
"You're stronger than you look," he said.
"You're not as good as you think you are."
His jaw tightened. "Last chance to yield."
"You first."
We clashed again. Fists and feet and pure stubborn will. He was stronger, faster, better trained. But I was angry. Fueled by every rejection, every insult, every moment he'd made me feel like I was nothing.
My wolf poured power into every strike. More than I'd known I had. More than should be possible for someone who'd only gotten their wolf a few days ago.
Darius blocked most of my hits, but not all of them. I could see the surprise in his eyes. The reassessment.
He hadn't expected me to fight back this hard.
Hadn't expected me to be a challenge.
The fight grew brutal. Less controlled. We were both running on instinct now, wolves and humans tangled together, fighting for dominance in a battle that was about so much more than a training exercise.
I saw my opening.
Darius overextended on a punch, his guard dropping for just a second. My wolf screamed at me to take it.
So I did.
I drove my fist forward with everything I had, aiming for his face. He tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough.
My knuckles connected with his jaw.
The impact sent him stumbling back. He caught himself, hand going to his face, and when he pulled it away, blood stained his fingers.
His blood.
Red drops fell to the sand, dark against the pale ground.
The entire arena went silent.
Darius stared at his hand. Then at me.
And the look in his eyes was something I'd never seen before.
Not anger.
Not pride.
Something else entirely.