Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Liam POV

What did I get myself into? The warmup alone was brutal in this heat but now we're breaking up for some sparring. The new trainees went to one end of the field, some mid-range wolves were on the other end, and the pack's top warriors were at the center. Quinn's dad made sure I was at the center with the other twenty or so wolves he counted as his most skilled. Of course Quinn was in this mix.

Ethan and Suze were over with the mid-range wolves. I know Ethan is a skilled fighter but I think he couldn't bring himself to part with Suze for even a second. Hopefully for his sake, she'll only be partnered with other shewolves for sparring.

I looked back at the wolves around me. There were only male wolves here so I wouldn't be so lucky myself. It seemed everyone was watching my every move since Quinn's dad introduced me to the pack. I only had my eyes on one wolf though and that was my mate. While everyone around us looked a bit winded and worn down from our first few exercises, Quinn looked as fresh as she did at the ball last night. I truly admired her for her strength. So far, there was nothing my mate couldn't do. How lucky was I to have found her?

Quinn's father started splitting us into pairs for training. I was matched with a large burly wolf who looked like he was a little too excited to be my sparring partner. I looked around to find who Quinn was partnered with but she was standing off to the side looking a bit sad. Would none of these men spar with her just because she was a shewolf? She caught my quizzical gaze and quickly straightened up, looking stronger than the vulnerable face she had on moments ago.

Quinn's father ran through the rules we all had to follow, which were similar to the ground rules I had set earlier for Quinn and I. After making sure everyone was set and ready, Quinn's father moved in her direction and set himself across from her. I understand now. He was going to be her sparring partner for this session. I was incredibly grateful for this as now I wouldn't need to worry about her being manhandled by another wolf.

While lost in my thoughts, I'd apparently missed the signal to begin the match and there was now a crazed wolf lunging in my direction. I quickly sidestepped him, only getting grazed slightly on my side. With the wolf just behind me, I was able to throw a sharp elbow into his shoulder to knock him off balance. Spinning around quickly I grabbed his arm and twisted it, immediately dislocating it. He howled in pain but whipped around with his good arm to take an open hand shot at my throat. I got my hand up just in time but wasn't successful in fully blocking him. The wind was knocked out of me, momentarily disorienting me. Now my wolf was angry.

My opponent looked entirely too pleased with himself until I kicked him squarely in the chest sending him flying about fifteen feet away. He landed on the ground with a thud and I quickly jumped on his chest to pin him to the ground. He was in no shape to fight me off and quickly submitted, turning to bare his neck to me.

I stood back to my feet and helped the man up using his good arm. We shook hands and he hobbled over to the sidelines to be looked at by the pack nurses on standby for training sessions. I could see why having them there was necessary for this pack. The warriors here were ruthless. Even with the rules in place, there were multiple wolves in bad shape on the sidelines.

Thankfully Quinn wasn't one of them I noticed. She was still deep in her sparring match with her father. Those two were going after each other like nothing I had seen before. They were so evenly matched. You could tell they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.

"This could go on forever," I heard someone grumble beside me. I glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Suze looking almost as fresh as when she showed up, but still a bit cranky I could tell.

"I take it your partner didn't fare as well as you did?" I asked looking her up and down.

She looked behind her and gestured towards a redheaded shewolf getting worked on by one of the pack nurses. She was holding her arm and it looked like there was a pretty nasty break in it. I gave Suze a prideful look, "Guess my mate isn't the only one who can handle herself around here, huh?"

Suze looked back at me rolling her eyes, "Don't test me, Liam. That bitch got on my nerves and I wanted it to be over quickly. Quinn is my best friend after all. She wouldn't let me get away without some sort of training."

This made me smile. Quinn was protective of her people and as much as it may annoy Suze, she appreciated her for it.

Quinn and her father were still going strong. Neither one looked like they were ready to throw in the towel just yet. Most of the other matches had finished up and the wolves who were still standing were surrounding them watching the fight take place. Some wolves' faces held pride but it was clear that others' held fear. I see now why there was no one for Quinn to spar with. These other wolves were afraid of her. She must have some reputation here to be feared by wolves twice her size.

At that moment, Quinn got a sharp blow to her father's shoulder and I heard a crack. His face showed no pain though and he kept going with his good arm not missing a beat. Quinn took advantage of his weakness and pulled his bad arm behind his back and pressed him into the ground. Ruthless, I thought to myself. But I knew I was incredibly proud of her for being so ruthless and I could see her father was as well. She was trained well to even be able to take down those closest to her without batting an eye. Wolves heal quickly and she knows she didn't do any lasting damage to him. He'll be better in a few hours.

After tapping out, Quinn helped her father up and gave him a quick hug. He kissed her on the cheek and looked out to the warriors surrounding him. He looked at each and every one of them in the eyes as he asked, "Would anyone like to take on the wolf who was able to bring me down?"

Not a single wolf stepped forward. Quinn's face dropped but I could tell she was used to this. If we hadn't sparred just a few hours ago, I'd have volunteered myself. But we already knew how that ended and neither of us wanted to push our conclusion any further just yet. "As I suspected," Quinn's father addressed the wolves again, "still a bunch of cowards. I'll have you know our crown prince had a match with my daughter earlier today. I'll let you decide if you want to ask to see how that ended up."

All eyes were on me now. I held my stoic gaze. No one needed to know there was no true winner in our match. Almost all the wolves present had no idea Quinn was my mate so the fact that I sparred with a shewolf from their pack was incomprehensible to them.

"You're dismissed," her father added. "I will see you all tomorrow morning for our early session. Rest up because this one is really going to push your limits," he warned. Some wolves groaned and grumbled as they walked towards the pack house with various levels of injury.

I headed towards Quinn and her father as the last few wolves left the training field. I guess it was time to officially meet the family. Why do I feel like this isn't going to go well?