Break Me, Mate [Extended Sample]

{nine}

© 2015 by Nique Joaquin. All rights reserved.

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There was nothing but darkness and silence.

I knew my eyes were open. But there was nothing for me to see. Just darkness.

Until I felt a warmth surge from my chest and I felt a pull so strong that it almost forced me back.

I gasped.

I broke into fitting coughs and opened my eyes to find myself in the living room. Ari stared down at me and I realized- I was bent over on the floor.

"Shít." Jasper blurted, my eyes snapping to his figure in the corner. "Elair, your eyes... they're blood red."

"What?" I snap and I catch my reflection on a small mirror hanging on the wall.

They were red. I turned my heel to leave but I crashed into someone. Maddox stood in front of me and held me in my place. I sighed loudly.

"Follow me." Maddox says as he takes my hand and leads me off. Leaving Ari and Jasper behind in the pack house.

Maddox brings me to a clearing in the forest before letting my hand go. He walks across me and faces me before coming into a fighting position. I arch a brow at him.

"The hell are you doing?" I ask.

"Let it out." Maddox says and I roll my eyes.

"I have nothing to 'let out', Cross." I say and he shakes his head before swinging one of his arms at me. I dodge it quickly and I realize that he's going all out.

"Elair." Maddox calls me and I groan as I get into my own fighting stance.

Maddox launches a punch headed straight at my face and I dodge it by going down low and jumping behind him. I swiftly lift my right foot for a high kick but Maddox blocks it with his left arm. I duck when I see his right arm swings back for another hit, his right foot also goes up for a kick and I quickly dodge to the left. I get behind him and release a heavy breath, watching the mist form in front of my mouth.

Maddox turns quickly and faces me with a calm demeanour. With one quick move, Maddox uses his his arms to grab at my shoulders and I know he's about to knee me in the stomach. I use my arms to hold on to Maddox before swinging my legs up and kicking him off of me. The sound of his back hitting the trees echoes around us and I groan as I land with one knee on the ground. He wasn't using full force now, and I watched as he got back into position.

Maddox begins to make a run towards me and I immediately prepare myself for the hit. He gets close and I jump from my position swinging my legs so that they wrap around the top of his head. I use the force of my weight to shift his balance. But he resists and I end up swinging up to get off of him. My legs are in the air as I land from a backwards jump.

He immediately turns, grabs my arm and hurls me towards him. I crash into his chest and stop moving as I feel the warmth of our bodies clash with each other's.

"Better?" He asks me and I groan as I push him away.

"I was fine."

"You say the opposite of what you mean." He retorts before taking my hand. I'm about to pull my hand from his when I hear the sound of footsteps.

"Alpha Cross." Someone calls out, we turn and face the source, but Maddox's arms are still around me, trapping me in his embrace.

I watch as Winter, Mason, Jill, and Gwen make their way over to me along with three other teenagers I didn't recognize.