Forged in Fire (Forgotten Series, #2)

Chapter Twenty

It was easy to fall back into my training, to push everything away but the battle. I knew there were some deep aches in my body, some lancing pains but when I fought, I could block it all out. Jace referred to it as muscle memory, to repeat an action so many times that it became a memory that your very muscles knew even if you did not. It was a reflex, an instinct, not something that could be erased and I became aware that I have been neglecting it for far too long.

I easily dodged the punch that had been aimed at me before I struck quickly. He was stunned but I didn't push the attack. It wasn't my intention to force a submission but to train him. He was fast but he lacked precision and I could now understand why Benji had wished for me to train with the pack.

A lot of them relied on brute force and that wasn't exactly bad for shifters. It was how everyone trained but I also knew throwing some thought and strategy into a fight would make the fight go further, tire you out less. It was how I fought. How I was trained. Five years of intense training, being taught to not rely solely on my strength because I had been told if I did my top warrior would have no troubles in taking my position.

I dodged another punch before dropping my arm to deflect the kick aimed at my ribs. I let out a grunt as the hard kick landed on my forearm. I wrapped my arm around his leg and twisted close to him, unbalancing him, sending him to his back in the dirt. I let his leg go before holding out my hand, he grasped it tightly. "Never place yourself in a position where you can be taken off your feet."

I helped haul him to his feet and he nodded at me, his expression serious. He got into position and I didn't give him any time before I started in on him. He needed to learn how to defend as well as attack. I pulled my blows, not letting my full strength enter them. I didn't want to harm him too much. "You need to focus on the attacks." I said it between rapid punches towards his upper body. Several hit their marks but he managed to deflect almost half of them. He grunted with the exertion of blocking the blows and hissed at each one that made contact. "I'm going easy on you." I hooked my foot behind his knee and I aimed a punch at his face. He leaned back and with the pressure I suddenly placed behind his knee he fell over again. He hit the ground with an oof and breathed heavily from the exertion. I was breathing nearly as hard and could feel sweat rolling down my back.

The sun beat down on us as I stared down at him. "Not bad." I held out my hand and he took it once more and I hauled him to his feet.

"Coming from you, Alpha. That means a lot. You are one hell of a fighter." He bent over, trying to catch his breath and I clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. A few bruises marred his skin and I was sure there were a few bruises on mine as well but they would fade, as would the slight ache in my muscles.

"I had to train extremely hard to get to that point." Jace had made sure I had trained hard and fast. I wasn't bulky like most Alphas. I hadn't been born that way but I could take down some of them easily if I wanted.

"It shows." He straightened before looking at me. "You were using half strength." He ran a hand through his hair, as if attempting to straighten the unruly strands.

"Didn't want to damage you. It was more of a lesson on blocking and defending. No need to use all my strength for that and take you out of training completely." Despite how I wasn't born for the position my blood still gave me a bit of an advantage and I used full strength I knew there was a possibility of broken bones, especially with my training. We were training and I felt no need to take shifters out of commission in a training session. "Alright, you get hydrated then find another sparring partner." He nodded before walking off. I stretched my arms up, wincing at the sharp pain in my side. I was fairly certain one of my ribs was dislocated.

I grabbed at my side, seeing if I could pop it back in without help but it could tell it was dislocated at my spine. I grimaced and waved at Benji to come over. He nodded from his spot on the small platform I had erected for him to stand on while he supervised the training. He hopped down and within a few moments was at my side.