CHAPTER 51: HOW DOES A WOLF ESCAPE?

Kaya

"Fighting is not only about physical strength," I hear Magnus speak again. He was probably tired of my silence, though he must have seen something flash in my expression if he decided to get directly to the point.

He takes another step toward me, and my body automatically recoils, even though I know he wouldn’t hurt me. "It’s about agility. Speed. Reflexes. Instincts."

He locks his burning eyes on mine, and I can practically feel something ignite inside me under his intense scrutiny. He challenges me, and whatever lives inside me really wants to accept that challenge.

The corners of Magnus’s lips twitch ever so slightly, and I instantly notice the tension spreading across his body.

His posture straightens, but his muscles bulge, and now, I can clearly see them outlined under his tight black shirt.

I swallow hard, and something within me nearly whimpers. What exactly is going on with me? Why do I feel so strange every time I see him next to me?

I don’t have much time to dwell on my ridiculous thoughts because Magnus stalks slowly at me, his amber eyes shining with an almost predatory glow. "Every step you take," he says, and I can practically hear amusement in his low voice. He is enjoying this, and I can’t help but feel absolutely lost.

"Every move you make," he adds, his right hand curling into a fist, "if your opponent is strong, then even the slightest movement of your hair will be registered in their mind."

With that, he gives me no time to process his words and simply lunges forward, his fist swinging right before my face. Miraculously, I manage to dodge, my upper body leaning backward, guided by whatever it is I have in me that urges me to survive.

Magnus smirks and takes a step back, seemingly to give me some time to realize what just happened, but before I know it, his fist flies next to my cheek once again, and although his hand could have easily landed on my face, he takes pity on me and hits me in my shoulder instead.

I fall down, back flat against the cold black earth, my shoulder throbbing so much that I can barely hold back my tears.

I have to admit that I have already forgotten what it feels like to be hit like that, and frankly, I’ve had worse.

Still, even though I know that he was holding back, that hit was fucking strong.

"The first time, your body reacted out of sheer instinct," Magnus speaks again, his amber orbs shining down on me like two burning stars. "You didn’t dodge it the second time, though. Why?"

I lean on my elbows, wincing as I try to keep my upper body up so that I don’t feel that miserable. "I don’t know. Maybe my instincts are not that prominent."

He scoffs, and it kind of pisses me off for some reason. "You are a werewolf––there is no creature in this world that has better instincts than yours. So?"

So? I repeat in my head, mimicking the same intonation. I hadn’t shifted for years before that incident in the Diamond Claw. Hell, I have never even formally trained my wolf before, and he is asking me about my control over my instincts?

"I don’t know," I finally mumble, more to myself than to him, but he still hears me somehow. That damn wolf hearing.

"Who does then?"

"I don’t know!" I finally snap louder. "Maybe I just need more practice!"

"I respect that."

These are the only words I hear before Magnus lunges at me once again, grabbing me by my already throbbing shoulder. His fingers dig deep into my flesh as he props me up to my feet and pushes me away, jerking his chin as if to prepare me to fight again.

"I will move slower this time," he says and takes a big, slow step to the side. "Your instincts are mostly the knowledge you get from the observations you make. The same goes for your reflexes. The more you see, the better you react because you know what might come next. You expect it."

He pauses, and I can practically feel something stirring inside me as if his little teachings are indeed somehow working on me already.

"Do you know how animals learn how to fight?" he then asks, stalking toward me like a stealthy predator. "They watch their parents fight, and they memorize it. So watch, Moonlight. Learn."

With that, I don’t see how exactly he moves right next to me, but before I can even blink, Magnus stops to my right, and his flat palm slices dangerously close to my neck.

I don’t know how, but I manage to dodge that hit as well because this time, as if the time indeed has slowed down just for the sake of this lesson, my eyes indeed registered his movements, and I was able to jump to the opposite side, the scars on my arms itching with weird excitement.

"Good job," Magnus praises me, but I can’t even feel another bloom of blush on my cheeks. Somehow, I am so hyped up, that the only thing I am craving now is for him to try and attack me one more time.

Perhaps having noticed the glimmer of excitement in my eyes, he scoffs, and the next thing I see is his elbow moving right below my chin, while his large, muscular arm wraps around my neck, trapping me against his strong body.

"Train your eyes to see the unexpected," his whisper brushes over the crown of my head, and I feel a soft tingle in the pit of my stomach. "Never expect the same blow to come at you twice. Because if you do, then you have automatically lost."

I don’t have time to react as suddenly, the earth is knocked from under my feet, the whole world turning upside down in one quick blur.

Once again, my back is flat against the cold ground, but this time, Magnus’s large, muscular body is pressed against mine, his handsome face dangerously close to mine.

"You are trapped, Moonlight," he whispers again, and I flinch as his hot breath brushes against my lips. "And how does a wolf escape from such a trap?"

My mind is blank. How can I reply to this when right now, I don’t even think I know my own name?

I swallow hard, his strong, woody scent fills my lungs like incense, and before I know it, the voice that doesn’t seem to belong to me slips past my lips.

"How?"

A somewhat sly grin tugs at the corners of his lips, and his low, yet melodic voice sends a shiver down my spine. "Shift."