Chapter 16

“So, tell me Bella, exactly how rough do you like it?”

He smirked and put his hand out for me to shake, “I’m Isaac, and I have every intention of getting you underneath me.”

He licked his lip again, and I wanted to gag. Yep, I’m going to enjoy this. I smiled and turned my attention back to the professor. He just wants to see where we are with our combat skills. The first one to get pinned loses. Easy enough.

He had us spread out around the training grounds. There's plenty of room for all the fights. There's also enough space in between us that the professor can safely walk around to inspect everyone’s skills.

Isaac is underestimating me, which means I already have the upper hand. We all took our stance and waited for the whistle. I noticed Isaac was laughing about this drill with his friend. It gave me time to take in his stance and look for any weak spots. I love it when I get to embarrass power-hungry alphas.

When the whistle blow, we started circling each other.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll go easy on you.”

“No need,” I smiled as I threw a right hook straight into his face and made contact on my first swing.

He swung back but I blocked him. I continued to block and dodge his fists and his legs. He was trying everything, but I’m faster and can anticipate his moves. He got angrier with every block I made.

He is a strong opponent, but I managed to get a good kick to his abdomen, followed by another right hook to his face. I let him keep trying to land a hit, until I saw an opening.

When he threw another right hook, he threw his whole body into it, and I was able to duck toward his left side and swipe his legs out from under him.

He hit the ground hard, and I jumped up and pinned him.

The professor blew his whistle again, signifying my win. Being the first one in class to be pinned doesn’t look good for an alpha. Especially when it’s by a girl.

I stood up and smiled as I tried to slow my breathing and my heart rate down. My mom was right, focus and concentration are the most important elements in a fight. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Stay two steps ahead of your enemy.

She always says the best way to lose a fight is to get cocky. Once again, she was right.

I can feel the sweat still beading up on my forehead, and my heart is still racing. The bubbling feeling is back in my stomach, and I know I need to get out of here. I have the urge to shift, and I can feel my magic flowing strongly throughout my whole body.

“You don’t look right, are you OK?” Ryker linked me. I looked around the training grounds trying to find them. All three of them had their opponents pinned and were staring at me.

“I need to run and release.” I stared back at them. There are still 20 minutes left in class, but I can’t wait.

I started running toward the forest, but my wolf forced a shift. Ripping through my clothes as I got to the end of the training ground. Thank the goddess, I chose a supernatural school to attend. They should be used to this type of thing.

I can hear my paws pounding against the ground, but I have no idea where I’m going. My wolf took control and just keeps running.

She finally slowed down after three laps around the pond. The school has a magical barrier around the property. We can only run so far.

I got control back and shifted back into my human form. All I can do is lie on the grass next to the pond for a moment as I think about what in the world just happened.

I can hear the boys running through the woods.

“Can one of you go to my room and get me some clothes.” I linked all three of them.

“Ezra is already on it, Drake and I are headed your way.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I jumped into the pond to avoid having to talk to them while I’m completely exposed.

I started swirling my hands as I made the water dance. I had to release some of my magic. I don’t know what’s going on. I still have control over my magic, but it feels different. Like it’s getting stronger.

I’m swimming in chilly water, but all I can feel is heat from the fire within me.

“Well, hello there beautiful. Were you following me?”

I spun around, “Dawson, what are you doing here?”

“I came here to shift, and I would say my timing is perfect.”

I rolled my eyes as he sat down by the edge of the water. Nudity isn’t a big deal to most shifters, but I try to have a little modesty.

“How long have you been standing there?”

Dawson smiled, “Don’t worry, I was over by the trees and didn’t even see you until you jumped in.”

I nodded and saw Ryker and Drake coming up behind Dawson.

“When is the last time you shifted?” Ryker asked as he bent down by the edge of the water.

“It hasn’t been that long, and I wasn’t upset. I don’t know why she forced the shift.”

“What about,”

“Her mate,” Drake cut Ryker off and stared at Dawson.

“Do you think she sensed him?” Ryker asked Drake.

I looked at Dawson, “I didn’t pick up on his scent during the fight.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. You were so focused on the fight, you could have missed it.” Ryker said as he shook his head.

Drake didn’t say anything. He just nodded and looked at Dawson and then me. I know what he’s thinking, we will talk after Dawson leaves.

Ezra finally came running up with my clothes. The guys all turned around so I could get dressed.

“Thanks Ezra. Jacie didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”

“No, I told her what happened. How did that punk get you upset enough to force a shift?”

“That’s just it. I wasn’t upset. I was happy I beat him.”

“Bella, I need to go to class. Are you sure you’re OK?” Dawson looked at me and then the boys.”

“Yah I’m fine, I’ll talk to you later and fill you in on what happened in class.” If Dawson is my mate, he had better get used to the boys being around. My family is close, and we are always around each other. I wouldn’t expect anything different here.

Dawson nodded and said goodbye to all of us. We waited until we knew he was out of hearing range before we picked up our conversation.

“Guy’s, I don’t know why my wolf forced a shift, but I could also feel that my magic needed to be released. I don’t know what’s wrong. I feel like it’s getting stronger.”

“What do you mean by stronger? Your wolf or your powers?” Drake asked.

“Well, it would be both for us right. Our wolf carries our magic.”

Drake looked at me and nodded. He’s a wolf with magic like me. I can tell he’s deep in thought.

“Bella, I think I need to talk to my grandpa about this. He’s the closest to your level of magic.”

I nodded. I don’t like it, but Josiah grew up in the black moon pack. He knows the most about our heritage.

Josiah is Luna Siah’s father, and my biological father was his nephew. It’s a small world, I know.

It’s also the reason that the only surviving wolves with magic are in our pack. Me, Josiah, Luna Siah, and her three children, Drake, Declan, and Sasha.

“I found a book about blessed werewolf's in the library this morning. I’ll read through it while you talk to Josiah. I’m wondering if everything is connected. My mark, my mates, and my crazy wolf with her growing powers."