Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Physical training class.

∆§∆ LUNARA'S POV ∆§∆

The next day, it was a physical training class which started at 8 AM sharp.

A different female Professor was running this class. She was exactly what I expected, tall, muscular, with scars on her arms, the kind of woman who looked like she could break someone in half without breaking a sweat.

"Line up!" she barked.

Everyone scrambled into rows, and I stood in the back with the other humans. The training hall was huge, with combat mats covering the floor, weapons lining the walls, and holographic training dummies flickering in the corners.

"Today we start with basic combat drills," Professor Maren announced. "Partner up. One human, one wolf. Let's see what you're working with."

Why are wolves partnering with humans? Isn't that a disadvantage to humans?

Students paired off quickly, leaving me standing there alone, no one wanting to partner with me.

"Smith!"

I looked up as Professor Maren pointed at me.

"You're with Thornwood."

My stomach tightened as I sighed, already knowing how this would go. Zeke stood across the hall with his arms crossed, looking irritated before I even got close, and when I stopped in front of him, he didn't move.

"Let's get this over with," he said coldly.

Professor Maren demonstrated the drill, basic defensive moves, block, counter, repeat, then blew the whistle.

"Begin!"

Zeke moved without warning, his fist coming straight at my face, and I barely blocked it in time.

He didn't slow down after that, he kept coming at me again and again, none of his blows were controlled, every hit meant to hurt, his strikes were fast and angry, as if he was trying to prove something.

I kept blocking, my arms already starting to ache and shake, I kept searching for an opening to counterattack but there wasn't any, he wasn't giving me one.

"Fight back," he said, his voice low and condescending. "Or are you too weak?"

I took advantage of the second he spoke and swept at his leg, catching him off guard just enough to make him stumble, but he recovered immediately, his eyes flashing gold green as his jaw tightened.

"Lucky shot."

He came at me harder after that, faster, more aggressive, and I blocked most of it until one hit slipped through and slammed into my shoulder, pain shooting down my arm as I lost balance and hit the mat hard.

No one stepped in. No one said anything. They just watched. I knew they were happy after all, I prefer my suffering.

"Pathetic," Zeke hissed.

Professor Maren blew her whistle sharply. "Thornwood! You're supposed to train, not kill. Heal her. Now."

Zeke's jaw clenched, but he still knelt beside me, his expression dark.

"Give me your arm," he said roughly.

I held out my injured shoulder, and the moment his hand touched my skin, everything stopped.

Warmth rushed through me, sharp and sudden, like lightning striking under my skin, spreading too fast for me to process as his grip tightened without warning and my breath caught.

The warmth moved through me, up my spine, down my chest, settling low in my stomach in a way that made no sense.

Zeke's eyes went wide. He felt it too. His breathing changed.

For a few seconds, we just stared at each other, completely frozen, like neither of us understood what had just happened, then he yanked his hand back as if I had burned him.

My shoulder was healed, the pain completely gone, but the warmth stayed, spreading instead of fading, moving lower, turning into something I couldn't ignore.

What was that?

"Are you done?" Professor Maren asked.

Zeke stood up too quickly. "Yes."

He walked away without looking back, but I saw it, his hands were shaking.

I stayed on the mat for a moment longer, trying to understand what just happened, because that wasn't normal healing, and if he did something to me, why did he look just as shocked?

"Smith! Get up!"

I pushed myself up slowly, my legs unsteady as the warmth inside me kept building instead of fading.

It was now spreading through my stomach and down into my legs, making my skin feel suffocated, and hot, as if something was wrong with me.

I tried to focus on the next drill, but my body wasn't cooperating, and sweat kept sliding down my back.

My breathing was uneven and the warmth kept rising, my vision starting to blur at the edges.

"Are you okay?" my new partner asked, some Elite girl I didn't recognize.

"Fine," I said, even though I wasn't.

The fire in my stomach kept building, my hands trembling slightly as something painful twisted my inside. Twenty minutes into the class, I couldn't take it anymore.

I stumbled toward the bathroom, each step unsteady, my whole body aching in a way I had never felt before.

I had barely made it to the door before someone grabbed my arm. It was Jade.

"You're in heat," she whispered.

"What?"

"Werewolf heat, your first one it seems, come on, you must hide quickly."

She pulled me into the bathroom where Wendy was already waiting.

"How did you guys know?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"We could smell it," Wendy said, not mocking me this time, her expression serious. "And if we can smell it, others can too."

"I don't have a wolf," I said, confusion mixed with something close to panic.

"How can I be in heat?"

"I don't know," Jade replied, "but you are, and if we could smell it, others would too, especially the Cardinals."

My stomach dropped at that, because if the wrong person smelled this, if any of them did, then this wouldn't just be embarrassing, it would be dangerous, and I pushed the thought away before it could settle.

"We need to hide you," Wendy said, already pulling out bottles from her bag, perfume, lots of it. "This will mask it, temporarily."

She sprayed me with something strong and floral, the scent overwhelming.

"You can't go back to class," Jade said. "You need to get to your room. Now."

"How? Everyone will see."

"Leave that to us."

Jade cracked the door open and looked out.

"Bea!" she called quietly.

Bea showed up almost immediately. "Is she okay?"

"She's in heat. We need to get her out. Can you distract Professor Maren?"

Bea nodded without hesitation. "I'll fake an injury. Give you five minutes."

She ran off, and seconds later we heard shouting from the hall.

"Professor! Professor Maren! My ankle!"

"Go," Jade said quickly. "Back exit. Fast."

Wendy supported me as we moved, my steps uneven as we headed toward the exit, but just as we were about to leave, someone stepped in front of us.

Tyson. His blue hair was damp with sweat, his chest rising and falling slightly from training, and the moment his eyes landed on me, everything in his face changed.

"Back to the bathroom right now!" he ordered, looking around.

He didn't even look at Jade or Wendy as he pushed me back the way we came, his grip firm but controlled.

I didn't argue. I was too weak and disoriented to clap back, my vision became blurry but I could tell Jade and Wendy were arguing with him but I couldn't make out their words.

Seconds later, they were gone, and it was just Tyson and me.

"You need to stay here until the class ends for the day. It's for your own good. I will stay outside. Do you understand me?" he asked, his jaw clenched, his eyes shifting between blue and gold like he was holding something back.

I nodded quickly and staggered back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

He was struggling with his wolf. I could feel it even through the door. What if he couldn't hold his wolf and he breaks the door down?

No. I shut that thought down. It will never get to that.

And if it does, I will just use Uncle's technique again to escape.