Chapter 128: Grace
I stood with Maizie just inside the tree line that was to the left of the pack house. Alana was sitting on a blanket, her laptop still out as she looked at wedding things. Rhys and I hadn’t picked a date yet with everything going on, but Alana had insisted that we start looking at things. She had asked if she could help plan, and I needed all the help that I could get. I didn’t want to disappoint Rhys if he decided he still wanted to marry me.
“You should take off your ring,” Maizie said, following my gaze to my hand.
“Why?” I asked, hesitant to do as she asked.
“In a real fight, it would probably be advantageous to keep on, but for now, I don’t real want to be hit by it or deal with cuts from it. Plus, your fingers are going to swell, and it can get uncomfy.”
I nodded, but didn’t really understand. If it was a weapon, I should learn to use it. But not only that, I didn’t want to take it off. It was something Rhys gave me, and if I took it off, it felt like I was disconnecting myself from him. But I took it off anyway and handed it to Alana for safe keeping.
“I really don’t want to train,” I told Maizie for the hundredth time.
“You have been avoiding me and it since you decided to rejoin society. We are training. It’s good for you.”
I didn’t know who needed this training session more, me or Maizie with the way she was talking, but I didn’t get the chance to ponder over it long. Maizie took her fighting stance. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her all-black skintight clothes, gave her a fierce look that made me question ever wanting to train with her.
“Come on, Grace,” She prodded. “The grass is soft in this area, just like the mat. You’re holding yourself back.”
I was. It was me who wasn’t sure she cared enough about anything to fight. But those kids, the ones Maizie had told me about were enough to make me realize that not fighting wasn’t an option.
I felt the grass between my toes and centered myself. This was just training. Maizie was not going to kill me but make me better, so that the next time someone tried, I would be ready.
I steadied myself, and Maizie lunged as soon as she saw I was ready. I dodged her first hit, but she threw her knee into my stomach. I gasped but remained on my feet as she grabbed at my wrists, her nails digging into my skin. I twisted my way out, yanking my arms out of her grip on the weak side, throwing my body weight into her. I got two hits in, but she recovered quickly. We were both breathless, but it okay. There was something freeing in sparring with Maizie. It was like power was flowing through me. For the first time in weeks, I felt alive.
I took a sucker punch to the gut, and stumbled back, as she sent another one at my head. I ducked under it, hitting the ground and rolling away from her, reestablishing myself on my feet. Holy shit. I had never successfully done that before.
Maizie smirked, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t need her to to know she was proud of me. She lunged again, this time making contact, forcing us both to the ground. She had me pinned, her arm at my throat. If this was a real fight, I would be dead already, but she was giving me the chance to break free.
“Come on, Gracie,” She urged, “Figure it out or tap out.”
My one arm was pinned under me at an awkward angle, and she had my other one pinned beneath her leg as she adjusted herself to have a better angle. I thought I could get the one behind me free, I just needed to throw her off balance just a little bit. So, with all my force, I bucked my body, and lifted my arm out from under me, gesturing toward her. However, I didn’t even make contact before she flew off of me, surprising us both, as she smacked hard into a tree, crumpling to the ground.
“Maizie!” I screamed, racing toward her, but the cut on the back of her head was already healing.
“What the fuck was that?” Alana asked in horror, kneeling down next to us, as I rolled Maizie into my lap.
“Maizie?” I prodded immediately.
The younger girl blinked up at me her eyes filled with confusion.
“What happened?” She asked, sitting herself up.
“I didn’t mean to do it. You just flew off of me!”
Something suddenly dawned on her, and she narrowed her eyes at me in accusation.
“You didn’t tell me you were Lycan!”
“I’m mean,” I stuttered surprised at her accusation. “I can’t shift... I’ve only been told that I’m Lycan. But I can’t prove it.”
Her eyes narrowed at me, as if she was trying to figure something out. “Didn’t you say you grew up in Red Blood pack?”
“Yea,” I confirmed. “My dad was the Alpha till he died. Kinsley is my half-sister.” Which was not a fact I liked admitting on either account.
“Wait what?” She looked horrified as she got to her feet, and I got to mine. “Are you the girl who killed Luna Ava?”
A gasp ripped through me as I stepped back, and pain shot through me like she had physically hit me.
“No!” I panicked. “No. I would never!”
It was so quiet. Nobody moved, and nobody said anything. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes. No. I would never have killed Luna Ava. She was the only person who had ever been kind to me. She was the only one who had loved me. No. I wouldn’t have killed her. I never touched her, but no one would believe me. Oh goddess. It’s happening again.
I struggled to catch my breath. No. They would hate me here too. I was finally starting to think I would be okay here.
“Grace?” Alana voice called out in question as she inched her way closer to me, a concerned look in her eyes.
“Grace, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
But I didn’t stick around to hear the rest of her sentence. I couldn’t. I had to leave before they all turned against me again. I took off at a full sprint, letting the forest, swallow me whole.