#Chapter 139: The Training

Kayla The thwack of leather beneath my fist echoed through the training ring in a steady rhythm, matching the tempo of my heart. One, two, one, two… Jab, jab, feint, uppercut. As a final move, I twisted to the right and extended my leg up and to the side, slamming my foot into the center of the training dummy with a brutal kick that would have sent another person sprawling across the ground. “Not bad,” Marcus’s voice called from the edge of the ring. I looked up to see the Beta approaching, dressed in his usual training gear. The sight of my friend made me smile, and I wiped the sweat from my brow, reaching for my nearby water. “Ready for training today?” Marcus eyed me up and down, taking in my sweaty, disheveled appearance. “You look like you’ve been out here for hours already.” I simply shrugged, because it was true. For the past week since Nicholas had challenged me to a spar, I’d been out in the training ring bright and early each morning before every