#Chapter 22: Encouragement and Independence

The sun rose high in the sky as another day of training beckoned. Except this time, I was heading toward my school training session with a mix of conflicting emotions. Training with Lucas was one thing, but training in front of all my peers who judged me was something entirely different. Last time, Jessica slammed me to the floor in front of all my classmates, and I retreated to the hockey rink. I hoped that wouldn't happen again today. But at my last training session with Lucas, he encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and participate in the group training sessions. "But you know how much I hate them," I told him with a pout. "I know you don't like it, but it'll be good for you to practice there too. Everyone's strength level is different. Everyone fights differently. It's an excellent way for you to work with different techniques and skills." “For you it's just practice, but I don’t have my wolf—” “Shana, you should trust me,” Lucas interrupted. “I