Chapter 24: Don’t Hold Back

Don’t Hold Back

Roxanne walked into Combat class still riding the high of beating Liam the day before.

Isla nudged her. "You’re smiling again."

"I won a race."

"You beat Liam."

"Exactly."

"You’re enjoying this."

Roxanne tried to deny it, but she couldn’t quite manage it. For the first time since arriving at Moonstone Academy, she felt like she actually belonged to something here.

Then she noticed Kai already standing on the training floor. His eyes flicked to her, taking in her confident expression.

"Feeling brave today?"

"Why? Worried I’ll beat you too?"

A faint smirk crossed his face. "Try."

That got her attention fast.

The instructor gathered the class and explained the day’s focus. Controlled one-on-one sparring, testing reaction speed, dodging, balance, and using wolf-enhanced senses without losing control.

Pairs were announced. Roxanne heard Kai’s name, then hers.

She looked at him. He simply walked onto the mat, and she followed.

"Don’t expect me to go easy on you," he said.

She folded her arms. "I didn’t ask you to."

"Good."

The instructor gave the signal to begin.

Kai moved first, fast enough that she barely dodged in time. She tried to counter. He blocked. She tried again. He sidestepped without effort.

Frustration climbed with every failed attempt. He wasn’t mocking her, wasn’t laughing, wasn’t treating this like anything but serious, and somehow that made it worse.

She lunged. He caught her wrist and redirected her own momentum against her, and she stumbled before he let go.

"Too much force."

"I know how to fight."

"Then fight smarter."

Her jaw tightened. "You’re enjoying this."

"No."

"Could’ve fooled me."

He reset into position. "Again."

She charged. He dodged. She missed again. He blocked again.

Finally she snapped. "Would you stop treating me like I’m incompetent?"

Kai went still. "I haven’t."

"You haven’t let me land one hit."

"Because you’re angry."

She stared at him.

"You’re fighting me to prove something."

"I don’t have anything to prove."

He looked directly at her. "Then stop trying to prove it."

That landed harder than anything physical could have.

Roxanne stepped back and took a breath, letting his earlier advice surface in her mind. Watch the movement, not the person. Not the strength. The movement.

She studied him. His shoulders. His feet. The small shift in his weight before he moved. He moved again. She waited, watching.

There.

She struck exactly when he shifted, twisting past his reach and using his own momentum to end up behind him, his arm locked against her hold.

The class reacted instantly. Kai froze, and for the first time she saw real surprise in his expression.

"I got you."

He glanced back over his shoulder, a faint smile breaking through. "There you are."

"What?"

"That."

"What is ’that’?"

"Thinking."

She rolled her eyes. "Just admit I beat you."

"I didn’t say that."

"You’re impossible."

"And you’re improving."

This time the compliment didn’t grate. It felt earned.

The instructor told them to continue. "Again?" Kai asked, already resetting.

She laughed. "You really don’t know when to quit."

"No."

"Fine."

The next round was different. Roxanne didn’t try to overpower him. She watched, predicted, moved, and he adapted just as quickly. Their movements began to sync in a way that made it hard to tell who was leading.

Kai caught her wrist. She twisted free. She stepped forward, he sidestepped, their shoulders collided, and both of them lost balance at once, hitting the mat together.

He landed beside her, close enough that her breath caught. His face was only inches from hers. Neither moved. The noise of the class seemed to fall away, and she became suddenly aware of his eyes, his breathing, the warmth radiating between them.

His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes.

Then he pushed himself up and extended a hand. "Come on."

She hesitated a second before taking it. He pulled her upright, and she looked away quickly, neither of them mentioning what had just happened.

For a moment neither of them moved to rejoin the group. Roxanne busied herself brushing dust off her sleeve that wasn’t really there, aware of Kai a few feet away, doing much the same thing with his own composure. Neither looked at the other directly. It was strange, she thought, how loud a silence could be when both people knew exactly what they weren’t saying out loud.

When the instructor dismissed the class, Roxanne stayed behind to gather her things. Kai was still there.

"Why are you always so hard on me?" she finally asked.

"You don’t like being treated gently."

"And you know that how?"

"You’ve told me."

"When?"

"Every time you got back up."

She went quiet.

He picked up his bag. "You don’t need someone constantly telling you you’re strong. You already know."

That settled somewhere deep. Liam teased her, Roshan noticed the small things, but Kai had found the part of her that refused to stay down. The part she never showed anyone.

"Thanks," she said finally.

He gave a small nod. "Don’t thank me yet."

"Why?"

"Next class, I’ll be faster."

A reluctant smile pulled at her mouth. "Keep dreaming."

She left the training room, but she was only halfway down the hallway when Kai called her name.

She turned. He tossed something toward her, and she caught it without thinking. Her training wristband.

She hadn’t even noticed she’d left it behind.

"You kept this?"

"You forgot it."

"And you noticed?"

He shrugged. "You were looking for it yesterday."

She paused. Of course he remembered. He remembered everything.

She looked down at the wristband, then back up, but he had already turned and started walking away.

She slid the wristband back onto her wrist, telling herself it meant nothing. He was just observant. That was all.

But as she watched him disappear around the corner, something in her chest fluttered in a way she couldn’t quite dismiss.

Kai paid attention to her, and she wasn’t sure anymore whether she wanted him to stop.