The Last Luna Standing

chapter 15

Tamara

"Earth, please wait," I called out quickly before she walked too far down the path.

Earth paused her steps and looked back at me over her shoulder. Her facial expression was highly encouraging.

"Go ahead, Tamara," she said with a gentle tone. "He is the absolute best fighter in our entire pack. Let him train you today. It will help you improve your skills."

Then, she turned her body around completely and continued walking toward the main training field, leaving me alone among the tall trees.

I stood alone with Alpha North on the narrow dirt path. I felt very unsure about this new training arrangement. I had various worries running continuously through my mind.

Could North actually train me properly? He had demonstrated zero patience for my personal fighting style during the border patrol. He clearly wanted raw physical strength, and I simply did not possess that in specific. I worried he would just yell at me again if I made a simple mistake during our practice.

I also worried about being so physically close to him after what happened last night. My physical body still remembered the exact pressure of his large hands holding my waist and the direct, heated feeling of his mouth pressing against mine.

North walked toward the center of the small training ring located directly next to the path. The training ring consisted of a wide circle of hard, packed brown dirt surrounded by tall green pine trees.

"Step into the ring, Tamara," he instructed me.

I walked forward onto the dry dirt. I raised my hands into a standard defensive position, placing my arms exactly how Earth had taught me over the past few weeks.

"Your stance is far too stiff," North said immediately. He walked slowly around me in a full circle. He examined my body posture very closely. "You need to keep your muscles completely loose. If you stay stiff, your body will tire out very quickly during a real physical fight."

He stepped directly in front of my body. He reached out with both hands and pushed my elbows down slightly to correct my defensive form. His large hands felt extremely hot against my bare skin. The sudden physical contact made my breathing speed up instantly.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, looking down at my face.

"Yes," I answered clearly.

He moved forward instantly. He did not give me any verbal warning. He threw a fast, hard punch directly toward my face. I stepped back quickly and raised my right arm to block his hit. His thick forearm hit my arm heavily, and the massive force of his strike pushed my body backward. I stumbled on the loose dirt but managed to keep my balance.

I twisted my body quickly and kicked my leg toward his right knee. He stepped back, avoiding my kick with complete ease. We sparred continuously for almost three minutes. I tried every single combat move Earth had taught me. I punched, I kicked, and I tried to duck under his long arms.

But North was simply too fast and too physically strong for me to handle. He blocked every single attack without showing any signs of physical effort. He was not even breathing heavily.

Meanwhile, I was sweating heavily from the intense physical exertion. My chest moved up and down rapidly as I tried to get enough air into my tired lungs. My arms and legs felt very heavy and sore.

I threw one final, desperate punch toward his broad chest. North easily caught my fist inside his large hand. He twisted my arm gently but very firmly, stepped directly behind my body, and tripped my legs using his right foot.

I fell backward onto the hard dirt.

North followed me down immediately. He pinned my back flat against the ground. He held both of my wrists securely above my head using only one of his hands. He used his other hand to hold my hips down firmly against the dirt.

His heavy, muscular body pressed directly against my smaller frame, completely trapping me in place.

"Is this exactly how you plan to fight during the Luna Trials?" North asked loudly. His face was only a few inches above mine. "The trials are exactly two months away, Tamara.”

I huffed loudly in pure frustration. I tried to pull my wrists out of his tight grip, but his thick fingers were locked tightly around my skin. I tried to move my legs, but his heavy body weight held my lower half completely still. I was absolutely no match for his superior physical strength.

"Let me go." I said, breathing heavily.

North did not move away from me. Instead, he lowered his head slightly. His dark brown eyes looked directly into my eyes. The anger and frustration from our sparring session suddenly disappeared completely from his facial expression.

The physical air between us changed instantly. The intense physical attraction from the previous night returned to us immediately.

I felt his warm breath directly against my lips.

I completely stopped struggling against his physical grip. My body relaxed beneath him, and I looked back at his eyes. The mate bond pushed our physical desires together. He moved his free hand away from my hip and slowly touched the side of my face. His rough thumb rubbed softly against my cheek. I leaned my face fully into his warm touch. I wanted him to kiss me again.

I felt a strong physical need for him to kiss me right then. He leaned closer. Our lips were only a tiny millimeter apart. I closed my eyes in deep anticipation.

"Well, this is a very interesting training technique."

A loud, mocking female voice interrupted the quiet silence.

North stopped moving instantly. He pulled his head back quickly and looked over his broad shoulder. I turned my head to the side and looked toward the edge of the dirt ring.

Serena stood there on the green grass. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wore a fitted red training top and short black pants. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She looked directly at us with a very clear expression of pure disgust on her face.

North sighed heavily. He released my wrists and stood up. He offered me his hand to help me up, but I ignored his gesture completely. I sat up and pushed myself off the ground using my own strength.

I brushed the loose brown dirt off my black training pants. I felt extremely embarrassed by the situation. My face felt very hot.

"What do you want, Serena?" North asked. His voice was completely flat and devoid of any emotion. He did not look at me. He looked directly at Serena.

"I came to see the new Luna candidate in action," Serena answered loudly, walking slowly into the dirt ring. She looked my body up and down. She clearly noticed my heavy breathing, my sweaty clothes, and my messy hair. "I heard Earth say you were training here with the Alpha. But it looks like you are just playing around on the dirt."

I pressed my lips tightly together. I felt a strong surge of pure anger toward her. "We were sparring," I said clearly.

Serena laughed out loud. It was a short, highly unpleasant sound. "Sparring?”

She stopped walking when she was a few feet away from me. She looked directly into my eyes. She did not show any respect at all. She only showed complete superiority.

"The other women and I are training on the main ring right now," Serena stated loudly, making sure North heard her words. "We are practicing real physical combat. I want you to come and meet the other female warriors. I want you to step into the fighting ring with us and spar today."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled a very tight, mean smile.

"Or are you too weak to do so?" she challenged me directly. "Maybe you prefer to stay here and hide behind the Alpha instead of proving yourself as you should.”