∞∞∞
Rose stood there panting, facing her opponent, Gina. It was her final match, which she needed to win to qualify. The match had already been going on for over an hour, but Gina and Rose were too evenly matched.
They had both managed to pin each other down twice and managed to get away each time. Rose knew she had to do something unexpected, otherwise this match could go on forever.
Gina lunged at Rose, who dodged her. Rose turned around rapidly and jumped towards Gina. They both clashed mid-air, slashing at each other. Gina and Rose both managed to injure each other, but neither injury was serious.
Rose jumped at her again, and Gina tried to twist and slash her as she dodged Rose’s attack. This forced Rose to move away at the last minute, and she landed on the ground. Gina took advantage of Rose’s fall and jumped on her. Rose rolled away before Gina could land on top of her.
Rose got up, and she and Gina started to circle each other, growling. Both were trying to find the opening to attack the other. The match continued on for another two hours, with both Rose and Gina attacking each other, but not succeeding.
Rose didn’t know how long she could keep this up. Gina lunged again and they both collided, trying to claw each other’s skin off. Then, Rose got her chance. Gina was clearly as exhausted as Rose was and wasn’t guarding her right flank properly.
Rose knew she had to wait for the perfect chance to attack. If she failed, Gina would realise that she was open to an attack and become more defensive. The moment came when Gina had almost pinned Rose down. Rose managed to dig her claws into Gina’s side, while kicking her. The moment Gina collapsed, Rose jumped on her, pinning her down.
The announcer started to count, and Gina struggled to get out. Rose held on fast, and the announcer stopped counting. Cheers rang out as the announcer shouted, “Rose is our winner.”
Rose got off Gina, who stood up. She looked at Rose, panting, and said, “Good match. Well done. You deserve it.”
Rose smiled back. “Thank you. You were a very worthy opponent,” she said.
Rose walked off, shifting back to human. She headed to the healer’s tent, who bandaged her up. Her friends were already there, waiting for her.
“Oh God, Rose. You are officially in the championship,” Anna squealed hugging her.
“I don’t believe it. Well done, you!” Delma said, hugging her as well.
Just then Taylor walked in and Rose excused herself. She had recently noticed small changes in Taylor. He spent less time with his friends, and when he was with them, he was mostly quiet. He had stopped drinking, and now Rose only saw him drinking juice or water.
Just recently, almost all of his friends had been at a party that lasted all night long. The forest was filled with sounds of the men dancing, chanting wolf songs. Rose had assumed that he would be there, but she later found out that he had stayed home. The most surprising thing was how he went from flirting with every female wolf to barely talking to any.
She walked over to Taylor and said, “Thank you. For helping me.”
“No problem. Fancy a walk?” he asked, smiling.
Rose nodded, and they both started walking out. They walked silently until Taylor finally spoke.
“I have been thinking about what you said. Who am I?” Taylor said. “I don’t know. That’s the answer. I have always done everything for fun. There are times I have been inconsiderate of other’s feelings, but not intentionally. I have never wanted anything bad for anyone.”
“I never thought that you would want to hurt anyone,” Rose said, softly.
Taylor stopped walking and turned towards her. He sighed and said, “I have never had any purpose in my life. This is all I have ever known. Due to the great battle, I lost both my parents. I grew up with my friends, and this is what we did. We drank, we partied, we smoked. We picked up girls and slept around. To me, I was just having fun.”
“I am sorry. Maybe I did judge you too harshly,” Rose said,
“No, that’s not what I am trying to say. I am arrogant and cocky. I do think that you would be very lucky to have me as your mate. I also think that there isn’t much I lack. You are right. The point is, I don’t know what life is. Why am I living? What’s my purpose? What am I doing, Rose?” Taylor said.
Rose just sighed and said, “Don’t worry. You will figure it out.”
They were both silent for a while, staring at each other. Then Taylor leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. Warm feelings rushed through Rose’s body, as she felt herself melt into his kiss. He was gentle, his lips soft and moist. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Rose deepened into his kiss, and they stood there in the moonlight, intertwined in each other’s arms.
Chapter 11
Taylor
Taylor didn’t know how to explain the feelings rushing through his body. All he knew was that nothing can ever feel so right. Nothing can make him feel as complete as this. He loved the way Rose’s delicate body felt in his arms. He loved the softness of her lips and the way she kissed.
Then, suddenly, she pushed him away. Taylor looked at her, astonished.
