“Look, how about this? Let me train you,” Taylor said.
“What?” Rose said, looking up at him.
“Let me train you. Let me give you that experience you lack. Fight with me. Practice. There a lot of little tricks that I can teach you,” Taylor said.
“I… don’t know…” Rose said, stammering.
“Look, this doesn’t mean anything. You don’t want to be my mate. I get it. You think I am a jerk; I get that too. This doesn’t have to mean anything. I see potential in you to reach new heights. Let me train you. Let me help,” Taylor said.
He could see Rose hesitating; she was silent for a few minutes. Finally, she said, “Alright. Let’s do it. Thank you, Taylor.”
Chapter 8
Taylor
It was early next morning when Taylor met with Rose to train her. Rose had wanted to start yesterday, but Taylor had refused to train her until she had rested and healed.
They agreed to meet at sunrise and by the time Taylor arrived, she was already waiting.
“How’s the wound?” Taylor asked, as a way of greeting.
Rose slipped her shirt off her shoulder, exposing her creamy skin. The wound had almost closed up completely, and the swelling had died down. Taylor tried not to stare at her smooth shoulder, and said, “Good. Seems to be healing nicely.”
“Yea. I took off the bandages this morning,” Rose replied.
“Alright, did you warm up?” Taylor asked.
Rose responded by smirking back and easing down into a split. “I have done my stretches and my warmup,” she said.
Taylor rolled his eyes and said, “Alright, show off. Time to train.”
Rose got up and stood facing him, her knees hunched. Taylor nodded at her to shift and started to shift himself. His body muscle contorted as he slowly shifted into his wolf form.
Rose shifted as well, and she looked beautiful. Her fur coat was jet black, smooth, and glimmering. She was small and petite, her eyes were light blue instead of their usual colour.
“Ready?” Taylor asked.
Rose gave a nod, her eyes narrowed. Taylor jumped, and he saw Rose start to turn, to dodge his attack. He had years of experience of fighting, and he could anticipate where her claws would land. He twisted in mid-air, angling his body so that her claws missed him, and he landed on his feet. Rose managed to dodge, but she wasn’t able to slash him as she hoped.
Taylor turned around as quickly as he landed and jumped on top of her. He saw her twist and try to dodge, but Taylor pressed his advantage. Rose managed to roll away, but using his powerful legs, he jumped up once again, and this time landed right on top of her.
“Got you,” Taylor said, pinning her down even as she struggled. Rose was glaring at him, trying to get out, but Taylor held on fast. It took him a moment to realise how close he was to Rose. He could feel her breath on his face as she panted. Rose had stopped struggling and was looking up, straight into his eyes. At that moment, Taylor felt overwhelmed in a way that he had never felt before. His nose was overcome with her scent, his body was keenly aware of her body under his.
Her eyes were like whirlpools, pulling him in deeper and deeper. Without knowing why, he found himself leaning closer to her. All he knew was all his senses were completely overwhelmed. Rose was frozen, looking up at him. Her expression was soft, and it was tempting Taylor to lean in. It took him a minute to realise what was happening.
He cleared his throat and got off her. “You need to be more alert of your surroundings. You dodge, but you don’t look at what your opponent is doing. Where they landed, or where they are. You need to be acutely aware of your opponent at all times,” he said, trying to supress his emotions.
Rose had gotten up as well and was looking down,
“Right. Got it,” she said.
Taylor nodded and said, “Start again.”
*
The entire day had passed, and it was sunset. Rose and Taylor had been practising nonstop. Rose was a quick learner, and a few fights later, was giving Taylor a hard time.
She had taken Taylor’s instructions to heart, becoming more aware of her opponent. Practising like this also allowed her to judge better where she will land, or what the result will be of her movements.
