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327 The Duel with Jeffery

327 The Duel with Jeffery

Meredithb. /b

Jeffery moved first.

One second, he was standing there, and the next, his fist was cutting through the air toward my facei. /i

I jerked back, just barely dodging it as the rush of air from his swing brushed my check. My stomach clenched. If that hadnded, I would

already be on the ground.

I countered Jeffery’s first move with a quick jab to his side, but he deflected it with ease, like swatting away an insect.

His other hand came at me, aiming for my ribs. This time I ducked and rolled, the dirt rough under my palms.

“Good,” Draven’s voice carried from the side, calm and controlled. “Stay sharp, don’t freeze.”

Jeffery didn’t give me a second to breathe. He spun the next moment and swept his leg toward mine. I jumped, but not high enough as

the edge of his boot clipped my calf and sent me stumbling.

I clenched my teeth as I caught myself before falling.

Darting forward this time, I threw a low punch toward his stomach, then another feint toward his jaw. He deflected both, but his brows

lifted slightly as if acknowledging I wasn’t just iling.

My heart pounded harder, sweat starting to bead at my temple. Every strike, every dodge, and every breath felt like I was walking on a

knife’s edge.

But beneath the nerves, something hot and stable simmered in my chest.

Jeffery lunged at me again, faster this time. But something shifted–my eyes caught the twitch of his shoulder a heartbeat earlier, the

tightening of his fist before it moved. I saw iting.

I slipped sideways just as his punch cut through the air. My chest rose with a keen breath.

I shouldn’t have been able to predict him like that, but now his movements came to me in shes, as though time stretched just enough

for me to react.

A grin almost touched my lips–until he pushed harder.

His blows rained faster, stronger, and though I evaded two, the third came at an angle I couldn’t escape. His fist struck down into my

side and immediately, pain shot through me like fire.

“Ah!” I cried out, clutching my ribs as I hit the ground.

“My apologizes, mydy,” Jeffery’s for voice sliced in, as he pulled back with regret in his eyes.

But Draven’s tone snapped sharper than a whip. “Who told you to stop?”

I blinked up at him through blurry eyes. ‘What iis /iihe /iidoing/ii? /iiCan’t /iihe /iisee /iiI’m /iiin /iipain/i?‘

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327 The Duel with Jeffery

Groaning, I tried to push myself up. My arms trembled as my vision wavered. Then my gazended on Jeffery, and for ia /iflicker, I felt.

something–an edge of wild energy rolling off him. His wolf.

‘This isn’t fair.

“You are right, this isn’t a fair fight.” Valmora’s voice surged inside me, cool and sharp. “iThe /iBeta is iusing /ihis wolf. Let me take over iand /i

show you how things are done.”

“How?” I rasped inwardly. “I can’t even wolf out yet.”

But she didn’t seem bothered instead she said to me, “Don’t worryi. /iFree iyourself/i, Meredithi. /iiLeave /iithe /irest to ime/ii.” /i

Just then, Draven’s low andmanding voice cut through my thoughts “Get up and continue the fight. Don’t just rely on any past knowledge, you haven’t fought Jeffery before now. If you don’t let your instincts lead, you will take more blows.”

I sucked in air as my breathing steadied, deep and calm, as if I had fought a thousand battles before this moment.

Slowly, I nted my palms to the ground as my hands no longer trembled. Also, the throbbing pain in my ribs dulled, not gone, but

overshadowed by something fiercer.

Jeffery came at me as soon as I was up on my feet, his fist cutting through the air like a hammer.

But my body moved before my mind could catch up–swift, smooth, and perfect. I arched back into a clean backflip,nding lightly on my

feet. His punch missed me by an inch.

A spark lit in my chest as I understood one thing. This wasn’t me. This was… us. Valmora and I.

Jeffery didn’t give me a second to breathe. He pressed harder and faster, his strikesing in sharp angles meant to corner me.

Yet every blow skimmed empty air as I twisted away, spinning low under his arm, springing back with impossible grace.

My hair whipped around me, my silver strands catching the sunset light as I pivoted, dropped, and flipped.

My body felt like it belonged to someone else–someone faster, someone stronger, and someone untouchable. Someone who had once

been a queen.

I caught the flicker of surprise in Jeffery’s eyes. For the first time, he was forced to adjust, his calm Betaposure cracking.

“iGood/ii,/ii” /iValmora purred in my mind. “iMake /iihim /iichase /iiyou/ii. /iiBreak /iihis /iirhythm/i. A wolf iwho /iiloses /iirhythm /iiloses the /iifight/ii.” /i

Jeffery’s leg swept toward mine, but Iunched into another backflip, my toes barely grazing the dirt before I twisted into a spin, forcing

him to turn sharply to keep up.

The ground became my ally, my springboard.

Draven’s voice rang across the field, low but edged with something that sounded almost like pride. “That’s it. Don’t stop.”

Jeffery gritted his teeth and charged, his strikes now fueled with Beta–level force. But I was already there, already moving, my instincts

guiding me in ways I couldn’t exin.

I slid under his guard, sprang behind him, and tapped his back with a sharp flick of my fingers. It wasn’t a strike—just a taunt.

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327 The Duel with Jeffery

A ripple ofughter wanted to bubble in my throat. ‘Me–taunting Jeffery?‘

Jeffery spun around, his expression was deadly serious now. But I smiled instead. I was now having a lot of fun because he was now

taking me seriously.

Our fight continued after a breather.

His wolf pushed through his strikes, with raw strength behind every blow,

Before, one hit would send me sprawling, but now, every strike he threw was mine to read, dodge, and counter.

My body did all sorts of things. It bent, twisted, and even leapt. A backflip here, a side roll there, each movement flowing like water, swift

and clean.

My pulse thundered from ecstasy. I almost couldn’t believe that I had moved from keeping up with him to outpacing him.

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