Fighting by Anaya Phoenix (black books to read txt) 📕

“The setting is five, we aren’t trying to hurt each other. That girl is strong and it’s the only reason she’s still alive. Anyone who has the setting too high, fix it now. Carry on.” And with that, I continued to oversee training while my mind wondered to the girl with brown hair.

                Everybody was terse throughout training, but they were right to be so I didn’t care much. Life went on underground. The victors worked on knocking down the towers from down here, while training as many shifters as we all could. The number of able-bodied fighters were low, and each day they continued to dwindle. Shifters were getting pregnant, and I couldn’t allow pregnant people to fight. They’d be injured beyond repair, and would be grouped in with the elderly and the pregnant. Wiping my face I dipped back under the water and refused to think about what would happen to those that could fight. When I came back up I realized there was somebody behind me, and I turned to see Cara standing up with her hands behind her back.

“Is there something you needed that couldn’t wait until I was done bathing?” I tried to keep the edge out of my voice, but I was finding that more difficult to do as the days counted down.

“I have to tell you something, that I probably shouldn’t tell you. It doesn’t affect anything, anyway, but I just figured since you’re my sister you should at least know.” My eyes narrowed but she met my gaze head on. She’d been an alpha since she was 14, and she’d been one of two siblings that could meet my gaze head on for a long period of time.

“What is it Cara?” I ran my fingers through my hair to move it from my face and walked to the edge of the pool and put my elbows on the edge and looked up at her.

“I’m pregnant.” I stared at her for a little bit and licked my aching fang that wanted desperately to sink into her for being so stupid.

“Does mom know?”

“No, do you think she would’ve let me come alone to talk to you if she knew?”

“Why wouldn’t she have let you come?”

“I saw you lick your fang and I can see them growing in your mouth. The only thing stopping you from killing me is the fact that I’m your sister and you know I would haunt your ass.” She crossed her arms and started to tap her foot impatiently as if she was waiting for me to get over with it.

“How far along are you, Cara?”

“Two weeks.”

“JJ’s an alpha.”

“Yes.” I didn’t much like her tone, but I would let it slide because she was pregnant and my sister.

“Does JJ even know?”

“Again, do you think I would be here alone if anybody knew?” I nodded and slowly pulled myself out of the warm water. I passed her and walked to my towel, drying myself before steeping into clothes. She stood there the whole time, watching me and making impatient little sighs as she waited for me to do something erratic. Well then, give her something erratic my wolf growled. I walked out of the community bath, knowing she’d follow me. I wasn’t dangerously angry, nothing that would set off any alarms but more of a calm sister rage. I knew where JJ would be, because it was where he always was, in training trying to be stronger and better. I walked into one of the trainining rooms that I knew he favored and wasn’t shocked to see him here with Jesse, Anna, Alissa, and Isaac.

“Luna, what are you doing?” Cara said, her heart rate speeding up and fear spiking up. I didn’t answer, just kept on my war path to my brother-in-law.

“Luna take it out on me, you were supposed to take it on me!” She whisper yelled, running to be by my side before jumping in front of me. I stared at her for a little while and blinked once before giving a short nod and stepping around her.

“Luna!” She whispered as I stepped right behind JJ.

“Oh, hey Luna! How was your bath?” Alissa asked, her arms crossed and her eyes amused at my wet hair and damp clothing. JJ turned around and looked down at me with confusion in his eyes. I smiled politely and punched him in the nose making him stumble back and blood squirt out on my hand.

“You decide to knock up my baby sister-“

“I’m seventeen!”

“And have the nerve to not even notice?” My voice was deceptively calm and the small was still in place.

“What?” Jesse growled, kicking himself from off the ground and practically flying to where JJ stood. Blood was trailing down his nose but he didn’t seem to notice as he looked past me.

“What?” He whispered, sounding broken and…weak. With a growl I moved to punch him but Jesse did it for me, knocking him in the side of his head and standing over JJ’s fallen form.

“Stop it!” Cara squeaked, also sounding weak and had she not been my sister… and maybe also pregnant I would’ve slapped her. She moved to run to him, but Alissa moved fast and blocked her from going to her mate.

“She’s my sister, you dickhead!” Jesse kicked him in his stomach, growling heavily with the movement.

“He’s my mate, stop it Jesse!” Cara was starting to fight against Alissa and I knew she wouldn’t be happy about it, but honestly I didn’t care.

“I could deal with you knocking her up in any other case, JJ. Don’t take this as anger for getting her pregnant because I don’t envy you, my mom was a bitch when she was pregnant and I don’t doubt that Cara will be any different. But the fact that you didn’t notice? C’mon man, I trained you to be keener than that.” With that Jesse stopped hitting him and went back to sit next to Anna who sent pity looks to JJ.

“She’s not fighting, neither are you. I hope you’re happy.” Alissa let go of Cara and I turned to walk away when a fire sword was held at my neck, it’s flame burning my skin slightly but I didn’t really feel it. Cara held it with unwavering confidence and strength, her eyes strong and her body set.

“That’s bullshit if you think I’m not fighting.” JJ growled under his breath at her, but remained on the floor holding his ribs and stomach. I met her gaze head on while calling my element to me in two kitana swords.

“When your stomach gets hit, you’re out. If you pin me and manage to cut through skin, you and your mate can fight.” She nodded and stepped back, ignoring the glares I’m sure everybody was sending her way. Using magick I put up a barrier between us and them so there would be no interference but they could still see and it was still fair. She steadied herself and aimed her sword at me. With the slightest of nods towards each other we ran towards each other. I slid low, aiming for her legs, and she jumped over me trying to grab at my hair. With a quick twist I turned around and picked my self up, plucking her from the air and throwing her to the ground. She curled up slightly, one of her hands going to her stomach, but the hand with the sword slashed at me and I backed away slightly which gave her enough time to get up and back away from me. I smirked at her as she glared at me. She made her long sword into two short swords. I furrowed my brow internally, something’s off my wolf whispered to me.  Without warning she threw her swords at me, twisting and jumping in the air to throw one low and one high. I easily dodged them and growled at her. She ran at me and I simply waited, my kitana ready for anything. Using some of her magick, which they all gasped at and I growled out, she made herself invisible and left me pissed off and slightly scared.

~10 years ago~

“I can do what you can do.” Her voice scared me, I hadn’t gotten used to it yet. It had only been a month after the whole Terrance incident and we’d stayed inside and away from the media and, somehow, the cops. She’d snuck into my room which was scary in its own way but her voice, which had gone raspy due to the injury she’d suffered to her vocal chords at the hand of him struck more fear into me. I turned to look back at her and she stood there, smiling brighter than she had been in a while, with her hands tucked behind her back.

“And what is that, Cara? Turn into a wolf? Because, spoiler alert, you’re not the only one.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes at me and sat on my bed.

“Is it your element? Because, again, spoiler alert you’re not the only one.” She narrowed her eyes and used magick, something none of my other siblings had, to turn herself fully invisible. Supreme fully. I couldn’t even smell her anymore. I stood up and narrowed my eyes at the spot where she was and used my magick to try and see her. She was fully cloaked. She made herself appear again and smiled cockily up at me.

“Now… am I the only one who can do that?”

~Now~

With a small battle cry she made herself and her elemental war hammer visible again and she was above me. With a strength I should’ve expected she slammed her hammer into the side of my face, making me fly a good distance away from where I was. She walked to where I was and switched out her hammer with a small hunters knife and made a small slice on my leg.

“I’m fighting.” She didn’t even sound winded and a small part of me was pissed about that. With a glare I spit out the three teeth she’d gotten loose and worked out my jaw.

“Did you have to aim for my face though? Or did you wanna be a special breed of bitch this evening?”

“You slammed me on my stomach.” She said simply and kicked me in the back of my leg before walking back towards her mate. He stood up and I dropped the barrier. Setting my pride aside I stood up and stretched out my jaw again.

“Cara?” She turned around, looking ready to block any low blow that was coming her way. I walked to her and watched as everybody held their breath and how close she looked to just shifting and running away. I hugged her close to me and kissed her cheek, laughing softly.

“You’re gonna be a mom!” She laughed a little and hugged me back, her body sagging with relief.

“I know right?! It’s absolutely insane.”

“Have you told mom yet?” She backed off slightly, holding me at arms length with a soft smile on her face.

“I had to get over the tough part. I have no doubt in my mind she’s already aware with that keen nose of hers, and she’s probably already got name suggestions.” I winced at the truth and laughed with my baby sister before looking over her head.

“Your mate’s livid. I can’t tell if it’s because you didn’t tell him, because he took a beating for something he didn’t know about, or because you’re fighting.” Her face glazed over before she rolled her eyes.

“It’s all of the above. I’ll see you later, Luna. I’ve got an alpha mate to assuage.” She walked pass me, keeping her head high as she walked to the exit. With a lethal growl JJ went after her, nobody stepping in to stop him.

“You punched him pretty hard, Luna.” Isaac said, looking after the pair. I shrugged and stretched out, yawning big and wide.

“He knocked up my sister. I think it was a pretty fair trade off.” I sent