He lunged with a snarl, trying to catch her off guard.
Tessa didn’t even flinch.
She pivoted, letting him rush past. Her braid whipped across his face as she spun and kicked the back of his knee.
He hit the dirt hard. The sound was glorious.
The crowd gasped; a few muttered about “luck.” Idiots.
That wasn’t luck. That was training. Precision. Grace.
I’d seen her move like that a hundred times — sparring, running, even cooking. She carried her strength like it was part of her skin.
And right now, every inch of it was on fire.
Tyler circled her, his sneer deepening. “Still think you can win, Omega?”
My hands twitched.
Cassius roared inside me, begging for release.
I swallowed him down, barely.
But Tessa… oh, she smiled.
Not scared. Not even smug.
Just *sure.*
“I don’t think,”
