"It was no longer about me. It was about dominance."

The next round of combat drills should have been routine-just another sweltering afternoon of sparring under the sharp eyes of Head Trainer Korver and his assistants, where sweat mixed with sand and bruises were passed off as valuable lessons in discipline and pack hierarchy. The Academy's main training ground stretched wide beneath the blazing sun, surrounded by stone bleachers where off-duty students gathered to watch their classmates ...