Maya Pov

We go down. She's strong, pinning my shoulders to the mat. I could break the hold. Should break it. But I don't.

"Got you," she pants.

Coach blows the whistle. "Switch."

Jade lets me up. We reset.

This time I'm supposed to be on offense. I go through the motions, trying for a basic takedown that Jade blocks without effort. We grapple for a minute, neither of us really committing. When the whistle blows, neither of us has won.

"You're holding back," Jade says quietly.

"I'm just not very good at this."

"That's a lie."

Before I can respond, Coach yells, "Rivers! You're with Brooks. Martinez, you're with Cole."

My blood goes cold.

Brooks is fine—he's a junior who barely tries. But Jade with Brittany?

I watch as Jade moves to a new mat. Brittany's already there, stretching with this smile that makes my skin crawl.

"Hey," Brooks says, drawing my attention back. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Sure."

The whistle blows.

Brooks tries for a lazy takedown. I let him get it, going down easy. He pins me without effort.

"You okay?" he asks. "You didn't even try."

"Just tired."

He doesn't believe me, but he doesn't push it.

The whistle blows again. We reset.

I can see Jade and Brittany on the next mat. They're circling each other. Brittany's saying something, her mouth moving, but I can't hear over the noise.

Then they grapple.

Brittany goes down hard. Jade has her pinned in seconds.

Brittany's face turns red. When the whistle blows and they reset, she's angry.

The next round is faster, more aggressive. Brittany's not holding back anymore. She's using her full strength, trying to hurt Jade.

But Jade's better. She slips every hold, counters every move, and pins Brittany again.

Coach notices. "Good work, Martinez. Cole, stop telegraphing your moves."

Brittany looks murderous.

The whistle blows for partner switch. I end up with some freshman who doesn't know what he's doing. Easy round. But I keep watching Jade.

She's with Ashlyn now. Then Morgan. She pins them both without breaking a sweat.

By the end of class, everyone's watching her. The new girl who can fight. The new girl who just embarrassed Brittany Cole in front of everyone.

This is bad. This is really bad.

"Showers," Coach yells. "Tomorrow we work on submissions. Don't be late."

The locker room is chaos as everyone rushes to change. I wait until most people leave before grabbing my stuff from the stall.

Jade's at the sinks, washing her face. "That was fun."

"That was stupid."

"What was?"

"Pinning Brittany. Twice."

"She kept trying to hurt me. I defended myself."

"You humiliated her."

"She humiliated herself." Jade dries her face with a paper towel. "Besides, she started it. Called me a slut under her breath when we first paired up."

Of course she did.

"You should have let her win," I say quietly.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because now she's going to come after you."

"Let her try." Jade tosses the paper towel in the trash. "I can handle myself, Maya. You don't have to protect me."

"I'm not protecting you. I'm warning you."

"Then consider me warned." She grabs her bag. "You coming?"

I follow her out of the locker room, my stomach churning with worry.

Brittany's waiting outside with Ashlyn and Morgan. They block the path.

"Excuse us," Jade says calmly.

"I don't think so." Brittany steps forward. "You embarrassed me in there."

"You embarrassed yourself."

"Watch your mouth, new girl. You don't know how things work here."

"I know enough." Jade tries to step around her.

Brittany grabs her arm. "I wasn't done talking."

That's when it happens.

Jade moves so fast I almost miss it. She twists Brittany's wrist, breaking her grip, and steps back out of reach. Not aggressive. Just defensive.

But it's enough.

Brittany stumbles, holding her wrist. "You bitch."

"Don't touch me," Jade says, her voice hard. "I asked you to move. You grabbed me. That's on you."

A crowd is forming. Students stop in the hallway, phones out, ready to record whatever happens next.

Morgan moves forward, but Ashlyn grabs her arm, shaking her head. They're not stupid enough to fight three-on-one with witnesses.

"This isn't over," Brittany hisses. She's cradling her wrist like it's broken, but I can tell it's not. Jade barely twisted it.

"Whatever you say." Jade walks past them, not looking back.

I follow quickly, keeping my head down. The crowd parts for us. Behind us, I hear Brittany's voice rising, already spinning the story into something else. By tomorrow, the whole school will hear how Jade attacked her unprovoked.

We make it outside. The school buses are lined up, engines running. Students pour toward them like ants.

"I'm walking," I say.

"Me too. My aunt and uncle live near the training grounds."

Of course they do. Of course she's walking the same direction.

We walk in silence for a while. The school disappears behind us, replaced by trees and the dirt path that leads through pack territory.

"You were right," Jade finally says. "That was probably stupid."

"Probably?"

"Okay, definitely stupid. But I wasn't going to let her talk to me like that."

"She talks to everyone like that."

"And everyone just takes it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I kick a rock on the path. It skitters ahead of us. "Because her dad's on the pack council. Because she's dating the future Delta. Because she has power and connections and no one wants to risk crossing her."

"She's dating Sam? The Delta's son?"

"Not officially. But they've been together since seventh grade. Everyone knows they'll mate eventually."

Jade makes a face. "He could do better."

"Probably. But ranks usually mate with ranks. It's how things work."

"Sounds boring."

"It's tradition."

"Tradition can be stupid too."

I don't argue. She's not wrong.

We walk further. The path curves around a small creek. In the summer, kids play here. Now it's just us and the sound of water moving over rocks.

"Can I ask you something?" Jade says.

"Sure."

"Why do you let her hurt you?"

I stop walking. "What?"

"Brittany. I saw the bruise on your back when you changed in the locker room. The old scars too. Some of them look like they came from claws. Others are too precise. Too deliberate."

My heart pounds. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do." Jade stops too, turning to face me. "I'm not trying to embarrass you or push you. But I saw. And I'm guessing those didn't come from training accidents."

I want to lie. Want to make up some story about being clumsy or weak. But Jade's eyes are too knowing. She's seen real violence. She knows what it looks like.

"It's complicated," I finally say.

"Complicated how?"

"Just complicated." I start walking again, faster this time.

Jade catches up easily. "Does your family know?"