Ready or Knot (Knotted Paths #1) - Susi Hawke Page 0,33

ceiling, with a thick, foldable wall, kind of like a curtain... or one of those cheap vinyl pocket doors, just probably not cheap and sturdier.

The teacher was an older omega. Not ancient, but his black hair had a silvery stripe from his left temple, and crows feet wrinkled the corners of his eyes.

“I brought you a newbie,” Geordie declared.

I waved, then jumped at a familiar voice behind me.

“I thought I recognized your scent.”

“River?”

River Novak was a small, fierce omega who scared the crap out of me. He was mated to the don’s son, Vasily. He’d always been nice to me, but something about the way he watched everything and everyone made me feel nervous around him.

“I’m glad you found your way to class on your own. Dante was going to suggest it in a week or two.” He nodded in approval, and warmth filled my chest. “Have you met Luis?” He gestured at the trainer.

“We were introducing ourselves now. Luis Alfaro.”

“Wyatt.” I dropped the Stanislav. What was Jordan’s last name? I made a mental note to ask him. There was so much to talk about! I resisted the urge to check my phone to see if he was awake yet.

“Is this your first time taking a self-defense class, Wyatt?”

I nodded.

“We’re happy to have you. The point of this class isn’t to teach you how to beat up alphas if they attack you. It’s to teach you how to avoid situations where you need to defend yourself, show you how to get out of situations if you’re forced into them, and, as a last resort, how to cause enough damage to escape.”

“I like the idea of avoiding trouble if I can.”

“Smart kid.” Luis’s smile tugged strangely at his lips. An old scar marred his cheek. He seemed to keep that side of his face away from whoever he was talking to. Did he do it on purpose, or was it subconscious?

River busied himself laying mats on the floor, while Luis clapped his hands for attention.

“Okay, omegas. Stretch time. I don’t want anyone injuring themselves because they were stupid or lazy. Geordie?”

Geordie came to the front of the class, which was about five other omegas. Luis gestured for me to join. Geordie led us in a series of stretches and warm-ups, including jumping jacks, and by the end of the ten or fifteen minutes, I was already breathing like a broken fan. I hadn’t realized how out of shape I was.

Once we were done with warm-ups, everyone paired up, leaving me the odd man out.

River jogged over to take the spot across from me. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you sit on the sidelines. Everyone’s going to get some practice in.”

“Today,” Luis said, “we’re practicing breaking holds. We’re going to focus on wrist holds, but if we have time, we’ll throw in a couple of neck holds at the end. I want those on the right to be the attackers, and those on the left to break out.”

He used Craig to demonstrate the hold we were escaping first, a one-handed grab. My mouth went dry as I remembered how many times an alpha had grabbed me the same way. To pull me close. To throw me against the wall. To control me.

This was definitely the kind of class I had needed as a kid. Instead, I’d gotten horse-riding classes. What good had that done me?

“You ready?”

I jerked my attention out of the past. River stood in a half ready stance.

“Am I the attacker, or are you?” I asked.

“I’m attacking, unless you’re not comfortable.”

I shook my head. “Let’s try it.”

My heart raced as River wrapped his iron grip around my wrist. He’s an omega. This is practice.

“Now open your hand.” River’s voice was calm and even. “Turn your thumb out, pull toward your body, and there you go.”

“Ow.”

River grinned. “We didn’t say it wouldn’t hurt. But it will get you free.”

I rubbed the tender skin of my wrist. “I don’t mind a few bruises.”

That got a laugh—not a mean one, but an amused one. “You’ll get more than a few here.”

We went through several other forms of wrist holds, always with River playing the attacker, even though the other pairs switched back and forth. Some breaks involved kicking, but most were moving my arms and body in a way that unlocked his hold like an invisible key.

The more we practiced, the more my confidence grew. I didn’t believe that I’d be able to take care of myself after one class, but