Chapter 170

“Nice of you to finally show up,” Noah grumbled, turning to rifle through his bag.

Drake huffed as he set his things down. “Sorry,” he replied casually. “Hit traffic. Are you warmed up, Hannah?”

“I only just arrived.” I glanced at Noah, but his back was turned.

“We’ll start slowly, then.” Drake slipped on his training shoes, less meticulously than Noah, and grabbed his gloves. He nodded toward the ring. “Let’s go.”

I rose and followed him, climbing into the ring and slipping on my gloves. Beneath the spotlight, I felt blinded and far more intimidated than anticipated.

Drake, noticing my hesitation, patted my shoulder. “Hey, it’s just training. We’ll go easy.”

I nodded stiffly, aware of Noah’s intense gaze. “Alright.”

We began with basic punches, Drake holding pads. I remembered the fundamentals from childhood—hooks, uppercuts, high kicks.

“You seem to have this down,” Drake said, setting aside the pads. “Let’s try some hand-to-hand.”

Noah scoffed. “She’s not ready for hand-to-hand.”

I glared at Noah, but Drake interjected, “Don’t worry, Noah. I’m not going to hurt her.”

Noah’s ears reddened slightly. Was he worried about me getting hurt?

“Alright, Hannah,” Drake said, “let’s start with some basic grapples…”

We practiced various grapples, standing and on the mat. I was rusty, and despite Drake’s patience, it was intimidating; he was much larger, and I was anxious about my pregnant belly.

However, it was cut short. Just as Drake was showing me a headlock, Noah cleared his throat loudly.

“Drake,” he grumbled, hopping into the ring, “this is ridiculous. She needs self-defense maneuvers, not how to apply a headlock. She should know how to escape one.”

Drake disentangled himself. “It’s best to know how to apply a maneuver before escaping it. That way, she understands the mechanics.”

Chapter 180

Noah narrowed his eyes. “Right. Like an attacker will use standard grappling maneuvers. She should know how to escape any hold, then how to incapacitate someone and run.”

“How can she incapacitate someone if she doesn’t know the basics?” Drake retorted.

“She knows the basics. You’re treating her like a…child. I’m just taking it slow,” Drake said.

Noah scoffed. “Is that so? Or are you less skilled than you claim?”

Drake was on his feet, chest heaving. Still kneeling, I watched, their faces inches apart. “Guys—,” I began.

They ignored me. Drake pulled off his gloves.

“Since you’re an expert,” Drake growled, “maybe you and I should fight and see who’s more qualified.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Noah replied, ignoring me. “I’ll show you how to really fight.”