Edward maintained his frightening stance, pinning Will in place for several long minutes, before his face relaxed. The flames disappeared from his hand and arm at once, and he let out a bark of laughter. Will nervously tried to laugh as well, but his heart was pumping nearly ten times its usual speed, and he felt light-headed with fear, so it was a doomed effort. All he could manage was a weak croak.

“You’re not angry with me?” He asked. “You’re not mad that I’m dating your daughter?”

“Oh, I don’t like it one bit,” Edward said, his face becoming serious once more. “But I’m also not in control of my daughter’s actions. She’s an adult.”

“Oh,” Will supposed that he should have expected that. “Okay then.”

“But of course, if you hurt her, there’s no place in the world that you’ll be able to hide,” Edward continued. Now the threatening look in his eyes was back, and the coldness there chilled him to the bone. “Be very careful, Will. I am not a man you want to anger.”

Will’s throat was so tight that he couldn’t reply, so he simply nodded. Edward seemed to find that a totally inadequate answer, judging by how his grip strengthened. Will cringed with the pain, and finally spoke. “I understand.”

Edward finally released him, and Will immediately shied away a step or two, rubbing his shoulder. “I’d never do anything to hurt her, Edward. Surely you know that.”

“Oh I do,” The Alpha said, moving towards the door. “Because I’m sure you value your life. And I would hate to have to deal with your father if Charlisa killed you.”

Despite himself, Will’s eyebrows shot up. Edward ignored the expression, and beckoned for him to follow. “Come downstairs. I’ve got an announcement for everyone.”

His tone carried the unmistakable sign of an order, and Will jumped to follow it at once. “Of course.”

Edward led him through the hallway of rooms, knocking on doors as they passed. He didn’t pause to speak to any of the occupants, but he didn’t have to. One by one, the members of the Nexus emerged from their rooms at the summons, filing silently behind Will as they took the stairs down to the first level. The smell of food still lingered in the air by the cafeteria, setting his stomach to grumbling. The Nexus spread out across the sitting area in silence, perching on the comfortable seats and looking curiously at Edward. He didn’t speak at first, making sure that everyone was still before opening his mouth. Charlisa was the last to arrive, sitting beside Will.

“I’ve just received word from the Soul Nexus,” Edward said. His quiet, powerful voice had no trouble reaching everyone in the room. “Hitori has made a new decree.”

This announcement created a wave of quiet grumbles from the other. A few of the older members, Will knew, had been with Edward for the Nexus Wars. They were familiar with Hitori and the Soul Nexus, and obviously didn’t think too highly of them. A silent glare from Edward silenced the grumbles in an instant, however. He waited for a few more seconds, then continued.

“I know you expect a new law, all of you,” he said. “That’s what I expected as well. But, to tell you the truth, I never expected this.”

“What is it, Edward?” Noratuk asked, leaning forward with a look of concern on her face. “Is it bad?”

“It’s not bad,” Edward assured her at once. He hesitated again, then, seeing all eyes focused intently on him, he gave a sigh. “Hitori has organized a tournament.”

“A tournament,” Noratuk repeated. It wasn’t a question. “You can’t be serious.”

Edward said nothing in reply, but his expression made his feelings on the matter all too plain. “Hitori thinks it’s necessary to maintain the peace.”

“Maintain the peace by having us attack each other?” Charlisa said, jumping to her feet. “What about those of us who don’t want to fight?”

“Hitori says that, after this first tournament, we can work out a way to excuse those who aren’t interested. But this time, we all have to take a part.”

“But what about the pups?” Noratuk exclaimed, gesturing at Will and Richard. “They’ll be sitting ducks, and we’re just supposed to accept that they’ll get hurt?”

A cold hand clutched at Will’s heart at the thought. He’d just barely gotten his fire powers, and now he’d be expected to fight other Nexians? He enjoyed fighting, sure, but not when the odds were stacked so heavily against him. But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind then he took a second to study the expressions on the two leaders’ faces. They were set in stone, and clearly angry. But under the anger, there was a flicker of discomfort, even of fear. Before he quite knew what he was doing, he found himself on his feet.

“I’ll fight,” he said. “When is the tournament?”

“It will take place at the end of the summer,” Edward said. “The first of August.”

Will did some quick math in his head. “That gives us three months. We can train hard in that time.”

“But not all of us know how to fight, Will.”

Will turned to James, who had made this last comment. “I can teach you. I’ll train as hard as I can, and I’ll teach you how to use your body. I bet I can work it out.”

“You bet?” That came from Richard, and the two words had more sarcasm in them then all he’d said since Will had arrived. “You think you’re some kind of master, then?”

“No,” Will said, trying his hardest to keep his voice level. It was all he could do in that moment to stop himself from kicking Richard. “But I did have a master who taught me. She’ll teach us, and I can help you learn.”

“What makes you think we can learn enough in three months to be capable?”

Will hadn’t managed to see who had asked that question, but it didn’t matter. He turned in the general direction. “I’ve noticed something about Nexians. You’re stronger than the average human.”

A few seconds of thoughtful silence, and Nora spoke up. “True. But surely, martial arts isn’t all about strength?”

“It’s not,” Will agreed. “It’s about balance and control. But power helps, and it helps a lot. We can start with power, and build from there.”

“I’ll give it a try,” Charlisa said, coming to her feet. That surprised everyone, Will saw. “I’m not a good fighter, but you say you can teach us, so I believe you.”

“Thanks,” he said, so quietly that only she could hear. Then he turned to the others and raised his voice. “This is a chance for us to remind the other Nexians that we’re strong. Stronger than them.”

That had a marked effect on the others. A low growl issued from several throats, and he counted at least six heads nodding. Then more. He glanced back at Noratuk and Edward. The second-in-command was watching Will with a curious expression, as if she was seeing him properly for the first time. A faint smile was curling across her face as she thought about it. Edward looked at her as well, seeming to be asking for her advice. She looked back at him, head tilted to the side, then slowly nodded. He took a deep breath.

“A demonstration,” Noratuk said suddenly. Will looked at her in alarm, and she grinned, baring her teeth. “Show Edward what you can do.”

Will lifted his chin at once, recognizing a challenge. “Sure. Who do you suggest?”

Noratuk opened her mouth to reply, but Edward beat her to it. “Me.”

Will flinched at the single word, his certainty and confidence disappearing in an instant. “Um.”

“Don’t worry,” Edward said. “This isn’t a punishment of any kind. I’m simply the strongest, and I’ll be a better test of your technique than the others. I won’t use my fire.”

Will bit his lip, but couldn’t think of a reason to refuse. Several of the Nexians had already gotten up from their chairs, clearing a space in the center of the rec area. Will heaved a hidden sigh and looked to Charlisa for guidance, only to realize that she was grinning at him. “Tough audition, eh?”

Will widened his eyes for a moment to indicate his distress, then quickly arranged his face into what he hoped was a calm expression, moving to stand in front of Edward. The Alpha stood with his feet braced apart, seeming larger and more threatening than ever. “Very well, Alpha. Throw a punch at me.”

It must have been his mounting nerves, he thought. Or it could have been his recent frightening interaction with the Alpha. Whatever the reason, his body seemed sluggish, and didn’t reply nearly as fast as he wanted. Edward’s fist hit him across the jaw, and he was rocked back. Richard let out a snort of laughter that was echoed by a few others. Edward immediately relaxed, looking worried. He turned to the side to look at someone. Will, head ringing slightly, turned to see who it was. Charlisa was approaching him, her face set in stern lines.

“Come on Will,” She said, her voice gentle. “What’s gotten into you?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” he whispered back, “Your father’s terrifying.”

“So?” She asked, as if that last fact meant nothing. “You went across much bigger people in your tournaments. What did you do when you fought them?”

Will shrugged, not willing to answer that, but she didn’t give him a chance to dodge it. “You focused on your training, didn’t you? Didn’t you go into your flow state?”

“How did you know that?” He asked. “I never told anyone that before.”

It was perfectly true. He had a state when he was fighting where he let his instincts take over. He called it his ‘flow state’, after an article he’d read on athletes going into similar trance-like states. Charlisa rolled her eyes. “I overheard you telling your friend Ben.”

The memory of him explaining how he fought to Ben came back to him now, and his jaw dropped. Charlisa’s smile widened, and she patted his cheek. “There you go. Just thought I’d remind you. Pretend he’s like any other opponent.”

Will nodded, and she returned. He turned to face Edward. “Ready, Alpha.”

Edward swung again at once, and he leaned to the side, feeling the Alpha’s fist pass his face, stepping to the side. Edward turned with him, but his footwork wasn’t nearly as coordinated, and he stumbled a bit as he swung once more. Will caught the Alpha’s wrist in his right hand, then pivoted, placing his left hand on Edward’s shoulder. Edward tried to resist, but Will tripped him, tossing him to the carpeted floor at once, his arm held back in a hold.

The entire room had gone silent at that, and more than a few people jumped to their feet instinctively, fire flaring up on their arms as they glared at Will. Noratuk and Charlisa both moved at once, even as Will released his grip. Edward got to his feet at once, looking a little alarmed. He glanced at Will, then down to the floor, then back at Will. He took a step back from Will, moving towards Noratuk without seeming to realize what he was doing.

“Nice work, Will, Charlisa said, beaming at him. He smiled nervously back, afraid that he’d messed up. There was still fire present on quite a few hands, and just as many eyes glaring at him. Then, suddenly, James let out a laugh, shattering the tense silence. He hurried over to Will, patting him roughly on the shoulder.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” He said. When Will didn’t say anything, James laughed again. “Don’t be so shy, Will! That was some seriously cool stuff. I’ll teach you what I can, and help you train. In return, you teach me how to do that.”

“You mean it?” Will asked, dizzy with relief.

“Teach me too,” Edward said. Noratuk moved forward, nodding her agreement. Than three more stepped up beside them, echoing their words. Will looked around at them all, and felt a grin slide across his face.

“You want to train with me?” He asked. “My master was a hard teacher. She won’t take pity on you.”

“We don’t want your master,” Edward said. “We want you. And don’t you worry, we’ll train you plenty hard as well.”