179 Chapter 179 Making a Stand
Dawn’s POV (1)
Weeks had dragged by since Corbin decided to turn my life into a living nightmare, and his attitude toward me hadn’t softened even a fraction. Whatever had crawled up his ass and died there was still festering, because he refused to explain himself. Instead, he just barked commands at me like I was some kind of dog he was trying to break.
The confusion I’d felt in those first days had long since burned away, replaced by a white–hot fury that grew stronger with each passing hour. I was beyond caring what his problem was anymore. Now I was just plain pissed off.
Every single day, he dragged me through hell. The obstacle course became my personal torture chamber, followed by endless hours in the shooting gallery where my arms ached from holding weapons steady. Then came the combat training where sometimes I wasn’t even fighting back, just dodging whatever projectile he decided to hurl at me that day. And if I thought I’d catch a break after that, I was wrong because then came hand–to–hand combat in the gym where he pushed me until my muscles screamed for
mercy.
But something interesting was happening through all this torment. My body was changing, growing stronger, more agile. My reflexes were sharper than they’d ever been. I could feel power building in my muscles, and apparently Corbin noticed it too because that’s when he stopped engaging me directly in fights.
Instead, he started making everything more complicated. The obstacle course that had nearly killed me in the beginning suddenly sprouted new challenges overnight. Additional barriers appeared, the timing mechanisms got trickier, and the physical demands increased exponentially. But despite all these modifications designed to break me, he still expected me to complete the entire thing in under ten minutes.
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It was impossible, and we both knew it.
I’d watched other recruits tackle various courses around the facility, and I’d learned that the instructors typically allowed people to get comfortable with a setup before imposing strict time limits. Each course had its own
reasonable completion time based on difficulty level. But Corbin didn’t give a damn about standard protocol.
He wanted me to finish this nightmare course in less time than it took most people to complete the basic version. He was setting me up for failure, and the sadistic bastard was enjoying every second of it.
This wasn’t training anymore. This was pure torture, designed to prove that I didn’t belong here.
Asher had tried to intervene multiple times, his protective instincts kicking in whenever he witnessed Corbin’s latest creative cruelty. I’d watched his hands clench into fists, seen the dangerous glint in his eyes as he prepared to charge across the training ground and tackle Corbin to the ground.
But I stopped him every time.
I told him I could handle it, that I wouldn’t give that son of a bitch the satisfaction of breaking me. Asher had to force himself to step back and watch from the sidelines, though most of the time he couldn’t stomach it and would disappear to handle other business while I endured my daily punishment.
I’d actually encouraged him to leave. Having him witness my humiliation made everything worse.
The bastard had even started messing with my meal schedule. Since he kept me training from dawn until well past sunset, I missed most regular meal times. But Corbin never missed a meal himself. Oh no, he made sure
someone delivered his breakfast, lunch, and dinner right to whatever training
area we were in.
And then he’d sit there, making eye contact with me while he slowly
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179 Chapter 179 Making a Stand
devoured every bite, completely indifferent to the fact that my stomach was eating itself from hunger.
That particular kind of psychological warfare might have been the cruelest part of his whole twisted game.
Today started like any other nightmare day in the shooting range. I was working through target practice with those dart guns we’d been using for weeks, trying to ignore the way my empty stomach was cramping with hunger, when I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned to see Asher, Koa, and Nico entering the range, each carrying the same type of dart weapon I was using.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I demanded, a spike of anxiety shooting through me.
“Making a stand,” Asher replied, his voice calm but his eyes blazing with determination.
“You have to leave right now. You’re going to make this so much worse for me,” I said, panic creeping into my voice.
“There’s no possible way this could get worse for you than it already is. We’re helping whether you like it or not,” Koa said firmly.
Before I could protest further, all hell broke loose.
Within minutes, Corbin was sprawled on the floor with three different darts protruding from various parts of his body, completely unable to move. The tranquilizer effect was immediate and effective.
Asher approached Corbin’s motionless form while I stayed back, keeping
about ten feet of distance between us.
“Now you’re going to leave Dawn alone,” Asher said, crouching down so his face was level with Corbin’s. “She never did anything to deserve this kind of treatment, and we both know it. If you don’t back off, I’m going to report you. And I don’t mean to the Captain because everyone knows you’re his little pet.
179 Chapter 179 Making a Stand
I’ll go straight over his head. So leave her the hell alone.”
Something strange happened as Asher delivered his threat. Even though he was speaking in low tones and I was standing far away, I could hear every single word with perfect clarity. How was that possible?
Koa and Nico tried to pull me from the room, but I found myself frozen in place, staring at the scene unfolding before me. They had to physically drag me away from Asher and the incapacitated Corbin.
They hauled me straight to the mess hall, arriving just before the dinner rush when the place was still empty. For the first time in weeks, I piled my tray as high as it would go.
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