Chapter 225 Training

• Rook POV
• The warehouse smells like sweat and blood, the thick scent clinging to the air as I step into the center of the makeshift training ring. The men stand in a loose circle, shifting on their feet, their faces a mix of eagerness and nerves. They’re new, fresh recruits who think a few street fights and a decent right hook make them ready for this life. They don’t know shit.
• I roll my shoulders, flexing my fingers as I let my gaze sweep over them. “You think you know how to fight,” I say, my voice cutting through the quiet. “But what you’ve done before now? It’s not enough. A soldier doesn’t fight to win a round, he fights to put his opponent down. Fast. Clean. No hesitation.”