Siberia

(Before Bella returned)

Bella panted for air as she tried to withstand the chilly air of Siberia. Even as a full werewolf, there was no way to miss the chill here! Of course, it wasn't as bad for werewolves or the halfa as it would be for a human, but that didn't mean it wasn't cold. With a soft sigh, Bella pulled Vincent's cloak tighter to her body and righted herself for more training.

“Are you ready for more?” Albany asked with a smirk. His eerily white teeth flashed in his trademark playboy smile, and Bella snorted at the attempt to attract her. Yeah, he was handsome with his thick dark hair and intense brown eyes, but he was nothing compared to Edward.

“I was born ready,” Bella responded with a slight smirk. A smirk slid across his own face.

“Then let's go.”

They got into their fighting stances and stared each other down, until…

Albany kicked out at Bella, but she managed to jump over his leg. Grabbing it, she flipped him, but he managed to land on his feet instead of his back as she'd hoped. He punched at her, and she only barely managed to dodge, but another punch, unexpected, knocked the air out of her and she fell to her knees in a coughing fit.

The werewolf looked pleased with himself – until Bella smirked and dropped to her side, using her arm to twist her around as she kicked his feet out from under him. He fell to his backside just as the halfa jumped to her feet and returned to her fighting stance. Albany back-flipped to his feet and did the same, a smirk still playing his lips.

“You're getting better,” he complimented. “Just not good enough.”

“You talk big for a little man,” Bella mocked, looking down to emphasize what she meant by that. Albany's smirk widened.

“Now, now, you wouldn't call me little if you would just give in to my advances.”

“Not even in your dreams!” Bella snarled disgustedly, though she knew he didn't actually intend to sleep with her. He had been quite the ladies man before, but ever since he met Alanna, the female werewolf, he had been faithful to only her. Albany just smirked, knowing that the harsh tone wasn't meant to be offensive.