Chapter 9
1451 Words
Cleo
One week.
That was all it had been.
One week since Eric and I had arrived at Lightning Ridge, and somehow, in that short amount of time, our lives had already begun to feel different.
Not perfect.
Not even close.
But different.
For the first time in years, I woke up each morning knowing nobody was waiting to hurt me.
Nobody was screaming my name.
Nobody was telling me I wasn’t good enough.
Nobody was reminding me that I was worthless.
Instead, I woke up to something far more terrifying.
Training.
Pack warrior training.
And apparently, Lightning Ridge believed in only one speed.
Brutal.
My entire body ached.
Every muscle I never knew existed was screaming at me.
I was sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering whether I would ever be able to move again.
I felt as though I’d been hit by a truck.
Possibly twice.
A quiet knock sounded at my door.
Before I could answer, it opened.
Eric poked his head through the gap.
The moment he saw me, his face split into a grin.
“Oh good. You’re awake.”
I groaned dramatically.
“I hurt.”
He stepped inside.
“Everything hurts.”
I paused.
Then added with a pathetic whimper, “Everything.”
Eric burst out laughing.
I glared at him.
“It’s not funny.”
“You should see yourself.”
“I’m dying.”
“You’re not dying.”
“I could be.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’ve earned the right.”
He laughed again and sat on the edge of my bed.
“You actually did really well this week.”
I turned my head toward him.
“Really?”
“Really.”
That little bit of praise warmed something inside me.
I hadn’t realised how much I needed to hear it.
“The more you train, the easier it gets,” he continued.
I stared at him.
Then my eyes widened.
“Wait.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“You mean we have to do all that again?”
He nodded.
My mouth dropped open.
“Eric!”
He laughed.
“I can’t do that again.”
“You can.”
“No, I absolutely cannot.”
I pushed myself upright and immediately regretted it.
A groan escaped me.
“If you make me do that again, by this time next week you’ll be attending my funeral.”
Eric shook his head.
“Cleo, need I remind you that you were the one who practically challenged the Alpha and told him you wanted to become a warrior?”
“I didn’t know he was going to try to kill me.”
“He wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“It felt personal.”
Eric laughed.
I fell backward onto the mattress.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“No.”
I sighed.
“Unfortunately, you’re the only person I have.”
His smile softened.
“You have me.”
The words were simple.
But they meant everything.
A week ago, I’d been terrified of trusting anyone.
Now, Eric was the one person I knew would still be there when I opened my eyes.
I swallowed the emotion threatening to rise in my throat.
“So,” I asked, “how long until I stop feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck?”
Eric thought about it.
“Oh, it’ll be a while.”
I groaned.
“Fantastic.”
“And you’ve got something working against you.”
“What?”
“Your body is still healing.”
He didn’t need to say more.
We both knew what he meant.
The assault.
The injuries.
The things I desperately wanted to forget.
“Double whammy,” he added gently.
I stared at the ceiling.
“Yeah.”
My voice was quieter.
“It sucks.”
Eric nodded.
“But you’re still here.”
I looked at him.
“And you’re getting stronger.”
Something about those words stayed with me.
Getting stronger.
Maybe that was what I needed to remember.
I wasn’t the girl who had been trapped anymore.
I wasn’t helpless.
I was healing.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But I was healing.
“And,” Eric added, breaking into a grin, “you’ve got the entire weekend off.”
My eyes widened.
“No training?”
“No training.”
I closed my eyes.
“Thank the Moon Goddess.”
Eric laughed.
“How about I make you breakfast?”
My eyes flew open.
“You?”
“Yes, me.”
“Cook?”
“That’s generally what making breakfast involves.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you will burn the house down.”
He looked offended.
“I can cook.”
“You once managed to burn toast.”
“That was one time.”
“It was charcoal.”
He rolled his eyes.
“And call me crazy, but I’ve grown rather attached to this house.”
I pushed myself out of bed.
It took considerably more effort than I wanted to admit.
Once I was standing, I hobbled toward the door.
Eric followed.
“You don’t have to cook.”
“I know.”
I looked over my shoulder.
“But I don’t trust you near an oven.”
He grinned.
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
We made our way downstairs.
The cabin still amazed me.
A week ago, the idea of having somewhere that actually belonged to us had seemed impossible.
Now I could walk downstairs in the morning and know it was ours.
No shouting.
No locked doors.
No footsteps outside my bedroom.
Just quiet.
Safety.
Maybe this was what a home was supposed to feel like.
We reached the kitchen.
Eric leaned against the counter.
“I offered to cook.”
“And I rejected your offer.”
He laughed.
I started pulling ingredients from the refrigerator.
Bacon.
Eggs.
Sausages.
“Breakfast of champions,” I announced.
“Breakfast of people who are about to destroy their arteries.”
“Don’t ruin this for me.”
He grinned.
For a few minutes, everything felt normal.
Almost like we’d always lived here.
Then someone knocked on the front door.
Eric went to answer it.
I kept cooking.
A moment later, I heard footsteps.
Then Alpha Xavier’s voice.
“Smells good in here.”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Xavier walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table.
Eric followed him.
“Doesn’t it?”
I rolled my eyes and returned to cooking.
Then I noticed someone else had entered the house.
Someone I hadn’t seen before.
I couldn’t see him properly because Eric’s body was blocking my view.
So I ignored him.
Or at least, I tried to.
I removed the bacon and sausages from the pan and began cracking eggs into the skillet.
When I finally glanced up again, I froze.
The stranger was watching me.
He was tall.
Very tall.
Brown hair.
A healthy tan.
Broad shoulders.
The kind of muscular build that didn’t come from sitting behind a desk.
And his eyes…
They were blue.
A striking, almost hypnotic blue.
Our eyes met.
Something about his stare made me uncomfortable.
I quickly looked away.
Don’t.
I didn’t need another complication in my life.
I finished breakfast and plated four servings.
Carrying the plates carefully, I hobbled over to the table and placed one in front of each person.
Then I returned for mine.
Once everyone was seated, Eric said the blessing to the Moon Goddess.
We began eating.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
I finally allowed myself to relax.
Then I looked up.
The stranger was watching me again.
Only this time, something had changed.
There was annoyance in his eyes.
I frowned.
What the hell is his problem?
I ignored him and continued eating.
Whatever his issue was, it wasn’t mine.
“So, Cleo,” Xavier said casually, “I thought this would be a good time for you and Eric to meet my son.”
I looked up.
Xavier gestured toward the stranger.
“This is Asher.”
The man beside him said nothing.
He simply continued staring at me.
Xavier smiled.
“He’ll be the next Alpha of Lightning Ridge.”
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.
The next Alpha?
I slowly lowered it.
And suddenly, Asher’s strange hostility made a little more sense.
Because whatever his problem with me was…
I had a feeling I was about to find out.
And something deep inside me whispered that meeting the future Alpha of Lightning Ridge was going to change everything.
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