A White Moon

Training

The cheers are so much louder than before. Everyone stands up. I start screaming! Makela start screaming. My sister start screaming. I hug both my sister and Logan.

Eighty percent of the women present are still screaming out their congratulations. The males roar out cheers and clap their hands in the tables.

“Oh, Moon Goddess! I’m so happy for you!” Makela sniffle when she hugs Logan. “Both of you.” She says and hug Dora, she looks Dora in the eyes, and they have a silent conversation. Dora nods and Makela place her hand on Dora’s belly. “And you little one. There is so much we all want to teach you. And you’ll get to have a friend your age in the Beta’s boy, my little prince.”

“How do you know it’s a boy?” I ask, baffled. “Both you and our mom had girls first.”

Makela just smile secretively but instead of answering she hugs me. “You are going to be an auntie, Elle.”

“You’re going to be a grandmother!” I reply. I look at Robert who beams with pride while his arm around his son’s shoulder. “And grandfather.”

The five minutes of the loud surroundings get to us, and Logan have had enough.

“OKAY SETTLE DOWN.” He says using his Alpha voice. “I know you are all excited about our new Alpha, but my Luna and I will call it a night now. She needs plenty of rest now.”

“Thank you all for coming.” my sister speaks softly but everyone hears. “I am very happy for all your love.”

I follow them both up the stairs and we sit down on the couch in the small open space working as a living room on the Alpha floor. Jake comes up the stairs and lays down by my side of the couch and quickly doze off.

“Does he ever get a day of?” I ask referring to Jake’s body on the floor.

“No.” Logan answer simply.

“What happens when he finds his mate? Won’t he be lonely until then?”

“He actually already found her, and as much as it pains us all, he also lost her. She died before they even completed their mating and marking.” Logan looks at Jake with sympathy.

“Oh. That’s just awful.” Dora says and her hand flies up to cover her mouth.

“We’ve all been working through it for almost a year now. Jake have done exceptionally well, under said circumstances. I wouldn’t have done better, at all.”

He close his fingers around my sisters’, sighing deeply before continuing. “Since they weren’t fully mated he’s still alive. I bet it doesn’t take away the huge chunk of him and his wolf that’s going crazy with the loss of her and her wolf counterpart. For an entire six months he laid outside the packhouse. Only moved to eat and go to his trainings. Jill and John barley held it together. Their baby brother, always the funny one, was hurting on a whole different level and they couldn’t to one single thing to make it better.”

“What was her name?” Dora ask with tears in her eyes.

“Willa. Willa Nessley.” He meet her eyes and smile. “I’m so happy I found you.”

When Monday came Logan had decided that I was going to start training with the other junior members of the pack. I don’t understand why, I have a protector. Jake sigh at my, still, rambling objections.

“If you don’t want to do it, why didn’t you tell Alpha just that?” he ask when we get to the training field. I sat on the damp green forest floor, tired as hell. The clock barley was seven am.

“I did.” I grumble and pout. He hear me and gives me a stern big brother face. “Did you learn that look from John?”

“Doesn’t matter where I learned it. This is about you. You know that he just wants what best for you. After all your years not being allowed outside, you need this. To feel strong for yourself.”

I’m about to start more objections when a man and a woman, they both looked to be in their early fifty’s, comes to stand in front of the other youngsters that stand together in a group. There are mostly kids in the age of 7-10 year.

“And why do I have to start this class? Everyone is so young.”

“Stop with the whining.” Jake answer. “You can’t expect to know it all from the start. You need basics.”

Well. You can teach me that. I think sourly to myself.

“Why does it have to be so early.”

“This isn’t early. Tomorrow you can join my group, we start training at 4.45 am.”

“No thank you!” I decide to quit whining and start training. At least for now.

An hour later my arms and legs burn. We slow ran for half of the time. Push-ups and sit-ups for fifteen minutes. And fifteen minutes of sparring with gloves. I was partnered up with Jake.

How that is fair I do not know. But Jake’s a pretty good teacher so the actual teachers could concentrate on the smaller kids.

“Okay kids, that’s it for today! Good job!” the woman, Amelia, says. The man’s name is Talon.

The kids starts moving towards the packhouse and I stand to go find my sister.

“Do some stretching I’ll be right back.” Jake leave my side to go and talk to Amelia and Talon, although he keeps his turned towards me so he can have his eyes on me all the time.

As I watch Jake interact, I hear a familiar voice. So I turn to see Dora walking across the field towards me with Logan closely behind holding a water bottle, an apple and a banana. Dora looks frustrated and maybe even a bit angry.

“What’s up?” I ask when she reach me.

“This guy won’t stop babying me.” She point her thumb towards Logan. Logan look offended for a few seconds.

“I’m actually just looking out for my famil-”

“You know that I ate two large sandwiches, two boiled eggs, one bowl of yoghurt, with berries, and one blueberry muffin at breakfast! To that I drank two tall glasses of water and one with orange juice. Your mom and you need to chill.” As she is talking her voice becomes louder and louder.

Pregnancy hormones kicking in… maybe?

“We just care about you my love.” Logan look so defeated and scolded at that I actually feel sorry for him.

Dora could have done so much worse in a guy. She could have gotten someone that did not appreciate her and her thoughts, someone that did not care what she ate or that she wasn’t feeling well. But I’m not going to “butt” in on their business.

“Baby, I couldn’t possibly get famished and dehydrated in the twenty minutes that has passed since we ate breakfast. Give me maybe an hour, then you can have a comeback with all this.” Her anger have vanished and she gives him a bright smile, she reach out and takes his large hand in her small one. “Thank you.”

“Logan.” I say and pull his attention towards me. “If you want to survive to meet that kid in four months I suggest you back of just a teeny tiny bit. I mean. You just saw her eat that breakfast. But I will take them. Gimme!”

Logan gives me the water bottle and the apple. “I’ll keep the banana for-” when my sister open her mouth to start and object “...in case you changed your mind.”

I take pity on them and change the subject. “I like Amelia and Talon. But why do I have to train?”

Logan looks at me one eyebrow raised and a grim facial expression. “Really.”

“Yes really! Why?”

“You don’t want to be able to fight back in case something happens?” Dora ask me.

“I guess.” I say and shrug one shoulder. “How come you don’t have to then Dora?!”

“I’m a pregnant Luna sis…” she then playfully push her shoulder against mine. “And I know how to throw punches and kick asses.”

Amelia, Jake and Talon comes towards us.

“Alpha. Luna.” Talon say and respectfully bow his head. His partner follows his lead.

They start discussing my training, over my head, while I inhale the apple and drink the water.

“-all in all, she did rather good. Although most of the kids could beat her...” Talon finish, as he winks his right eye towards me.

“Alright Elle. Shower then breakfast.“ my sister says, leaving no room for objections.

I look at her and her momma mode. “Yes mom.”

She rolls her eyes. Then she hook her right arm in my left. “Thank you.” She say towards my trainers.

“Luna.” They bow. We turn towards the house and when we walk through the dining room I just can’t help myself and dart towards Mrs. Willis.

“Elle! Shower first!” Dora say with a slightly raised voice.

Mrs. Willis see me and smile as she hold up a blue berry muffin from the trey before her.

“Elle!” my sister voice slightly higher as I take the blue berry muffin.

“I’ll be back for more!” I yell to the kitchen staff as I rush towards my room. I run up the stairs, lucky for me I’m faster than my sister since she wasn’t allowed the run in the stairs anymore. I lock my door and swallow the muffin on my way to the shower. I put my dirty clothes in the washing basket, as I turn on the shower I hear Dora outside my door.

“Sorry sis can’t hear you, I’m in the shower.” I quickly jump in.

When I come out Dora is in a better mood. She walks downstairs with me and make a second breakfast plate. Right when she place her plate down Logan comes in, when he notice the plate in front of her he give her a meaningful smirk but say nothing.

Jake comes in a few minutes later. He sit down beside me. “Set your alarm kid.”

“What for?” I say when my mouth isn’t full of berry muffin. I take a sip of my apple juice.

“4.30 am-” Jake state as the juice stuck in my throat, I start coughing.

“What?!” I say when I finally get air back in my lungs. “What for?!”

“You’ll join in on mine and Logan’s training tomorrow.” His grin could have been funny if it weren’t for the fact that it was contributing to pain and suffering for me.

“Say who?”

“Me.” He made a short pause as he count on his fingers. “Logan. Kyle, that’s the trainer. And Dora.”

I turn my head at her hoping my eyes project ‘traitor’. She just shrug and smirk over her glass of water.

The rest of the day goes on fast, some more preparations for the Saturday’s party for Dora and me.