Chapter 13: Training Day
858 Words
"What aren't you telling me now?"
The question hung in the air.
Marcus and Damien exchanged another one of those infuriating looks.
The kind that made me want to scream.
Then Marcus smiled.
Actually smiled.
"You ask a lot of questions."
I folded my arms.
"Because nobody answers them."
Ethan snorted.
Damien shot him a look.
The Beta immediately looked away.
Traitor.
Marcus chuckled.
"Fair enough."
For a brief moment, I thought he might actually answer me.
Instead, he stood.
"You need training."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Training."
My eye twitched.
"Did you hear my question?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And you need training."
I stared at him.
He stared right back.
Apparently everyone in this pack had attended the same school of avoiding questions.
I hated it here.
My wolf disagreed.
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do."
"Damien is here."
"That's exactly the problem."
"Liar."
I hated her too.
Marcus pointed at Damien.
"He'll train you."
"No."
Damien spoke immediately.
I frowned.
Marcus frowned.
Ethan looked amused.
Interesting.
"You don't want to train me?"
I wasn't sure why that bothered me.
It just did.
Damien sighed.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
His gray eyes met mine.
Something warm flickered there.
Gone before I could identify it.
"You're stubborn."
I grinned.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
Marcus laughed.
The sound surprised all of us.
Including him.
Then he shook his head.
"Tomorrow morning."
I groaned.
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
The training field sat near the edge of the territory.
Large.
Open.
Filled with warriors.
Most of whom immediately stopped what they were doing when I arrived.
Wonderful.
Nothing made me more comfortable than being watched.
My sarcasm remained intact despite the early hour.
Damien stood near the center of the field.
Black shirt.
Dark pants.
Arms folded.
Looking annoyingly good.
My wolf perked up instantly.
"Mate."
"No."
"Definitely mate."
"Stop helping."
A smile tugged at Damien's lips.
My eyes narrowed.
"You can hear her, can't you?"
His smile widened slightly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Liar.
A very handsome liar.
Which was unfortunate.
For me.
"Let's begin."
Two hours later I hated training.
I hated Damien.
I hated running.
I hated combat drills.
Most of all, I hated how effortlessly Damien did everything.
Meanwhile I was sweaty, exhausted, and increasingly annoyed.
"Again."
I glared.
"No."
"Again."
"No."
"Ava."
"Damien."
His lips twitched.
I pointed at him.
"Don't smile."
"I'm not smiling."
"You are."
"I'm really not."
The liar.
The absolutely gorgeous liar.
Wait.
No.
Not gorgeous.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
My wolf laughed.
Actually laughed.
"We're doomed."
I ignored her.
Damien moved behind me.
My pulse immediately betrayed me.
"Your stance is wrong."
"It's fine."
"It isn't."
Before I could argue, his hands settled on my shoulders.
Heat rushed through me.
Every muscle tensed.
The mate bond practically exploded.
My wolf became unbearably pleased.
"There he is."
"Be quiet."
"His hands are on us."
"I noticed."
Unfortunately.
So had my heart.
Damien adjusted my position.
His voice low.
Calm.
Focused.
"Move your weight here."
I swallowed.
Suddenly remembering how breathing worked became surprisingly difficult.
The worst part?
He didn't seem affected at all.
Not even slightly.
Which annoyed me.
A lot.
Then Damien stepped away.
The absence of warmth was immediate.
And somehow disappointing.
Absolutely ridiculous.
I was losing my mind.
"Again."
I groaned.
Hours later I finally managed to land a hit.
A real hit.
My fist connected with Damien's shoulder.
The Alpha blinked.
I blinked.
The entire training field went silent.
Then Ethan shouted from somewhere behind us.
"She finally did it!"
Cheers erupted.
Warriors actually started clapping.
My face turned red.
Damien looked deeply offended.
I grinned.
For the first time all day.
A real grin.
Victory.
Beautiful victory.
Then something incredible happened.
Damien smiled.
Not the tiny almost-smiles he usually gave.
A real smile.
My heart forgot how to function.
The entire world seemed to stop.
Because apparently Damien smiling was a dangerous weapon.
Who allowed that?
My wolf practically melted.
"Mate."
"Not helping."
"Mate."
"Stop saying that."
His smile faded.
But the image remained burned into my memory.
Unfortunately.
Or maybe fortunately.
I wasn't sure anymore.
The thought was interrupted when Marcus appeared beside the training field.
He watched silently.
His expression unreadable.
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Then his gaze settled on me.
Something changed.
His eyes widened slightly.
Almost imperceptibly.
But I noticed.
Marcus looked toward Damien.
Then back at me.
The expression on his face made my stomach twist.
"Interesting."
The word was quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
Damien immediately noticed.
"What?"
Marcus didn't answer right away.
His gaze remained fixed on me.
Then he sighed.
Slowly.
Heavily.
"She's stronger than she should be."
The field fell silent.
Every warrior stopped moving.
Even Ethan looked concerned.
My pulse quickened.
I hated that sentence.
Mostly because nobody seemed happy about it.
I looked at Marcus.
Then Damien.
Then Ethan.
"What does that mean?"
Silence.
My frustration returned immediately.
Of course.
Marcus looked at Damien.
Damien looked at Marcus.
Neither spoke.
I folded my arms.
"What aren't you telling me now?"
- Writer
