She belongs to me

Training

Chapter 5

I gulped in the fresh air, letting the cool breeze soothe my flushed skin.

"What the hell was that about?" Luna murmured, referring to my body's unexpected reaction to Alpha Kade's proximity.

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Can't really blame me though, he is smokin' hot."

"You're not wrong," she agreed shamelessly. "And he's got a nice ass too."

I scoffed. "You mean he's an arrogant ass."

"Well well, if it isn't little Ava." An obnoxiously cocky voice rang out. "Never thought I'd see your face around here again."

I grimaced as Ezra sauntered over with that stupid smirk plastered across his face. He still had that lanky build with wiry muscle and his annoyingly perfect blonde hair slicked back.

"Ezra," I greeted with dripping sarcasm. "So good to see you too."

Turning on my heel, I started walking away only for him to fall into step beside me.

"C'mon, you can't outrun these long legs," he boasted arrogantly.

I stifled a gag. "Unfortunately."

I remembered with searing clarity his smug looks when Jaxon first found his mate Brittany. Ezra had always encouraged Jaxon to fool around, insisting I wasn't enough for a "stud" like him. Thinking back, it was glaringly obvious Jaxon had cheated multiple times. Not that it mattered now.

Ezra sidled even closer with that stupid, sleazy leer. "So how you been holding up since the whole Jaxon debacle? Had to be pretty embarrassing, huh?"

His mocking tone ignited my temper like a match to a fuse. I whirled on him, squaring up mere inches from his face.

"Listen here, asshole," I growled lowly. "It's been over a year. A whole f*****g year. So back the hell off before I knock those pretty teeth down your throat."

Without waiting for a response, I spun and continued stalking away, flipping him off for good measure.

"Oooh, someone's still feisty!" he called out with a crude chuckle.

"God, he's just as insufferable as ever," Breanna sighed, materializing beside me and making me jump. I'd been so lost in fuming over Ezra that I hadn't noticed her approach.

Grimacing, I refused to look back at that douchebag. "I feel sorry for whatever poor girl ends up as his soulmate."

Breanna gave me a small, sympathetic smile. "Where were you headed?"

"Just home," I said with a shrug, giving her a sidelong glance. Guilt churned in my gut for how I'd treated my best friend before leaving Everwood. What kind of person drops their lifelong BFF for some loser boyfriend?

"Mind if I walk with you? My place is on the way."

"Not at all," I replied, surprised but hoping to make amends. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? You know apologies aren't really my thing, but I was the worst friend ever and I'm truly sorry."

Her eyes widened, clearly caught off guard by my words.

"I forgave you as soon as I learned what happened with Jaxon," she said with an easy shrug, as if it was no big deal.

That was one of the things I'd always loved most about Breanna - she never made mountains out of molehills or held grudges. Drama and pettiness just wasn't her thing.

"Yeah, well, I feel lucky as hell that jackass wasn't actually my mate," I scoffed, trying to imagine how miserable my life would have been shackled to Jaxon for eternity.

Breanna chuckled ruefully. "As messed up as it sounds, losing Jaxon was probably the best thing that could've happened to you. You were always too good for that prick."

"Damn right," I agreed with a grin, giving her a playful elbow to the ribs.

For the first time, the thought of eventually leaving Everwood to return to Grandma Willow's cottage didn't hold any appeal. With Jaxon out of the picture, it felt like I could actually start over here, hopefully on better terms. The only thing that would make it perfect was having my mom here too.

A sharp pang lanced through my chest at that thought. I quickly shoved it aside before the grief could resurface.

"So fill me in," I said, forcibly brightening my tone. "What's life been like around here since I left?"

Breanna obliged, dishing all the local happenings I'd missed over the past year. Her older sister had finally found her mate in a neighboring pack and was currently pregnant with her first child. Only a handful of our former packmates had actually died in the battle against the Crescents, my mom included.

According to Breanna, once our side surrendered, Alpha Kade had been quick to end the bloodshed - especially after learning our sniveling former Alpha Jaxon had fled like a coward, abandoning everyone.

I felt a flare of resentment toward Kade that I knew was irrational. He may not have been directly responsible for my mom's death, but he had still been the catalyst, the spark that ignited the whole violent blaze to begin with.

The rest of my rage was directed straight at the gaping void Jaxon had left in the shape of his own selfishness.

"So, are you excited to find your mate?" I asked with a teasing smirk, watching a light blush stain Breanna's cheeks.

She ducked her head shyly. "I'm not in any big rush."

I got the distinct impression she was holding something back, but didn't pry. If she wanted to share, she would.

"Enough about me," she said quickly, shifting the subject. "What have you been up to this past year? Did you just laze around eating snacks and binging TV shows?"

Snorting, I gave her the brief rundown of my intensive combat and tactical training regimen under Chris's brutal tutelage. To her, the year must have sounded boring as hell, but it had truly been the most fulfilling period of my admittedly short life so far.

"So does that mean you can kick all our asses now?" She chuckled.

"I'd like to think so," I giggled, feeling pretty confident in my newfound skills and stamina.

"Well you definitely held your own against Alpha Kade earlier," she pointed out with an impressed nod.

I frowned skeptically. "You think so? Even Sean said the same thing, but all I did was get my ass thoroughly kicked."

Breanna shuddered bodily. "Trust me, that alone is a serious achievement. Alpha Kade fights like an actual monster - I've never seen anything like the way he moves. The fact you're still breathing after going toe-to-toe with him is downright incredible."

"Yeah, I've never encountered anyone with that kind of speed and ferocity," I agreed, my mind automatically replaying his liquid movements, so fluidly violent. "I honestly thought he might be hopped up on some magical werewolf steroid or something!"

"Did you happen to see Chelsea at training earlier?" Breanna asked suddenly, watching my face carefully.

"Chelsea?" I searched my memories, coming up blank. "No, I didn't notice her there. Why?"

Breanna snorted derisively. "Because of course she was. The girl is still disgustingly obsessed with Alpha Kade."

"Oh. Wow." I felt a weird twinge in my gut that I couldn't quite identify. "Well, I guess some things really don't change. She was always drooling over Jaxon."

"And now she has this insane notion that she's going to be Kade's Luna," Breanna said with an epic eye roll.

I shuddered involuntarily. "That would be...wonderfully horrific."

"Right?" she cackled before smirking at me knowingly. "Although, even the old, meek version of you would have made a better Luna than Chelsea."

"Why thank you," I replied with a sardonic curtsy which set her off into a fresh peal of laughter.

"You know," she said once she caught her breath. "I'm surprised Alpha Kade hasn't dropped you on your ass permanently. Seriously, what was that whole bizarre dynamic about earlier?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I think I just piss him off '.