The Unexpected Mate

Chapter 12: Training the Chosen

The council meeting ended shortly after that.

Not because anyone had reached an agreement.

But because the arguments had become pointless.

Everyone knew the same thing.

The Shadowborn were coming.

And Tiana was running out of time.

As she followed Timothy out of the council chamber, the weight of dozens of stares followed her.

Some wolves looked hopeful.

Others looked fearful.

A few looked suspicious.

She hated all of it.

"I feel like everyone is looking at me."

Timothy glanced sideways at her.

"They are."

"That's not comforting."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"It wasn't meant to be."

Tiana rolled her eyes.

The Alpha actually looked amused.

The sight still surprised her.

Most of the time Timothy looked dangerous enough to terrify anyone.

But every now and then she caught glimpses of a different man.

One capable of smiling.

Laughing.

Caring.

Those glimpses were becoming harder to ignore.

The bond certainly wasn't ignoring them.

Warmth pulsed softly inside her chest.

Timothy's expression shifted slightly.

He felt it too.

Neither mentioned it.

Neither knew what to say anymore.

The bond was simply there.

Growing stronger every day.

As they entered the main hall, Marcus appeared.

The older wolf looked exhausted.

Deep lines creased his face.

The council meeting clearly hadn't been easy.

"Sarah wants training to begin immediately."

Timothy nodded.

"I expected that."

Marcus looked toward Tiana.

His expression softened.

"You don't have to be afraid."

Tiana laughed.

A short nervous laugh.

"I'm pretty sure being afraid is the normal reaction."

The older wolf chuckled.

"Fair point."

Timothy folded his arms.

"Who will train her?"

The question immediately caught Tiana's attention.

Train her?

She still wasn't convinced this was necessary.

Marcus seemed to notice.

"It is necessary."

Tiana blinked.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

The older wolf smiled.

"Your face did."

Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.

Timothy sighed.

"I'll train her."

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

The older wolf looked unconvinced.

"Timothy."

The Alpha frowned.

"What?"

Marcus crossed his arms.

"You are the Alpha."

"And?"

"You have responsibilities."

Timothy's expression remained unchanged.

"I'll make time."

Marcus and Timothy stared at one another.

The silence stretched.

Then Marcus groaned.

"You're impossible."

Tiana immediately smiled.

She wasn't the only person saying that anymore.

Timothy looked completely unapologetic.

Marcus eventually shook his head.

"Fine."

The older wolf looked toward Tiana.

"Training begins tomorrow morning."

Tiana froze.

"Tomorrow?"

Marcus nodded.

"At sunrise."

Her horror must have shown because Timothy laughed.

Actually laughed.

The deep sound echoed through the hallway.

Several nearby wolves stopped to stare.

Apparently Timothy laughing wasn't common.

Tiana pointed at him.

"Don't laugh."

The Alpha failed miserably to hide his amusement.

"You should see your face."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I already don't like training."

"You haven't started yet."

"I still don't like it."

Marcus laughed this time.

The older wolf eventually left, still shaking his head.

The moment he disappeared, Tiana looked at Timothy.

"Please tell me sunrise was a joke."

"It wasn't."

Her shoulders slumped.

Timothy's smile widened.

For a terrifying Alpha, he seemed to enjoy her suffering far too much.

The thought made her grin despite herself.

The bond immediately reacted.

Warmth flowed between them.

Stronger than before.

Neither smiled afterward.

Because they both felt it.

The connection growing.

Changing.

Deepening.

The realization made Tiana nervous.

Before either could speak, a voice interrupted.

"Alpha."

The warmth vanished instantly.

Lyra approached.

Several folders rested beneath her arm.

Her expression remained professional.

Yet Tiana noticed something had changed.

The hostility wasn't gone.

But it had lessened.

Slightly.

Lyra stopped in front of Timothy.

"The patrol reports."

Timothy accepted them.

"Anything unusual?"

The blonde wolf hesitated.

Then nodded.

"The northern scouts found more markings."

The atmosphere immediately darkened.

The symbol.

The Mark of the Blessed.

Tiana remembered the drawing.

Remembered the strange familiarity it triggered.

"More symbols?"

Lyra nodded.

"Three this time."

That wasn't good.

Judging by Timothy's expression, he agreed.

The Alpha looked toward a nearby window.

The mountains stretched endlessly beyond the glass.

Somewhere out there, the Shadowborn were gathering.

Planning.

Waiting.

The thought made Tiana uneasy.

Very uneasy.

Because she still didn't understand why they wanted her.

Or what they planned to do once they found her.

Lyra shifted uncomfortably.

"There was something else."

Timothy looked back at her.

"What?"

The blonde wolf swallowed.

A rare sign of nervousness.

"We found tracks."

Silence.

Timothy's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of tracks?"

Lyra's gaze flickered briefly toward Tiana.

Then back to Timothy.

"White wolf tracks."

The room became very still.

Adrian.

The mysterious Alpha had returned.

Or at least been nearby.

Tiana immediately remembered his warning.

Be careful who you trust.

The words echoed through her mind.

Why had he said that?

What had he meant?

And why did she have the feeling he knew far more about her than anyone else?

Timothy's jaw tightened.

Clearly he wasn't pleased.

"How close?"

"Less than a mile from the northern border."

The Alpha looked annoyed.

Deeply annoyed.

Almost possessive.

The reaction didn't escape Tiana.

Neither did the strange warmth that followed it.

The bond was becoming impossible to ignore.

And something told her that Adrian Blackwood's return was about to make everything much more complicated.

Adrian Blackwood.

The name immediately settled over the room like a storm cloud.

Tiana watched Timothy carefully.

The Alpha rarely showed his emotions.

At least not openly.

But she was beginning to know him well enough to notice the small things.

The tightening of his jaw.

The tension in his shoulders.

The dangerous gleam in his silver eyes.

Timothy didn't like Adrian.

Not even a little.

"Did anyone see him?" Timothy asked.

Lyra shook her head.

"No."

The blonde woman placed the reports on a nearby table.

"But the tracks were fresh."

The Alpha cursed under his breath.

Tiana raised an eyebrow.

"You're doing that a lot lately."

Timothy looked at her.

For a moment he seemed confused.

Then realization crossed his face.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Lyra actually rolled her eyes.

"The world is ending and you're worried about his language?"

Tiana shrugged.

"It seemed worth mentioning."

The blonde wolf stared at her.

Then, unexpectedly, laughed.

A real laugh.

Not bitter.

Not forced.

Genuine.

The sound surprised all three of them.

Especially Lyra.

The moment passed quickly.

Reality returned.

And reality wasn't nearly as pleasant.

The Shadowborn were gathering.

The prophecy had awakened.

And another Alpha was lurking near pack territory.

Things couldn't get much more complicated.

At least that was what Tiana thought.

Until the following morning.

The sun had barely begun rising when someone pounded on her bedroom door.

Tiana groaned.

Then buried her face beneath a pillow.

The knocking continued.

Louder this time.

More determined.

She considered pretending to be asleep.

Unfortunately, the person outside clearly wasn't giving up.

"Tiana."

Timothy's voice.

Of course.

She groaned again.

"Go away."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

She sat upright.

Already annoyed.

The Alpha sounded far too awake for someone standing outside a bedroom before sunrise.

"It is still dark."

"No."

"It feels dark."

Timothy's amusement carried through the door.

"Training starts in ten minutes."

Tiana considered her options.

Unfortunately, none of them involved returning to sleep.

Twenty minutes later she stood in the center of a large training field.

Cold.

Tired.

And deeply regretting every life decision that had brought her here.

The training grounds sat behind the pack house.

Surrounded by trees.

Several wolves were already practicing.

Some sparred.

Others ran.

A few trained in their wolf forms.

The sight was intimidating.

Very intimidating.

Timothy stood across from her.

Looking entirely too comfortable.

"You look miserable."

"I am miserable."

The Alpha nodded thoughtfully.

"Good."

Tiana blinked.

"What?"

"People who are comfortable don't grow."

She stared.

Then pointed at him.

"That sounded like something from a motivational poster."

Several nearby wolves laughed.

Timothy looked deeply offended.

The reaction only made everyone laugh harder.

Even Tiana.

The moment lasted only a few seconds.

Then Timothy became serious.

"Show me the silver light."

Her smile vanished.

"Oh."

The request immediately made her nervous.

Because she had no idea how to do that.

"I can't."

Timothy frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know how."

The Alpha considered that.

Fair point.

The silver light had appeared during a life-threatening situation.

Not exactly something she could recreate on command.

Timothy walked closer.

The bond stirred instantly.

Warmth spread through her chest.

The sensation distracted her.

Again.

This was becoming a problem.

A very attractive problem.

But still a problem.

The Alpha stopped directly in front of her.

Close.

Too close.

Her pulse quickened.

Timothy seemed entirely unaware.

Or maybe he wasn't.

The possibility made her even more nervous.

"Close your eyes."

She obeyed.

The sounds of the training grounds faded slightly.

Timothy's voice became softer.

"Focus."

Tiana took a deep breath.

Then another.

The bond pulsed steadily.

Like a second heartbeat.

Warm.

Comforting.

Safe.

"Do you feel anything?" Timothy asked.

She nodded.

"The bond."

Silence followed.

A strange silence.

When she opened her eyes, Timothy looked surprised.

Very surprised.

"What?"

The Alpha stared.

Then slowly shook his head.

"Nothing."

That answer was a lie.

An obvious lie.

Tiana immediately noticed.

But before she could question him, something happened.

A strange warmth appeared deep inside her chest.

Different from the bond.

Older.

Stronger.

The sensation spread throughout her body.

Her hands began tingling.

Energy flowed beneath her skin.

Timothy instantly noticed.

His silver eyes widened.

"Tiana."

The warmth intensified.

Brighter.

Stronger.

Almost alive.

Several nearby wolves stopped training.

Watching.

Waiting.

The tingling became impossible to ignore.

Then silver light exploded from her hands.

Gasps echoed across the field.

Tiana stumbled backward.

The light surrounded her completely.

Beautiful.

Powerful.

Terrifying.

The energy lasted several seconds before fading.

Leaving stunned silence behind.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Every wolf stared.

Timothy looked shocked.

Not frightened.

Not concerned.

Shocked.

The reaction worried her.

Because Timothy wasn't easily surprised.

"What happened?"

The question came out barely above a whisper.

No one answered immediately.

Marcus suddenly appeared at the edge of the field.

The older wolf had clearly witnessed everything.

His expression was unreadable.

Sarah arrived moments later.

The elderly woman looked equally stunned.

Tiana's stomach tightened.

That wasn't reassuring.

Not even slightly.

Sarah slowly approached.

The elder stopped directly in front of her.

Then reached for her hand.

The old woman examined her palm carefully.

Confusion appeared on her face.

Then concern.

Then something else.

Something much worse.

Fear.

Real fear.

The sight made Tiana's blood run cold.

Sarah looked toward Timothy.

The elderly woman's voice shook slightly.

A terrifying first.

"She's awakening faster than the prophecy predicted."

The words settled over the training field.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Impossible to ignore.

Timothy's expression hardened immediately.

Marcus looked troubled.

Several wolves exchanged nervous glances.

Tiana stood frozen.

Trying to understand.

Trying to process.

Trying not to panic.

Unfortunately, the next words out of Sarah's mouth made that impossible.

"At this rate..."

The elder swallowed.

Then finished the sentence.

"She may not have enough time to learn how to control it."

A cold silence settled across the training grounds.

And for the first time, Tiana truly understood how dangerous her power might become.