The Last Alpha's Second Life

RULES I NEVER LEARNED

It'd been three years. Same packed earth, same weapon racks along the stone wall, same instructor standing, arms crossed, as though he'd been chiseled from the mountain behind him.

Instructor Halden had been training Voss heirs for twenty years, and he sure did not share everyone's enthusiasm for all of the heirs. Kaidren had known him to be like this to these very heirs. He didn't need to yell. He simply sat back, said almost nothing, and waited for you to gauge exactly how badly you'd disappointed him.

"You're late, " said Halden, without raising his eyes from thepractice sword he was studying.

"Under 2 minutes."

"Late is." He threw the sword at Kaidren. The man caught it instinctively. Halden's eyebrows rose a little. "Nice reflexes. Didn't see that coming."

Kaidren regulated himself instantly. In his first life, he'd go his whole first day without a single catch. He'd the sword entirely, or rather, he had nothing to do with it, and the session ended with him flat on his back all day long. He'd have to improve, but not so much that they'd notice before he had time to react.

The man lucked out. He chuckled, relaxing his grip on intention.

Halden looked at him for a fraction too long. "Of course. Let's see how your luck goes when I'm pulling my punches.

He hadn't gone easy at all. Halden rushed him and Kaidren's body reacted with a speed that was a blur across the yard before his brain could follow and a lifetime of instinct, memory, and muscle memory working in concert with him in a way he couldn't quite comprehend and it felt perfectly right. He blocked the first. Dodged the second and took the third in the ribs and the wind went out of him.

'Better than I thought, ' Halden said, backing away slightly. 'Worse than you'll have to be.'

Kaidren sat up and rubbed his side. "How worse?"

Word is they're fast-tracking you to the throne. Halden's face hadn't changed, but something in his tone had. That means they are all going to be looking a lot more closely at you, every wolf in this pack is going to be. Enemies too.

I know.

"Are you?" 'Halden tipped his head. "Only three days ago, you were the second son nobody knew and nobody cared about. Today, you're the next Alpha, but that's not a vertical leap. No matter how fast your reflexes are, people don't get used to that situation in three days."

Kaidren had intended to tell him he knew exactly how swiftly circumstances could alter, that he'd endured more than a change of title, that he knew only too well how quickly smiling faces could become daggers. Instead, he acknowledged and said, "I'll try harder."

"You'll have to." Halden grabbed a practice sword and flung it down next to the other. "Again. Only this time, try not to be struck. Block."

His arms already felt like they were not his own by the time the session drew to a close. When he sat down on the low stone wall bordering the yard to recover, Darian plopped down next to him, twirling two drinking horns in his hand.

Halden actually gave you a compliment. I thought it was a miracle, ' Darian said, passing him one. 'The only one I ever got in my entire six years in the league was for my footwork, and it felt pretty obvious he was taking a shot at me.

"He said I was worse than I needed to be."

"That's about as complimentary as he gets," Darian grinned, shoulder nudging. "No, seriously, you looked different out there. Sharper."

Kaidren sat back and took a slow drink, giving himself a few moments to consider things. "I finally decided to do something about it."

"You never did [laugh at me]. You simply didn't excel at it, " Kaidren said lightly, without any malice. The way he used to taunt Kaidren about his cooking, his taste in music. It was odd to hear that warmth in his voice again, odd to know that his voice would be so sure and confident three years from now, saying I'm sorry right before the sword slipped through his ribs.

"Things change, " Kaidren said softly.

"Apparently." He looked over him for a few seconds, something in his expression he knew he shouldn't see, was faint behind his charade of a smile. "You're not yourself. I mean, you haven't been yourself since yesterday. Quieter. Like you're judging each one of us."

Kaidren's pulse quickened, but he maintained a straight face. "A big burden was thrust in my lap, just like that. I didn't immediately know what was in store for me."

Fair enough." Darian got to his feet and raised his hands above his head. "Just don't drop out entirely, ok? I think you"ve got so much more to give than whatever this Alpha gig yanks you around with."

The words hit anyone but Darian harder than he might imagine. Kaidren gave a little grin. "I'll try."

Darian was gone before Kaidren could even remind him to save him one, heading toward the mess hall and muttering something behind him about saving a seat for Kaidren. Kaidren sat for a long moment, rolling a water skin in his hands.

He didn't want to believe there was anyone else left worth saving, anyone who could pull Darian away from the part of him that grabbed the blade the first time. He wasn't sure yet if that was wisdom or weakness.

Reyes located him there twenty minutes later and threw herself onto the wall next to him with a kind of enthusiasm that suggested she both had the information and wanted someone to share it with.

You're not going to believe what I found out, " she said.

"Go ahead and test me."

"The elder council's had a secret meeting with three of the council elders this morning." "Really? Did they meet before breakfast? Before Father's announcement?" Reyes said in a whispery tone despite in reality no one could hear her. "Who would meet before breakfast unless they didn't want others to know about it."

Kaidren straightened a little. "Which elders?"

Ranked for me "Harlow and Petra," and she ticked them off on her fingers. "Both of them agreed we should bring forward the schedule; I assumed it was solely because of Father's health. Now I'm not so sure."

It matched. All the pieces of his first life Kaidren had held onto were settling into place more quickly than he'd hoped, only confirming fears he'd held for three years and a lifetime.

"Good, " he said. "Keep your eye on them. Not too close for now. Neither one."

"Obviously," Reyes sneered. "I'm not going to go over to Selene and ask her what she's planning. I have decent self-preservation instincts, unlike you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Halden, you got hit right in the ribs today, didn't you, when I mentioned it, just now? Hard as you're working, Kaidren. It doesn't make sense to work this hard for someone just starting to take training seriously." She eyed him up and down. "You said you'd tell me sooner or later. I'm beginning to think sooner or later is sounding a lot closer than later."

Kaidren gazed across the training yard, now devoid of all but a few abandoned practice swords parked against the far wall. He thought of the sword that had plunged into his side, Darian's deliberate movements, Maeve's soothing voice, assuring him he'd made a fine Alpha.

"Later, I promise, " he said. "Just one more day. I just want to be certain that I am not mistaken about what might be approaching."

Reyes didn't appear Mich8pleased, but she even nodded, trusting him as she had always done, even as he had betrayed her a hundred times, if not more.

"Fine, " she said. "But if you think you get to tell me when, you'd best have a damn good reason. Because right now you sound a little bit like someone who knows exactly how this story is going to end."

Kaidren almost snorted at the abruptand humorlessresponse, if only you knew how close you were.

"Something like that, " he said, rising to his feet, considering his next move, already knowing that he was three moves ahead.