Bound to Enemy

16

But my question was soon answered when I saw them waiting in the grand foyer. They were dressed in similar black attire.

"Morning, Luna." They both inclined their heads in greeting.

"Stop," I grumbled as I walked past them. The little brats had the audacity to giggle at my obvious discomfort.

I was still trying to get used to the title that I had been awarded since coming to this place. Though I was not officially the Luna of BloodMoon, I technically held the rank anyway.

Jason leaned toward me as he followed me out the front door of the mansion. "Are you okay? You seem a little off."

My heart jumped but only for a moment before I forced down any unwanted thoughts.

"I'm fine," I cleared my throat, "probably just because I have to sleep in a new bed."

He didn't look convinced, but he didn't press me further.

We walked out into the open air, which was nowhere near as crisp as my homeland. But what it lacked in natural beauty they had made up for in their facilities.

Daxton lived in a castle, and that was not an exaggeration. His mansion was made out of the whitest marble I had ever seen. The fields were lush and green, and the pine trees hung proudly around the area.

I was impressed by what they had built. But what they had in material, we had in nature. It was why my people were more connected to our natural way of life. Blood Moon sought to modify and better, while we preferred the natural order of things.

We walked toward the training ground in complete and utter silence until we got to the pits.

I had toured some of the compound a little before the meeting yesterday, and I was impressed. State-of-the-art gyms and fields to practice wolf maneuvers. I understood why they had such great warriors. They prepped them well.

As soon as we got to the sand pits that were a few meters away from the large gym warehouse with all the weights, every wolf present went silent.

When I first arrived yesterday, there were no wolves present here. But now, in the bright morning light, it seemed dozens of wolves had found their way to the training ground.

Every single pair of eyes looked our way. There were varying looks of disgust and hatred all mixed in with their pupils. Their hatred was so strong it was palpable on my tongue.

They were dressed in dark blue while my aids and I were in all black attire. We stuck out like sore thumbs.

"Well," Lily muttered under her breath. "This isn't awkward at all."

I knew that I would not be met with open arms. I didn't like them, and they likely already had their preconceived notions about me. But for the sake of peace, I knew that it was best to simply make peace.

"Follow my lead," I whispered to the three people behind me. I stepped forward and faced the wolves who were still staring at me. "Many of you may know of me, but for those who don't, my name is Alessandra Fraser, and I am to be your new Luna."

A thick silence fell upon the area. All that could be heard were the chirping of the birds in the pine branches around us. The wind picked up a little, blowing through my strands.

"We know who you are," a rather tall blonde spoke up first, her eyes moved up and down the length of my body, sizing me up. "We just don't care."

She was a feisty little thing, but I had dealt with much worse in my lifetime.

"You all don't like me, clearly." I looked over the crowd, "It's fine, I'm not here to win your favor. I am here to train. You can go about your day and not mind us."

They all stared at me like I was speaking Mandarin. Were they hard of hearing?

"Okay then," I clapped my hands together and stepped forward, but then I stopped when someone spoke.

"You need to earn your rank in our pack, Luna." The dumb blonde quipped from the front of the crowd. "We can't just allow a simple outsider to come and lay claim to us and our future. We boast the best training grounds in the country. It is a privilege to even stand on these grounds. Mutts, I mean outsiders, can't just be let in."

I balled my fists at my side and stared at her. I could feel my wolf stirring from deep within my body. She felt disrespected by Blondie and wanted to reprimand her herself.

Calm, I tried to tell my wolf.

She will pay for her insolence.

I knew my wolf well, and I didn't want her to do anything that could cause more tensions between me and this pack. I was in foreign land, and I couldn't risk someone trying to kill me, or worse, one of my aides.

Jason stepped forward, always ready to come to my defense. "Need I remind you that this is your Luna-to-be."

The blonde jutted her chin up in defiance. "To be, that means that she is not yet the Luna and thus holds no rank here. If she wants to train with us, then she must prove herself a decent warrior."

It took all my willpower not to roll my eyes and pounce on her. She had no idea what she was trying to talk herself into. Not only did I have greater strength and speed, but my recovery days were probably her full day of training.

I huffed, feeling bored of all her chatter. "If you want to put your money where your mouth is, then please. Let's have a go, shall we? Strictly hand to hand, my wolf is of course bigger and faster than yours since I carry the wolf gene and you are likely a mutt."

Pink tinted her cheeks and the rage roared in her brown eyes loudly. "I will have you know that my father was one of the greatest warriors that this pack has⁠—"

"I don't care," I interrupted her. "Get into the pit."

I took off my hoodie and handed it to Jason. He looked at me with a calculated level of concern, but I knew that it was not directed at me. He knew how good of a fighter I was. I had taken on three rogues once before and lived to tell the tale. No other wolf in living existence had ever done that. Except for one, of course, Daxton Vale, my betrothed and a formidable warrior.

I walked to the large sand pit, but then Jason grabbed my elbow and pulled me to a stop.

"Ale," his tone told me all I needed to know.

"I won't kill her," I breathed. "You and I both know that I can't let this s**t slide."

We stared at each other for a long moment, neither one of us letting up.

"Trust me."