chapter 17
1012 Words
Tamara
I raised my arms into my defensive stance and prepared to fight. I took a deep breath and ran forward. I threw a fast punch directly toward Eve’s face.
Eve did not even look interested in my attack. She simply stepped to the left. My fist hit the empty air. Before I could pull my arm back to protect myself, Eve grabbed my right wrist and twisted my arm behind my back.
I lost my balance instantly and fell straight down onto the green grass, my face hitting the hard ground.
The entire spar lasted less than ten seconds. I was completely defeated before I even had a chance to try my second move.
Eve let go of my wrist and stepped backward. She put her hands inside the pockets of her grey pants but she did not look proud of her victory. She just looked almost bored.
Around the edges of the training field, the pack members started to laugh. They pointed their fingers directly at me. They snickered and whispered to each other, making sure I could hear their mocking tones.
I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees. My face felt extremely hot from the deep embarrassment. My eyes filled with tears rapidly. I wanted to cry right there on the grass, but I forced the tears to stay in my eyes.
I stood up and looked around to find North. I wanted my mate to tell them to stop laughing. I wanted him to help me defend my dignity.
I found him standing near the wooden fence. He was looking directly at me. His face showed absolutely zero emotion and he did not say a single word. He did not even stop the laughing pack members to defend me.
He simply turned his back to me and walked away from the training field. He walked back toward the pack house, leaving me completely alone with the people who hated me.
I felt very sad and highly rejected. I dusted the dry dirt off my black training pants.
Serena separated from the laughing women and walked over to me. She stopped right in front of me but she did not laugh like the other warriors. Her facial expression was very serious and focused.
"I want you to know something, Tamara," Serena said quietly, making sure the other women could not hear her words. "I do not hate you as a person. But I have trained every single day of my life to become the future Luna of the Night Sword pack. I broke my bones, I bled on this grass, and I fought for years to prove I deserve this specific title. I am not going to give up my position to a weakling like you just because you are the Alpha's fated mate."
She did not wait for me to reply. She turned around and walked back to the group of women to continue her morning training.
I stood alone on the grass for a few moments. The other warriors ignored me and went back to their physical exercises. I felt very foolish and entirely out of place.
Someone suddenly held out a small white towel toward me. I turned my head and saw Eve standing next to me.
"Here," Eve said in her flat, quiet voice. "You have brown dirt all over your forehead."
I took the towel from her hand. "Thank you," I said. I wiped the dirt off my skin carefully. "You beat me very easily."
Eve shrugged her shoulders. "I have trained in physical combat for ten years. You just started training a few weeks ago. You should not feel bad about losing to me today."
I looked at her closely. "Why are you participating in the Luna trials?" I asked her.
"You do not look like you actually want to be the Luna of this pack."
"Yes…I dont want to be the Luna," Eve replied honestly. "My parents forced me to enter the competition because of our low status. I just want to finish the trials quickly and go back to my normal daily life if I survive. If you want, I can show you exactly how to block that leg sweep next time."
I smiled a genuine smile for the first time all morning. "I would like that very much, Eve."
"Okay. Meet me in the small training ring tomorrow morning," she said. Then, she walked away to sit on a wooden bench. I felt very glad that I had finally made one nice person in this hostile place.
Later that night, I could not fall asleep. My physical body ached from the training, and my mind kept replaying the exact moment North turned his back and walked away from me. I felt a strong physical need for him, but I also felt a deep anger toward his actions. I thought we were getting better together? We shared some sort of intimacy right?
I got out of my bed and walked over to my bedroom window. I looked out at the dark pack grounds. The full moon in the sky provided a small amount of white light over the grass and the buildings.
And then I saw a tall, muscular man walking very quietly near the edge of the thick trees. I narrowed my eyes to see his face better in the dark. It was Beta Kain.
He stopped walking and looked around him very carefully, checking to see if anyone else was awake and watching him. I stepped backward slightly into the shadows of my room so he would not see me standing in the window.
He turned around and stepped directly into the thick, dark forest completely alone. He did not have a standard patrol team of warriors with him.
The pack rules clearly stated that absolutely no one was allowed to enter the woods at night without a full guard team because of the rogue wolves.
But I watched the dark trees, wondering exactly what the Beta was doing out there in the dangerous forest by himself.
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