Discovering Me

Awkward Conversation

After a short embarrassing goodbye, we were in the car on the way to the first convention location. I’m not sure we were out of the pack territory before I tore into my breakfast burrito.

“Yes! Whoever made this knows how to make a burrito. They even put in spicy salsa.” I said, doing my happy dance.

“Well, can I get a bite? It looks good.. And not just talking about the burrito. It just looks too hard to hold and drive.”

“It’s messy so I’ll try not to spill it on you." I said, reaching over to give him a bite.

"If it spills you can just lick it off, right?" he said in a flirty way.

"It's so good I just might. Speaking of. We probably shouldn't have that awkward conversation about what we're doing and how we're feeling while I’m feeding you, right?” I asked.

“Not if you don’t want to. Do you feel as though we’re not on the same page?”

“I think so.”

“Do you have any regrets?”

“Not besides sharing the burrito with you.”

He laughs, “ Seriously, would you want to do it again?”

“Share my burrito, no. Have s*x, absolutely.”

He laughed, almost choking, and I handed him his coffee.“Well, I aim to please and am sure we can arrange that anytime you like." He finally choked out.

"Seriously, I don't have any regrets and honestly am not looking to change our friendship from what it has always been."

"Good, I promise I won’t ask to share your burrito anymore. I agree we shouldn't push for anything more than friends, but would it be a problem if one of us found our mates anytime soon? You understand we’ll eventually have to part ways. Correct?”

“Yes, absolutely I understand. And I need you to know I’m not a danger to you, mate. I can handle it. Promise you won’t ever throw me into the dungeon, sedate me, smack me around all while the guards fondle me because you think I'm a threat. I don’t think I can do that again.”

“Wait, what again? You were thrown into a dungeon? What do you mean? Who would do that? Are you kidding? That was your first time being intimate, right?” He asked, almost stopping the car.

“Yes, it was my first time, but I was thrown into the dungeon and all that happened once.” I said, opening up the second burrito and holding it for him to take a bite.

“Is that why you were sent to the academy early?”

“Yes. My alpha felt I needed to come as soon as possible to control my extra abilities. He says he believed me when I said I was innocent. The part I just need you to know is that I really was okay then, when my ex- boyfriend told me he had found his mate and I would be okay if you did as well. I promise, I am just trying to live a low-key life. I would never cause any trouble for you."

"I trust that Lexi. I just don't understand how it got to the point of you being thrown into the dungeon and abused. Then sent away early like you're a threat to the community. You must have been tried by your elders. Did your alpha appeal on your behalf?"

"He represented me in front of the elders but I honestly didn't expect him to appeal anything. He doesn't really have a fighting stance for me because of my family history. The interspecies council is who put my grandmother to death for her misdeeds. She was a real life super villain from what I understand. I know the chances are high that I'll find my mate and he’ll reject me, especially after everything Mr. Walt said about my grandmother.” I paused to take a moment to compose myself and drink some of my coffee. “ But going back to us. You’ve become a really good friend and I trust you, that's why I wanted to do it. There’s not a better person to have as your first person. You’ve always been there for me and I know you always will. I'm not looking to become a chosen mate for you or anything.”

“If your mate rejects you, he’s an i***t. You are not your family history. You are a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman and no one can take that away from you. You hold so much power inside of you that you keep suppressed. I can see you in a position to make a change once you learn to let go and stop worrying so much about what others think of you. It's a privilege for me to be able to serve as your mentor and I know you will easily surpass me once you realize what you have inside of you. The power you hold," he grabbed my hand." I just hope you're not my cousin's mate. This would be all kinds of wrong.” He said groaning, causing me to laugh.

"Doubt that, but you're right. So wrong. But seriously, thank you so much. You will always be so special to me. The way you always build me up and push me to do better. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but promise I will try not to let you down." I said, taking in his kind words. The rest of the ride I told him all about the visit to Mr Walt, the book he gave me and all that I knew from what my family had taught me.

We also talked about his family and how his father became a hybrid alpha. I was surprised to hear how his father overcame the obstacles thrown at him by not only being a vampire hybrid but also having a bloodlust. He also told me about growing up with a royal family. Apparently, his mother is the sister of the Alpha King's mother, but he doesn't talk about it often because he doesn't want to be treated differently.

The conversation flowed the whole ride. When we got there, we checked in, toured the facility, set up the classroom and training facility, then ordered food to retire for the evening.

The training sessions at the different conventions were nice and easy. Keenan even allowed me to head up some of the classes and training sessions. We met some promising young wolves and made a lot of connections with the different packs in the area.

We were just getting ready to head back to Keenan’s pack for the final week when I received a call from Jacob asking if I could cover the training in Central Ohio instead.

Although I have never held a training session all by myself, I felt I should be ready and it would give me an opportunity to go visit my family early. I happily agreed.

Keenan dropped me off at Denver airport and Jacob picked me up in Columbus,Oh. He showed me the suite and gave me his folder of what he had prepped for this session. I was so excited to find out that his reason for the departure was to get back to his mate who is now pregnant and to take her to get settled in at his pack.

The first day of the convention I was a nervous wreck. The Central Ohio Center was made similar to the North East one, so it was easy to navigate around but brought back memories. I hope there’s no drama here. I was introduced to some of the warriors that were here from the elite warrior academy just in case, but don’t plan on calling them unless it’s an absolute emergency.

My schedule was consistent with what I remembered. I had a training session in the morning and evening and a lecture at 10am and 1pm, but I found straight lecturing boring and decided to do a more interactive orientation, allowing me to gauge their knowledge. That way, I don’t have to speak as much either.

As expected, many of the young wolves already knew most of the material I was to cover and we covered two hours of material in a half hour. To buy time, I asked them questions about the different species of hybrids and gave them some of the knowledge I'd learned about each of the species and informed them where to find more information. Before we knew it our time was up and I had to shoo them out so we could go for lunch.

Not knowing anyone else, I did decide to have lunch with the elite warriors in the cafeteria. I was munching on my salad and talking to them about their training experience when I heard a very timid voice.

“Um, excuse me Miss Lexi.” a very sweet-looking she wolf with shimmery blond hair and the brightest turquoise-colored eyes came up behind me.

“Hi, Amelia, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I just wanted to say I really enjoyed your lecture but, even more, that you came from the Hybrid Academy. I never knew they took small females like us there. I’m not a warrior, but would it be okay if I attended your training later today?” She asked.

“You’re more than welcome to attend, but can I tell you a secret?” I asked her, then cupped my face like I was going to whisper but in a regular voice, say, “I am not a warrior. I have learned to be skilled in combat, but honestly can see my talents are better in other areas. One thing I’ve learned to love about attending the academy is it allows each to thrive wherever we’re most skilled at. I was accepted with my abilities with my vampire traits but am learning how to develop some of the traits I have with the witch side and wolf.” I explained.

“Oh wow. I knew I could sense that you were part witch too. I can’t wait until the training later this evening. Thank you so much.” She says as she bounces off to go back to where her family is sitting.

“Lexi. It looks like you have a way with the young ones. The pups in my lecture kept falling asleep.” One of the warriors sitting across from me says.

“I do try. I’m just glad I could touch at least one person.” I said, thinking about how I needed to call both Jacob and Keenan and tell them about my first day.

“Well, what are you doing for dinner? I’d love to take you out.” He asks.

“So she can touch you too, Josh?” Asked another warrior who I’m just noticing is the twin to the other.

“Shut up Jake. Please don’t listen to him. Dinner tonight? We don’t even have to leave here if you don’t want to. Or I do know a nice restaurant not too far away.”

“Sure, dinner, but don’t expect me to touch you” I joked. He threw his hands up in a motion indicating surrender and we all continued our lunch.

The after-lunch lecture went just as well as the first. This group was with the second and third year shifts. Jacob had materials put together to talk about their different hybrid types, to give them a history of each hybrid type and to talk to them about their roles in the pack. Instead of just reading the lectures, I put the information up on the projector screen and had someone of each type read the information out loud and had a brief discussion on each.

Again, time went by fast and class was over before we knew it. I had a two-hour break before I had my second physical training session, so I decided to give both Keenan and Jacob a three-way call to let them know my progress. They were both very encouraging and gave me pointers for the next part of the week.

The second physical training went well. There were some young guys who attempted to challenge me by being a smaller female and leading this training session and I happily humbled them, earning respect from the whole group.

I was glad to see Amelia show up for the training with some of her friends. She struggled to keep up, so I attempted to teach in a way that both the advanced and newly interested could work at their skill level.

At the end of class, I thanked and tried to encourage everyone to their strengths. I even told my story about how, when I first attended training, my friends teased that I was “dance fighting” to show that when you focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses you can become more skilled than you imagined.

After training, I showered and got dressed for dinner. I didn’t pack much as far as dressy clothes, so I was glad Josh said it was okay not to go to a fancy restaurant. We went to a delicious Mediterranean restaurant not far from the facility and exchanged pointers for our classes. At the end, we decided it was best to keep our relationship as friends only.

I called Jacob and Keenan to get them updated on my progress.