The She Wolf's Secret

CHAPTER 6

SIENNA

A month ago, I had been dragged out of my suite by the arm of an angry Alpha.

Today, I could take down his warriors.

Well…

Maybe not his warriors.

Yet.

But I was getting there.

The man who had walked into the middle of my confrontation with Alpha Jackson that day had been Carla’s grandfather, Clay.

And I honestly didn’t know what I would have done without him.

He had taken control of the situation with Jackson before things had gotten even worse. Then, instead of simply sending me back to the same miserable routine I’d been living, he’d given me something I desperately needed.

A chance to become stronger.

For the past month, Clay had been training me.

And I loved every second of it.

Well…

Almost every second.

Clay had warned me that training would hurt.

He hadn’t lied.

There were days when I crawled into bed at night convinced that every muscle, bone and organ in my body hated me.

I was twelve years old.

I shouldn’t have been walking around feeling like an eighty-year-old woman.

But somehow, I was.

And weirdly…

I loved it.

The training had completely changed my routine.

Every session began with a warm-up designed to make me question every life decision I’d ever made.

Then came the gym.

Weights.

Cardio.

Endurance.

Strength.

Clay was relentless.

Once my body was exhausted, he’d move on to combat training.

Punches.

Blocks.

Throws.

Takedowns.

Escapes.

Then, when I was already convinced I couldn’t possibly do another thing, we’d finish with a run through the woods.

By the time we returned to the training facility, I was usually sweating, exhausted and desperate for a shower.

But I was also smiling.

Because every day I was getting better.

And Clay had noticed.

Thanks to the Alpha blood running through my veins, I learned quickly.

Very quickly.

Clay had started introducing more complicated manoeuvres sooner than he’d originally planned because I was picking everything up so fast.

For the first time since losing my family and my pack, I felt like I was actually gaining something.

Strength.

Confidence.

Control.

Clay was my hero.

Literally.

And not just because he’d stopped Jackson from putting me in the cells.

Since Clay had stepped in, my life had changed dramatically.

I no longer had to attend school with Hayden, Sean and their little army of followers.

Instead, I studied from the safety of our suite with a private tutor named Julia.

Julia was amazing.

She collected my schoolwork directly from my teachers and then came to the suite to teach me.

It meant I could keep up with everything without having to deal with the idiots at school.

And once my lessons were finished, Carla would come over.

She was the only person my age in the Blood Moon Pack whom I genuinely trusted.

I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her sometimes.

Having Hayden and Sean as family members had to be exhausting.

The males in her family seriously sucked.

Well…

Except Clay.

Clay was definitely exempt from that category.

“Again.”

Clay’s voice pulled me back into the present.

We were standing on the training mats, facing each other.

I raised my hands.

We’d been practising takedowns for the past twenty minutes.

“Remember,” he said, circling me, “don’t telegraph what you’re about to do.”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

“Don’t let your opponent know where you’re going.”

I watched him carefully.

“Right.”

“Again.”

I squared my shoulders.

Clay waited.

I studied his stance.

His weight distribution.

His feet.

His shoulders.

Everything.

Then an idea came to me.

His left leg.

If I could put enough force into it, I might be able to knock him off balance.

I lowered my stance.

Clay’s eyes narrowed.

He knew something was coming.

But he didn’t know what.

I charged.

His right shoulder shifted.

Exactly as I’d expected.

He was preparing for me to attack his upper body.

At the last second, I changed direction.

I lunged for his left leg.

My shoulder slammed into him.

Clay lost his balance.

A second later, he hit the mat.

I immediately rolled away.

For a moment there was silence.

Then Clay burst out laughing.

“That was perfect!”

He pushed himself upright.

“You completely sold me on the upper-body attack.”

I grinned.

“You fell.”

“I noticed.”

He held out his hand.

I grabbed it, and he hauled me to my feet.

“You’re a natural.”

My smile widened.

“That was fun.”

Clay shook his head.

“Most people wouldn’t describe being thrown onto a mat as fun.”

“Most people aren’t me.”

He laughed.

“No. I suppose they aren’t.”

Then his expression became thoughtful.

“You really are learning quickly.”

He studied me for a moment.

“Was your father a pack warrior?”

My smile faltered.

“My father was a strong fighter.”

It was the safest answer I could give him.

I knew what Clay was doing.

He was fishing.

Trying to understand where my natural ability came from.

And I hated lying to him.

But I couldn’t tell him the truth.

Not yet.

My mother had specifically ordered Sara to keep my identity hidden.

There had to be a reason.

And I trusted my mother’s judgment.

Sara had loved my mother.

She would never betray her.

So for now, Clay would have to accept the answers I was willing to give him.

Thankfully, he didn’t push.

Instead, he changed the subject.

“How are things going with Julia?”

I smiled.

“She’s awesome.”

“Keeping you on top of your schoolwork?”

“Absolutely.”

I grabbed my water bottle and took a drink.

“She explains everything so well that I usually understand it the first time.”

“That must save you a lot of time.”

“It does.”

I smiled.

“And because I get my work finished quickly, I have more time to spend with Carla when she comes over.”

Clay nodded.

“Good.”

I lowered my bottle.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

His expression softened.

“I’m glad things are better for you.”

He paused.

“I’m just sorry you had such a rough few weeks when you first arrived.”

I shook my head.

“Learning to fight from you more than makes up for it.”

Clay smiled.

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

I looked around the training facility.

“So…”

I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet.

“What’s next?”

Clay’s smile disappeared.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

I immediately became wary.

“What?”

“We run pack training missions throughout the year.”

I frowned.

“And?”

“Now that you’re training with me, you’ll be participating.”

My stomach dropped.

“Participating?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of missions?”

“Think of them more like competitions.”

He leaned against one of the mats.

“We divide everyone into teams and put them through a series of challenges.”

I stared at him.

“Everyone?”

“Yes.”

My enthusiasm immediately evaporated.

“You mean…”

I swallowed.

“I’ll have to be around them again?”

Clay knew exactly who I meant.

“Hayden. Sean. The others.”

“Yes.”

I groaned.

“Fantastic.”

Clay smiled.

“But this time, you’ll have something you didn’t have before.”

I looked at him.

“What?”

“Skills.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“If they try to get physical with me?”

“You’ll know what to do.”

I snorted.

“Considering what happened when I first arrived, I’m pretty sure ‘physical’ is exactly what they’ll try.”

Clay’s smile faded slightly.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

That wasn’t exactly reassuring.

I stared down at my hands.

I didn’t want to see those people again.

I didn’t want to be anywhere near them.

I certainly didn’t want to be put on a team with them.

But I wasn’t going to run away.

Not anymore.

Clay stepped closer.

“We’ve got time before the next training mission.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

“So we’re going to keep training.”

I looked up at him.

“You’re going to make me stronger?”

“Much stronger.”

“Faster?”

“Yes.”

“Better?”

“Absolutely.”

I hesitated.

Then I looked him directly in the eyes.

“Can you do something for me?”

“Anything within reason.”

“Can you make me fierce?”

Clay stared at me for a second.

Then he smiled.

“I think you’re already on your way.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t just want to be good.”

His smile disappeared as he realised how serious I was.

“I want to be the fiercest warrior I can possibly become.”

I clenched my fists.

“I want people to hear my name and think twice before they ever decide to mess with me.”

Clay studied me.

Then he nodded.

“If you keep working like you have been, I’ll teach you everything I know.”

I grinned.

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Deal.”

He laughed.

“But for today, we’re done.”

I frowned.

“Already?”

“Yes.”

He pointed towards the door.

“You have schoolwork.”

I groaned.

“Fine.”

“And Julia will be waiting.”

“Okay.”

I grabbed my towel.

“Same time tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here.”

I smiled.

“Good.”

I headed towards the locker room.

As I showered and changed, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Clay had told me.

Training missions.

Teams.

Competition.

Hayden.

Sean.

Their friends.

All of them.

I didn’t want to see them.

I didn’t want to be anywhere near them.

But there was something else I couldn’t ignore.

A month ago, the thought of facing them had terrified me.

Now?

I was still afraid.

But underneath the fear was something new.

Determination.

I wasn’t the helpless twelve-year-old girl they’d shoved into lockers anymore.

I was learning.

I was getting stronger.

And I had someone in my corner who believed in me.

Maybe the next time Hayden or Sean tried to hurt me…

They would discover that they’d made a very big mistake.

I just hoped Clay could make me ready before they got the chance.