With a quick pivot at the moment of impact, I remained standing as the boy crashed to the floor, holding my prosthetic leg.
“Stop trying to cuddle my prosthetic, you weirdo.” I rolled my eyes, taunting.
“While not a bad thought to try and unbalance me, you seemed to be under the false impression that I haven’t learned how to move and fight without the leg.” I sighed.
“Don’t underestimate your opponent because of their outer appearance. Now come at me again.” I explained once more, gesturing for him to come at me.
The kid was frustrated, tossing my leg aside as he rushed me again. I was laughing as I hopped out of the way.
“Toro, toro.” I taunted as he lunged at me. Then with a laugh, add, “Oh lay” when he’d miss.
He was huffing out of breath, and a few of the other sparing pairs who felt they had practiced enough had circled up to watch. The giggles of the crowd seemed to piss the boy off more.
“Stop playing with him, Cl… Austin.” Scott sighed, correcting himself as he almost called me Clement.
I sighed. I was having fun, but I should wrap this up. The Sooner training wraps up, the sooner I can get alone time with Suzie.
‘So let’s put an end to this.’ Jax snorted.
As the boy blindly rushed me again, I extended my arm, clotheslining him, catching him before he could go down, pulling him into a guillotine chokehold, encircling his neck with one arm, and locking the old in place with my other to restrain him.
“Tap.” I growled, feeling the boy starting to fade even though I was holding back. I wasn’t looking to seriously hurt him after all.
As I felt him lightly tapping my side, I released the hold, careful not to just let him drop. He was gasping for breath as he scrambled away from me.
I arched an eyebrow looking at him and then around us at everyone watching. Not sure what those looks were for. It was like they were surprised. Are they surprised I can still fight with one leg or that I let him go?
Whatever. Doesn’t matter. It’s time to have them shift and end the sessions with a quick run in wolf form.
“What are you all standing around gawking for? Weren’t you supposed to be sparing, not observing?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes at the trainees.
“Everyone outside to shift. We’ll do a mile run to end training today.” I instructed.
“You hear him. Let’s go, pups. Mile wolf run.” Scott clapped his hands as he started herding everyone to the doors.
“You didn’t have to be so rough on him.” Suzie frowned, handing me my prosthetic.
“Yes, I did. I should have been rougher.” I scoffed, taking my prosthetic.
“In a real fight against an enemy, they won’t go easy on him. Me going easy on him signs his death certificate if he gets sent to battle.” I shook my head, only putting my prosthetic back on for the walk outside.
“I don’t think Paul would ever get sent into battle. If I'm being honest, he doesn’t have a violent bone in his body. He wants to work at the preschool.” Suzie sighed.
“All the more reason he should learn. If he works with the young of the pack, that means if something goes down, he is the one thing standing between the enemy and the pack’s future.” I pointed out removing my prosthetic leaving it just inside the door of the training center.
“I hadn’t thought about it that way.” She frowned, watching as everyone else had shifted, tear-away clothes breaking apart to the ground.
A number of the newly shifted were whimpering in pain as this is their second shift, and they don’t have their parents here to metaphorically hold their hands. But that’s part of this training.
Being able to shift needs to be as easy as breathing. You won’t always be with your family or mate when you need to turn.
“Time to bring Kayla out.” I instructed.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing at her fellow newly shifted, seeing the pain they went through. I sighed. She’s worried about turning without her parents here.
I took the risk of getting hit again. Cupping Suzie’s face, I turned her face to mine. I shuddered as the sparks of the bond shot through my fingers and up my arm.
“I’m right here, Suzanne. So you’ll be fine.” I assured her, placing a kiss on her forehead.
I do like her surprise look as I let her go.
I turned and let Jax come forward. I landed on my paws, Jax shaking out his silvery gray fur, stretching out his muscles, ready and eager to meet Kayla.
‘Come on. You’re holding everyone up.’ I taunted through the link.
It took a moment, but she came out of her stupor, narrowing her eyes at me. Her eyes started to get brighter, and I knew Kayla was coming forward.
Unlike the other newly shifted wolves, Suzie didn’t whimper as she turned. If I hadn’t been turning for years, I probably would have noticed the difference in ease of shifting with a mate nearby.
‘Kayla is gorgeous.’ Jax grinned as he finally got a look at his mate.
She takes more after Edith and her wolf with the golden fur, but Kayla has those bright green eyes like Suzie. Unlike Suzie, Kayla is more forward as she rubs her head against me in greeting.
‘Now that everyone has shifted, we have a mile to run. Move it!’ Scott shouted through the pack link.
I had to tug at Jax, who had other ideas that didn’t include doing the run. ‘Jax, we need to finish the training session. Do not piss off Alpha Logan.’ I warned.
Being reminded that we are here under Alpha orders at least got Jax on board. With Kayla on his heels, Jax showed that missing a leg didn’t mean he’d be the slowest runner. Sure, I’m not as fast as with all four legs, but we are still outrunning some of these slacker wolves.
Suzie was not on the slackers. She was keeping pace. Maybe she’s as eager to end this training as I am. That could be a good or bad sign for me.
Scott slowed down to push the stragglers while I stayed near the front. I was among the first to arrive back at the training center.
I didn’t think twice about shifting back to my human form. I’m a werewolf. Nudity is part of life. And while I know I’m getting looks, I don’t care.
Kayla and Suzie do. I raised my eyebrow as I saw Kyala growling at one of the she-wolves putting herself between me and the others.
“Are you serious right now? You’re trying to hide my nudity?” I chuckled, shaking my head as I started getting dressed.
The girls mainly had just turned away and went about finding their clothes, shifting back. One of the she-wolves that had been looking shifted to her human with a whimper, obviously having no issues being naked as she looked past Kayla at me.
Kayla growled again, and I sighed, rubbing the fur along her neck. “Down, girl.” I whispered.
“You got a problem, Melody? I’d say take a picture; it would last longer, but I’m getting the vibe my mate would rip you apart at the idea you’d have a nude picture of me.” I sighed, finishing getting dressed.
“I wasn’t trying to look at you naked.” Melody wrinkled her nose.
“I was more interested in the nub of your leg. I’ve never seen someone who was missing a leg before.” She shrugged.
Kayla snorted. She didn’t buy that. I shrugged and leaned against the wall to get my prosthetic back on.
“Well, now you have. Go put some clothes on and go home.” I shooed Melody away.
Melody rolled her eyes as Kayla growled again before walking away, slowly and intentionally like she wanted me to watch her walk away. Too bad I wasn’t watching. I was looking at Suzie.
“Hey, Kayla, come on. Time for Suzie to shift back and get dressed.” I encouraged stroking her fur.
Kayla snorted, scooping Suzie’s clothes up in her mouth and pushing the training center’s doors open. I cocked my head and followed as she trotted through the training center to the she-wolf’s bathroom.
I almost followed her when another she-wolf growled at me, putting an arm across the door.
“You can’t go into the she-wolf’s bathroom.” The she-wolf scoffed. “Pervert.”
“Pervert? That’s my mate who just went in there.” I pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter. She wants her privacy.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
I sighed, shaking my head, and leaned against the wall waiting for Suzie to come out. We’re going to be having a conversation about that.
I mean, I won’t complain that other males didn’t see her naked, but she got to see me naked. Unfair that she intentionally ensured I wouldn’t see her.
Oh, the jealousy and cat and mouse game these two are playing.
I wasn’t the only one that was impressed watching Austin fight Paul. Paul has never been much of a fighter. He was below average in our pre-wolf training. But even being a below-average fighter with an Omega wolf, people thought Paul would have fared better. They didn’t think Austin would be able to fight as quickly with his injury. He proved them all wrong. I, of course, was betting on Austin. Even before losing his leg, Austin was no slouch as a fighter. After months of working with him as my physical therapist, I know how strong he is and how easily he can move even without a prosthetic. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel bad for Paul as he got embarrassed. I’m sure he won’t be living that down any time soon. And while I initially thought Austin could have taken it easier on him, he made a valid point. Even though Paul is an Omega, he will need to grow stronger if he wants to work with the pack’s children. He will have to be able to protect them if something happens. And a
I don’t know why I expect discretion for Suzanne Walterson. I have never known her to bite her tongue or hold back on anything. I really shouldn’t be surprised. As much as I dread having the conversation I know is coming, I’m glad to at least be alone with her. No one to overhear us. No one to watch us. And no one to interrupt us. We probably need to discuss a lot, not just my past relationship with Denise. Like how she seemed hesitant and quickly retreated before I could kiss her earlier. I mean, I’m not looking to pressure her or anything. She’d probably knock me into next week. But still, I’m not so oblivious to have missed the look in her eyes. She anticipated the kiss, but suddenly she moved away and insisted we leave. “Is it so surprising that I can do nice things?” I arched my eyebrow as we left the training center. “Yeah. I mean, have you met yourself?” Suzie shook her head. “Okay, fair, I guess. But that’s you judging me on how I used to be. I’m not that guy any
If I hadn’t seen his change with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it. The Clement Shelton I knew growing up was a total self-centered asshole. But Austin Shelton is entirely different. Well, maybe not completely. He’s still kind of an asshole. But he’s not the same kind of an unredeemable asshole. “You shouldn’t have even been in that accident. That kid is a fucking moron. One for not paying attention while driving and two for even going up that mountain in those conditions.” Austin rumbled. “I chose to be in that truck. I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.” I pointed out. “Congrats, you’re stupider than your friends? Because it takes a real idiot to know something is a bad idea and still does it,” Austin rolled his eyes. “Oh, because you smell your own? I can make a list as long as my arm of all the stupid shit you’ve done that I bet money you knew was a bad idea.” I countered. “Doubtful.” Austin scoffed. “Oh, let’s see. When I was five, I remember you deciding
You have got to be kidding me! Thanks, Maxton, thanks a fucking lot. Cocking blocking, son of a bitch. Do all fathers have a cockblocker mode, or is it just him? Because fuck if he doesn’t. There is no way he could have just coincidentally timed walking out onto the porch like that. No way. He had to have sensed it like that robot in Spaceballs with her virgin alarm. I waited till she was inside, and Maxton had shut the door before backing out of the driveway. Don’t think I didn’t miss the way his eyebrow arched as he looked at me. Oh, he not only knows my jeep, but he saw me clear as day behind the wheel. I can just imagine what conversation is happening inside the Walterson house tonight. What will she tell them? Will she lie and say we ran into each, and I offered to drop her off? Will she tell the truth and say we’re mates? Or will she tell a white lie? Omitting that I’m her mate but say I was one of the instructors? So many possibilities, and I have no way of knowing
Today has been a whirlwind of changes. Hell, the last twenty-four hours have been a trip. Last night, I shifted for the first time, and now I’ve also found my mate. I still don’t know how I feel about my mate being Austin. ‘Why are humans so difficult?’ Kayla scoffed. ‘Excuse me?’ I arched my brow. ‘You heard me. Why are humans, or I guess just you, so difficult? This isn’t rocket science. It’s actually really simple. He’s our mate. Therefore, we should be with him.’ Kayla sighed. ‘It’s not that simple. You don’t know what Austin was like.’ I frowned. ‘WAS!’ Kayla shouted, making my head hurt. ‘What he WAS like! I don’t give a fuck what he WAS like. And I know exactly how he used to be. Remember, I can access all your memories from before I awakened.’ Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘People don’t just change personalities overnight.’ I countered. ‘It’s been YEARS! Our mate has focused on improving himself, of making himself a better man for YEARS!’ Kayla insisted. And I hate t
I wanted to get ahead of any possible issues with Suzie. After sleeping on it, I woke up knowing one thing for sure if Suzie finds out Denise was at my place from anyone else, I am dead. So I got up early and went to a local bakery to get a couple dozen donuts and a large carafe of fresh-brewed coffee. Don’t judge. Werewolves have a high metabolism. As a kid, Maxton would stop at Pearl’s Bakery if he was in charge of carpooling Stephen, me, and a couple of other kids to the pack middle school. So I’m sort of banking that he still has a soft spot for it. While getting the donuts and coffee, I kept a running conversation with Suzie in the pack link. And fuck, she’s adorable. I knew what she was doing, distracting me with that comment about still being in bed. Okay, so that probably wasn’t her initial plan when we mentioned it, but she didn’t discourage me from trying to guess what she wears to bed. I am about ninety percent sure my first guess was correct. There might be a nine p
I may have rushed through my shower and getting dressed. I know my mom, and honestly worried for Austin’s safety. She’s as sweet as sugar unless she feels her kids are threatened. Then you realize that sugar has sharp pieces of glass hidden inside. And I think I got downstairs just in time. From the sounds of things and the general vibe of the room, Austin’s asshole side was showing, and mom’s growly bitch side was coming out. Of course, dad wasn’t much use. I don’t blame him. He probably didn’t want to get in the middle and deal with mom later if he didn’t side with her. So I’ll do it. After I told them to get to their corners, mom glared at Austin, grabbed a glazed donut, and sat down with a huff. Austin didn’t look apologetic in the least. Hell, he simply shrugged and smiled at me. “So me spending a few minutes with your parents gets your ass moving, but giving you a ten-minute warning does nothing. Noted.” Austin chuckled. I rolled my eyes. What a dumbass. “Why are you
I’d put a lot of thought into how I would handle Denise and people in general. No one would bat an eyelash about us being together within the pack. But I work outside the pack with humans, so I needed a plan. I wasn’t sure how Suzanne would react to all of this, mainly the part about Denise. I’ll give her credit; I was expecting more yelling and not just threats of violence but to be punched. I didn’t just pull over and park because I didn’t want to talk while driving. No, I did it to be sure if Suzanne went She-Hulk on me, I’d not get us into an accident. She’s been in one accident. That’s more than enough, thank you. I sighed, running my hand over my hair as she questioned my plans of telling people I work with that we have an arranged marriage and are starting the engagement period. This was the tricky part, if I’m honest. We only found out yesterday we are mates, and given she was my client, people will question how things ended and the whole sleeping with Denise part if I