I woke early the next morning. I got up quickly, much too excited to start my first day of training in Takiani. I changed into a pair of black workout tights that I found and then a navy blue tank top. I managed to find a pair of sneakers and I slipped them on also. They fit just perfectly, somehow.
When I waltzed out to the kitchen, Ezra was already awake. The smell of freshly made coffee wafted through my nose and I bit back a moan and my wolf brightened up at the smell of caffeine.
"Morning, princess. Did you sleep well?" Ezra asked me as I leant against the counter. I stared at him carefully for a moment, wondering if I had kicked and cried during the night.
The nightmares started after the incident, and they came every night. Sometimes they were really bad, other times, they were fine. I hadn't woken during the night so I assumed they mustn't have been that bad this time.
Which was a relief.
"I guess so. It feels strange to not be home in my own bed," I told Ezra. He smiled and nodded at me, sipping on his coffee.
"Understandable. Just let me know if I can do anything that'll make your stay more comfortable," Ezra said, warmly smiling at me. My beast calmed, the anxiety and overwhelming feelings dying down for just a moment.
Then, there was a knock on the front door. I smelt him almost instantly.
Henry was here.
I waved goodbye to Ezra and then rushed out the cabin. I met Henry on the grass out the front of my cabin. The sun was only just starting to rise and it made the land before me look even more beautiful.
Henry stood on the grass, surrounded by two other wolves — Alfie who I had met the day before and another wolf that I hadn't met yet.
"Morning, Alison. I'm glad that you're up early for the run. Usually new comers struggle to get out of bed this early," Henry greeted me. I smiled and awkwardly shrugged at him. I was an early bird, always had been.
Back home, I was often always the first person in the whole pack to wake. As soon as I was awake, I'd usually go for a run. I took the track behind the pack house that lead me out the a large flower meadow, in which I would lay down and soak up the sun.
"What can I say? I'm an early bird," I smiled at him. Henry turned to Alfie and the other male wolf standing beside him.
This male was strong, but not as strong as I was. I knew he wasn't an Alpha, the scent didn't roll off him. But he was still strong. His body was all muscle, and he was tall.
The male offered me a smile, to which I slowly returned. Alfie cleated his throat and motioned to the male.
"Alison, this is my son, Kade... and Kade, this is Alison Grey, from Terialta," Alfie made introductions quickly. Kade held his hand out to me for a handshake, and I hesitantly grabbed him hand and I shook it.
Kade smiled at me, and I didn't feel threatened. This male was not after our neck. But that was only because he had a mark on his own neck. He had a mate, he wasn't interested in me. Plus he wasn't cocky, yet. My beast rumbled in approval as we pulled our hand away.
"Alfie and Kade will be accompanying us on our run this morning," Henry told me. I nodded quickly as Henry motioned behind me. I spun around, facing a trail embedded in the dirt. I figured that it must've been a trail often used.
It looked worn out. But at least I knew there was a trail next to the house.
"You think you can keep up?" Alfie teased me. I raised my eyebrows at him and my beast yipped at the challenge. She wanted to show everyone that we were strong. We weren't a weak wolf and everyone needed to know that.
"Try me," I retorted with a small smile. Alfie chuckled a little as Henry lead the run. I followed behind him, jogging at first. It was peaceful.
Everything in the forest was only just waking up. The morning dew was melting off the plants and the wonderful smell of flowers slowly invaded my nose.
I had to pick up the pace when Henry sped up. I ran alongside him for what felt like forever before he let out a loud rumble that seemed to shake the trees around us. He let his beast push forward and he leapt into the air, his wolf coming forward completely.
His four paws hit the ground and he kept running. He got faster and I took that as the cue to shift also. I heard and felt the cracking of my bones before I landed on the ground on four paws.
My wolf hummed in approval at the fact that we were getting to shake out our fur again. She pushed forwards, keeping up with the Alpha male that ran in front of us.
Henry's wolf was a grey wolf. His fur was thin and patchy, parts of his fur missing from the battles that he had fought in his lifetime. His wolf was huge, and he easily was bigger than mine. Although, he was kind of scrawny for an Alpha.
He looked skinny, almost as if his wolf was hungry. But I tore my eyes away from him as I felt a nip at my feet. I look back, earning a sheepish grin from Kade who was now running alongside me.
This male was playful. My wolf liked him. He nipped at our feet every time we looked away to pay attention to something else. He stopped when his father gave him a warning growl after he almost tripped me over.
Kade kept up to me. He looked like he was being challenged, and I liked it. I liked challenging other wolves. It made them stronger and it made me a better leader.
But when we reached the rocky hills, I was the challenged one. My wolf pushed hard, keeping up to Henry's wolf as we ran. The hill was indeed challenging and my wolf liked it. She liked that we were already being pushed within our first day of being in Takiani.
When we came back to the pack, there were people buzzing all around the area. Most people were in their skin, but there was some wolves sparring with each other in their fur. It was fascinating to see how this pack worked in comparison to mine.Henry shifted back into his skin and I avoided my eyes from his naked body as he reached into the trunk of a tree and pulled out clothes. He pulled on a pair of shorts and then tossed clothes to the two males and handed me a shirt. I took it and rushed behind a bush to shift back and pull on the shirt.I wasn't comfortable with anyone seeing me naked. I knew that most wolves didn't even care, but I did. I cared too much.I slipped the oversized shirt over my head and then came out the bushes. I walked hesitantly over to where Henry was now standing with a group of other wolves. I noticed that Kade was walking away to the sparring rings.Alfie approached me as Henry was rushed away. I assumed that he had Alpha business to attend to. I wasn't bot
Ezra sat me down at the dining table. I lifted my shirt up just enough so that he could see my wounds. He chuckled a little and shook his head."Alfie told me you did well today," Ezra told me as he opened the box of first aid. I nodded at him and yawned. I was exhausted and I needed food. The first day of training was hard, but I knew it was going to get harder. I had to toughen up."He made me spar with Kade. He was a good fighter. He bested me," I sighed as I felt a cotton pad touch my wounds. Ezra cleaned away the blood that was still sleeping from the gashes."Kade is the son of the Master of Arms. He has to be a good fighter," Ezra laughed at me. I smiled and rolled my eyes, sipping on my beer. Ezra continued to pat at the blood with the cotton pad, shifting around the first aid box."Don't worry about it, princess. Alfie told me that you had a lot of work to be done. These next four weeks are going to be absolute hell for you," Ezra laughed at me. I smiled but I nodded knowingl
"Morning, princess," Ezra greeted as I walked into the kitchen. I looked up at him and smiled as I yawned. I took his coffee mug from his hands and quickly sipped from the warm liquid. I handed his mug to him and pulled my hair behind my ears."Morning," I mumbled.My body was still sore from the day before. The gashes hadn't completely healed yet but they were fading quickly. I was happy that they were healing so fast."You going for a run this morning?" Ezra asked me, sipping on his coffee. I nodded at him and stretched. My back cracked and I smiled.Ezra didn't asked about what happened the night before and I was glad. I didn't need him trying to pry his way into my personal life. I wasn't ready to share that part of myself with anyone. I didn't think I ever would be.When the knock on the door came, I bounded towards it. I called goodbye to Ezra. I heard his light chuckles as I reached the door and pulled it open. I expected to see Kade and Alfie.Instead, I saw Lila and Brayleigh
Ezra stared at me as I sat with my head in my hands at the dinner table. He sipped slowly on his coffee and didn't take his eyes off of me.My mind whirled with so many different thoughts. Memories of my mother flashed through my mind like a slideshow. I felt the pain of losing her all over again.It'd been almost ten years, and I still wasn't over it. I couldn't help but miss her. I couldn't help but be bitter about her death. Alfie was right. It shouldn't have happened. But it did.My mind switched to my beast. She whined sadly in the back of my mind. She paced back and forward, her head down and her whines low and painful to listen to. She was upset. So damn upset.She knew what Alfie said was true. She knew it and so did I.Our fire was gone.Every wolf had a fire. Whether it was hot or not was the important part. I knew what Alfie meant when he spoke about my father.When anyone walked into a room with my father in it, they knew who was in control. Whenever I was in a room with h
The rest of the week I trained hard. I ran every day, either with Ezra, Alfie or Lila and Brayleigh. Each day, they pushed me harder and harder. I remember the morning after my run with Ezra that I collapsed to the ground. I had run with Alfie that morning. It was just him and I.Alfie was ruthless. He made us take a new track, one that extended all the way around Takiani. He told me it was the trail that the tracker wolves run, as it went along the borders of the pack. It was a long run, the longest one I'd ever been on.But I loved it.Alfie pushed me and pushed me. He wouldn't let me slow down and only let me get faster and faster. He raced me, purposely getting me angry to try and bring out my beast's fire. He said it worked, but he said it didn't work enough.After the run, I had to sit down. I was panting hard, my heart was beating so fast that I felt it in my throat. My arms and legs were tingling with energy.I felt different. I felt great. Something I hadn't felt in a while.
When I got back from my run, I felt better. I had run until my legs gave out, and then I hauled myself to the river and slid into the water. I washed away the sweat and blood and then found some clothes stashed away in a hollow tree. I slipped on the clothes and walked back to my cabin.Upon entering my cabin, I smelt the wolves that were sitting inside. As I pushed the door open, I already knew who I was.I walked into the dining room where everyone was sitting at the table. Lila got up the moment she saw me and rushed over to me. She embraced me in a tight hug and rubbed my cheek with hers.I calmed my beast only a little. But it was enough to keep me relaxed.Brayleigh and Kade sat next to each other at the table. Kade had his arm around her shoulders and had her close to him. I looked at them longingly before tearing my eyes away.I met eyes with Alfie and smiled weakly at him. Then I did the same with Ezra.They were all sat, drinking wine and beer with a large box of biscuits in
I woke up early the next morning. My sleep hadn't been peaceful, as the nightmares had come in the night. They shocked me awake and kept me up for most of the night. But I knew that nightmares weren't an excuse to not train the next morning.I dressed in tight leggings and a tank top. I didn't intend on shifting into my fur on the run. I still had healing wounds from the day before and I didn't want to risk hurting them more whilst I ran. I decided I would wait until I sparred later on."Morning, Ali. You still coming on the run this morning?" Lila greeted me. I smiled warmly as I slipped on my sneakers and tied the laces."Hey. I'm running but I won't shift. Still have some injuries that I don't want to make bleed," I told her. I heard her wolf yip in approval in my mind and I stood up. I made my way out my room and into the kitchen where Ezra was standing.He shot me a sincere look that made me feel better. I liked that he cared for me. I hadn't known him long but we already had a c
That night, there was a bonfire. It was someone's idea to start one and let whoever wanted to come join in on the fun of roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. There was music playing somewhere in the distance. An old Katy Perry song was playing and I could hear people humming along to the tune.I was sat on log, waiting for Ezra and the others to return with the things needed to make s'mores. They were taking ages and my belly was beginning to rumble.The night was chilly. The air was bitter and my toes were cold. But the fire helped with that. It kept away the unwanted bugs and brought warmth to the area. I watched the fire and focused on it dance.I grew more and more tired as I watched it. I knew that I wouldn't be staying awake much longer. It's been a long day."You missing home yet?" A voice asked me as a figure sat down beside me on the thick log. I looked over and realised it was a girl named Gale from my pack. I smiled at her and she returned the gesture."I guess... it's