Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
“You, my dear son and future King, have duties today. We are still meeting with the Elders to go over all of the results of yesterday’s conferences and I’m sure they will want to revisit your mate situation, since it is the only topic they haven’t gotten their way on in a very long time.”
The look that passes between them is a serious one and I can tell other words are being said over mindlink about it.
I really want to know what is going on and why in the world the Elders think they have so much power and say in everything. They are advisors chosen to give opinions to the kings so he can make informed decisions about large matters for the kingdom. They are liaisons for the different packs in the kingdom. Clearly many of them have become lazy, self important and self righteous, but I wish Alpha Reggie would just shut them down. Maybe that’s what this meeting will be. A respectful shut down of their stupid notions that Xander should take a chosen mate done behind closed doors so no one is embarrassed or ridiculed.
Mina and I don’t hesitate to jump from our seats, Oscar follows more slowly. He is clearly not used to being separated from Xander, but he also can’t call attention to their relationship yet. They need their Luna first.
I don’t miss the excited looks from some of the girls we pass as we basically run out of the dining hall. I feel bad for leaving Xander, but he has been dealing with this for a long time and doesn’t actually need me to protect him. I’m sure it makes his day go so much better having Oscar and I there as a buffer. Maybe Mina can step in too when I’m not here.
Oscar leads us out the front doors I came in on my first visit here and heads over to the side of the castle where the hidden garage is. A smaller door opens and he comes out driving a very supped up golf cart looking vehicle.
“Your chariot, my ladies.”
He laughs at us.
“Is it really so far that we have to drive there?”
I question, I would rather walk, it makes me feel lazy if something really is close enough why waste resources?
“Not so much that it’s far, just I would rather get there and get to work than waste precious time walking.”
He drawls out and I can’t help but giggle.
He does not disappoint either. With the cart we got there in less than ten minutes and we did not take the well worn path, he made sure we were entertained by offroading and almost throwing me from the cart a couple times in the process.
The training ground was further than the lake we stopped at this morning, but I could still see it and the water fall clearly. The space was wide open with clearly defined sparring circles marked in the dirt and the grass. The dirt patches were dry and full of rocks and pebbles which would suck to get taken down on, but I guess in a real fight there won’t be padding and pillows to catch our falls. Beyond the sparring circles were more of the ropes and climbing courses like what we have at the compound, although the ropes seem to be placed closer together here probably making the training easier here. There are a few more cargo nets and platforms built into trees. I like the idea that they are using the surrounding area for naturally occurring things to train with. It makes the training more realistic for sure.
Mina wastes no time finding a sparring circle in the grass. “Alright, you said you wanted to work on your ground work, let’s see what you’ve got.
“We aren’t going to warm up first?”
I ask stalling a little at her abrupt stance.
“Nah. We aren’t really going to go that hard and let’s be honest if we ever do fight our enemies won’t wait for us to be properly warmed up to kick their asses, they will just attack.”
Okay, she’s not wrong.
I move to the circle and watch her closely. She moves like a cat, lithe and deliberate. She’s studying me as much as I am studying her. When she finally realizes I will not make the first move she lunges right at my torso. This is the obvious choice since I mentioned ground work, she wants to take me down right away since I identified it as a weakness. I hold my ground for as long as I can. She is taller than me, like most people, but I think I have more weight than she does. She’s built lean like a runner, long graceful muscles that you don’t really see on a warrior very often.
We continue to move together, no punches are being thrown, this is strictly grappling to gain dominance and ground the opponent. Arms are flying, hands grabbing, but neither of us can keep hold long enough to get the other to submit. She finally gets her leg around to sweep mine, but I counter as we both go down and she doesn’t expect me to roll the way that I do and I end up straddling her stomach while she tries to buck me off and I am desperately holding onto her wrists, but we are both so sweaty at this point that it’s hard to maintain my grip.
Just when I think she is going to give a feral growl rips through the clearing and the next thing I know, I’m being thrown out of the circle we are sparring in and all hell breaks loose.
I hit my head and for a second can only see stars, but I can hear the growling and snapping of jaws, claws ripping up the ground. I shake my head and look around again. There are five wolves, bigger than I have seen before outside of the Alphas and Betas I know. They look rough and mangy like they live in their wolf form and they reek something awful, old blood and death wafting out of their open jaws.
I quickly get up and run for the wolf who has managed to pin Oscar by the back of the neck. I don’t even think about the consequences, he can’t die, that would destroy Xander and I can’t allow that. I jump and throw my full body weight at him. It’s not much but enough to knock him over since he didn’t see me coming and Oscar jumps up bleeding from the neck, but he doesn’t even check it before tearing through his clothes to shift and comes after this large dark gray wolf that now has me in his sights.
Once he’s distracted I look for Mina, who has already shifted into her russet colored wolf and is fending off two wolves right now. The other two rogues seem to be standing guard or waiting to engage for some reason. I keep them in my line of sight as I run towards Mina shifting in midair. I land on the lighter of the two wolves, they all seem to be different shades of gray. We go rolling and I maintain my dominance by grabbing the scruff of his neck and biting hard, tasting the metallic flavor of blood. It’s disgusting and yet invigorating at the same time. I feel more powerful knowing I injured him right away and so forcefully. He rolls over and tries to pin me with his bulk forcing me to let go and roll away. This was the exact reason I wanted to train with Mina. Now it seems like a great oversight in my training and that blame lies solely on me for not pursuing it before.
I can’t think of that right now though. I have to keep my head focused and use the strengths I do have. No doubt Oscar has called for back-up but it is going to take a bit for them to get here. My rogue wolf charges again, mouth wide open not even trying to disguise his form of attack. I can smell the rotting sewage scent from his mouth. I wonder if that is just from killing a bunch or if that’s a rogue thing? Something to pack away and ask later. I roll out of the way at the last second sending his bulk barrelling past me and I go on the offensive, chasing him down. He is leading me toward the other two rogues standing guard, he really isn’t that smart if he thinks I can’t see the ambush coming. I pick up speed just as he’s getting close to the first one and jump, sending all four of my paws into his side and knocking him into his buddy, sending them both toppling in a heap of legs and fur.
In my single minded focus though, I lost track of the other sentinel, until he came up and sliced his razor sharp teeth into my back leg, instantly dropping me to the ground. I roll around keeping him in my sights. He doesn’t seem to want to kill me though. He’s content with me being on the ground, injured. He only snaps at me if I try to get up or scoot away. His bulky body is blocking everything else. I can still hear fighting on the other side of him, but I don’t know who it is and I can’t link with my friends to check on them.
The pain in my leg is starting to subside. This rogue is letting me just lay here and heal, but he also doesn’t know that I am a fast healer, Thank you Alpha blood. I just need a couple more minutes, the feeling is coming back to my foot now that the wound has closed and I’ve stopped bleeding out everywhere.
I am about to pounce when a feral and dominating growl rips through the clearing and I hear thunderous pounding of paws on the ground. My opponent makes the mistake of looking away from me and I jump up, sinking my teeth into his neck and lock my jaw. He can toss and roll all he wants, I’m not letting go until our back-up arrives and he can be interrogated. Five rogue wolves don’t just stumble onto the Alpha King’s territory and start a fight for no reason.
The blood in my mouth tastes disgusting, but I won’t let go even though my gag reflex is telling me to do just that as the warm, thick liquid rolls down my throat. My teeth are slowing the flow down so he won’t die quickly, but he won’t get a second chance to hurt anyone.
The noise of fighting grows around me as warriors storm the clearing. I still can’t see Oscar or Mina which makes me nervous. The warriors make quick work of the other rogues and an enormous black wolf with the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes walks up to me and the rogue I am trying to contain. The black wolf looks at me and his eyes soften for a brief moment and then look back at the rogue and go murderous. Then I feel the aura blast from him with a growl that pulses from his chest, vibrating through everything in the clearing. The Alpha aura that causes everyone to stop moving except for a large gray wolf with black markings along his face and down his head to his shoulders and me. Xander and Alpha Reggie.
I slowly let go of my rogue and stumbled sideways, my leg still healing and not really liking the body weight placed on it now that adrenaline is starting to subside. I refuse to fall or sit down though. These jacka*ses don’t get to see that they were able to injure me so easily in case they were reporting to someone we can’t see.
Xander continues to growl at my rogue but moves closer to me so I can lean on him. It looks more like a lover’s gesture than him holding me upright which my ego appreciates at the moment.
“These two are gone, your highness.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.