Chapter 21

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Silence fell upon the crowd and my heart began pounding in anticipation as to what their reaction would be. My palms were beginning to sweat and I almost wanted to run away so I wouldn't have to face the disappointment that was sure to come.

But instead of looks of disgust, I watched as everyone's faces morphed into joy and the crowd erupted into cheers. They all rushed up to me and my breathing hitched at the sudden change in attitude. Questions were being thrown at me and every where I looked there was another unfamiliar face with questions I could not answer. I looked up to Levi in distress and he tugged my hand so I was hidden behind him.

"Silence!" he roared. The field immediately quieted as they retreated, all of their attention on Levi. "Now is not the time for questions. You will have a chance to get to know your Luna at a later time. Get into your groups and begin training."

At his command, everyone straightened up and chorused "yes, alpha" before splitting up and beginning their daily routine. I stared in amazement at how strong everyone was and the fact that even those in their early teens were training. Not one complaint was to be heard and all that filled the silence were grunts and heavy breathing as people began sparring.

My eyes locked onto a familiar figure and chills crept down my spine. His pale skin stood out among the crowd of tanned fighters and sweat beaded its way down my forehead.

I pushed down the bile building in my throat, reassured by Levi's hand in mine. Lucas shot a sneer in my direction before turning away. Uneasiness made my chest its home but I reminded myself that I was the one who had asked Levi to set him free.

I lightly shook my head and glanced up at Levi who was glaring at Lucas.

Levi looked down at me, his dark eyes melting into warmth reflecting sadness. "Rain, I have to stay here and look over the pack." An ache filled my chest and I knew I wouldn't like what he had to add on. "Alexander will take over your training. I trust him with my life and I know that you'll be safe with him. Are you alright with going with him?"

I bit my lip, glancing over at Lucas' sickly figure before he continued, "I'm always just a shout away if you need me." At his reassurance, I nodded. A small grin crept over his face and he leaned down to place a soft kiss to my forehead before letting go of my hand and heading over to where Alexander and August stood watching over us.

Alexander walked towards me and I began fidgeting with the hem of my t-shirt. His pale face was emotionless and his hair was just as dark as I had remembered. I watched as his eyes scanned my small frame, boring holes into my body as though he could see the scars marring my skin and the slowly fading bruises from under my thin clothing. His eyes revealed nothing and I felt uncomfortable under his gaze yet something in my gut told me I could trust him.

I opened to say good morning but before the words could escape my lips he cut me off. "You're weak," he stated with disdain as though it was poison on his tongue and he couldn't wait to be rid of me.

My chest ached and my body trembled from the harshness of his words.

My eyes widened in shock and I couldn't figure out what to say. My mouth was moving but the words wouldn't come out. He rolled his eyes at my expression and began walking away, stopping once he realized I hadn't moved from my position. He glanced back with a raised brow, "Well? Aren't you coming?"

I scrambled after him, working twice as hard to keep up with his long legs. We trailed into the woods next to the field and I wondered why we weren't training with the others but my curiosity was cut short once he stopped. It had gotten increasingly harder to breathe seeing as I hadn't worked out for most of my life and I was practically a human now that my wolf had abandoned me.

Alexander's cold eyes were set on my hunched figure as I bent over and tried to regulate my breathing. His mouth was set in a thin line and it seemed as though he was a bomb waiting to explode. But his words did nothing to betray how he felt as he demanded, "Go and run five laps around the trees with orange markers."

"F-five laps?" I questioned, disbelief written all over my face. His dark eyes were fixated on me as he crossed his arms and made no move to change his statement.

I took a resigned breath once I realized he was serious and scanned the trees surrounding us for the orange markers. My mouth fell open once I saw how far each marker was. I knew I wouldn't be able to last long with how tired I was from just trying to catch up to Alexander but I felt excited to finally be able to run around without the weight of chains holding me back.

I began a slow jog and I could feel his sharp gaze watching my every movement. My limbs felt heavy and every thud of my feet on the grass sent a burning pain through my calves. I had barely gotten through half a lap and I was already wheezing for air, my lungs refusing to cooperate with me. Still, I persisted although my speed had drastically decreased to the point where I was basically walking.

I had managed to complete one full lap and had just passed by Alexander when I tripped over a rock and landed flat on my face.

A stinging pain rocked my body as my ankle twisted under the weight of my body. My chest wracked with dry coughs from my sheer exhaustion and I felt the urge to vomit the oatmeal I had for breakfast. I swallowed back the bile building in my throat and pushed myself up until I was sitting so I could examine the damage done to my ankle.

I prodded at my foot and winced at the pain. I knew it wasn't broken but the swelling led to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to run any time soon.

"Why aren't you healing?"

I glanced up and was met with Alexander's cold eyes. He was expressionless as always but I could sense his curiosity. I didn't know what made me want to trust him but before I knew it I had blurted out, "I don't have a wolf."

Surprise flickered in his gaze but he simply nodded and replied, "That's it for today. We'll continue once your foot is healed."

A sigh escaped my lips at the disappointment of yet again being seen as weak but I was also relieved I wouldn't have to run the last four laps.

A yell caught my attention and I saw Levi marching towards us with a murderous expression. He was next to us in milliseconds, his anger radiating from him in waves and his coal black eyes were fixated on Alexander. "What the fuck happened, Alexander? Why the hell is she on the ground? I wanted you to train her not-"

I cut him off, "I'm okay, Levi. It's not his fault. I was being clumsy and tripped over a rock."

Levi kept his glare on Alexander before crouching down to examine my swollen ankle and I flinched when he shifted my foot. "Come on, I'm going to take you to the pack hospital." He placed an arm under my knees and the other behind my back, lifting me up so I was tucked into his chest. I stifled a gasp at the sudden movement and a blush crept up my cheeks at the attention we were getting from everyone.

I could feel Alexander watching our interaction with interest. Levi's cold eyes had softened considerably but they hardened once he addressed Alexander. "From now on, I will train her personally-"

Alexander's jaw stiffened and I cut Levi off once again, "No, it's alright. I'll be okay with Alexander. I want him to train me."

Both men froze at my abrupt statement and Levi stared down at me with an unreadable expression. Alexander nodded stiffly and departed after saying, "As you wish."

I watched Alexander's retreating form as he made his way towards the the group of pack members who had stopped watching us and were now back to sparring. Levi's grip on my body tightened and we began making our way to the pack hospital. I glanced up at Levi from where my head was buried in his chest but my eyes were locked on his clenched jaw and how he refused to look at me.

I knew something was wrong. The throbbing of my ankle was nothing compared to the ache in my chest at the fact that I had done something to upset Levi.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net