Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Unedited

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"Grapple!"

I shout commands to the wolves in training as they spar with one another, basic skills that they should have already mastered. This is a warm up, for me to see the levels of the warriors that I'm working with, and where I need to make improvements. After Kaden trained with me a few times after I returned to DawnStar, he decided that I was more than capable of training the warriors instead of him, which I was really happy about.

It makes me feel like I finally have a purpose within the pack, and by all accounts the amount of people who wanted to be warriors increased once they heard I was in charge.

I had to wait only a week before I could use the dual pack training grounds in the warehouse, because my mate is the big bad alpha he managed to pull some strings and make sure everything was ready for me. He hasn't disappointed me, the warehouse now a fully functioning gym with top of the range equipment, and all of the junk that was outside has been cleared and I now have my acres of training space.

Today is the first joint CrescentMoon and DawnStar training session, and I'm estatic to be leading it.

I watch to see which warriors have the best technique, and which warriors need improvement. Atticus, the guy who helped me out with my car a while back, was appointed by Kaden to help me out, take one of the groups whilst I took the other. I don't mind Atticus at all. He's really polite, and knows a hell of a lot of fighting styles and techniques that he's agreed to teach me. I've also had my dad helping out, giving me some of his training plans from when he was Alpha which seems like such a long time ago.

"I've seen a few that are heights above the others." Atticus mutters to me whilst we continue to watch, my eyes scanning over the wolves who are wrestling each other to the floor. Their entire bodies are coated in a muddy dust, imparing their visions and turning all of their hair the same colour. The dusty ground has little traction so many of them are slipping. It's one of the reasons I chose this place. If they can fight in conditions like this, they're ready for anything.

"I agree." I say, my eyes glued to a girl who's currently flipping over her male partner and wrapping him in a submission. I can't work out who it is, their face unrecognisable through the clouds of thick dust, but she's good. She has her partner tapping out within seconds, clutching his arm as he pops it back into place by himself whilst he stands.

"Alright." Atticus shouts, clapping his hands together with conviction. He carries an air of authority, and his neatly clipped hair and clean shaven face makes him seem almost military. It makes sense, seen as though his mate is the army general himself Harry. "We're splitting you off into two groups. Luna Lola will take one group, I'll take the other. Listen for your names, and stand by either myself or the Luna ."

Atticus looks at people and calls out their names, telling them where to go. I feel slightly bad that I can only remember the names of the warriors from my old pack, so I called out them, whereas Atticus called people from DawnStar. By the time everyone has been separated, I realise that Atticus has given me the elite fighters, which is thankfully a healthy mixture of guys and girls, including the girl that's head to toe covered in dirt.

Looking at her cloesly, I realise that it's actually Olivia, and I send her a quick smile, and a nod of approval that I hope she understands.

She flashes me a broad grin, rubbing her hand across her face to remove the dirt.

Atticis leads his group of about thirty potentials into the warehouse, leaving me with the outside training space for sparring. I run my hands together enthusiastically, my eyes quickly drinking in the large number of people gathered around me.

"Pair up." I shout. "Pick a partner who you don't already know."

A few grumbles of annoyance sound out, as the wolves reluctantly shuffle around in search of a partner that isn't from their old pack.

Eventually everyone stands in twos, a few metres of space between them. In front of me are wolves young enough to have just shifted, to elite experienced older wolves looking close to retirement. Everyone looks fit, everyone looks determined and ready, and I can't wait to put them through the ringers.

"Let's begin shall we?"

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We're just finishing up, everyone sweaty and exhausted, when a voice calls out from the back of the group. "You're nothing special, Luna."

My eyes snap up from talking to a young wolf and narrow on Carrick, my eyes widening slightly at the ugly scar on the centre of his neck. He doesn't look very well, his skin sickly pale and his eyes sunken, dark heavy bags settling underneath his pale irises. The scar across his face looks reopened, bright red and angry against his paper white skin. He looks furious, his veins close to the surface of his skin, the one on his forehead close to popping out.

He's walking into the clearing, stepping out from the woods suggesting he walked here.

"You shouldn't be out of the infirmary yet." I say, my voice dangerously calm considering I'm freaking out inside. Kaden knows that he attacked me prior to being shot, many eye witnesses corroborating my story. Carrick was supposed to be on around the clock watch, because he was deemed by Karen's Council that he was a danger to me and potentially the pack. "Where are your guards?"

Carrick laughs coldly, the sound bubbling from within his throat, like he's gargling on something. "Don't forget, Luna, I was respected in this pack before you showed up. I have friends here that don't like the sight of me locked up."

He takes a menacing step towards me, and many of the pack members I'm training take aggressive steps towards him, my protection clearly the first thing on their minds. But I'm tired of having other people defend me when Carrick says or does something offensive. It's about time I test my newfound strength, and I'm more than willing to push myself further than necessary to put him in his place.

I calmly raise a hand, stopping them in their tracks, and step from behind their wall of bodies acting as a barrier. "You were respected because of your close ties to Kaden, but now you've made yourself an enemy of this pack, and for that I can assure you of your banishment, your friends can go with you as well."

Carrick snarls, and in the harsh, bright sunlight he looks almost feral. His eyes carry a certain wildness to them that I can't decipher any further than assuming it's fury. His teeth are grinding against one another, his jaw clenched tightly, and his muscles are spasming like he can barely contain what he's feeling, like he needs to attack me.

And then he runs at me, his strong legs powering his jump high into the air, and I watch as he shifts fully into his red wolf before his front paws hit the ground metres away from me. He doesn't stop running, merely increases his pace before pouncing at me, his sharp teeth bared dangerously.

Only, he's as predictable as every one of my father's warriors. I quickly sidestep and watch has his muzzle crashes hard into the earth below, dust billowing up like a cloud and hovering around him like a demented halo. I hear the muffled chuckles of the onlookers, the sound of my fury rushing to my ears making everything sound like I'm listening through water.

"This ends now Carrick." I warn, my canines extending from my gums. "I won't warn you again."

His wolf only snaps it's jaws, the look in his eyes wild and murderous. I know then that this will only end with one of us unconscious or dead. And I very much enjoy being alive.

Carrick launches himself at me again, and I catch a jaw in each of my hands, prying it open so his teeth don't sink into my throat. His wolf is taller than me, his strength coming close to that of my human form, and I grit my teeth and concentrate.

The howls of pain coming from his wolf tell me I've succeeded, and he rips his head away from my hands, holes peppering his jaw where I sunk my claws in.

"Carrick stop this!" I shout with as much fury as I can muster, and I see from the corners of my eyes that many people drop to their knees and reveal their necks in submission. I didn't realise my voice had that much power, but unfortunately, the distraction proved helpful to Carrick as he buries his jaw into my side.

I can't help but let a scream of pain rip from deep within my throat, and I kick at his wolf's thick fur as hard as I can. I loud crack sounds as the toe of my heavy leather boot connects with his ribs, and he loosens his grip around my side enough for me to pull his jaws apart.

His muzzle is coated with a layer of my blood, thick crimson coating each of his teeth. I wince, but launch myself at him, shifting midair and knocking him to the ground.

His body thrashes underneath mine, Red mixed with white and black as I bite down hard in his back leg. His howls rip through the surrounding silence and a satisfying crunch comes when I bite straight through bone.

"Lola, this needs to be finished." Shiva snarls, and I can feel her wishing to take the reigns. "We have to kill him."

A sinking feeling fills my gut when I realise that she's right. Carrick won't stop until I'm dead, but I don't want to kill him. As much as he's threatened me, he was Kaden's best friend before all of this happened.

I watch with my cold eyes as he limps around me in a circle, his teeth snapping defensively. I can see in his eyes that he no longer wants this as much as before, so I do something that I don't think Shiva expected.

I shift back.

I don't worry about the fact everyone is looking at me naked, because something is compelling my body forward, like my brain is working with a mind of its own, and it's not Shiva.

Carrick attempts one more desperate move, and tries to nip at my ankles, but I just grab his jaw in one of my hands, and with the other press the heel of my palm down into the space between his eyes.

It's like I'm a passenger in my own body, and I can't help but watch with wide eyes as Carrick's wolf crumples underneath me, his body falling unconscious.

Slowly but surely I watch as his snout slowly shortens back into a normal nose, and his fur dissolves into his skin like it was never there. His paws turn into hands, and eventually he emerges fully transformed back into his human form.

It's weird, looking at him when he's out cold, because it makes me realise that there was once a very innocent side to Carrick, not just when he's asleep. There's no worry lines between his brows, nor a permanent scowl on his lips.

He almost looks completely at ease with himself, and it's saddening.

"Somebody apprehend him and take him down the the dungeons." I eventually say, hoping my voice carries the authority I was hoping for. I then look down and realise I'm as naked as the day I was born, and quickly cover my exposed parts with my hands. Kaden would be furious if he knew I was stood here like this. "Can I also borrow somebody's shirt?" I watch as people scramble into action, multiple men pulling their shirts over their heads and tossing them in my direction before running inside to find something to tie Carrick up with.

I look to the door of the warehouse and see Atticus watching me with a look of pride on his face, something that my father used to do, and I find myself beaming back at him.

"Not bad."

I whip round at the voice sounding closely by my ear, but am greeted only with the vast expanse of the forest surrounding me. There are no sounds of twigs snapping, nor the crunch of leaves under foot. I'm listening to silence, and I almost believe that I made it up, until the voice speaks again.

The sound of the voice reminds me of nails dragging down a chalkboard, cold and harsh and sends a shiver down my spine. "You can consider me impressed Luna, but there's only so much you can prevent before I get hold of you. And once you're mine little wolf, I'm never letting you go."

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GUYS, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, LETS JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THE KICK ASS COVERS SENT TO ME BY @xbluecupcakex

THESE POPPED UP IN MY INBOX AND IM IN LOVE 😍❤️

The second one is absolutely my favourite, so this chapter is definitely dedicated to you!!

Anyways, let me know what you think of the chapter. How kick ass is Lola for beating down who I'm hoping is everyone's least favourite character?!

Comment your favourite bits, favourite characters, favourite quotes, and don't forget to vote and share my lovelies!!

Lots of love,

Lauryn xoxo