The Resilient Mate

Chapter Seventeen.

“Again.” I hissed, panting as I lay on the ground. Every time I attacked him he pinned me, blocked me or sent me flying; I couldn’t win against him, but I wouldn’t stop until I won. “Again.” We’d been doing this for days with short breaks in-between training sessions and I felt like I was about to pass out; I wouldn’t quit until I won though.

When I faced the alpha, I had to be the best I could be, the strongest I could be.

“No.” Kade said bending down to help me up.  I snarled up at him, raising my head as I clawed at the ground.

I managed to drag myself off the ground and cracked my neck, looking at Kade. “Again.” I wanted him to hurt me, I wanted to hate him; but he wouldn’t and I couldn’t. “Hit me! Bite me! Attack me!” I wanted to fight him, hurt him; make him hate me.

His jaw clenched as he looked at me with hard eyes. “No.” He turned to walk away and something inside me snapped. I screamed as my bones snapped. I lunged at him as he spun around and growled. He raised his hand and caught me by the throat, stopping me in my tracks. Shaking his head he quickly put me down before he began strangling me or snapped my neck at the sheer force he used. “No Eve; I won’t hurt you.”

He turned and walked away. The thing was, he already had; I would leave and it would hurt. I growled as I watched him walk away. I couldn’t do this anymore. I’d been training with Kade for a week and I knew that no matter what I did, I would never pin him; he was too good. I knew that I was ready to take on the alpha because if I didn’t do it now I never would.

I took off in the direction of the pack house, thundering through the open door and into Jenna’s office. I shifted, knocked on the door and then entered. This time Klaus wasn’t there with her children and when I entered, she briefly looked up. “Clothes are in the closet, help yourself.”

I pulled out a pair of jeans and a white singlet while Jenna took care of whatever alpha duties she was occupied with. I took a seat in front of her, staring at her face. “I’m ready.”

She looked up at me slowly with a blank face. “It’s been a week.” She was questioning my judgment; she didn’t think I was ready.

I raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “If I die, life will go on; the Earth will still turn, the seasons will still change and you’ll get over it. I can do it, but if it turns out that I can’t, then it’s my funeral.” Literally.

There was a moment of silence before she stood, pushing her chair back with a screech. If looks could kill I would have been six feet under. “Don’t you ever say that again.” She growled, prowling around the side of her desk. I took a step back as she advanced on me, wearily watching the woman I’d called my mother my whole life. “We will not ‘get over it’ as you so nicely put it! Your fathers were broken when they thought you were gone and I was to! You are a selfish bitch Eve and if you die, your pain doesn’t go away, it’s passed to I and your fathers, Griffin, your friends and Kade.” I had never seen Jenna this mad before; sure she had a temper but most of the time she was a fair, stern alpha. Her eyes were spitting fire as she looked at me with anger and disappointment. “I am giving you the opportunity for revenge because I know how it feels to lose something you love, torn away by some selfish person; don’t waste this opportunity or fuck it up Eve because it’s the only one I’m going to give you. The plan will be waiting in an hour; you had better be ready by then.”

I nodded and practically ran out of the office; Jenna was one scary ass bitch and I wanted to get going as soon as possible. I didn’t know how long I’d be gone; I didn’t know if I’d return so I packed my duffle with two pairs of jeans, a few shirts, my weapons and undergarments. I had a shower, redressed in the jeans and singlet, slinging my leather jacket over my shoulders. Although I didn’t really need them, I slipped my gun into its holster and a knife in my boot.

There was a knock on the door as I tossed my bag over my shoulder. Pulling it open, I found Griffin posed to knock again. “Can I help you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He stared at me for a few seconds before he stepped forward and wrapped me in a big hug. “Be careful Eve, and kick ass; make her suffer.” I felt like a weight had been lifted by his words; he did care, he wasn’t holding what I was about to do against me and I wasn’t going to lose my friend.

“I will,” I murmured, pulling away with a small smile. “She doesn’t know the meaning of pain yet.”

The shuffling of feet drew my attention and I looked past Griff to see Kade leaning against the wall, watching us both with cold eyes. Griffin turned around and it seemed like they were locked in a silent stare down until I pushed past my friend and walked towards Kade. Griffin’s footsteps faded away as we stood in silence.

“I’m leaving in half an hour.” His cold stare pierced my body and it felt like he was looking into my soul. “Thanks for training me.” I couldn’t find any other words to say to him as I turned to walk away; what could you say to the person you didn’t want to love, didn’t want to hurt or have hurt you.

My breath was knocked out of me as I was slammed against the wall and trapped by a huge body. He bent down and ran his nose along the length of my neck, breathing in my scent with a growl. “You’re mine.” It felt like he wasn’t just claiming me, I felt like he was warning me; warning me that he wouldn’t let me get away. A moan escaped my lips as he moulded his to mine in a passionate kiss.

We stayed locked like for what felt like forever as the heat from his body warmed me as he pressed up against me further, a hand behind my head and the other touching my face tenderly. He pressed his lips to mine passionately, they were soft but chapped and his heady scent of pine made my head spin.

One of my hands was curled in the fabric of his shirt and the other ran through his hair, my fingers slipping through the silky strands. I pushed him back as my lungs began to burn and we stood staring at each other as we both panted.

That had been… amazing; the single most mind blowing, earth shattering kiss I’d ever experienced. My breathing began to even out and I bowed my head, tracing the wooden boards of the floor. A large, rough hand tilted my head upwards and I met Kade’s simmering gaze. “You are mine.”

I swatted his hand away and ducked under his arm before he could kiss me again. “I’m not property.”

He frowned down at me and slowly he nodded. “You are my mate; you are mine.” Looking up at his face I only saw confusion, like he couldn’t process the fact that there was any possibility that I wasn’t his. The soldier in me wanted to punch him for treating me like his property but the female inside me, the stupid, mushy part just wanted to kiss him again. “Mine.” The hard look in his eyes disappeared for a second and all I saw was insecurity, tenderness and a lot of suffering and sadness.

He went to draw me into another searing kiss but my hands on his chest halted his movement; though I’m sure if he wanted to, he could easily overpower me any day. But he didn’t, he took a step back and bowed his head before he practically disappeared from in front of me.

My bag lay discarded at my feet and I knew that my hair would be mussed up and my lips swollen. I bent down, scooped my bag up and strode down the stairs, trying to push Kade out of my mind; it wouldn’t happen though.

I really did care for him.