The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 33

Before today, the most intimidating group of she-wolves Isla encountered wore bebe and lip gloss, and wanted to employ someone to kick her ass. This group wouldn't need to hire a hitman.

She was the second shortest and on the thinner side. They didn't seem to be as surprised with her as she was with them. They probably already heard about the puny wannabe warrior. If the she-wolves in front of her is what the patrol leads yesterday were expecting, no wonder they were confused.

Jax introduced her to the four warriors and two trainees. Head nods and polite introductions were shared all around, but no warmth. They were there for business.

After introductions, Jax said he would be back within an hour and excused himself, leaving Isla wondering if she was about to get jumped.

She had worn two braids at the top of her head, pulling her hair from her face but letting the rest of her curls fall down her back. She brought a hair tie just in case they sparred. Isla had never backed down from a sparring match before, and she didn't want to blame a poor match on her hairstyle. Why bother with that when you can blame it on the fighter who has sixty pounds on you?

"Your training, it's been unconventional. Mostly by humans, I understand." Anais, the only other warrior even close to her size with her blonde hair pulled in a high ponytail, asked.

"Yes, well, kind of." Isla looked at her a little squeamishly. Would they understand what it's like to not have options? These she-wolves looked like they would just take whatever they wanted. Maybe Alpha Frank would have let them train in Winter Moon.

"My old pack didn't train she-wolves, so what I learned was for myself. It was more about self-defense and not for protecting the pack. I found that I was interested in many things wolves just don't do, so I had to turn to humans. Gamma Jax was able to take what I knew and use it to help with patrols."

"What makes your training with the lesser species better than our training with other warriors?" Maya scowled. Her tan skin and short dark curly hair framed her angry dark eyes.

Isla paused, not sure of how to respond when Alessandra jumped in. "Stop being a bitch, Maya."

"It's a valid question," Maya turned to the purple-haired Alessandra.

"It's a valid question asked in a bitchy way." Alessandra spat back. Her mate mark was highlighted by her shaved head on that side. A few of the other women nodded, and Maya let out a frustrated hiss.

It was refreshing to see the honesty and how forthcoming these she-wolves were. They didn't hide behind manners, trendy purses, or being polite. They didn't kiss ass or placate. Even with Maya throwing anger towards her, Isla appreciated knowing where she was coming from.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone. I think I moved outside of the usual training path, which in my case gave me a unique edge." Isla decided to answer the question, even with Maya's attitude. "If it wasn't for Gamma Jax and the other warriors working with me, I wouldn't be nearly as effective as I am on patrol."

"So, what does Jax think we're going to learn from you?" Maya scoffed. "Are we supposed to learn how to fight like a homo sapiens to become better warriors?"

"Oh," surprise crossed Isla's face. "I thought I was here to learn from you all." A few of them laughed, and Isla continued. "Sometimes I feel like a one-trick pony, that I have a niche, but I'm not well rounded. I spar well, but I don't know how that will translate to a fight on patrol or a raid."

"Well, let's find out." Alessandra offered to spar Isla and walked over to a mat. Isla did her usual size-up and evaluation. Her center of gravity was as low as Isla's. Therefore, if Isla was going to get under Alessandra, she would have to go lower than she would for the warriors she usually fought.