Luna of Rogues

Part 58 - Training

"Wakey, wakey, love birds," Tally shouted at us very early the next morning. The sun was still rising, casting an orange glow over the interior of the tent. I blinked rapidly at the sudden light, adjusting to the glare. "Can't you two spend a single night apart?"

"You're one to talk," Leo grunted. We were speaking to someone who had been inseparable from her mate ever since they had met. Much like every other mated couple.

"Do you see Kyle now?" she scoffed.

"No, only 'cause he still ain't supposed to be walking," I retorted.

Kyle had been shot while causing a diversion at the police station. As it turned out, the bullet had become lodged in his spine, which annoyed our surgeons to no end. After something like a twelve hour surgery, they had extracted it with some serious complications. Now Kyle was bed ridden for months, so his wolf could heal paralysis in his lower legs. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

"Get up already!" Tally complained, dragging me out of the covers. Her nose wrinkled up when the blanket slipped off. I was decent, but I wasn't exactly dressed to go outside. "And get dressed."

Leo took advantage of the extra space to snuggle further down into bed and turn away from us. Maybe he hoped Tally would forget him if he was really quiet. No such luck.

"You too, sleepyhead. Jace is here, and he isn't in a waiting mood."

I frowned. "Why's Jace here?"

"You sent for him last night! Remember that?"

I groaned loudly. "I do now."

"You have five minutes at most before Rhys and Alpha Douchebag come to blows," Tally said seriously.

I took notice of that and pulled on a flannel shirt. "Rhys is up?"

"Oh yes. I woke him myself," Tally said proudly. "He was sleeping shirtless and all, and I gotta say that your brother is one fine-"

"No thanks, Tally. That's quite enough information," I interrupted.

She shrugged, giving me a rueful grin. "Anyways, he had fallen asleep in Fion's room, lying across the doorway. Those two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen."

"Yeah, well. You'd better not say that to them. They're both confused ... and conflicted," I said.

We got up and dressed in record time, aided by Tally's 'friendly' encouragements. Ollie had sent a pair of bodyguards to escort me to the castle, but I dismissed them. Having bodyguards was an admission of fear. My final act before arriving in the courtyard was to remove the dressing from my ear to display the thin scar.

Jace stood alone in one of the quieter corners, against a backdrop of ivy-covered crumbling walls. Rhys lounged on a block of stone a few feet away, and whatever he was saying seemed to be winding Jace up, if the look on his face was any indication. Rhodric, also nearby, wasn't helping the situation. He was wearing his antagonist grin. Dammit.

I took my place between my two family members. Leo had been diverted along the way by the smell of breakfast. Tally stayed, though, probably out of curiosity.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," I told Jace.

"Do I?" Jace asked blankly. It looked like we were going to be playing the game of who could be the most emotionless all over again. "I'll try my best to help you, of course. Will your father be joining us?"

"He's literally right next to you, Jace," I said, not sure whether to be amused or exasperated.

His face was a picture, and his gaze snapped towards Rhodric with unmistakable wariness. He looked him up and down a few times. He recovered quickly, all things considered, murmuring, "We haven't been introduced."