Under The Sea

Chapter Forty-Three

It's been an entire day since the note arrived in all of its red glory. Everyone has been on edge, it seems, since the note arrived. The entire pack has been tense and quiet. Less wolves are running through the trees, and more guards are stationed in the trees. The murders have come to a relieving halt, but maybe that was all apart of his plan. Scare everyone for a hot moment, and then . . . cease. Perhaps this was the calm before the storm, but I couldn't be too quick to judge. It had only been a day.

But in one day Aran has grown overly protective; he wouldn't even let me walk Jacin to the shore where he would dive into the cool waters and check on Atlandria. In one day the pack became as quiet as the forest in the dead of night.

My presence was becoming more known as I spent time around the pack house. My training was done in the exercise facilities of the pack house, the same place everyone else trained. As my attendance became daily, my peers started to notice me. Every pair of eyes I looked into held questions, confusion, suspicion. They did not know who I was, but they also did not try to know who I was. I knew no one, besides Aran and his family. Although, I had a feeling that they knew exactly where I stood in their community. I was certain that they could sense Aran all over me. They saw the way he treated me, maybe even paid attention to the way he looked at me, and the way he looked at others that looked at me. He was most likely the reason why I had no friends.

Well . . . perhaps my scent attributed to that. But did I really smell so different that I could not be befriended? Seemingly so. I thought the awesome fighting skills of the new girl might serve as a people magnet. Turns out, one must have awesome fighting skills to begin with.

My fighting skills hadn't necessarily gotten any better. I was still the clumsy and confused girl that I was before, only now with a few more bruises littered across my skin. I always stumbled on my feet, I was too slow, my mind was almost always elsewhere, which beat out focus, and with Jacin gone, I was constantly worried and constantly thinking.

Everyday was a painful day. Until Aran decided he would try to train me himself. Much to James' and my surprise.

I stood, panting from the laps I had just run and glancing eagerly between the two boys.

James snorted. "You'll go way too easy on her. She's your damn mate, I'm surprised you even let her train."

I looked at Aran, who clenched his jaw. "You let him talk to you like that?"

"Perks of being my general, I suppose." Aran said through gritted teeth as he glared at James. "James you can either get out, or be put out. You're interrupting our training session." Aran drawled casually while stretching out his arms and back.

James walked away with a scowl painted on his face, muttering angry words.

Aran's mood instantly brightened. "Now, let's get started. How about blocking? You didn't look to good at that just a minute ago." I scowled at him, muttering a sarcastic thanks.

"For every incorrect block or missed block, you will do ten push-ups and I will do those ten and ten more as well. It will increase as we go."

I immediately jumped to his defense. "No, Aran you don't have to do that. It's not fair."

His eyes softened. "Then I suggest you start blocking correctly."

Of course, I didn't magically start blocking correctly. Hence, both of us were on the ground doing push-ups for the eighth time.

"Come on Forest, you have to focus on whatever is coming toward your body. Stop looking everywhere else." I averted my eyes so that he might not see my reasons there. I couldn't look at a fist coming directly at my face or my body. Every time I did, I was reminded of Mason's very hard fist coming at my face. Perhaps I could use that as motivation to never be so helpless again. But every time I tried, the thought was useless.