Unseen Strength

Chapter 4

    Valerie hesitated for a second, recalling what happened to her before she was found. She answered in a clear voice “No, I was suppose to be executed.”

    “Why?” Valerie heard the edge creeping slowly into his voice.

    “They believed I burned down house and killed my mother.”

    Silence rang throughout the room. Roland looking at the girl in suspicion. Wanted for murder? This little scrap?

    “Um, did you?” Ariana asked, breaking the silence.

    Valerie shook her head and knew she was crying because she felt the droplets streaming from her eyes.

    “No! I didn’t, I loved my mother, I loved her more than anything else in the world and now she’s gone. Now I have no one in this world to care for me anymore. My pack turned against me, they never liked me to begin with because I’m blind. I didn’t want to be born this way, I never asked to be born this way. I never did anything wrong in my life. What did I do to deserve having my own mate wanting to kill me? What did I do?”

    Then she crumbled down to the floor, Ariana bending down and patting her back as a way to comfort her new friend. Oliver and Tyrell looked at one another in complete utter shock, neither moved, not knowing how to handle situations like this.

    Roland looked down at the girl, crossed his arms and prayed to the fates that he was doing the right thing. He sighed and waited until the girl stopped crying and was merely hiccupping.

    “Can you fight?” He asked, waiting for her answer.

    Her eyes widen in surprise and she shook her head.

    “Can you use a gun?”

    She shook her head again.

    “Can you learn?”

    Finally she lifted her head, swallowed a hiccup and focused her unnerving gaze at him. She opened her mouth and said “Yes.”

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    Roland gave the girl a week to recuperate before he put her into training. He made sure she did her pushups, sit ups, 5 mile runs, lunges, anything that he could think of to strengthen her up. She never complained once about the work, she never cried or broke down. She merely took it and didn’t open her mouth once to say anything.

    He tried to make sure he was there to oversee her training, but when he wasn’t he made sure that either Tyrell or Oliver was supervising her.

    Ariana protested against the “rough” treatment he was giving her new friend. Every time Valerie had free time she would snatch the blonde away. They became quick friends though. Surprising Roland, since his sister could be a bit too straightforward or pushy, but Valerie was happy to spend time with Ariana and never complained.

    When he was sure she was ready to learn combat, he made sure that either Tyrell or Oliver was in the same room, giving her someone to spare with.

    He was amazed at how quickly she learned, after 3 weeks of sparing with Tyrell she was able to get him onto his back two times. However, with Oliver it was a different story, she almost got him but she was always too slow. When he spared with her, he always made sure to go easy on the petite blonde, but at times she would give him a run for his money.

    Tyrell volunteered to teach her how to use daggers and she took up the skills quickly. Becoming adequately well with throwing daggers around, however, a few times she almost did poke out Tyrell’s eyes. But after 5 weeks she mastered the art of throwing daggers.