"She knows herself to be at mercy of events, and she knows by now that events have no mercy."
-- Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assasin
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Training the Moonstone Pack was way more exhausting than I had imagined. It turned out that none of them had ever fought in their human form, and they never caught onto anything I said, ever.
They just smirked at me and asked me to show them what I meant — over and over again. I would show them and each time I did, they'd stop mocking me. It was as if they refused to believe that I wasn't that same girl anymore, and the fact that we did need to train in order to survive.
"No Cassie, you don't hold a fist like that, if you missed his face, you would break your thumb." I told my sister, motioning to her fist with her manicured thumb sticking out. If the person ducked or moved away slightly, she could break her thumb and then another unnecessary, injured person will need to be taken care of. Seriously, we didn't have time for that.
"Since when was there a way to hold a fist right?" Cassie rolled her eyes, a hand on her hip. People around us watched, practically straining their ears. They didn't even bother to be subtle about it.
The former Luna of The Moonstone Pack was picking a fight with their trainer and let me just add — the strongest werewolf in the region. Everyone knew better not to question what I was saying at this point.
"There's always been a way dumbass, I suggest you just break you thumb now because it will happen." I shook my head at her.
Instead, she sighed in annoyance all the while her eyes disappeared behind her head. To my surprise though, she tucked her thumb inside her fist in an attempt to listen to my commands. To bad it was also an incorrect way to hold a fist.
"Cassie, don't tuck it in, it doesn't make your thumb safer, leave it out to the side by your knuckles." I ran a hand over my face, getting restless. I'd shown the group many times how to hold a proper fist, it was as if Cassie was doing everything in her power to get on my nerves. Every last one of them.
She spun around, her eyes shooting daggers at me. "What do you want from me? First you told me to not stick my thumb and now you want it back out, what kind of a trainer are you?" She demanded, her face contorted in contempt. My patience was running thin — as thin as a piece of hair, and she was pulling every one of my straws. The last one wasn't very far away.
"I told you not to tuck it in, I'm saying to leave it out but not stick inside your fist, is it that hard to understand what I'm saying?" She gave me a look, nodding.
The couple werewolves around us snickered and stopped what they were doing, as if they'd sensed a fight starting. Believe me, I was gonna end it now, no one could speak to me that way anymore. Not even my older sister.
"You know what, if you have a problem holding your fist the right way, just leave now because you won't be any help arguing." I sighed.
She sucked her bottom lip, her eyes narrowed at me as she formed her fist the way I had told her to.
See, that wasn't so bad.
Blessing the gods for the fact that that was over, I strolled away, noticing how the group immediately started training and fighting with each other again. Though most gawked at me as I walked by.
I seriously needed Ashton and Ava to be here, they were the only ones who could mellow me out whenever I would get angry. Though of course I kept composed as best I could. Losing it in front of my old pack wasn't the best thing to do.
Ashton was out training on the other side of the pack house running laps across the track field. Ava was inside the house relaxing since she was Luna and didn't actually have to do anything if she didn't want to.
Tyler....... I really didn't know where he was, the two Alphas usually went somewhere together to create a stupid bond to help the packs grow a bond. If the Alphas liked each other, then hypothetically the packs would too.
But I knew that we would never be a team, no matter how close we were pulled together. I had a horrid history with the Moonstone Pack. It was clear they still believed that I was weak.
Weak. I hated that word.
By the end of the day, the Moonstones had mastered how to hold a fist which I guessed helped them with combat a bit better. Still though, it wasn't up to my standards or the standards of any hunters if they decided to attack. It would be too easy with for them with these idiots.
It was around sundown when I finally grew restless with the Moonstone Pack's behaviour. The sky was now illuminated in shades of oranges, yellow and purple — a view I would've enjoyed if it weren't for the people I was stuck with.
"Alright guys let's go back in and eat." I said as I shooed everyone from the field. The orange sun created an eerie glow on the windows of the Pack house about a mile in the distance.
A twig snapped from behind me and I stopped short. I spun around, eyeing the woods behind us. It was a bunch of trees and thick shrubbery that surrounded The Nightshade Pack house, and one could barely see past the thick layer of trees.
Our fields were clear of any twigs and trees, just an open area designed for training. Considering how werewolves rarely attacked another pack, it had to have been hunters.
I held out a hand at my training group, and surprisingly they simultaneously stopped talking — for once.
Not a moment later, two wolves appeared from behind the thick tree line. My shoulders slackened in relief when I saw that there were only rogues, and not hunters. The two black wolves growled at me, their lips twisted into a revolting snarl, eyeing me with their captivating green eyes.
Within seconds I had shifted into my Snow White wolf form. Members of the Moonstone Pack gasped. During my time with them, I'd never once mentioned it.
A white wolf was rare, only around ten in our species, and I was one of them. White wolves were stronger and faster; apparently our combat skills were superior and there were a lot of other sweet advantages — being white furred was just one of them. I'd heard stories of white wolves with lilac irises, which I envied.
Back in the ancient times, others tried to find out what type of DNA on our chromosomes had altered us into being white and genetically, so much more powerful. They tortured and bred us with other wolves as research, but no such luck. Therefore, almost all white wolves have been killed, the population almost extinct.
When Tyler had first told me I was disgusted, and maybe a tiny bit weirded out that I happened to actually be a white wolf. There was finally something special about me that my old pack members could envy. That everyone could envy, but I'd learned that it didn't take much effort for people to be jealous. One just had to be happy with themselves and others seemed to envy them.
I smirked to myself — since no one could see it as I was a wolf, and lingered for the rogue to attack first.
When they finally did, I dodged to the side swiftly and and tackled the first one, keeping a paw on them to hold them down. It growled at me, it's mouth snapping open and closed in attempt to bite at me.
Out of the corner of my eye, the other one sprinted towards me fast. I kicked it's side and they whimpered, backing away sightly. With the extra few seconds I gained from that, I dug my claw in the first wolf's throat, blood splattered in the air like a fountain and immediately, it went limp.
I spun around in my paws, just as the second one lunged at my neck. I caught it mid air by the throat and tossed it to the ground like a rag doll. I scurried on top of it, placing my hands on both sides of its head, before twisting abruptly. A sickening crack sounded from its neck, and just like the first, the wolf fell limp in my arms.
From the little bit I had been considered a rogue before Tyler took me in, I knew it was difficult. My heart clenched slightly as I stared at the two bodies below me. Rogues didn't have a choice to attack other packs for supplies and food. But I also couldn't let them hurt anyone else.
I shifted back into my human form, tugging my shirt down that had been ruined during the fight as I panted slightly from the exertion.
"Come on, let's just go back inside before more rogues decided to pay us a visit." I told my audience. The group stared at me, their mouths hung open agape.
I glanced down at my bloodied hands, my lips pressed to a thin line. I'd hoped the death I'd given them was merciful.
Many others would've tortured them or given those wolves the slowest death possible just because they were rogues. It was unfair how they were judged so quickly just because they were strays.
I shoved past the shocked crowd, tucking my reddened hands into my pockets, the long grass tickled my ankles but I paid it no mine. Until I finally reached the pack house again.
The group followed close behind me without peeping a sound or complaint. It was unbelievable, as if they had to see what I was capable of before they would listen to my instructions.
Within the short amount of time it took to get to the house from the field, the message had spread and everyone knew about the attack. I guess word travelled fast these days, with the mind links and all.
The girls from the Moonstone pack whispered around me and even though I couldn't hear them, it wasn't hard to tell rumours were going around.
I would walk down the hall to the kitchen to grab some food and there would always be a small group of three or four girls shouting over one another, but always as I walk in, their voices would die down. They would watch me as if I would rip their throats out next.
I could.... but I wouldn't.
I didn't know if they were just shocked from seeing me end another's life.
I'd plopped down onto the couch for a bit of a shut eye seeing as the living room was empty. It was a rare sight that no one was hogging the couch. Ashton slumped onto the sofa next to me, groaning in his own exhaustion.
"Hey, how was your training?" I scooted closer to him, laying my head on his shoulder.
"Horrible." He said shortly, shutting his eyes as he propped his head over the top of the couch. "The Moonstones have zero stamina, I swear to god."
I muffled a giggle. "Well, they can't throw a decent punch either so..."
"Yeah, but it's not about the running, like I barely ran five miles today. It's the whining." He complained, turning to face me. I smiled at his dark ruffled hair and exhausted expression. His gorgeous eyes stared back at me. "But, I did hear about the rogues, I'm glad you're okay. You should've mind linked with us, we could've helped." His eyebrows knitted in concern.
"I know, I should've." I adverted my gaze down at the leather couch below me. "I'm sorry."
He sighed, his lips twitching up. Ashton pulled me closer towards him, an arm around my waist. I tucked my head under his neck, nuzzling my face into his chest as he rested his cheek on my head. We stayed that way for as long as we could.
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It was way past nightfall when I finally went up to my room — which I now shared with Ava since there weren't enough rooms for both packs living together. Tyler complained about being separated from her since they usually shared a bedroom, but Ava insisted that she needed to be with me for moral support. Especially with Cael and Cassie under the same roof as us.
I considered sharing with Ashton but Tyler wouldn't allow it. Not one bit. He wouldn't budge. He said, quote on quote "You never know what could happen with two teenagers in one room." I almost rolled my eyes just thinking about it. He was definitely talking about him and Ava.
I plopped down on Ava's bed, the springs creaking underneath my weight. She stared intently at her phone, her finger scrolling visciously. When she finally looked up at me after a few minutes, she beamed.
"Oh my god, Lila I can't believe you killed those rogues all by yourself, with no help from the Moonstone whatsoever!" Her eyes glistened. "You've proved to them how good you are!"
My lips twitched up at her excitement and support. "Thanks Ava, but now people think I'm a psycho." My nose crinkled and she placed a hand on my shoulder.
"They might but I don't, and besides, you did it for the best." Ava said. "They may think you're horrible or weak." She shuddered at that word. "But if anyone got to know you, they'd know it's not true. You're an amazing person, just sometimes misunderstood. No matter how horrible someone is made out to be, there's always a little good in them."
I sighed, silently wondering if it was the same for Cael too.
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A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote, comment and share!
EDITED