She didn't know this at the time, but before James began to train, he told all training warriors to put a shirt on in respect for their future Luna. It didn't even occur to her that the warriors around her, including females, started to wear their standard exercise shirts instead of going almost bare (excluding the females who wore gym bras).
The Alpha male took another glance at his relaxed female who played with the fingers of her small toddler before resuming his training duties.
Watching James train with all the other wolves was intriguing; solidly built males combating against each other with equal fervour was something to behold. But, out of respect for one of the few males in her life, she didn't pay much attention. Opal knew that if she looked too long, apart of her would feel dirty, another part of her felt the need to cower of the sight of males. But, she was there in support of James, and with that, she continued to stay grounded.
Playing with the tiny fingers of Gabrielle, she engages in a little conversation with the babbles the child emitted as her amusement. "Silly girl," she cooed, pressing a delicate kiss to her forehead. The baby squealed. Sitting in the cool shade brought her peace, occasionally she would glance over at James before returning her attention to her baby and often, felt James' stare on her for a few seconds.
The Alpha looked towards the group of warriors in front of him, taking in each of their strengths and weaknesses while they did their drills. He hoped one day Opal would be among the many she-wolves training, building their physical resilience as well as their mental one. But, as his friends had told him before, these things take time, baby steps.
Looking over to the sitting pair, he couldn't help the love that flowed through his veins, seeing the smile that graced Opal's lips as she played with her toddler. The sound of her laughter gave him the energy to wait, to hope that one day, things would be different, and she wouldn't be afraid to live.
-
She laid on her back, feeling the sun slowly rise from over the trees and onto the field. She could hear the warriors continuing to train with closed eyelids as she fell into a blissful state of calm. Brielle was fiddling with her closed water bottle right next to, babbling in her world. Opal relished in the feeling of the warm sun against her pale skin, it was a rare moment for her, being outside surrounded by other wolves yet so isolated from them at the same time. She smiled.
James took another glance at Opal relaxing in the sun, the light making her glow from a yard away as he took in the beauty of his mate. She looked so happy, so content and he had to force himself from walking over there and enjoying her company. But alas, he had the training to do. For two hours, he had to push his warriors to their limits in their human form, and they barely skimmed the surface.
"Alright, I want you all to take a ten-minute break before we go into our woods and do some combat training there. Then, after about an hour, we'll take another break, and then we shift," he told his group of warriors. He had to admit that they didn't even break much of a sweat, a thin line only resting on their foreheads as they looked at their Alpha with a sharp nod.
The group walked to their bags in sync. James went in the opposite direction and slowly made his way towards his mate. He could feel the effects of the bond, the more he drew closer, instantly calmer as he took a whiff of the air. Brielle, already on alert, looked towards James' direction and with called out for him. A broad smile began to form across his lips as he watched the pup begin to make her crawl towards him.
Opal, upon hearing her daughters calls, slowly arose from her mini slumber and watched in amusement as her pup made a slow, yet energetic crawl towards James. Picking up his speed, he outstretched his arms, ready to scoop her up from the ground. Brielle's persistent squeals caused a few of the pack members to glance their way, but seeing it to be their future Luna, they looked away out of respect. Once James and Brielle met halfway, he boisterously carried the pup into his arms and unknowingly pressed his scent against her.
"Hi Brielle," he cooed, continuing to walk towards a smiling Opal.
The sight of Brielle in James' arms did a number on Opal as he made his way towards her. The light in both their eyes twinkled in the sunlight. "May I sit down next to you?" he asked softly.
"Of course," Opal replied in the same manner, and she watched James settle himself on the space next to her with Brielle resting her head against the crook of his next.
"We're taking a break before we head off into the forest to do some more training, they'll be in their wolf form," James informed her as he leant against his right arm. The thought of shifting made Opal's stomach squeeze. It had been a while since she last shifted, Citrine hasn't indeed seen the light of day, her fur hadn't basked in the sun. The last time she saw her wolf form was after she gave birth. Her wolf begged to meet her pup and shifted only for a brief moment before crawling back into the space of Opal's mind.
"Oh, I see," she mumbled softly, playing with the tufts of grass as she reminisced the last painful moments of her shift. Upon noticing her change in demeanour, he ever so delicately leant forward.
"Are you okay?" he asked her while patting the back of Brielle.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," she shook her head of those thoughts as she gave him a comforting smile. He needn't worry about things he can't control. James returned half a convincing smile before returning to his position.
"If you say so," he told her. "Are you hungry? There's food in the basket if you'd like," he offered.
"I'm okay. I think breakfast is going to keep me going for a while," Opal replied before she decided to lay on her back and enjoy the sun. James watched her look so peaceful in the outdoors; he couldn't help but stare at his soulmate who looked like the living embodiment of the goddess above. His heart did somersaults as he took a breath in, her scent making him go dizzy.
"Did you want to come with us into the forest?" James asked her as Brielle's small hands went to grab James' cheek.
"I-I don't know, would it be okay if I tagged along?" she questioned, peeking out from under her eyelids to see her pup squeezing James' cheeks. A laugh formed against the base of her throat. "Brielle doesn't squeeze his cheeks, he might not like it," she grinned.
Upon hearing her melodic laughter, he turned around and just took it in. Her laugh, like a song, calmed his nerves and made everything in his body set alight. Nothing was better than hearing her laughter, knowing that she was happy meant everything.
"It's okay; it doesn't hurt," he smiled before gently poking Brielle's cheeks.
"Gah!" the chubby pup squealed and smacked her tiny fingers against James' face.
"Brielle! You don't smack other people," Opal scolded, getting up from her position.
"It's fine, Opal; it didn't hurt me. It did surprise me, though," he chuckled. "Don't worry. She won't harm me, won't you, Brielle?" James smiled his tone of voice in a slightly higher pitch.
"Still, she shouldn't be smacking people's faces like that," Opal replied disapprovingly.
"Don't worry about it, she's just a pup, and to answer your question, of course, you can come and watch," he beamed and tickled Brielle's stomach, earning a round of laughter to escape her small lips.
-
Three hours later, it was safe to say that training was over. James walked over to Opal who sat on a picnic blanket by a large tree with sweat trickling down his forehead, a tired smile graced his lips.
"I'm exhausted," he breathed out and settled into the free space next to Opal.
"You look exhausted," she mused and settled her sleeping pup down onto her lap. "You all look very tired," she commented, looking at the large group of wolves leaving the forest.
Training in their wolf form was a different atmosphere altogether, from Opal's perspective, it was brutal with constant combating, laps around the forest and learning how to use the environment to their advantage. She had to look away upon seeing all the violence that the wolves endure but managed to keep everything at bay and played with her daughter before she slept. James was the only wolf that didn't shift, whether it was out of respect for her or easiest way to train the warriors in she didn't know. Either way, she was curious to know what his wolf looked like but didn't question his methods of training.
"We are, it was non-stop," he sighed, resting his head against a branch. Opal gave him a soft smile and did the same, relaxing in the sounds of the forest. She tried her best to just stay in the moment, feeling her body flutter with the proximity as she inhaled his scent.
"You all seem very well-trained, you must do this every day," she said, stroking the forehead of Brielle who slept soundly in her lap.
"Well, I don't do the training every day. But every so often, it's nice to come in and see how the warriors are doing," he revealed before sneakily stealing a sandwich out of the picnic basket.
"Hey, those are mine!" Opal exclaimed, snatching the basket out of his grasp.
"Excuse me, it's ours," he emphasised before taking a bite out of his sandwich. Opal rolled her eyes and decided it was time to eat, making a sandwich out for herself and took a bit. A fluttery feeling grew in the pit of her stomach at the term 'our', her cheeks turning rosy from the mere thought of it made her mind swirl.
"So, what did you want to do now? Now that training is over and all," he asked.
"I thought we could just stay at the house? I- whatever you want to do," she shrugged. To be honest, she had no clue what else to do; she wasn't one to make decisions and often went with whatever goes.
"I want to do what you want to do, so if you'd like to go back to the house, we could just spend some time there," he smiled comfortingly, looking towards her with soft eyes. Opal paused, and thought about it carefully, surely staying at home would be nice, but staying outside also seemed pretty good. She loved the soft gusts of wind, the sun on her skin and the peaceful atmosphere which surrounded her.
"I'd like to go back to the field and have a picnic," she decided, looking up from under her eyelashes. A bright smile dazzled her eyes.
"Of course, did you want me to bring more food? Or is the sandwiches enough to satisfy you?" he questioned.
"No, this is fine. The sandwiches taste nice, and the drinks are fine too. I don't want to cause any inconvenience,"
"Are you sure? I can ask one of the warriors to bring fruits, bread or even juice, maybe milk for Brielle?" he listed all the possible things she would like, ready to call for one of his warriors to bring anything she asked.
"Maybe some fruit? But, I'm sure the Warriors are tired, and they should rest, they've been training all day and I-"
"It's fine, they'd do anything for you," he told her. "I'd do anything for you and Brielle."
The honesty and gentleness that came through his voice completely shattered Opal. The emotions that poured through her veins made her feel like she was on fire. She didn't know whether to cry or to shout in happiness. Opal looked away from James and onto her lap, taking in the features of her sleeping daughter and thought about everything it took to be in the position she was in. Biting her bottom lip she tried her best not to cry before looking up into James' honest eyes.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me," she whispered.
"Hey, hey, don't be sad," he panicked, noticing the unshed tears in her eyes.
Opal shook her head, a weak laugh escaping her lips, "I'm not sad- I don't think I'm sad, I-I'm just overwhelmed."
In an instant James scooted closer to her, hoping that the close proximity would calm her nerves. "I mean every word that I say. Nobody is going to hurt you, I swear it. You're safe here and I'm here for you, always."
"I-I don't really know what to say," she said in all honesty, looking up at James with her heart on her sleeve. "All you've been is good to me, I-I- thank you."
James' bright smile returned on his lips, a swell of pride flowing through him. 'Goddess, she's the one for us,' his wolf thought and James silently agreed looking at his mate with as much love as he could pour out. "I'd do anything to make you happy."
A soft grin appeared onto her rounded cheeks and looked away from him, feeling too many emotions go through her at once. Overwhelmed, she decided it was time to get up and tried to find enough courage to do something she didn't think she'd ever do. With James watching her every move, she carefully held Brielle in one hand and with a deep breath, outstretched one hand for him to take.
"We should uh-go?" she mumbled with her arm out. James looked at her hand and back at her, feeling unsure whether or not he should take it. Feeling nervous she motioned for him to take a hold of it. "Are you going to take it?" she questioned shyly before breathing in as an act of nerves.
With a deep breath, James slowly curled his hand around hers and felt the shocks of lightning that bolted through his body. Opal closed her eyes for a brief moment and saw a flash of those terrifying eyes and the smallest of whimpers escaped her lips. Terrified, James retracted his hand as if it burned her.
"I'm sorry did I-"
"No, it's fine, I'm fine," she assured him and felt herself take another deep breath in.
'He's not here to harm you, he's not here,' she repeated to both herself and her wolf.
"I don't want to force you into something you're not ready for," he stressed, feeling the rejection seep into his veins. "You don't need to do this," he told her softly.
"I-I just thought I could do it, I want to try," she gulped feeling the courage waver inside of her.
"You don't have to do this all at once, okay? If it takes more time than needed, then I'll wait," he insisted, still sitting on the ground.
"I-" thoughts of those eyes flickered in her mind. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling dejected and ashamed, her arm flopping to her side.
"It's okay, you don't need to be sorry," he responded calmly and stood up slowly. He took a few steps close to her and just allowed himself to be in her close proximity. "These things take time, I won't get mad for you taking your time. I'm proud that you even tried," he told her in all honesty. Although he still felt hurt that he caused her pain, he understood that the trauma embedded inside of her was still there.
"You're going to be okay, we'll get through this together," he affirmed. Opal went silent, looking down at her feet, ashamed that she couldn't handle a simple touch even after he held her to sleep.
"I-I know," she mumbled ten seconds later.
"Come on, we'll go pack up and if you still want we can have that picnic?" he tried his best to change the subject, a weak smile appearing his lips.
Looking up, she nodded. "Alright," she responded dejectedly.
"You're doing great, I'm here every step of the way," he reminded her.
a.n i hope this was a good chapter and showed that she's willing to try to get past her trauma. this slow-burn stuff is pretty hard to get through heh.