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As the training session began, River introduced me and explained my connection to Cole and Victor. I tried not to feel uncomfortable as people eyed me with curious reverence. I didn’t want anyone to handle me with kid gloves just because I knew the alpha.
Once we were instructed to run a huge lap around the warehouse, I quickly found out that wouldn’t be the case. Even with my running routine, I was having a hard time keeping up with just the other humans. As we ran, the shifters ran along with us, shouting words of encouragement and sometimes words of subtle challenge or doubt for those who responded better to negative reinforcement.
River stayed near me, just as he’d promised Cole. I wondered how much he was slowing himself down for me, though.
I pushed myself, wholeheartedly embracing the challenges they set before us. Odette, despite her tiny size, appeared to be the most capable of the group, running right in front of all of us with Meiko stone-faced beside her, barely breaking a sweat.
Of course, all the shifters were also barely breaking a sweat while the humans were all red-faced and panting.
When the run was over, we were given five minutes to get some water and rest. I flopped back onto the turf and groaned, already exhausted. River chuckled as he came to sit next to me, taking a sip out of a reusable water bottle.
“Already giving up?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I’m just worn out, that’s all. It’s a lot of work running around the entire warehouse.”
“We haven’t even started sparring yet.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“You know, if you’re going to be here for a while, we should probably train you every day if you’re up for it,” River suggested.
“You think so?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbows. “Here?”
“Not while the other shifters are training, of course, but we can move things to the forest. There’s plenty of room over there.”
“That sounds good,” I said. “And it will give Cole some time to handle pack stuff without me present.”
“Why should that matter?” River asked.
“I’m not saying it would,” I said. “But sometimes I worry that he has to watch what he says with me around, especially since I’m not a shifter. I don’t want him to have to edit himself to guard me or my feelings.”
River nodded. “That’s kind of you. I’m sure that as his mate, you are more than within your rights to know the ins and outs of the pack.”
“I’m still not entirely sure what role I’m supposed to fill in the pack,” I admitted.
“It’s still a new thing, right? Just play it by ear. You don’t have to make any choices or decisions yet. Just see what feels right.”
See what feels right. It made sense, but it felt strange to think of the whole situation that way. After all, could I really be a true pack member without being a shifter? Sure, there were pack members with me in the warehouse, but they had been born and raised in the culture. I was coming in as an outsider. Even if Cole did wind up claiming me, there was no way to know if that would be enough for the other pack members.
Once again, I couldn’t help but think that so many problems would be solved if I became a shifter.
“Come on. Time to get started,” River prodded.
Once again, he offered me his hand. I let him do a little more work to get me back on my feet. He walked to the center of the lazy circle we’d made on the turf and clapped his hands together.
“All right, folks,” River said. “I know you all know the drill when it comes to sparring, but we’ve got some new blood here, so we’re going to go back to fundamentals. I’d like us all to help Marley as much as we can so she can feel safe within her own pack and when dealing with other shifters. Keep an eye on her, make sure her form looks good, and make sure we’re breaking all those bad habits.”
“Woohoo!” Odette cheered with a little punch in the air. “Today is gonna be so fun. I love helping newbies.”
Meiko smiled at her and shook her head.
“Marley, I’m gonna pair up with Odette,” River said. “She’s the smallest of us, so you can see just how effective this stuff is.” He gestured toward the small woman, and she bounded up eagerly. “When you’re the weaker party in the equation, you need to use the strength and momentum of your opponent against them. This is what we train smaller shifters to do against larger shifters.”
I watched closely and quietly as Odette bent her knees and prepared herself. With her tiny frame, she looked about half River’s size. The lazy circle we’d formed constricted as River also slipped into a readied stance.
They circled each other on soft, quiet feet, just like a real pair of wolves might do as they fought over a meal or a mate.
Odette crouched low, her tiny form ready to pounce. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes gleamed with taunting challenge. With a focused breath, she sprang forward, launching herself with breathtaking grace. Her movements were fluid, like a dance, as she closed the distance between herself and River.
