Jenny was the first to move, I have to say I was impressed by her speed. Her appearance was deceiving. I saw a flash of a vision, Jenny was sliding towards me with her leg extended as her body whipped around. In an instant I was back to the present and Jenny was charging towards me. As she went down into a slide I jumped in the air and dodged her attack, as she spun around I lunged, securing her in a choke hold. She seemed shocked to find herself in this position and immediately tapped out. When she was back on her feet, I could tell she was angry I had been able to beat her. She had a look of determination in her eyes as she circled around, trying to decide on her next move. I considered attacking first but decided that with my ability it was better to let her make the first move. Jenny quickly lunged towards me and I saw what she was about to do. Her hands shot out trying to make contact and I successfully dodged each blow. I stepped to the side as she attempted to tackle me and she flew right past me and fell to the ground. I heard a gasp from the other wolves and realized they must be watching but I kept my eyes glued on Jenny, knowing she wasn't going to give up so easily. Sure enough, she quickly recovered. She ran to me, jumping high but I already knew what she had planned. Before her foot could connect with my chest, I reached out and grabbed her leg, flipping her over my head and she crashed to the ground. I heard another ripple of shock go through the crowd as Jenny hit and immediately felt guilty, realizing the move had been pretty brutal.
It took Jenny a moment before she tried to get up. I went to help her and as she stood I could see she had a mouth full of blood. I felt so guilty that I had injured her. That hadn't been my intent. I was expecting her to be angry but was shocked when she looked at me and her face split into a big bloody smile.
“Damn, you're fast!” She said with admiration. “I don't know how you did it! Usually, I slaughter everyone in sparring!” She bragged. I flushed. My ability kinda felt like cheating but then another thought occured to me. Gabriel hadn't been taking it easy when he chose Jenny. In fact, it was the opposite. He had chosen the strongest fighter for me to spar with. I felt my chest swell with pride at the sudden realization. The other wolves came over, giving me kudos and asking me how I had anticipated Jenny's moves.
“I told you guys, Carrie has insanely fast reflexes. She will be a great Beta female and addition to our pack.” I could hear the pride and admiration in Gabriel's voice and it felt wonderful.
“I love you.” He said through the mind link. I wanted so badly to go to him and kiss him passionately but I resisted. Too much of an audience.
We continued to spar for a while. I took Jenny down a few more times before we all switched partners. The next person I was up against was Bobby and I honestly hated sparring with him. He was large and powerful but painfully slow. Jenny had been far more challenging. Plus, I hated taking Bobby down. He seemed so sweet and it just felt wrong. Still, I had to participate.
By the end of the afternoon, my clothes were drenched in sweat and my muscles ached. Everyone seemed to feel the same as Gabriel ended the training session and a relieved sigh went through the group. Everyone said their goodbyes as we all dispersed.
Gabriel came to my side, taking my hand as we walked to the car.
“You did amazing.” He told me and I smiled. Hearing praise like this was so affirming. Not that long ago I had worried I would embarrass Gabriel and now he was beaming with pride and it was just amazing. He kissed me quick before opening the passenger door of the car, always the gentleman. We headed straight home and I knew the first thing I was doing was running a scalding hot bath and soaking until my skin pruned.
Chapter 41
We spent the next few days training. I had found out that the group I was training with were all newly eighteen. They had considerable experience training in their human form but they had yet to train as wolves, having only recently shifted. My newfound abilities made up for my lack of training. I was learning to trust my instincts. Aeliana guided me. She pushed me. She made me powerful. The more I trusted in her, in my powers, the stronger I became.
No one had been able to beat me. I had taken a few hits, stumbled here or there. I found that the biggest mistake I could make was underestimating my opponent. After my fight with Jenny and Bobby, I had allowed myself to grow a little cocky. My next fight showed me the dangers in being overly confident. I had fought another female named Abbie. She had long dark hair that made me think of Lacie. She was of medium build with fair skin and brown eyes. Her eyes were dark, almost black looking in some light. But she had a sweet demeanor and I had allowed both that and my thoughts of Lacey to fool me.
No matter how sweet she may look, Abbie was a fighter. When our fight had started, I hadn't expected her to be so aggressive. When she immediately charged me, I hadn't seen it coming. My guard was down and I was quickly knocked off my feet. While I may have underestimated her, Abbie hadn't made the mistake of underestimating me. She had seen me fight already while I had not observed her. Once I was down, she was immediately on top of me, demanding my submission. I smiled at her boldness. Aeliana was even impressed. But we wouldn't be subdued. Aeliana wouldn't allow it. Once I gained my senses, I was able to knock Abbie off of me. She was quick on her feet though and she quickly recovered. We circled each other. I knew this time I needed to be on my guard. Abbie went to charge at me again but this time I had been able to see what she would do. The fight only lasted a few more minutes before Abbie was submitting.
Gabriel was so proud of how strong and powerful I was becoming. With every fight I won, I was winning the respect of the pack.
After our third day of training, we went home and cleaned up. Then we returned to the village to dine at the cafe. I noticed a marked difference in how I was greeted. When I had been to the cafe before, all I had received was curious glances. Conversation had been directed to Gabriel, and no one had really addressed me, aside from getting my food order. It was clear now that things had shifted. As we walked in I saw looks of respect and admiration. They were directed at both Gabriel and me. We were both greeted as Beta, even though my place in the pack hadn't been made official yet.
I had asked Gabriel about becoming a pack member. As I was getting to know the pack, I found myself longing to be fully part of it. So after we returned home from dinner, I had asked Gabriel how I would become a full pack member. He seemed pleased with my interest and answered my questions.
“To become a full pack member, there has to be a ceremony. The pack would gather. Your position within the pack would be announced. The pack would be given the option to challenge that position. It's rare that anyone does. Since you are my mate, it would be very unlikely anyone would.” He assured me. “Once the pack accepts you, you would have to submit to Jon. You would recite an oath to follow him as Alpha. The oath would ve sealed in blood.” My eyes widened at that part. Sealed in blood? What did that mean.
Gabriel saw my reaction and chuckled.
“I know. It sounds barbaric but this is how it's done. All you would do is cut your hand and Jon would do the same. Then you clasp hands. After that's completed, we would complete the shift. We would all shift, and run through the woods. The mind link will complete as you shift. It can be painful. Like a harsh headache as your mind is opened to the pack. Once the run is completed, it's official.” I nodded my head. It seemed weird to me, the ceremony. It did seem kind of barbaric as Gabriel had said. At the same time though, I liked the ritual of it.
“Does everyone go through the ceremony?” I asked. Gabriel shook his head.
“The ceremony is only for accepting a new wolf into the pack. A born wolf is already linked to the pack through their parents blood. When they come of age, there is a ceremony to welcome their wolf. It's basically just the shifting and the run. There is no need for the oath since they are already bound to the pack.” He explained. Some how this knowledge comforted me. If Gabriel and I had a child, they would automatically have a place in the pack.
“Thinking of pups already?” Gabriel asked and I
blushed realizing I hadn't guarded my thoughts.
“Well, I'm not planning on having one anytime soon. But eventually, yes.” I answered truthfully. I wasn't ready to be a parent yet. I still needed more time.
“I like the idea of pups someday.” Gabriel said, kissing me softly. “Would you like to practice?” He said seductively in my ear. I nodded and before I could protest, Gabriel threw me over his shoulder and carried me to the bedroom.
We spent hours making love. We were both exhausted by the time we finished and we slept in each others arms.
That night I dreamt again. I dreamed of the ceremony. I was announced as the Beta female of the pack and the pack was given the right to challenge. Gabriel was by my side and I looked to him as we waited for the allotted time to pass. It was deathly quiet and the silence felt ominous. Suddenly a murmur erupted from the crowd and I saw my adoptive parents emerge from the center.
“She's not fit. She's insane. Why would you want someone crazy to be one of you?” They asked. I gasped as they finished speaking. I tried to respond but I couldn't seem to speak. No words would leave my mouth no matter how hard I tried. I looked to Gabriel but he was backing away, staring at me in horror. I tried to reach out to him but I couldn't move my arms. I looked down only to realize I was in a straight jacket.
I woke up covered in sweat. I was hot and overheated. Gabriel woke too and took me in his arms, trying to calm me. He assured me it was only a dream. I knew it was only a dream but I also knew why I dreamed it. I wanted to find out who my parents were before I became a pack member. That would mean finding and confronting my adoptive parents and I was still worried they would reject me, again. The thought worried me and filled me with self doubt.
The next day I awoke still trying to shake off my dream. Jon stopped by early to talk to Gabriel. I wasn't feeling social and decided to go get cleaned up and retreated to the bathroom to get showered. After getting showered and dressed, I dried my hair. I decided to put on a little bit of makeup before finishing.
I went back out to the living room. Jon had just left. Gabriel smiled as he saw me and I walked over to him. He reached out, pulling me into his lap.
“Jon wants me to start patrolling again.” He told me. I nodded. “I think he hasn't pushed me lately because he felt bad about what he did.” Since I had come, Gabriel had only patrolled the one time. I assumed that meant Jon was having to cover the shifts.
“I understand.” I told Gabriel. “You are the Beta. You have responsibilities.”
“Actually… Jon wants you to start patrolling with me. He wants you and the group to start training tomorrow as wolves. Then we will patrol together all next week and give Jon a break.” I was surprised by this new information. It felt good that Jon would want me to help patrol. It was a big responsibility. I felt excited about learning to fight as a wolf. Aeliana did too. She had been itching to show what she could do since she had became more present.
“So, tomorrow the whole group will start training as wolves?” I confirmed. Gabriel nodded.
“Yes, tomorrow Aeliana will get her chance.” He said it teasingly but I could feel Aeliana growing more and more excited.
“Just wait until they see what we can do.” She said to me. I shivered. I had a feeling everyone was in for a surprise. Even me.
Chapter 42
The next day I woke feeling excited. Or more accurately, Aeliana was excited and I could feel it. I felt like she had been waiting for this opportunity. It had been decided that we would all meet early, in our wolf forms. We would communicate through the mind link. I would just link Gabriel so I could hear the mind link of the rest of the group. While I couldn't speak through their link, my powers allowed me to hear it and I could speak to Gabriel through our link.
We would meet in a clearing in the woods, an effort to stay hidden. It was forbidden to be in your wolf form in the village, the only exception being an emergency. It was too risky as a human could easily drive through or even stop in town. It was rare that it happened. Gabriel had told me that he could only remember a handful of times. The village was so off the beaten track that only people who were lost or wandering aimlessly ever stumbled upon it. To outside eyes, it had to appear to be a normal human town.
Gabriel and I woke that morning before sunrise. We both quickly drank a cup of coffee before heading out back to shift. The sun was just beginning to rise as we arrived at the designated meeting place and saw the other wolves who were already there. We waited a few minutes as the rest of our group arrived and I found myself trying to guess which wolf was each person. The only two that had been easy to identify were Jenny and Bobby. Jenny's wolf was a lot smaller than the other wolves. Just like her human form. I suspected though that her small size didn't stop her from being an impressive fighter. Her speed would most likely be even more exaggerated in her wolf form. Her coloring was different than I expected. Her honey colored hair had made me think she may have a wolf close to my color, golden. But her wolf was a simple brown color, nothing out of the ordinary. Bobby's wolf was the opposite of Jenny's. Where Jenny was small, Bobby's wolf was huge. He wasn't quite as big as Jon or Gabriel which was surprising. In his human form he was larger than both of them but his wolf was just slightly smaller. His wolf was light in color, like his hair. He was almost white with a slightly yellow tint to his fur. The other wolves I identified through Gabriel's mind link. They all greeted him as they arrived. The prettiest wolf had to be Abbie. Like her human form, her wolf had jet black fur but with patches of gray that looked almost silver. She was the only clearly two toned wolf I saw and I liked how unique her wolf looked.
Once everyone had arrived Gabriel went to the front. I listened closely as he addressed us all through the link.
“I want everyone to pair up. We are going to start by sparring for a bit. After that, we are going to practice a little differently. You need to learn how to defend yourself against multiple wolves. If you are on patrol, and you stumbled upon a group of rogue wolves, they won't fight you one at a time. The goal here is defense though if you are able to defend and take any wolves down, that's even better. Also, keep your wolves in check. We don't want to hurt one another. This is only practice.” When Gabriel finished, we all started to pair up. This part I found a little harder since I couldn't communicate with the rest of the group yet. I found myself wishing I was an official part of the pack. This felt isolating. Abbie's wolf came walking up to me and I knew she was suggesting we should partner up. I had a feeling she chose me so she could get a rematch. I almost felt sorry for her. There was no way she would win today either. My strength flowed from Aeliana and so did my powers. In my wolf form, Aeliana was in more control. I could feel her power flowing through me already.
I heard growling as we faced our opponents. I figured this must have been playful or an attempt at intimidation. They were all friends here so I couldn't imagine anyone actually being vicious.
Abbie started to circle me. I could see that she was trying to decide the best way to attack. She already knew I was fast to react.
Aeliana was ready though. The vision came swiftly. I saw Abbie charge, jumping in the air and going right for my neck. Unlike my other visions though, I started to see what counter moves I could do and how each would affect the fight. It happened in an instant. I had seen at least 3 ways to counter Abbie's attack but the one that Aeliana had chosen was the simplest. We would simply step to the side, dodging Abbie. She would fall directly next to us. Then we would go for her neck and make her submit.
Abbie charged and it played out exactly as our vision had predicted. Before Abbie even knew what happened, we had her neck in our mouth and she yelped in surprise. Abbie and I sparred a few more times. Each time we had her pinned in seconds. Aeliana was feeling pretty smug and I felt she had more to show me. More she was capable of.
After about 30 minutes, it was decided we would start the other training. Gabriel decided I would go last. He had a feeling that I would do better than the rest an
d didn't want me to show them up before they even started.
We watched fight after fight. Each wolf had to defend themselves against 3 others. It was up to the three attacking how they would attack the wolf. I participated in a few of the orchestrated attacks. I held back during these. Winning wasn't the goal and I told Aeliana not to let our powers tip the fight in our favor. The point of this was the wolf learning to defend themselves. If I went too hard and tried to beat them, all I would do was make that wolf look bad and possibly undermine their confidence. I didn't want to do that.
Most of the wolves did well. A few were able to take down one or two of their attackers while most were only able to defend themselves. A couple of wolves had lost their fights. The attackers had overcome them. Those wolves would need extra training. Gabriel had explained to me, the night before, that while all the wolves were required to train, not all of them were expected to become amazing warriors. Some were better suited for other things. There were farmers and nurses and many other occupations for wolves. Only the strongest wolves would be given the duties to patrol. The higher ranking pack members and the stronger wolves chosen would be paid a wage for their duties. This allowed them to have an income without having a regular job. Everyone in the pack pitched into a common fund that was used for these purposes as well as funding the pack hospital. This way, everyone was protected and given care when they needed it. This was an area where the wolves thought the humans selfish. The fact that some people were not cared for by their community was horrifying to the wolves. For them, your pack was family. If someone needed food, you brought them food. If someone was short and unable to pay a bill, the pack helped. They didn't understand how humans didn't do the same for each other. They didn't understand that humans had no pack and didn't feel the same connection to each other.
When my turn came around, I could tell Aeliana was basically jumping in excitement. Her earlier demonstration had been a warm up. She was still excited to show what she could do.
The Journey To Become The Perfect Werewolf Page 16
