Chapter 2: Morning Training pt 2 - Amelia

Vitali and Tyson are ahead of me trying to outdo each other but I’m keeping a steady pace. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s no prize for first place but I still save my energy for the final lap, unlike these two. Running isn’t just about staying fit; it’s about understanding and increasing our stamina; learning how to preserve our energy and when to tap into it. Every exercise we do has a purpose, but most don’t seem to get that.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” comes my father’s voice through the pack-link.

“Good morning dad,” I say cheerfully.

“How’s training this morning?”

“So far so good, I’m on my tenth lap,” I tell him.

“Keep it up. After training, come to my office, we need to talk about your Alpha ceremony,” he tells me, and I detect an edge to his voice.

“Is everything okay?”

“Just some matters we need to be prepared for. Also, your mother wants to go over some party details with you.”

“Don’t you want to help her with that?” I ask slyly.

“That’s not funny, Amelia. I still haven’t recovered from her Luna ceremony where I suggested the wrong type of flowers.” I can hear the cringe in his voice, and it makes me laugh out loud.

“Bad Alpha, picking the wrong flowers,” I tease. Dad can strategize a battle plan with his eyes closed but ask him to plan a mutolupus ball and he looks like a headless chicken.

“How will I ever live with the shame? Anyway, shall I see you after training?” he asks.

“With bells on!” I say and then close the link.

I’m coming up on my final lap, so I tap into my reserve energy and start sprinting at full speed. I take over Vitali and Tyson in seconds and leave them in the dust while I hear them shout behind me and just like that I’m passing the finish line.

I walk over and grab a water bottle and take a few sips as I catch my breath.

“Are you trying to beat your personal record, Amelia?” Asks Gamma James.

“Not this week. But maybe next week,” I say with a grin, him giving me a smile in return.

“Are you nervous?” he asks.

“People keep asking me that. I’m not nervous, I’m excited,” I say honestly.

“I can honestly say it’s been an honour to train the first female Alpha. You’ve always pushed yourself to train better than anyone else and I’ve found myself having to push myself harder just so I could do justice to your training. A good Alpha pushes their pack to always strive to be better, that’s how I know you will make a terrific Alpha,” he tells me, his words full of sincerity and my heart swells.

“Thank you, Gamma James, that means everything to me, ” I say, my voice thick with emotions.

“Damn Gamma gonna make this wolf cry,” says Zara.

We’re all relaxing as we wait for the last few people to finish their laps, then we move onto the obstacle course. I love obstacle courses; I think they’re so much fun and this one has been set up further in the woods, so I know there’s something extra fun in store for us.

“Today you will be blindfolded,” Gamma James announces. “The object of this exercise is to rely on your other senses. Specifically hearing and smell. In battle the enemy may blind you or distract you, so you don’t see an attack coming. Honing your other senses is your best chance at survival. Amelia, you’re up first,” he says.

I get up, walk over, grab a thick black piece of fabric, and step up on a large log stretching across a small lake that cuts through the woods. I tie the fabric around my eyes tight and take in a deep breath. I can hear the animals all around the forest, I can hear the breathing and heartbeats of my pack members and I can smell…well, everything. There’s something in the air though that my nose doesn’t like, I’m not sure what it is though.

“Begin!” yells Gamma James.

I take a careful step forward and hear a cracking sound from up in the trees. Multiple cracks sound along with the sound of something moving with momentum. Just as I go to take another step I can hear and feel something coming fast from my right, so I quickly drop my body down onto the log just in time to feel and hear something whoosh over me. I suddenly notice lots of things whooshing over me back and forth. I turn my face to the side and inhale through my nose when I feel the object whiz past me again.

Quercus garryana, also known as Oregon white oak.

Logs, I have to dodge freakin’ logs. Is this an obstacle course or an Indiana Jones booby trap?

If I stand up I’m going to get knocked into the lake by one of these swinging logs, so I decide to combat crawl across the log.

As I move along the length of the log the scent of paint wafts into my nose. It’s close, like really close, but there’s another scent the paint is masking. I take a long whiff and recoil as the smell burns my nostrils.

Silver.

I didn’t see any silver on the log…the paint. Sneaky bastard. He put silver on the log and painted over it to disguise it. Damn, he’s good.

Okay, so if I keep crawling I’m going to burn myself with silver, if I stand up I’m going to get hit by a flying log. I have no option but to stand and try and dodge the logs… blindfolded.

I shift to my hands and knees and tune everything out except the sounds of the swinging logs. I count how many seconds pass before the log passes over me.

Seven seconds.

I come up with a plan of attack. As I hear the log above me pass I stand and step forward; I can feel the silver plate under my shoe; I try to keep my balance and not slip on it. I freeze as I hear the next log coming and feel as it just barely brushes by me. I take another step, freeze, and wait for the next log. I repeat this three more times then finally feel I’m out of the path of danger. I go to jump off the log when another scent hits me…lupine. Lots of it.

Lupine is a beautiful flower that looks like a much larger version of lavender.

If I jump off this log I’ll land in a lupine patch. Uncle J is not playing around. Silver and lupine are toxic and lethal to a mutolupus, but as long as nothing gets in the bloodstream I should be okay, so while this would be unpleasant we’re not in mortal danger. Uncle J wouldn’t endanger our lives for the sake of training. My best chance is jumping as far as I can and hoping I’m out of the danger zone.

I crouch down and coil my muscles ready to leap, forcing all my strength into my legs and push off the log hard to the point I feel the log splinter under me. I propel myself through the air and hopefully a safe distance over the lupine, landing on my hands and feet.

Everything sounds and smells clear, and I know I’m in the clear when I hear the sounds of cheering. I stand straight and take off my blindfold, turning around to see the rest of the group – well most of them – cheering excitedly. Vitali, Tyson, and Evalyn are going nuts, and I can’t help but smile and laugh. Uncle J claps his approval and gives me a proud nod. Warriors in the trees reset the logs and I join the rest of the group.

How did I miss them?

“That was badass, Amelia!” Tyson says pulling me into a tight hug as I hug him back.

“I was nearly having a heart attack,” says Evalyn clutching invisible pearls.

“I wasn’t worried,” Vitali shrugs.

“Liar. You were gripping my arm so tight I thought it would break off,” scoffs Evalyn. He just rolls his eyes.

“Oh please. It only felt tight because your arms are so scrawny,” Vitali says mockingly. Evalyn narrows her eyes and stomps on his foot with all her strength; Tyson and I start laughing while Vitali tends to his foot.

“How’s that for scrawny?” she says as she crosses her arms and juts out her hip. Tyson wraps his arms around her and pulls her close making her instantly relax from his touch.

“Calm down, my Little Firecracker, he was just joking,” he says softly as he kisses her temple making her eyes close happily. I love how happy they are, but I can’t help but feel envious.

After we finish the obstacle course – with half the group not successfully completing it – we head back to the field to begin sparring. Just as we get to the sparring area I hear the most obnoxious sound hit my ears.

“I see I’m just in time for the best part,” says Ryker.

Damn, and my morning was going so well.

I’d say he was good looking, but I’m so repulsed by his personality that I find him physically unattractive. He’s 6’1”, black hair that’s ear length in the middle but he keeps it slicked back with the sides of his head are shaved. He has dark brown eyes, pale skin and is moderately toned. He has a few tattoos on his left arm but even his tattoos seem obnoxious.

“Ugh, I hate that guy,” says Zara.

“Me too girl, me too.”

“Even his wolf isn’t a fan of him,” she says nearly making me crack up laughing.

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m serious, his wolf Kit argues with him all the time; wonders how he got saddled with such a sucky human. I feel bad for him,” she tells me.

One thing I find cool is that wolves within a pack can communicate with each other, and we – their human counterparts – are completely oblivious to it. They just have their own little social circles, but Zara keeps me filled in most of the time. It’s pretty fascinating. Though they can’t say anything that betrays their human, even if they want to.

“Mr Mathers, you’re over an hour late. Explain yourself,” says Gamma James in a menacing tone.

“I’m the Beta’s son, I don’t see why I have to do this,” he says flippantly. Several people roll their eyes. I told you he’s obnoxious.

“Amelia is the Alpha’s daughter and yet she manages to be here on time, so there’s no excuse for you.” The veins in Uncle J’s head are pulsating and I can tell he’s pissed. He hates Ryker too. Ryker turns his attention to me and sneers, though I remain unfazed.

“She’s a girl, she needs all the help she can get,” he spits.

I snort. Though honestly, I hate when men call me a ‘girl,’ it’s so condescending.

“I have a question for you, Ryker. Next time we’re under attack, what will you do? Walk up to them; puff out your chest and say, ‘I’m the Beta’s son, don’t attack me’? Impressive strategy, I’m sure every supernatural being will flee with their tails between their legs when they hear that,” I say sarcastically while several pack members laugh which further pisses him off. Even Uncle J chuckles.

“Fucking bitch,” he grits as he takes a step towards me, but I remain rooted where I am. I could take him with both hands tied behind my back.

“MATHERS!” Gamma James shouts. “I won’t have you disrespecting me, this pack, or your future Alpha. Since you can’t show up on time like everyone else, you can do two hundred push-ups followed by two hundred laps of the track. Now go, and I can assure you I’ll be reporting this incident to your father and the Alpha,” he promises.

“You can’t be serious!” Ryker gasps in shock.

“Move! Now!” James orders with a growl. With that Ryker angrily skulks off and starts doing push-ups.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is precisely why I will never pick him as my Beta.

If you’re wondering why he hates me so much, it’s because the idiot had it in his head that since my parents never had a son, the next viable option for Alpha was the Beta’s son, Ryker. My parents never hinted at such a thing. They had decided the moment I was born that I would be Alpha. But when they made it abundantly clear to a fourteen-year-old Ryker, he went absolutely ape shit. Even tried to pick a fight with me to “prove” I was too weak. All it proved was how easily I could break his face. I suspect Beta Declan put the idea in his son’s head, but I have no proof. Declan has always been loyal to my father, but he’s always been standoffish with me, and it only got worse when it was clear I would be made Alpha.

At just a week shy of twenty one I’m accustomed to people challenging my position. I’ve heard the rainbow of insults. ‘An Alpha is a man’s position’, ‘a woman can’t be an Alpha’, ‘women are weak’, ‘she’ll weaken the pack’, yadda, yadda, yadda. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t suck or hurt because it does. Especially when it comes from your own pack, but I won’t ever let them beat me down. I was born for this; I know I can be a great Alpha and I won’t let anyone stop me. Whatever it takes, I’m going to be the best Alpha the Invictus Pack has ever seen.