Chapter Thirty

Regan’s POV

Even though I did not like the idea of Jasmine training with anyone other than me, I had to admit that if there was anyone else I would ever allow train my future mate on the art of defense, then it was Luke.

Her training had begun immediately.

Lena was insistent that Jasmine started as soon as possible since we did not know how long it would take for her to learn combat in her human form.

Luke came up with the idea of training her in secret, and since it was obvious how much she loved the sanctuary, we decided that it would be the perfect place for her to train.

Luke complained and mumbled about having more work to do now that he would have to train my future mate that I had been left with no other choice than to reduce his previous work load.

He had been so grateful that he had immediately decided to take a ‘much needed nap’ right there in the sanctuary and proceeded to resume his usual position.

Luke had also insisted to have their training sessions at dawn and since Jasmine agreed without hesitation, I could not bring up any arguments about it.

For the first two days, I was anxious for some reason.

I knew the major cause of my worry was Rage.

He did not like the idea of Jasmine getting hurt in any way, especially when we were not allowed to do anything to help.

So after he had made me grab Luke by the neck for the fifth time that day, we had all agreed that it would be a good idea if her training took place without us being present.

It had been almost a week since her training started and based on the reports I received from Luke, she was learning fast.

I had to be content with her.

Especially when she seemed so happy after each session. It pleased me to know that I was helping her achieve something that made her happy.

I had also noticed a change in her.

Lena had told me in confidence about the cold treatment she was receiving from some of my pack members, and when I said I would handle it, she had suggested I do nothing but allow Jasmine deal with it on her own.

I had only agreed after she had assured me that she would always be right there by her side.

I knew how vicious Lena could be if crossed. She always gave people several chances before teaching them lessons that they would never forget.

I trusted her to be there for Jasmine where I couldn’t.

Luke and I had to break in the new warriors.

They were young werewolves that had just come of age and had just gotten their wolves.

This didn’t mean that they could shift yet. It simply meant that they had noticed the presence of their wolf and could communicate with them already.

Unlike in my case, normal werewolves first noticed the presence of their wolves before they shifted for the very first time under the light of a full moon.

In my pack, we held a ceremony for the first time our young werewolves shifted.

It was a sort of coming of age ceremony.

A ceremony that signified that they were fully werewolves.

But before each ceremony, since it was common knowledge that the process of shifted was a painful one, especially shifting for the first time, we trained out young werewolves so that they could withstand the pain of their first shift.

On getting there, I found Luke already there, instructing them on an exercise.

On noticing my presence, they all stopped and bowed their heads.

“You may continue with your training”, I told them. “I am simply here to watch”.

At that, they resumed the routine Luke had them on and I made my way over to a fallen tree and sat down to overlook them.

It was easy to see that Luke was a natural at this.

He truly knew how to teach werewolves in their human form and it was clear to see from how he was quick to spot their mistakes and immediately correct them.

It brought me great relief to see how he patiently handled them, knowing that he would give an even better treatment to my future mate.

The thought of her made me smile.

I had seen her at breakfast earlier and had stolen a kiss afterwards.

I had not failed to notice how stiffly she moved as if in pain. But compared to the first time I had noticed it, she seemed to be doing better.

I could not wait for her to show me what she had learnt as she had promised. I knew I would be nothing but proud at her accomplishments.

One of the young werewolves fell to the ground again.

I had noticed him fall several times before.

Compared to the other young werewolves, he seemed small and weak but the determination I saw in his eyes each time he rose up when he fell, sparked a hint of admiration in me.

When he fell once again, I stood from where I had been sitting and made my way over to where he struggled to get up.

I stretched forth a hand to him and on seeing me, his eyes widened in surprise and the fear was quick to appear in his eyes.

But he impressed me once again when he tried to hide his fear and took my hand in a firm grip while I pretended not to notice that it was trembling.

I pulled him to stand on his feet and he bowed.

“Thank you, Alpha”, he said, his voice a little shaky.

“What is your name, Pup?” I asked as I watched him.

I called every young werewolf Pup, so it was nothing new.

“My name is Emry, Alpha”, he said before straightening his spine and standing upright. “And with all respect Alpha, I am not a pup”, he said bravely.

I redid the urge to smile, instead choosing to level him with an intimidating look that had him looking down in submission immediately.

“I will call you whatever I wish”, I said and proceed to prove it to him by doing just so. “Pup”, I added after the sentence as a taunt.

I watched his small hands turn into fists at his sides.

“I would rather you just call me by my name, Alpha”, he said, showing bravery even most of my fierce warriors would not.

“And yet I choose not to, Pup”, I taunted and turned around. “Come with me”, I ordered, throwing the words over my shoulder as I walked back to resume my previous position of sitting on the fallen trunk.

He was right behind me, and stood with his hands fisted at his sides.

“Is something wrong with your legs?” I asked, purposely speaking in a tone I was sure would offend him.

“No, Alpha”, he answered, gritting his teeth.

“Then why do you keep falling?” I asked in the same tone.

He remained silent.

“I believe I asked you a question”, I said.

“I do not know”, he finally answered, his head hanging in shame.

His new countenance did not sit well with me and I unconsciously snapped at him.

“Do not hang your head in defeat!” I snapped, causing him to jerk in surprise.

On noticing his startled expression, I immediately calmed myself.

“Never hang your head in defeat or shame”, I told him. “You are a proud warrior of the Midnight Wolves Pack and we do not know defeat at shame”.

At my words, he straightened his stance and lifted his head up.

“Good”, I said to keep. “And keep it that way”.

“Yes, Alpha”, he said loudly.

I stood to my feet and moved a few paces away before I turned back to him.

“Well then”, I said. “Since you do not know the reason you keep falling, why don’t I assist you in discover it?” I asked.

The confusion was clear to see on his face.

“I do not understand, Alpha”, he said finally.

“You will train with me from now on”, I told him.

At my announcement, he looked completely horrified at the thought of training with me.

For some reason, the look on his face was too much for me to hold back on and I bursted out laughing.

I laughed for a good while, even holding into my stomach as I did so.

As I finally recovered, I wondered at the last time I had laughed like that.

“Am I such a monster that you would look absolutely terrified at the thought of training with me?” I asked, maintaining the small smile on my face as I did so.

He continued to stare at me in shock.

Seeing that I had probably stolen his ability to move or speak, I made my way over to him, stopping a very small distance in front of him and lifting my hand to ruffle his dark hair.

“If I promise that I will not harm you in any way”, I asked. “Will you allow me train you?” I asked.

Slowly, he nodded , as if in a trance.

I ruffled his hair once more, smiling at the stunned expression on his face.

“Come”, I ordered and turned to lead him away from the others.

He followed obediently in silence until we came to a smaller clearing in front of the woods.

“I will not lie to you”, I told him. “Your first shift will be the most painful experience you will have in your life. I cannot promise you that you will not feel the pain, but I can promise to show you a way to make it bearable”, I told him.

“May I ask you a question, Alpha?” I heard him asked and turned to face him.

I nodded. “You may”.

“What was your first shift like?” He asked innocently.

It was clear to see that he had not heard much about my first shift from the other members of the pack. If he had, he would not need to ask me about it because of the known memory of that day.

Since he was asking innocently, something no one else had, I decided to push aside the ugly memories of my first shift and answer honestly.

“At first, I did not even know I was having my first shift”, I told him.

“I heard you shifted when you were very young, Alpha”, he said.

I nodded.

“I did”, I told him. “It was so painful that I do not fully remember all that happened”, I said. “I believe that I must have passed out at some point”, I confessed.

His eyes widened in amazement.

“Truly?” He asked and I nodded.

He spoke first.

“My Mother says that was the day you saved the entire pack”, he said. “She says you were sent by the Moon Goddess as a savior”, he told me.

I looked at him, seeing no doubt or question in his eyes.

“Who is your Mother?” I asked him.

He moved to pick up a stick from the grounds.

“She works at the healing house as an apprentice to Nana”, he said. “Her name is Tisha”, he told me.

“And your Father?” I asked.

He turned away and pretended to pick something from a tree’s bark.

“He died at the massacre”, he said, trying to sound like he did not care.

I watched him try to act like he was unaffected and decided to not let it slide as I normally would have.

“I am sorry”, I said simply, hoping he could understand my meaning and sincerity.

He turned to face me and shrugged a shoulder.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Alpha”, he said before looking at me right in the eyes. “You cannot save everyone”.

He smiled and threw his stick away, folding his hands into fists and bringing them up.

“Will you teach me now”, he asked. “I do not wish to keep falling”, he added with a smile.

I smiled in return.

“Let’s start with your stance”, I said as I made my way over to him.