The Challenge
Three days later Trina was finally back to her normal self. And she was pissed when she realized Tyler had marked her. Then she was straight up lethal when I explained to her exactly what marking you mate meant. Jason and I decided that it might be safer for everyone if she didn't see Tyler for a couple days.
"Are you sure you're ready to start training again?" I asked Trina as we prepared for a weaponry session. "Maybe you should wait another couple of days."
She scoffed. "I'm fine, Kate. Quit babying me."
I pursed my lips. "The attitude is far from needed."
She grinned, "My attitude is always needed." A lock of hair fell in her face, again. It'd been doing that for the past ten minutes. I knew why she kept it down when normally she'd have it up. She was trying to cover up the bandage on her shoulder. She huffed and finally just grabbed a hair from her wrist and put her hair into a sloppy ponytail.
I rolled my eyes. "Here let me." I walked behind her and pulled the hair tie out carefully trying to untangle it from the strands of hairs of hair that had already coiled themselves around it. I brushed my fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame the unruly curls. Finally I just gave up and settled for putting it up in a neat high ponytail. "There."
"You haven't done my hair for me in a long time," she commented.
"That's because she was never very good at doing hair," a voice laughed from behind us.
I smiled, "That's what I had you for Alex."
She grinned, "And I had you so someone could drive me everywhere."
"So what are you doing here?" Trina interrupted. She wasn't trying to be rude, she was just curious. Manners weren't really a thing where she grew up. I wasn't kidding when I told my parents we were still teaching her. Another reason we had her in school longer was because we were playing catch up. She goes to school year round as opposed to just nine months.
"I'm here to learn," Alex answered. "I don't like being not being able to take care of myself, I would have joined the Lupá¾°tor but I didn't want to follow any of Alpha Levine's orders more than absolutely necessary. I figured this would be a good opportunity to learn."
Trina nodded and I saw respect glinting in her eyes. I wasn't sure it the respect came from the desire to defend oneself or not live under the thumb of an Alpha. To be honest it was probably both. Trina struggled with listening to Jason at first, for a while the only person who could tell her to do anything was me. It was nearly three months into her training that the chain of command was finally drilled into her head.
Alex's arrival was the first of several. It seemed that those who attended yesterday's session spread the word. Of course with Grant no longer glaring at them people decided to challenge me but no one ever won.
Trina said she needed to get away from the pack house so I told her we'd go out for dinner. "Ready?" Trina asked impatiently.
I raised an eyebrow, "why are you so eager. Usually I'm the one rushing you."
"No reason," she said.
I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "I know when you're lying Trina."
She stuck her tongue out at me. "Whatever. I'll be in the truck."
I sighed and twirled my keys around my finger. "Going somewhere?"
I looked at Grant. He was always watching me, much like Tyler had done to Trina, whenever we were near each other. "I'm taking Trina out for dinner. She's going a little stir crazy. Too be honest, so am I."
"You don't like it here."
It wasn't a questioned but I answered it nonetheless. "No. Can you really blame me though? I don't exactly have fond memories of this place."
He grimaced and nodded. "Because of me." I wasn't going to say that. While it was true to throw that in his face would be petty and passive-aggressive. If I'm to be aggressive it won't be passive in any way, shape, or form. "I really am sorry about-"
"I'm aware," I cut him off. "It doesn't matter."
He looked at me with clear confusion. "Of course it does. I don't get it, Katrina. How you can act like nothing fazes you? Like you feel nothing for what happened back then. Like it doesn't matter."
I rubbed my temples. I did not want to get into an argument at the moment. "Because it doesn't. Not for me."
He growled to himself. "How can you say that?"
"Because it's in the past," I said levelly when I wanted nothing more than to yell. "Grant, I am a different person. You act and pretend like you know who I am but you don't. Yes you rejected me and the pack turned their backs on me, and at the time I couldn't see past it, just the thought of you made me see red. The key words being at the time. But all of that was years ago, it's in the past and more importantly we were kids back then. It's been over seven years since then. I'm not a kid anymore, I've grown up and part of growing up is changing.
"Or are you still the same person you were seven years ago?" I asked. "Because if you are then I can leave. I can walk out that door and not come back. But I had thought you'd grown up and changed as well. It certainly seemed like it, the Grant Adams I knew when I was a kid would have never apologized to anyone, least of all a girl."
He looked stunned by the time I'd finished speaking. I blushed slightly when I realized I'd basically just lectured the Alpha of the pack we were visiting. "You're right," Grant said after taking a moment to gather himself. "I have changed. But to say that what happened back then doesn't matter now, that would be a lie. It does matter. And as much as you've changed you are still the same Katrina I knew. You haven't changed that much."
"That is where you are wrong," I said softly. "Maybe the past does matter, but the Katrina you knew is gone. She's been gone for a long time. This is who I am now, accept it or don't. It doesn't really matter, I'll be leaving when our work here is done regardless of what you choose."
Grant, to my surprise, only got more determined at my words. "I accept your challenge."
My brows furrowed. "What challenge?" Is he off his rocker or something? What part of what I just said was a challenge? "You must be crazy if you think I challenged you in any way."
He grinned which only affirmed my conclusion that he had indeed gone insane. "You said you'll leave regardless of what I choose? Fine. I accept the challenge. I'm choosing to get you to stay."
"And how on Earth do you plan to do that?" I couldn't help but ask.
His grinned widened. "I've already told you that. I'll get you to fall in love with me."
I blinked in surprise. That was his game plan? Make me fall in love with him? Impossible. "We leave in six weeks," we'd finished the schedule. "Do you really believe you can make me fall in love you in two weeks?"
He nodded with pure glee. "Yes."
"You are crazy," I decided. "You can't get me to fall in love in six weeks. It's impossible."
"As I said," Grant replied, "challenged accepted. If I win you stay."
"When, you lose," I countered, "I get a favor."
"A favor?" he laughed.
I nodded completely serious. "Yes. I get one request from you that you have to grant me, no matter what it is."
He shrugged carelessly, "Okay. Why would you want that though? If you want something from me just ask."
"I don't want anything at the moment," I said. "But it never hurts to have favors from people with power." Especially when it's an open favor that they must fulfill. "How will we decide the winner?"
"Easy, in exactly six weeks if you haven't said the words 'I love you' to me, you win."
"And if you want to end this ridiculous endeavor early?" I asked.
"Unlikely," he said smirking. "But if you're insistent upon having that option fine. If I want to call it quits I'll just have to say two simple words: you win."
I shook my head at him. "I hope you realize how childish and quite frankly stupid this is."
He nodded still grinning. "Should be fun."
I rolled my eyes just as a loud blaring horn cut through our conversation. "Ever impatient that one," I muttered under my breath. "I'll talk with you later Alpha Adams."
Even addressing him by his title, which I knew he hated, couldn't bring down his elated mood. "Until then Katrina."
I didn't even bother to tell him to call me Beta Greyson. What good would it do? He wouldn't listen and I'd only waste my breath. It'd be like telling Lily and Jason to stop their public affection because it grosses everyone else out. All you'll do is encourage the behavior. I walked away from Grant and did my very best to pretend I couldn't hear his booming laughter.
"What took so long?" Trina asked looking down at her phone.
"I'll tell you if you can tear your eyes from your p..." I trailed off when I realized she wasn't actually listening. "Teenagers," I muttered turning the key in the ignition. "I swear. They never look up from their phones. They're better prepared for a damn apocalypse than ten minutes away from their cell phones."
"You said a bad word," she gasped.
I huffed. "You know there was a time I said bad words in every other sentence."
Her eyes went round and she actually put the phone away. "Seriously?" Her disbelief was understandable. "When did that stop?"
"When I got a little sister," I answered truthfully. "I used to be lots of fun back then."
"Why'd you stop, we couldn't have done all the stuff you never let me do growing up!"
"For just that reason," I laughed. "You remember when you wouldn't go into a room with another person without me there?" She nodded. "Well since I was the only one who could be around you that meant I was taking care of you and raising you. I had to be the mature grown up that you needed. Which meant no cursing, no going out and partying all night, and no-"
"You used to go out partying all night?" she exclaimed. "You hate crowds of people!"
I bit back a laugh. "While that is true, I found that when you go drinking with Lily when Jason doesn't know it is so much more fun."
Her eyes bulged further. "You were like what eighteen when you took me in?"
I did the mental math, "That sounds about right. What's your point?"
"You and Lily drank illegally!" she said. "You always told me that if I ever did that you would kill me."
"And I still will," I told her. "Do as I say not as I did."
"That is so unfair!" I have a felling if we weren't in a car she would have even stamped her foot. So adorable, she's being a moody and dramatic teen.
"Life isn't fair my dear little sister," I said grinning. "I use to do a whole lot of stuff you aren't allowed to do."
"And Jason, your overprotective big brother Jason was okay with that?" she questioned.
I couldn't help but smirk to myself. "Of course not. He put the same rules on me, if not more. But would you like to know the difference?"
"Sure."
She's really going to hate this answer. "I could sneak out and get away with all of it. Whereas you can't because I know exactly how you'd tried to sneak off."
She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "You suck."
"Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it," I replied.
It was silent for a few seconds. "Hey what was Grant bugging you about that took so long?" See, now that the bloody cell phone was put away the curiosity set in.
I snorted, "Get this. He wanted to make a bet."
"What kind of bet?"
"He said that if I fall in love with him, specifically if I say that I love him by the end of the next six weeks I have to stay here in Silver Moon with him. But if I don't or he says that I win then I have an open favor that he must grant me."
"What idiot makes a deal like that?" Trina asked. "He can't be that sure he'll win, can he?"
I shrugged, "I don't think he really understands the scope of what an open favor is."
"Don't you think this whole thing is a little unfair?" she asked. "I mean the poor boy doesn't really stand a chance and he doesn't know what he's offered up."
I shrugged again. "That's really not my problem. I didn't know you cared so much for Alpha Adams."
Her nose scrunched up. "I'm not sure I care for anyone in your old pack. I don't like them much."
"Them or my brother?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"Both," she answered without hesitation. "But I really dislike your psycho brother. He keeps following me and looking at me when he thinks I don't know."
I sighed but didn't bother trying to convince that he isn't psychotic, just stupid. "How would you like to make things interesting?" I asked deviously as a plan formed in my mind.
"I know that tone," she said suddenly wary. "That's the tone you use right before we end up doing something that usually ends with me in a compromising situation and you hanging out a window."
I chuckled and gave her a slight nod. "It'll be fun, I promise."
"Oh I've heard that before!" she exclaimed shaking a finger side to side at me as I pulled into a parking space of some steak house. "'It'll be fun,' you say. 'I promise,' you say. 'They'll never know it was us,' you say! They always know it was us!"
I laughed and we got out of the car. "This will be fun. Have I ever led you astray?"
"YES! All the time! Every single time you have that tone!"
I rolled my eyes, "Minor details. You're being overly dramatic about this."
"No," she said, "I am being the right amount of dramatic."
"Pfft." I waved a hand at her. "Will you just listen? I would take His name in vain if I believed in God."
"Fine! Fine, I'll listen, just don't expect me to go along with whatever crazy plan you've cooked up."
I smiled. "Thank you." Could have used a little less attitude but I wasn't going to say that and set her off on another rant. "I want you to make a deal with Tyler. Listen before you say no!" I rushed out with she opened her mouth to say something. She shut it and gave me a dark look. "I want you to make a similar deal with Tyler like the one I made with Grant."
"Why?"
I hesitated on answering that one, but only for a moment. "Because I think you should give him a chance."
She scowled. "Why because he's my mate? That doesn't mean anything to me."
"I know," I cut her off. "I don't want you to give him a chance because he's your mate. I'm the last person to suggest that. I want to give you a chance because I know him. He's a good person under all of that psychotic anger. Deep down he is someone who could be really good for you."
"It must be very deep down," she muttered. "He is nothing like you said he was."
I knew why, the cause of the change. I waited until we were seated and had ordered. "It's not his fault," I said. Trina looked up from her phone. "Tyler not being how I said. It's not his fault."
"How is that not his fault?" she asked incredulously.
I couldn't look her in the eye. "Because I'm the one who chose to leave. Tyler and I were close when we were kids, then I left and he never heard from me again. He thought I was dead. You know better than anyone how the death of someone you love can change you."
"Don't," she growled and I looked at her. "That was a long time ago. And the two don't compare. I lost everyone I knew, he lost one person."
"You're right, they don't compare," I agreed. "You had someone to help you through it. Some who knew the pain you felt."
She slammed her hands down on the table and glared. "Look around, you know all these people. They didn't die and you didn't lose them. You have no idea what it was like Kate!" She got up and stormed out.
I dropped a twenty on the table and ran after her. "Don't I, Trina?" I called when I was outside. "They may not have died but don't you dare tell me that I didn't lose them or that I don't know what it's like! At least you know that they all loved you, cared for you. Everyone here turn their backs on me! Abandoned me! And I had to leave my family. I had to know that they were alive but I could never see them again. So don't you dare, Trina, don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it's like!"
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. "Tyler didn't have anyone. He lost his older sister, the person who was there for him his entire life. Worse than that, he wasn't allowed to miss her because I had been turned into a disgrace. I talked to Alex about what happened after I left. My parents weren't there for him. They couldn't handle being in the house because it reminded them of the child they lost. He was alone and suffering. When my father stepped down as Beta... well Tyler was the one who had to work with the man responsible for him losing his sister, and then he had to work with the one who rejected her. Every. Single. Day."
I made sure her eyes were locked on mine. "So you're right. It doesn't compare. At least you had someone to comfort you, someone who was there for you. Yeah, you lost everything but don't tell me you didn't gain anything. Or am I wrong?" I wasn't sure I wanted to hear her answer but still I kept talking. "I thought maybe we were family. Not by blood but by something stronger. I thought we were sisters. Tell me, Tree, are we? Or have I just deluded myself for all these years?"
She didn't answer. I guess that's an answer itself huh? "Good to know," I said bitterly. I tossed the keys to her and she caught them on pure instinct. "I'll walk back."
I started away from her and she called out. "Kate!"
I ignored her. I needed to cool off and clear my head. A long walk would give me the time to do just that.