Chapter 24: Training

RAPHAEL

In one night, I almost lost my daughter, my son almost lost his mate, and my wife overexerted herself with her magic. How I was holding myself together was beyond me.

“Tell me, girls, what happened?” I looked at the conference table in my study.

Diego’s mate, Liv, spoke up. “I don’t really remember much, sir, just that we went outside for some air. We just needed to breathe for a minute.” She was playing with her hands in her lap.

Diego put his hand over hers and squeezed them. It was nice to see him caring and sensitive. There was hope for my son.

“Then Gia got this pain in her head, so I checked on her, and then this bag went over my head, and everything went black. Next thing I knew, I woke up upstairs.”

I nodded at her. “Gia? What do you remember?”

“It’s all kind of fuzzy, but I remember talking to Kol, saying Liv and I were going to get some air. He offered to come with us, but I said no.”

“I should’ve gone with you,” Kol said.

“Liv and I were sitting outside, just talking girl talk, when I got this ringing in my ears, and everything went fuzzy.

“There was this pressure in my head, and I couldn’t focus. Next thing I knew, we were in the cave, and that red-haired bitch had me chained to a chair.”

“Okay, boys? Kol, I believe you had a border breach a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yes, sir. Diego and I tracked the scent to the cave we found the girls in tonight, but we came up empty at the time.”

I sank into my chair and looked at my children. “Clearly, there is a threat looming, and whoever this is who is coming after us is powerful.”

“Merrida.” I looked at my daughter, feeling my face growing pale.

“Excuse me?”

“She said her name was Merrida, and she said she wants my power. She said I stole it from her.”

I stood up abruptly. Everyone looked at me, wide-eyed.

“That’s it. It’s decided. Kol, send out word. We begin training with your pack tomorrow. Gianna and Diego, you will resume your training. It’s time my best soldiers return to the field.”

KOL

I stormed the pack house. My inner circle was ready and waiting in my office.

“All right, boys, here’s what’s going to happen. My wife almost got fucking murdered last night, and I’m not fucking okay with it. Round up the soldiers and anyone else who wants to fight.

“We are getting this pack to full strength. Tell them to meet in the grounds,” I growled at them all.

This bitch Merrida was going to regret the day she pissed me off. No one touched my wife and survived. The boys snapped to attention and ran around, barking orders.

A couple of them stayed behind. “Boss? Who’s leading the training?” Lewis asked.

I looked him up and down. He was a scrawny kid who didn’t look like he could throw a pillow, to be honest, but he had spirit in him, and I liked that.

“Diego and Gianna Gray. Spread the word.” And with that, I stormed out of the office.

I couldn’t stop my wife from fighting, that was for certain, but I’d be damned if she didn’t have an army of the strongest wolves protecting her.

Testosterone pumped through my veins. I marched onto the grounds where Gia and Diego were setting up. They wore black latex suits that clung to their bodies.

~She~

~looked~

~fucking~

~amazing.~

~Focus, Kol.~

“Hey, you guys sure you wanna do this? I mean, my boys are good fighters.”

They both nodded. “Not our first time fighting, Kol. We’ll be fine, honest.” Gia pecked me on the cheek and went over to the waiting wolves.

Diego clapped my shoulder. “Gia is the strongest one of us all, Kol. Trust me, she’ll be okay.”

We rounded up all the wolves who wanted to fight.

Training was in session.

DIEGO

I looked at the soldiers and able-bodied wolves who had shown up to our training. Admittedly, they weren’t half bad, but then Gia and I weren’t just any ordinary wolves.

If they could hold their own against us, then they’d be doing okay. There were a few scrawny-looking pups, but I wouldn’t be long whipping them into shape.

“All right, listen up!” They looked at me intently.

“We are going to train you, and by ~we~, I mean me and my sister. You know who we are. We don’t need an introduction. So here’s what’s gonna happen.

“Those of you who think you are brave enough to take us on and survive might just have it in you. This threat that’s coming is powerful, and if we’re not careful, it’s gonna knock us on our asses.

“First, I want to see your hand to hand combat. Who wants to go first?”

I looked at them expectantly. They hesitated, and I smirked. I’d kicked enough of their asses; they would know better.

Gia stepped forward. “Cut the macho, brother. Let’s just show them how it’s done,” she said, a smirk forming on her lips. I assumed the position and motioned her to bring it on.

We circled each other, each checking the other one out, psyching the other one out. Then she struck. A roundhouse kick to the abdomen knocked me on my ass.

I heard a few of the wolves howl in support and growled. She crouched down and grinned at me. “Let’s go, brother,” she goaded me.

In my rage, I didn’t notice her hands and feet glowing a bright blue. I charged at her and went to land a punch. She dodged me and sucker punched me in the ribs.

The blue energy emitting from her hands knocked me back a few feet.

Now I was pissed. She wanted to use her powers. Fine, I’d use mine. I dug deep and used all my strength to harden my muscles, tensing myself up to the last, and ran at her.

Her hands flew up in front of her and—

~SHIT.~

~OOOF.~

~Force field.~

I landed on my ass again, cracking a tree in half in the process.

She helped me up, laughing. “Okay, okay. I surrender. Enough games. Let’s get serious.”

I got a group of wolves together, and we braced ourselves against Gia. ~These suckers better not let me down.~ I pulled them into a huddle.

“Okay, boys, it’s crunch time now. She’s the closest thing to that witch bitch we have right now. So heighten your senses to the max.

“Any change in wind flow, you move fucking direction; any change in air pressure, you jump high or drop low.

“I can honestly tell you I don’t know what she’ll throw at us, but I know my sister, and she won’t go down easy.”

They nodded their heads in agreement, and we turned to face her, spreading out so she was partially surrounded.

She sneered at us. I held my breath and waited. She arched her body slightly to the group on my left. They tensed up, ready. She inhaled and stomped her right foot.

A crack flew across the ground where her foot landed and knocked the suckers to my right on their asses.

In the same breath, she whipped her hands through the air and shot a force field hurtling toward the guys on my left, sending them flying twenty feet away. All I had left were the four boys behind me.

With a mighty howl, we charged her. I threw a punch; she blocked it. She ducked and blocked the punches and kicks that came her way and landed a few belters of her own.

Then it was just her and me again. This time for real; we weren’t showing off or messing. This was a real-life simulation. One of us had to go down for the day.

We charged at each other and punched our fists, meeting in the center.

~BOOM.~

~THUD.~

~OOMF.~

~A ringing sound, groans, and then black.~