Chapter 12

The ride home was silent, with tension hanging in the air. I had no idea witches were real , but I suppose if werewolves were real, there's a fairly high chance of all the supernatural stories being true.

Over the years I'd learned to not pay attention to rumours and gossip, but Asher's sudden change in mood told me that these were true.

I felt like we'd gone round in a circle. Him not telling me things I had a right to know, me getting angry at him, him getting angry at me in return.

I'd had enough. A plan was already forming in my mind, pieces fusing together.

"Are you holding a training session when we get back to the pack?" I asked feigning a casual nature whilst looking out of the window watching the landscape blur past like a watered down painting.

"Yes" he replied steadily, his voice curt and clipped.

I hummed in acknowledgment, a small, devious smile flashing across my face.

Silence descended once more, my anger rising with it. After what we heard at the shop I expected an explanation about what was really going on. And as Luna of the pack, I deserved to know, despite my refusal to accept my role as joint leader of a pack of werewolves.

I shifted my body, giving him my full attention, my eyes piercing his skin.

He clenched his jaw and his uncertainty was palpable.

"During the attack, we could all feel her presence. I could sniff rot and decay in the air. She is working with the rogues to take us down, but I'm currently unaware of why. She must have ulterior motives. That's why I captured 3 rogues last night. They are in the dungeons, underground the forest. My beta is currently down there exercising his methods of excreting information."

An arrogant smirk grew on his face, his dimples causing my stomach to somersault. A blush spread over my cheeks and I began wafting my hair to cover my crimson face before he noticed.

"Have you had much rogue trouble in the past?"

"Not on this level. There were over 150 that attacked last night and I'm certain there are more. Usually rogues work independently or in small groups so last night was extremely strange."

My mind was working at 100mph.

Then a lightbulb flickered in my head.

"Well maybe the rogues are all controlled by the witch. As you said before, they are never in such large numbers so what if the witch made them all slaves to her game? They are the puppets and she is the puppet master."

The gates to the mansion opened and the car surged forward, dragging to a halt as we reached the house.

My hand grabbed onto the door, pushing it open, but a surprisingly soft, gentle voice froze my body in place.

"That... that sounds like a real possibility." He spoke, glaring me in the eyes with a hint of... pride?honour?.

He began vacating the car, and this was enough to pull me out of my temporary daze.

I gathered all of the bags from the boot, much to Asher's displease as he attempted to grab them out of my hands.

"They are bags they are not going to kill me" I grunted whilst heaving the load up the stairs.

Oh how I underestimated the weight of them.

Once I reached the landing I half slumped on the stair, needing a few seconds to catch my breath.

I could feel Asher behind me, and when I saw a hand pop out and reach to towards the shopping, I pushed it away quickly and with all the force I could muster.

"No" I grunted, pointing my finger at him.

With a boost of energy, I lifted myself up, heaving the bags along. I half ran half walked down the corridor, and when I reached the nice, guest room I dropped the luggage at my sides.

With cheetah-like quickness, hands swooped down grabbing the bags.

"What the hell are you doing?" I trailed Asher's back as he walked down the hallway.

"During this whole problem with the rogues and the witches, safety measures are being put in place" he dropped the things onto familiar black bed sheets.

I forced myself to stop at the barrier between his room and the rest of the house.

"I am not sharing a bed with you" I growled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I will sleep on the sofa, but as long as we are in the same room you will be safer"

"What makes you think I can't protect myself?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Because we are dealing with a witch and werewolves. You are none of those. You do not understand how dangerous it is. "

I huffed as I pushed my legs into the room.

It was large ,cavernous and luxurious by all standards. The complete opposite to what I was used to .

He grabbed the bags once more and walked over to double doors, pulling them open and strolling in.

Curiously, I traipsed over and peered in.

My oh my. I was greeted by a large, modern closet and in that moment I felt like Carrie Bradshaw.

"Wait...do I get some of this space?" I gazed in awe at the all of the cabinets and drawers.

"Yes" he replied in his famous sharp tone as if this magnificent space was just some small,plain closet.

"I'm going now, the training will begin soon" he edged past me and back into the bedroom, his hand skimming my waist.

"Oh, whereabouts is it taking place?" I asked sweetly, leaning against the door.

He strode over to me until our feet were nearly touching, and bent down to whisper in my ear,

"I know what you're doing. You don't need to come, my warriors are the best in the world therefore you are safe"

Then he abruptly left the room and his footsteps echoed down the stairs. As soon as I heard the front door slam closed, I practically ransacked the bags from our shopping spree, until I was holding leggings, a sports bra and a loose tshirt which exposed one of my shoulders. I thrust the items on, and once I tied the last lace on my trainers, I legged it down the stairs and out of the house.

After the rogue attack, I remembered which way I needed to manoeuvre in order to get to the pack house.

I trod through brambles and bushes, sunlight falling through the green canopies overhead, lighting up the forest like a Christmas tree.

It took around 20 minutes for me to finally see houses staining the horizon line. In a way, I was reluctant. The trees and nature provided me with peace. Something I hadn't felt a whole lot of in these last few manic days.

I reached the pack house relatively quickly, my mind whirling around in anticipation and excitement. I'd never learnt how to fight, as much as I craved it, especially when I was back with my dad in England. I hate the thought of being dependant on anyone, and I most certainly didn't want anyone to die whilst they were trying to protect me.

I strode into the house, following the whisper of voices which was scratching my ear.

I turned a corner and saw a group of women socialising on the sofas with coffee mugs clutched in their manicured hands.

"Um..excuse me?" I interrupted.

They snapped their heads around.

"Luna!" It was then I noticed Lola amongst the crowd, and she ran forward, pulling me into a strong embrace.

"Lola!" I squealed, hugging her back tightly.

"I've tried calling and texting you but i received no reply" she stared at me accusingly.

"Shit, I've not even looked at my phone, it's most likely dead"

"Well we need to talk, catch up" she spoke in low tones, glaring over her shoulder to ensure the other girls weren't prying.

"Definitely" I reply smiling.

"Now, why are you here?" She elbowed me, with a playful smile  lining her youthful face.

"Well I ur.. decided to crash Asher's training session. I need to learn self-defence yet he, being a chauvinistic asshole, thinks he can protect me. I need to learn for myself though."

Lola burst out laughing and I joined in shortly after.

Wiping tears from her eyes, she replied,

"It's a mile to the left. Once you leave here, turn left and walk through the forest. Trust me, you won't miss it."

"Thank you! See you soon" I closed the door behind me, a mischievous smile growing on my face as I followed Lola's instructions and walked through the woods once more.

~~~~

I could hear the warriors before I saw them. War cries and grunts echoed through the trees and excitement sparked within me.

As I drew closer, I admired the sheer size of the place.

It was situated in a large clearing, half of it  sheltered, the other half, like an outdoor obstacle course.

Multiple pieces of equipment were strewn out in ordered rows, with stacks of weaponry  lined up in cabinets littered around the outskirts.

In the middle, there was a large space, where men were engaging in hand to hand fighting and sparring with a variety of weaponry that even MI5 would be envious of.

Immediately, Asher caught my eye. He was shirtless, beads of precipitation running down his skin as he attacked his enemy, punching and kicking, his muscles rippling with every movement.

I wandered onto the set, and the men drew quiet as I strode past them, lowering their heads and bearing their necks in a sign of submission and acknowledgement of their Luna.

Asher was too caught up in his fighting to see me, until I caught his attention.

"Would you spar with me? You see, I am partnerless and would love to have some practice" I declared from behind his sweaty body.

He practically jumped out of his skin.

Then he noticed the quietness that enveloped the entirety of the court.

"Get back to training" he snarled. He didn't even have to raise his voice in order to strike fear into the men as they quickly turned their heads and got back to fighting.

Asher's partner was looking up at us on the floor, so Asher held out his hand and pulled him up.

"We'll finish this later" he promised before turning his attention onto me.

He strode over to me and grabbed my arm, holding it  in a deadly vice,

"What the hell do you think you're doing here ?" He spelled out each word sharply and slowly.

"I want to learn how to defend myself ! And I will learn whether that's with your help or without it" I spoke firmly, my eyes never leaving his as if to exaggerate my point and convey the truth I was speaking.

He growled, only loud enough for my ears, but a far cry from his usual serious and hard state. He appeared torn, angry and thoroughly irritated.

"Well then, Let the games begin" he muttered.