Chapter Twenty

It was easy to fall back into my training, to push everything away but the battle. I knew there were some deep aches in my body, some lancing pains but when I fought, I could block it all out. Jace referred to it as muscle memory, to repeat an action so many times that it became a memory that your very muscles knew even if you did not. It was a reflex, an instinct, not something that could be erased and I became aware that I have been neglecting it for far too long.

I easily dodged the punch that had been aimed at me before I struck quickly. He was stunned but I didn't push the attack. It wasn't my intention to force a submission but to train him. He was fast but he lacked precision and I could now understand why Benji had wished for me to train with the pack.

A lot of them relied on brute force and that wasn't exactly bad for shifters. It was how everyone trained but I also knew throwing some thought and strategy into a fight would make the fight go further, tire you out less. It was how I fought. How I was trained. Five years of intense training, being taught to not rely solely on my strength because I had been told if I did my top warrior would have no troubles in taking my position.

I dodged another punch before dropping my arm to deflect the kick aimed at my ribs. I let out a grunt as the hard kick landed on my forearm. I wrapped my arm around his leg and twisted close to him, unbalancing him, sending him to his back in the dirt. I let his leg go before holding out my hand, he grasped it tightly. "Never place yourself in a position where you can be taken off your feet."

I helped haul him to his feet and he nodded at me, his expression serious. He got into position and I didn't give him any time before I started in on him. He needed to learn how to defend as well as attack. I pulled my blows, not letting my full strength enter them. I didn't want to harm him too much. "You need to focus on the attacks." I said it between rapid punches towards his upper body. Several hit their marks but he managed to deflect almost half of them. He grunted with the exertion of blocking the blows and hissed at each one that made contact. "I'm going easy on you." I hooked my foot behind his knee and I aimed a punch at his face. He leaned back and with the pressure I suddenly placed behind his knee he fell over again. He hit the ground with an oof and breathed heavily from the exertion. I was breathing nearly as hard and could feel sweat rolling down my back.

The sun beat down on us as I stared down at him. "Not bad." I held out my hand and he took it once more and I hauled him to his feet.

"Coming from you, Alpha. That means a lot. You are one hell of a fighter." He bent over, trying to catch his breath and I clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. A few bruises marred his skin and I was sure there were a few bruises on mine as well but they would fade, as would the slight ache in my muscles.

"I had to train extremely hard to get to that point." Jace had made sure I had trained hard and fast. I wasn't bulky like most Alphas. I hadn't been born that way but I could take down some of them easily if I wanted.

"It shows." He straightened before looking at me. "You were using half strength." He ran a hand through his hair, as if attempting to straighten the unruly strands.

"Didn't want to damage you. It was more of a lesson on blocking and defending. No need to use all my strength for that and take you out of training completely." Despite how I wasn't born for the position my blood still gave me a bit of an advantage and I used full strength I knew there was a possibility of broken bones, especially with my training. We were training and I felt no need to take shifters out of commission in a training session. "Alright, you get hydrated then find another sparring partner." He nodded before walking off. I stretched my arms up, wincing at the sharp pain in my side. I was fairly certain one of my ribs was dislocated.

I grabbed at my side, seeing if I could pop it back in without help but it could tell it was dislocated at my spine. I grimaced and waved at Benji to come over. He nodded from his spot on the small platform I had erected for him to stand on while he supervised the training. He hopped down and within a few moments was at my side.

"Rib's out." I turned my back to him and tapped on the offending rib. He grabbed my shoulder and the heel of his palm found the rib before he shoved quickly and hard. I let out a loud grunt at the pain the action brought but the relief of the joint mending eased the sharpness of the pain slightly.

"Sit out for a few rounds to let it heal otherwise that rib will keep popping out." He patted my shoulder and I nodded slowly. It was easier to sit out for twenty minutes than to constantly pop the rib back into place. "They like that you are here, Luka. They are fighting harder and the ones you have sparred with are really focusing more on their opponents." He gestured to the dozens of shifters what were sparring over the field and I nodded. Pride filled me as I watched my pack go through the motions of battle with one another.

"Ainsley, stop tugging on the shirt." Shey's lilting voice had an edge and I immediately began to scan the area for her. I hadn't realized she had come to the training field. I couldn't see her and I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"It doesn't fit." Ainsley's voice was barely heard over the various noises coming from the training shifters. I suddenly spotted them sitting on a blanket when some of the shifters had moved out of the way. They were about ten feet from Benji's platform and I could see my guardians laying beside them.

"So? Nothing is going to fit you, you are like a bag of bones." She sounded exasperated and I nearly smiled. She was not very good with dealing with Ainsley, she was trying but her rather brusque manner of speaking had insulted Ainsley quite a few times without meaning to. "I didn't mean it like that!" Her voice pitched higher with embarrassment and I actually smiled at it.

"She came about an hour ago. Her and Miss Marti have been sitting there playing cards. She keeps accidentally insulting the poor female." Benji chuckled and I resisted the urge to go over to her. I wasn't sure if I would be welcome in their little outing. "So, everyone now knows." Benji said it casually and I swallowed thickly. After Shey had gave me her little 'Oopsie' comment she had bolted up the stairs and locked herself in Ainsley's room. I had wanted to discuss it with her but when Ainsley finally unlocked the door Shey was asleep on the bed and I didn't want to wake her up. She needed the rest.

"All of them?" I looked around and scanned the faces. If the entire pack knew then there was no logical reason for me not to go over to her and Benji chuckled.

"All of them. Those that didn't hear her little outburst were told pretty much immediately by those that did." Benji started to move back to his platform and I followed him, trying to straighten my sweat dampened hair that I knew was all over the place. The closer I drew the deeper my breaths became. I wanted to have her scent fill my lungs. I caught onto the smell of citrus and sweetness when I reached the platform. I stopped to watch them as Benji quickly got back onto his station and watched the sparring.

"You're cheating." Ainsley's voice was soft but had a slight reprimand and Shey made a noise of protest.

"You can't cheat in Caravan! I've explained this to you." She huffed then muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear. I looked at her, she was dressed in flannel pyjama pants and a blue tank top that showed off a significant portion of her arms and shoulder, her skin looked almost golden in the sunshine. I didn't doubt that no matter what she wore she would always look appealing to me.

"Yes you are." Ainsley sounded firm. It was nice to see that the very short time away from her father had allowed her to relax a little. I glanced at her and her red hair was held back by a rather large black ribbon and she was scowling at the cards in her hand. I flicked my gaze to Shey. Her dark hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at the back of her neck and she threw down her cards in frustration.

"Fine. If you are convinced I'm cheating at a game you can't cheat at then we can play a different game." Her face twisted into a scowl and I chuckled lightly at her rather childish display. Her green eyes snapped to me and I couldn't held but notice how her eyes landed on my bare chest and a light flush crawled across the tops of her cheeks as her eyes raked over my form. I crossed my arms over my chest and flexed them a bit and her mouth parted and her tongue peaked out to lick her bottom lip. I was enjoying how much I affected her when Ainsley spotted me by following Shey's darkening gaze.

"Hello, Alpha Sterling." She gave me a small smile and I smiled back, looking over her face. The bruises were still dark but that was because she was malnourished and couldn't heal properly. Much like kiddo had been when she first arrived at Oblitus. If I hadn't told her father I would keep her in Fortis as part of the arrangement of her banishment, then I would have sent her there to be helped by those that knew how.

"Hello, Ainsley. Hello, my pisică." I slid my gaze back to Shey who had averted her gaze, her cheeks a rather alluring pink as she shuffled the deck of cards. She seemed to be trying her hardest not to look at me and I couldn't help the satisfied grin that appeared on my face.

"Alpha, it's best if you sit down and rest that injury." Benji nodded at me and I gave a small sound of acknowledgement as I looked at my mate. Her hands were deft and appealing as she intricately shuffled the worn deck of cards, I fought back the images the bond hurled at me of what she could have been doing with her hands instead.

"You can sit with us, Alpha." Ainsley shuffled over on the blanket as she bowed her head in respect to my position in the pack. "We are playing cards. She keeps cheating though." She pointed an accusing finger at Shey and I chuckled at the rather child-like display but moved closer to the blanket anyway. After all, Ainsley had invited me to sit with them.

"I am not, Ainsley. You're seeing things." Shey hissed it out before setting the cards down. "What did Benji mean?" She looked almost worried as she glanced up at me and I fought the urge to smile at her as I grabbed my ribs and sat between the two of them. I winced at the sharp flaring of pain and Shey shifted over giving me more room. I was acutely aware of the space she had placed between us. I was always aware of the space between our bodies because the bond did not wish for there to be any room for even a breath to pass between us.

"I dislocated a rib. Benji says it's better to rest for a few minutes to let it heal than to constantly put it back into place." I let my side go and inhaled, ignoring the ache that went through my side as I did so. It would heal enough to rejoin the sparring in at least twenty minutes. It was an inconvenience and not anything I was worried about.

"Are you okay?" She tilted her head as she looked at me and I nodded slightly. I liked the fact she was slightly worried about me. We hadn't discussed anything since her little confession yesterday and I wondered how I could even broach the subject with her.

"Aches a bit." I pulled my knees up slightly and wrapped my arms around them loosely. The scent of sweat, blood, and dirt was heavy in the air but Shey's scent was slowly wrapping around me, chasing all of the others away.

I heard a small noise of frustration and glanced over at Ainsley. "Michael, stop it." Ainsley pushed the wild's snout away. I narrowed my eyes at him and watched as he bit her shirt and wagged his tail. I knew the look on his face, he was being a pest for a reason. I just wasn't sure what it was. Ainsley tried to get him to let her shirt go. She was ineffective in trying to pry his jaws apart to rescue her trapped clothing.

Be nice. I stared at him intently and his brown eyes danced with mirth before he let Ainsley's shirt go. He stared at me for a moment before he shifted. Ainsley scrambled away from him with a small shriek of surprise as he looked at her from beneath his ragged black hair. He said nothing as he grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her towards him. I would have been worried but the amusement and mirth he was putting off belied his abrupt actions. She was safe from him even as he threw her squirming form over his shoulder.

"She learn to fight." His grin widened as he carried her from the blanket. I watched the interaction with slight amusement and Shey gave a short laugh.

"She's going to pass out when she realizes he's naked." She chortled rather happily at the thought of the small shifter fainting.

"Do you even like her?" Her rather strange amusement at Ainsley's uncomfortableness was alarming and for a moment I wondered if she held a small grudge against her for the reason she was on Fortis territory. Shey did not appear to be one to hold a grudge but there was much about her that I truly didn't know.

"She's aggravating with how shy she is. She flinches all the time and hides behind her hair so much I want to chop it all off. She accuses me of cheating in cards games that are impossible to cheat at and she clings to my ass like a fucking barnacle but yah. I enjoy her company." She waved her hand flippantly and I raised an eyebrow at her description of the small shifter. It seemed more like a rant of things she didn't like than one to state that she actually liked the little shifter. "It's kind of hard to hate her when she looks like a kicked puppy." And that was something I couldn't disagree with.

"You do not hold a grudge against her for the reason she is here?" I wanted to make perfectly sure that Ainsley was safe. She was my ward, soon to be a member of my pack and I would not keep her in a place where she would be needlessly tormented, even if it meant she would be kept separate from my own mate.

"I'm not enough of a bitch to hate her for what her father did. Some might but she doesn't look ready to mate to anyone, let alone try and steal one." Shey leaned back on her arms, looking up at the sky before she closed her eyes. I couldn't help but let my eyes trace the features of her face, committing her beauty to memory as I had a thousand times before where she could not see me. "I know better than to chase after something that's not a threat." She sounded almost amused at the thought of Ainsley being a threat to her bond with me and that sent something swirling in my gut that I could not recognize. I moved my arms and hissed as the muscles surrounding the offending rib groaned in protest as well as muscles in my shoulders.

I shoved the pain away but Shey moved closer to me. "Are you sure you are alright?" An edge of concern tinged her voice and I relished it as a small comfort to me that she was showing her emotions. I nodded but I could almost sense her reluctance and I slowly turned to look at her. She was gazing over my body with concern in the forest green over her eyes. "You have a lot of bruises." I didn't care about the marks that would soon disappear from my body but if she was concerned I would allow her that. I wasn't going to reprimand her for feeling concern for something I viewed as inconsequential. Not when having a bruise for her was something that took over a weak to heal completely. She was a mundane in that aspect, even her cold still clung to her despite it coming to the end of it's cycle.

"My body's attempting to heal the dislocation first." I shrugged, gritting my teeth at the flare of pain it brought. When I rejoined the sparring the muscles wouldn't have time to hurt. I would push it away and focus on my task, training my pack. I felt an almost feverish need to make sure they were strong. Deep down I knew the Lazera patriarch would not let my promise go without retaliation.

"Are you sore?" The question was asked in a low and hesitant voice as if she were afraid of wounding my rather non-existent pride. I wanted to laugh at the insinuation. She assumed much about me if she thought a simple question could harm my pride. She needed to learn that I was a rather humble Alpha, if only for the fact I was never born for the position. My thoughts quickly went towards Azrael. He had claimed he was fifth born from his father and he had taken the pack by force as his father had before him. "Sterling?" Her voice was a gentle prod from my thoughts and I let out a small hum.

"I haven't trained in awhile and it is normal for my muscles to protest." That was the only reason my muscles were protesting as badly as they were. Without the dissenters I hadn't needed to train to vigorously and I was paying for it now. I still needed to be strong, I was learning that now. I had been focussing on the threats inside of my borders I hadn't thought of the threats that lingered outside of them. The urge to make sure my mate, my pack, and my territory were secure gnawed at my spine.

"You're a great fighter. You showed restraint with your opponents. Teaching them rather than simply beating them." Her voice was soft and husky with something akin to pride that was laced with a bit of attraction. I couldn't help how I puffed up at the knowledge that my mate desired me, found me attractive.

"So you saw me?" I turned to look at her, ignoring the twinge from the damaged and aching muscles in my neck and right shoulder.

"Yes." She was looking out into the sparring, her expression turned slightly pensive. "My mother never pulled her punches. Our sparring sessions usually only stopped because I could not physically move. Broken legs or dislocated knees were the only injuries that would stop me." Her gaze let me know that despite the fact she was sitting close to me her mind was years away from me and the training field. Perhaps she was remembering her own training with her mother, remembering the pain of the brutal training sessions. As much as it pained me to know how she must have been hurt, I knew how Alphas were trained. I had seen my father train with my brother's thousands of times before. Her mother's method of training was not unusual.

"I needed to be strong." She muttered the words more to herself than anything. I reached out for her wishing to give her comfort but she leaned away from it as if on instinct and I blinked at my hand lingering in the space between us. We still weren't there with our relationship and it fucking hurt. She stared at my hand as well and then glanced at me her cheeks slowly turning pink. "Sorry, it's a habit." She stared at her own hands, her head bowed. She needed patience. The bond demanded things of me that I was becoming aware that my mate wasn't ready for and I would need to fight harder against the compulsions. Our temporary stalemate from yesterday had ended and I wasn't sure how long it would be until I could hold her like I did in front of Alpha Marti.

"Your touch is still overwhelming for me at times." It was a soft admission and I gave a small nod in acknowledgement. I didn't like how she refused my touch but I had to accept it. If she said it was overwhelming then it was overwhelming.

"Do you get overwhelmed when you touch me?" I glanced at her and she frowned lightly, a small 'v' forming between her eyebrows as she looked at her legs stretch out on the picnic blanket.

"It's easier to touch you because the contact is something I can control. If I feel like it's getting out of hand or overwhelming I can stop and withdrawal." Her frown deepened and I turned to look out at the sparring. I caught sight of Jessie's blonde hair. She had learned much during her time in the Mountains. She had come back with quite a bit of training. All mountain pack members needed to be strong and trained for fighting. "I don't trust you enough to stop if I say." I couldn't help the growl at the insinuation.

"I wouldn't do that to you." Each word was clipped with an edge of heavy disgust. I would never force myself on her and I didn't like her thinking I would.

"You say that but what if the bond takes hold? Or your wolf? You have to remember there are three things that require contact with me and the more you push against them the harder they push back." They were almost cryptic words but I could sense the truth in them. She wasn't truly saying I would do it but there was a chance of something happening due to her reluctance for contact.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton's third law of motion was undeniable. It was a scientific version of saying everything has consequences and reactions when pushed or forced. It was funny how well it applied to people as well as the physics of objects. She was telling me that if I continued to force against the bond for my need to touch her, both my wolf and the bond would shove back and if I pushed hard enough against them they might shove me out of the way to take what they wished. The thought made me shiver and I glanced inwards, checking my wolf's shackles just to be sure.

"Still sore?" The question was asked carefully, it was a deliberate change of subject that I appreciated. I didn't wish to think of her being harmed by me or my wolf. He whimpered in his chains, he didn't wish to harm her either but his instincts were strong and he wouldn't mean to. It was his nature to be savage, bloodthirsty and angry. It was why he was now in chains. If he could not control himself and his anger then there was no point in giving him freedom to do as he wished.

"Will be for a while, my pisică." Her scent swirled around me and I became consciously aware of the muscles in my arms bunching to touch her even as I held them still. I gripped my wrist tightly, attempting to hold myself back from reaching out to her. Small warm hands gripped my bicep and I snapped my head to the side to look at her. "What are you doing?" I couldn't help the slightly snappish tone my voice had taken. The action had caught me off guard. The warmth of her hands on my bare skin awakened every nerve, they tuned into her presence awaiting her touch.

"Relax." She wasn't looking at me as her fingers dug into my bicep, massaging the stiffness away with almost practiced moves. Her fingers practically danced up my arm, relieving aches as she did so. She started to massage my shoulder and I winced as she dug into a particularly sore spot. The pain helped remind my raging desire that the touch had purpose and it wasn't to arouse, despite how good her hands felt on my bare skin. I couldn't help my eyes going half-lidded and the rumble that vibrated my chest in contentment.

My mate was taking care of me like I had taken care of her and I was enjoying it, even as I could feel her fingers trembling slightly from nerves. It was almost amusing how the female could sling words harder and more fearlessly than anyone I had met but touching me made her nervous. I shoved the thoughts away as she moved her hands away before I could hear her shifting on the blanket. I could sense her behind me and her hands started massaging my shoulder again. I gave an almost guttural groan as she dug into the knot, working it out efficiently with her fingers and the heel of her hands. I leaned into the contact, craving her warmth and she gave a small grunt before pushing me forward.

"If you lean against me I can't get your back. Try and sit still." The reprimand was harsh and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I deliberately leaned against her hands again. "Sit still!" She slapped me upside the head and I chuckled, happy that I had gotten a reaction. I crossed my legs and leaned forward, forcing her hands to trail down my back. I pressed my elbows to my knees and clasped my hands, placing my chin on them. Her fingers slowly started digging into the muscles at the back of my neck and I could practically feel her breath on my skin. I shivered slightly and looked at the sparring, several of the pack members were throwing us glances with large smiles on their faces.

I wanted to reprimand them for losing focus but Shey's hands had trailed down my back to the spot where my rib was dislocated and I hissed in pain as she worked on rubbing out the tense and sore muscles. I let out a heavy groan as I pressed my forehead to my hands and focused on breathing through the sharp pain.

"Sorry. I know how much this hurts." She sounded apologetic but the fact her fingers were digging around the spot where my rib had popped out was telling me otherwise. I squeezed my eyes together tightly, I was no wimp but she was most likely digging into a bruise without mercy.

"Hey! Just because Alpha Sterling's mate is showing him affection it does not mean you can lose focus!" Benji's voice was a booming sound over the training field. "Give them some privacy, for Mene's sake! They aren't to be ogled!" The order was sharp and Shey's hands stilled on my back and I pressed back against them slightly.

"They are bound to look, my pisică. Just try to ignore them." I said it under my breath but loud enough for her to hear. I could hear her exhale a shaky breath before she resumed her ministrations. Despite the desire and arousal swirling in my veins I was able to push away most of it before I ended up in an embarrassing situation in front of my pack. The pain she was causing was a good deterrent for errant erections her touch would have caused. I inhaled deeply and growled at the faint scent of her arousal. I let out a groan and tightened my hands together until I was afraid I would break my own fingers.

"Sorry. You're very attractive and I can't help how my body reacts to you." Embarrassment coated her tone thickly and I swallowed hard.

"I know. I understand but it's like I'm sitting in front of the sweetest smelling dessert and I'm not allowed a taste." The sweetness of her arousal grew more heady and she let out a faint eep. I groaned and tried to breath through my mouth to avoid the embarrassing situation of popping a boner in front of my pack like I was a hormonal pre-teen. "That came out poorly."

"You think?" Her voice had a tinge of humiliation and I felt guilty for putting it there. I gave a small cough as she removed her hands from my back. I stretched my arms over my head, wondering how to make it up to her. I had to give her credit the massage did as was intended and my muscles had loosened. A mate that could do paperwork ad give a killer back massage was not what I had been expecting but I was highly impressed regardless.

"I'll go fetch Ainsley for you." I stood up and then looked down at my mate. Her face was bright red and she had her arms crossed over her chest. I crouched down in front of her. "No one will judge you." If anyone did they would answer to me.

"It's embarrassing that everyone can smell it." She was gritting her teeth as she avoided looking at me, her face a rather bright red with embarrassment. I could understand aversion to it considering her sense of smell was more than likely dulled due to her absent wolf. I enjoyed the fact that I could smell her desire for me. It made a rather large surge of smug pride fill me that I could make her body react to me, to desire me like it was.

"It's natural. Everyone will be able to smell it on me too." I ran a hand through my hair and her face simply turned more red and her eyes went wide.

"Oh goddess! They can smell me on you?" She buried her face into her hands and I let out a surprised laugh at her train of thought. The thought of having her scent on me was more than appealing but i knew better than to make such a suggestion, especially when she was already feeling horrified and humiliated.

"No, lubirea mea. Look at me please." I gave her a small smile as she peeked out from between her fingers. "They can smell my desire for you." I had no idea what it might smell like but I had no doubts that they would be able to scent it on me. "You should take pride in the thought that you can elicit such a feeling from me. I know I take pride in the scent you now have." I smirked at her and she scowled at me darkly before punching my shoulder in anger. I leaned with the contact, negating the force of the blow.

"Don't be gross!" She spat the words out and glowered at me, a flush of anger mixing with her embarrassment.

"So arousal between mates is gross?" I raised an eyebrow in question and more of the embarrassment disappeared to agitation and anger.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Dickhead!" She turned her nose up and the nickname made my mouth twitch but I forced it down. I wanted to be successful in distracting her from her embarrassment.

"Well from how you said it-"

"Just go get me Ainsley. I don't want to look at your perfectly proportioned face." She moved her palm in front of my face as if she were trying to erase my features and I bit back a chuckle as she huffed

"You think my face is perfect?" I pressed a hand to my chest in mock elation and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Yes. Perfect to the point where I get this urge to ruin something on it so you won't be so attractive." The look she gave me nearly made me shudder. I didn't think she would get physically violent with me but that look made me question that. However I had succeeded in distracting her and I felt satisfied with myself as I stood up.

"I'll go get Ainsley." I turned around and moved in the direction of where Michael had carted Ainsley off too.

"Good choice." She called it out loudly and I let the smile out. She was an interesting creature and it was no wonder I had fallen in love with her. My muscles moved almost fluidly and I rolled my shoulders, stretching out the muscles she didn't get. I liked that she had compromised with me. I wanted to touch her, my entire body ached to do just that but she had compromised in touching me instead. If she needed the control then she would be allowed to have the control if it made her trust me.

I looked around and spotted Michael trying to get Ainsley to hold a proper fist. He was wearing a towel around his waist and Ainsley's face was almost redder than her hair. "No. You break fingers." Michael looked frustrated and he stood up to his full height and Ainsley shrunk away from him, her eyes darting around as if trying to look everywhere but his bare chest and his towel clad hips. "Mouse. You little mouse." He sounded actually agitated and I was surprised it took a lot to get Michael agitated.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was meek and Michael let out a groan.

"No fault! Again." He held out a palm and gestured to Ainsley. She threw a punch and Michael slapped it away before grabbing her hand. "No! Break thumb." He adjusted her fist himself, his large fingers looked nearly comical in compared to her tiny hands. Ainsley was staring at him with wide eyes, her gaze on his chest. Her face looked so flushed I wondered if she felt like it was on fire.

"She can't focus with you half naked." I crossed my arm over my chest and Michael let out another groan before he let her hand go as if giving up.

"She shifter." He gestured to her almost accusingly and I levelled him with a dark look as Ainsley flinched at the sudden gesture. I didn't like that he caused the reaction. I knew how sensitive abuse victims were.

"She has been isolated and abused. She's not used to nudity." I said it slowly and he slowly reached out to her before ruffling her hair almost affectionately.

"Can't throw punch. I protect you. Promise." He thumped his chest, a gesture that Kiel did as well before he shifted. The towel fell to the ground and I turned my gaze to Ainsley.

"Hey, you okay?" I ignored Michael's rather affronted bark at the question and waved him off.

"I'm okay, Alpha Sterling." Her voice was shaking and I shook my head slowly. She was a mouse as Michael had said.

I gestured her forward. "Your companion wishes for your company." I gestured back in the direction of the blanket and she nodded quickly. I could see her apparent need to be around Shey. I was fairly certain that she viewed Shey as her protector, despite her blunt words that sometimes insulted without meaning to.

"Okay, Alpha Sterling." She started walking and I resisted the urge to tell her not to cal me Alpha but she didn't know about the game. I didn't want it ruined because playing it was much more fun than not. It gave us an excuse to bond in a strange way and I didn't want to lose that.

"Alpha, are you going to stand there mooning over your mate or are you going to spar?" Benji's voice boomed out and I felt a grin spread across my face.

"Benji, keep your big mouth shut!" Shey's voice boomed almost like Benji's did and I turned as the older shifter grinned at me.

"Sparring it is!"