Chapter 31 Exploring the pack house 2

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Exploring the pack house 2

Talia’s POV

The leather was warm from the sun that came through the window.

I wrapped my fingers around it, and the weight felt good, solid, and real in my hand. I had never held a weapon before, but I had been a weapon, because Vivienne made sure of that.

I was sharp, hard, and ready to strike back, someday.

"Careful," a voice said.

I spun around and saw a man standing in the doorway. He was tall, with broad shoulders and dark hair. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were watching me.

"I did not mean to startle you," he said.

"You did not," I lied.

He smiled. It was a small smile, but it reached his eyes.

"I am Crew," he said. "Kaelen’s friend—not too close—and a warrior."

"Talia," I said.

"I know who you are." He walked into the room and leaned against the wall. "Everyone knows who you are."

I looked away. "I am aware."

"They stare because they do not know what to make of you. So give them time," he said.

"I do not have time. The trials are coming," I replied.

He nodded. "Then use the stares as fuel. Let them remind you why you need to succeed."

I looked at him. "Is that what you do?"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

I watched him leave, with his footsteps echoing down the hallway. He did not look back, and he did not slow down. He just walked away.

But his words stayed with me. ’Use the stares as fuel.’

"The training grounds are through that door and to the left," he said. "If you want to know where everything is, start there." His voice carried as he continued to walk away.

Then he was gone.

I stood in the armory for a moment, staring at the place where he had been. I thought about his name. ’Crew, Kaelen’s friend—not too close—and a warrior.’ He was different from the others. He did not whisper, and he did not stare. He just talked to me like I was a person.

I left the armory and followed his directions. Through the door, then left.

The training grounds stretched out before me, the same as before. Wolves sparred in pairs, weapons clashed, and bodies moved like water.

I stood at the edge and watched.

A woman noticed me, then nudged the man beside her and whispered something in his ear. He looked up, and his eyes met mine.

I looked away first.

I should leave. Maybe I should go back to my room and not give them more reasons to whisper.

But my feet would not move.

I watched them train, and I loved the way they moved, the way they fought, and the way they trusted each other to block and strike and block again.

I had never trained like that. In Cresswood, I had no one to train with, and I had no one to trust.

A part of me wished I could join them, and wished I could feel what it was like to have someone watch my back. But I was not one of them. I would never be one of them.

Not yet, or maybe not ever.

But I could watch, I could learn, and I could prepare. Especially for the Luna trials that were coming up so fast.

Every punch they threw, I watched. Every block, I memorized. And every step, I stored in my mind like a map. I did not have muscles, and I did not have training. But I had eyes, I had a brain, and I had fifteen years of learning how to survive when everyone wanted me to fall. That had to count for something.

"You are staring," a female voice said.

I turned, and saw a woman standing beside me. She was younger than me, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was not wearing training clothes. She was dressed like she had just come from somewhere important.

"I was watching," I said.

"Same thing." She tilted her head. "You are the Alpha’s mate."

"Yes," I answered.

"I am Mira." She did not bow, and she did not nod. She just looked at me. "You do not look like much."

My chest tightened. "So I have heard."

"The pack will eat you alive if you let them." She crossed her arms. "But you do not have to let them, you know. You can fight back."

"How?" I asked.

She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "Figure it out."

Then she walked away.

I stood there for a long time after she left, thinking about the words she said.

’The pack will eat you alive if you let them. But you do not have to let them. You can fight back.’

I did not know how to fight back, and I did not know how to be strong.

But I had survived fifteen years in Cresswood.

So I would survive this too.

I looked up at the open sky, and took a deep breath.

Evening was fast approaching, so I turned and walked back to my room.

The hallway was dark when I left the training grounds. Most of the torches had burned low, and the shadows were long.

I walked slowly, listening to my own footsteps. Left, right, left, and right. I pretended they were saying something like: Keep. Going. Keep. Going.

So I did, and I kept going.