The Big Bad Wolf Mate

The next few days were spent the same way. I would wake up, look around for the stranger, he would ask me more questions that I couldn't respond to, then I would go back to sleep.

My entire body was hurting but I welcomed the pain because it meant that I was still alive, not that I wanted to be. Anderson had banished me from my pack, Bishop was about to reject me and I was in the middle of nowhere with a man I didn't know. He showed no signs of a threat but he had a strong aura around him.

He opened the door to the room and stood in the doorway then said "You've been here for five days and all you've done is lay there like a log. I don't know what happened to you but either you can get up and do something about it or you get out of my cabin and go die somewhere else."

His words stunned me and I slowly sat up, almost falling over due to the weakness of not eating since I don’t know when. He walked over to me with a steaming cup of what smelled like soup and handed it to me. I grabbed it with my shaky hands and brought it to my lips, letting the warm liquid bring me back to life. It slid down my throat causing a stinging sensation from the dryness that had set in.

"Can you tell me your name?"

I tried to speak but again nothing came out and he just nodded his head.

"Like I said a few days ago, my name is Bronson. I used to be the lead warrior of the Grey Moon pack here in Kentucky."

My eyebrows shot up when he said Kentucky and I couldn't believe I had run so far away that I ended up in whole different state. He watched me intently as I tried to remember how I got here but my mind just went back to Bishop and his last words.

I started to cry again and he handed me a tissue before saying "I take it you're not from here?"

I shook my head as I wiped my eyes with the soft paper and tried to erase the memory from my brain but it was etched in there forever, destined to be a reminder of how horrible of a person I truly was. He was right, I lied, I said I would never betray him and I did. I didn't mean to but I did.

"Were you hurt?"

I looked at him and cocked my head at his question.

"Did you run away because someone hurt you?" He asked again with concern in his eyes.

I shook my head again and opened my mouth hoping that something would come out. "N-not physically." I squeaked out barely above a whisper.

He smiled slightly and said "So you can talk? Why don't you finish that soup then if you feel better you can take a shower. There are towels in that cabinet and you have a bathroom right through that door."

He got up and walked into the other room, pulling the door shut behind him.

I slowly sipped the broth until it was gone and when I felt strong enough I stood and crept to the bathroom. I turned on the water, letting it heat up so that the steam filled the room then I undressed and stepped under the hot stream. I backed up to the wall and slid down it. Landing on the floor, I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them resting my head on top.

Tears pricked my eyes and mixed with the water falling to the floor. I hated feeling like this, defeated, small, fragile and I didn't know how to change it. I wanted to hate him but I couldn't. It wasn't his fault but it wasn't mine either, it was Anderson's and the more I thought about him the angrier I became. He was the reason Bishop hated me and he was going to pay for it.

After the last tear had fallen, I picked myself up, washed away the old me and got out of the shower a new person. I had a new determination to be my own self, to show everyone who ever doubted me that I could be the leader, Alpha or Luna, any pack needed and that was just what I was going to do. I dried off and dressed in the clothes Bronson gave me then walked out my room where I saw him sitting at the kitchen table.

"I want you to train me to fight for my Alpha position."

He looked at me with surprise as he choked on his coffee and coughed a few times when the liquid went down the wrong pipe. He cleared his throat then said "When did you want to start?"

"As soon as possible. I don't know how long I've been gone for but the man who tricked my father into thinking he was good has probably already taken over and is going to kill everyone, including my parents, if I don't challenge him soon."

"Very well, meet me outside in 1 hour." He said then went back to reading his paper.

I nodded my head and went back inside to make a plan. I was going to confront Anderson and demand he give me my pack back or challenge him for it. After an hour going over every scenario I could think of, I got up from the bed and went outside to see Bronson setting up a training course. It was nothing like I had ever seen before and I started to regret asking him but I figured he had to be descent if he was the lead warrior of his pack.

We went round for round, him knocking me down time after time until I finally tagged out. I was tired and bruised but he made me get up and try again. We trained for hours until the sun began to set, casting rich colors of pink, purple and blues along the horizon.

We did this every day for the next two weeks and the more drills I did and the more we spared, the stronger I became. Not only physically but emotionally. I was starting to forget the pain and began to embrace it, using it to my full potential, letting it fuel my need to be the Alpha that I was born to be. I would lead my pack to greatness or I would die trying to save them.

Bronson had become my mentor, helping me to channel my anger in a positive way. He challenged me to be better and he counseled me along the way. But my mind wasn't the only thing that was changing, my body was leaner, toner, and I had developed muscles I didn't even know I had. I was ready to prove myself to my family, friends and my mate, even though he never wanted to see me again.

After practice we returned to the house and I started getting antsy. Tomorrow I would be leaving for home and I was either going to be victorious in my endeavors or a martyr. Either way, I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Bronson seems like a great guy. She was lucky he took her in and made her get her ass up and do something instead of dying of a broken heart.

What does she have planned? She can't possibly think it will go over well when she returns home?

And where the hell is that pain in the ass of a mate of hers?