Chapter 17 - Determined
I woke early the next morning. My wolf was excited. She couldn't wait to see our mate again, but little did she know, I planned on avoiding him as best as possible. I didn't want to talk to him. I wasn't ready for a relationship. I wasn't ready for him, for anything like that.
I pulled on my workout clothes and for some reason sensed that I would be running alone. But I didn't mind. I wanted to run by myself. I wanted to be alone and I didn't like the idea of my mate possibly showing up.
I left the house, slipping past Ezra and Jenny who were tangled up in each other in the middle of the kitchen. I often walked in on them kissing, and it never usually bothered me. But on this particular morning, it made me feel sick to my stomach
I thought about my mate. Liam. I thought about how we might be like that one day. It made me happy and sad at the same time.
I started on my run, keeping a slow jog at first. The air was bitterly cold and I almost decided to go back to the cabin and sit in front of the fireplace instead. But I didn't. I ran anyway.
I made my way up the rocky hills and then back down again where I took a right instead of a left. I tried to stretch out this run as much as I could.
I thought about everything and anything to do with my mate on my run.
Was he going to be a nice wolf? The day before, he seemed so angry. He didn't seem hurt as such, but he was pissed. He scared me with his angry heat and humming blood. Was he like that all the time?
I didn't like the idea that I would have to basically give up everything for this male. I didn't even know him. I knew his name and that he belonged to Takiani. That was it. I didn't know anything about him.
It was unfair that I had to give myself to him.
When I made it back from my run, I met with Alfie. He looked over me quizzically before he chuckled and shook his head. I assumed that everyone knew who my mate was. I hated it.
"The river is getting to cold to swim in. It'll be freezing over soon enough and I don't feel like being the reason that you and Lila get hypothermia,” Alfie told me as we walked. I assumed that we would be moving straight into sparring, but then Alfie lead me past the rings. He pulled out a chair, opened a can of beer and sat on a chair.
He motioned towards the giant pile of bricks and wood that was in front of us. I frowned at him.
"I want these moved... there. Right there," he told me, pausing to point at a spot on the dirt. I rolled my eyes at him. We was seriously going to make me move this stuff for him?
Couldn't he just ask some omegas to do it?
"You're kidding me,” I said. Alfie shook his head at me and drank from his beer. He motioned for me to get moving and I sighed.
I moved all the bricks and pieces of wood to the location that Alfie wanted them. It hurt my back and my arms badly. It made them ache and I wanted desperately to quit. But I knew that I had to push through and get the job done.
The quicker that I finished it, the quicker I could get to sparring with Kade. I could finally get the opportunity to take some of my feelings out on him by kicking his ass. Again.
After moving all the wood and bricks, I turned to Alfie. He looked like he was about to fall asleep. If he was so bored, why wouldn't he just do it himself? Or make me do something less boring?
I felt like I was going to die of literal boredom
"Took you long enough. And you didn't even put them in the right spot. I wanted them two inches to the left! But whatever, you can fix it another time," Alfie said, smirking. I growled, annoyed with him. I wasn't in the mood for games.
He was doing it purposely; to piss me off. He liked messing with me.
"Can I spar with Kade now?" I asked him. Alfie laughed and shook his head at me. I sighed in defeat and wanted to disappear into a deep hole.
"No. We have one more thing to do first," Alfie said as he began to walk. I groaned and then followed him anyway. I didn't feel like arguing but I certainly wasn't going to be moving anymore stupid bricks and wood.
We walked for a little until we came to a large boulder with a thick rope wrapped around it. The boulder was probably two times the size of me and was more than likely heavier than I could imagine.
Alfie climbed on top of the boulder and then motioned towards the long rope that was on the ground. He sipped on his beer some more.
"Get pulling. I'm bored," Alfie said bluntly. I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he insane?
I had no chance in being able to pull the damn thing. It looked so heavy. I wouldn't be able to do it. He just wanted to embarrass me.
"I'm not pulling this! It'll be too heavy, especially with your fat ass on top of it,” I hissed at him rudely. Alfie smirked and then rolled his eyes as his smile faded. I wanted to punch him, hard. "What was that? Stop complaining like a bitch and get pulling before I come over there and put a beating on your ass," Alfie retorted. I knew he was purposely trying to get me angry and I huffed. He was going to get a piece of my mind if he kept talking to me like that.
"I'd rather the beating,” I muttered out.
I grabbed the end of the rope from the ground and looked behind me. There was a white line marked into the dirt where I assumed I would be pulling to. It wasn't far, but with a boulder this size, it would be hard.
"You never seen a rope before? Pull!" Alfie scolded me. I snapped my teeth at him and he only smirked. I gripped the rope tightly and then began to pull.
The boulder didn't budge at first. Alfie just laughed and sipped from his beer. I growled lowly and then tugged again. The boulder moved this time.
I kept going. I pulled and pulled with all my strength. The boulder dragged along the dirt. It broke through the roots in the ground. I heard the snapping noises of the nature breaking and I tugged some more.
Alfie finally hoped off the boulder and I looked behind me. I was well past the white line now. I had pulled past it.
My beast was proud. She knew that we were capable of doing more than we thought we could. "Nice going, kiddo. Let's get going. Kade is waiting. He says he's going to lay a hard beating on your ass today," Alfie said as he walked past me. I grinned and followed after him. We got to the ring were Kade and Brayleigh were talking.
"Hey! I'm so glad that you get to stay now!" Brayleigh exclaimed as she came forwards and wrapped her arms around me. I gulped and nodded slowly. I didn't want to talk or think about my mate. "Yeah..." I trailed off. Alfie told Brayleigh that Kade and I were about to spar. Her eyes lit up and she nodded. She stepped out the ring and stood next to Alfie.
"You ready to have your ass handed to you?" Kade said cockily. I rolled my eyes at him and stepped into the ring. I was ready.
"As usual, no shifting until I say so," Alfie said from the sidelines. Kade and I nodded as we began to stalk around each other in the circle.
Kade punched first. I dodged him and blocked his blow. He punched again. This time, he landed his punch on my ribs. I winced, and jumped back before he could hit me again.
I swung at him. I punched him in the cheek and he retaliated quick. He nailed me hard in the sternum and then again in the chin. I felt my jaw shift uncomfortably and gritted my teeth through the pain.
"Kick his ass!" Brayleigh giggled to me through our link. I rolled my eyes at her comment as I turned my body side on. I slammed into Kade, elbowing him in the stomach and then hard in the mouth. He stumbled back.
I moved fast towards him. I knocked him to the floor, and he took me down with him, grabbing onto my wrist and pulling me down. I winced as I hit the ground with a thud, but I reacted quickly. Kade was quicker. He rolled on top of me and punched me hard in the jaw.
I tasted the blood and I thrived off it. My wolf growled. She wanted to make this male bleed for making us bleed. It was only fair.
I pulled up my bloody and threw him over my head. He landed face first in the dirt. I heard Brayleigh and Alfie chuckling from the sidelines. Kade growled. He was pissed now. He had just been embarrassed in front of his mate.
Sucker.
I got up quickly. Kade did too. He wiped the dirt from his shirt with a careless brush. I growled at him and he growled back.
My hair stuck up on the back of my neck and I ignored it. I didn't know what it was but I didn't have time to pay attention to it.
Kade came at me. He punched at me and I dodged, but not fast enough. He nailed me in the shoulder. I took a step back and felt my shoulder and arm begin to ache. I swung back, punching Kade hard in the throat. He gasped, holding a hand to his neck as he gasped for air.
I heard Alfie laugh. "Shift!"
Kade pushed through his breathlessness and shifted. He swiped at me and I jumped back to avoid his claws. I jumped forwards, shifting mid air. I landed on Kade and scratched hard at his back.
I heard a growl from outside the ring as Kade threw me off. I landed hard on my side but got back up. I swiped at Kade, my claw making contact with his face. He yelped and slammed into me. We both fell to the ground, and I snapped my teeth at him. My mouth caught part of his belly and I pulled hard.
I tore away a chunk of him and tossed it to the side. I heard chuckles and a purr. I didn't pay attention as Kade smashed into me again. He swiped at my back, clawed at my leg. Feeling his claws tear through my flesh hurt, but it made me more determined to beat him.
The ground vibrated as I heard a growl. Kade glanced away from me but then looked back to me again. I slammed into his side, scrambling to get to his neck. I clawed at his shoulder and my teeth found his neck.
Ha! Gotcha!
I clamped down until Kade sighed and thrust his neck towards me. I released him from my grip and stepped away. He got up quickly and shook out his fur.
Kade shifted back and I turned my head as Brayleigh bounded onto the ring and handed him a pair of shorts. He thanked her and slipped them on.
I felt something on my back and I turned my head. It was Lila, she was putting a blanket over my back. I shifted back and hugged the blanket around me, shuddering in the cold.
"Nice going today, kids. Kade, stop complaining or I'll be the one beating your ass," Alfie said, turning to his son. Kade was complaining to Brayleigh, who kissed his hand and rolled her eyes.
"I liked the part where you throat punched him. That was funny," Brayeleigh giggled. Kade grunted and I grinned
"Trust me, I liked that part too," I said as I looked at Kade's body. I had torn him up pretty badly and I was proud of it. But of course, he didn't let me get away without a few scratches too.
Lila nudged me slightly. I looked at her and her eyes looked behind me. I turned my head slightly, barely catching a glimpse of the males who were standing outside the ring. There were three of them. My mate and two others. They all smelt strangely like Lila.
I frowned to myself. Holy shit. They were her brothers. And I was Liam's mate!
That made Lila and I sisters.
My wolf yipped at the realisation. I was happy that I could call her a sister, but I didn't feel better about any of this. Liam was still my mate. A mate that I wasn't ready for.
"I'm going to go shower and... change clothes," I said quickly. I turned and I walked away. I heard a loud sigh and then a low growl.
"She's a funny one. I like her," I heard someone say before I disappeared into the cabin.