Bear Moon

Growing up at Bear Moon

Kayla's POV

Growing up as the only female bear in 100 years or more was odd. People would come to just look at me. It was weird. The good thing about it all was I was at Bear Moon. The safest place for someone like me to be. People would try to take me. The warriors and Mato would always stop them. I was held so protectively by them that things never escalated to the level of me getting taken. Then Amber appeared, with the infamous Cacodemon present at our pack no one dared try unless they had been spelled. Cacodemon would slaughter anyone he saw fit and they knew it.

Bear Moon became so protected that no one even with eyes on a female bear would want to mess with the pack. I had more freedom inside the pack with Amber and Cacodemon present. I was allowed to train, I was allowed to go to town (granted I still had a guard) and I was able to hang out at the packhouse more. I liked the packhouse, it had awesome food all the time and it was always busy with gossip and fun. Momma Dee would take me under her wing and have me help her with small errands and the like. But, the best part of the packhouse was Mato. I had always had a childhood crush on him since the time he carried me back to the house the day I fell out of the tree next to the training grounds.

(Flashback begins)

I shimmied up the tree near the training ground to watch the fighters spar. I wanted to learn to fight so bad that was why I was in the tree. I stood in awe as Mato our Alpha took on anyone who wanted to spar him. His massive frame and long dark brown hair sticky against his tanned skin. I had always thought he was handsome, but seeing him fight shirtless and aggressively was pure excitement to my young eyes. He was like that unattainable God.

"I wanna fight you!" It was Leo another young werebear that was here to train.

"Come on cub," Mato snickered, wiggling his finger at Leo.

"Ahhhh," Leo yelled as he charged straight at Mato. They slammed into the base of the tree I was in so hard that it shook violently. I screamed as I was launched straight off my safe spot into the air as the ground came hard and fast at me. I squeezed my eyes closed knowing what was about to happen was gonna hurt like hell.

Instead of landing on the hard ground possibly breaking something. I landed with a smack, hearing a grunt. My eyes flew open, to see I had been caught by Mato himself.

"Are you hurt?" Mato asked worriedly looking me over from head to toe.

"No," I breathed in awe of him. My knight in shining armor.

"Well let's take you to Momma Dee and make sure." He rose to his feet. I felt his muscles ripple with effort while he stood. Even at five years old that kind of power does not go unnoticed. "Continue to train I will be back. Leo, we are not finished." He growled, glancing at the other man in question. He headed toward the packhouse with a worried expression on his face as he glanced down at me.

(Flashback ends)

It was that day, I can say with absolute certainty that my crush began to form for the Alpha of Bear Moon. I took every opportunity to make sure I could see him. When my father finally allowed me to start the training was the day Mato had heard us, well mostly me being told I don't get to.

(FlashBack begins)

"You will not be training yet!" Roared my father as his eyes flickered between his bear and him.

"Daddy!" I started to whine. "I am 15! Others started training at 8!" I stomped my foot and gave him my best defiant teenage glare.

"What is going on here?" Came Mato's calm voice.

Both my father and I's attention snapped to his voice. Finding him with a raised eyebrow, looking at us both.

"Daddy won't let me train," I stuck my lip out to let it quiver. I knew Mato had the ultimate say in things as he was our Alpha. I know my father had tried to take over at one point. He had some Alpha Blood but Mato had won and made him his Beta of a sort.

"Why don't you want her to train?" Mato gave my dad a curious look.

"I don't want her injured." My dad crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"I train them, do you not trust me to watch out for her?" Mato seemed offended. "I have ignored the fact she never came to training at 8 but if she wants to train you should not stop her. She is the only female werebear around. She should be trained." There was a deeply irritated look on Mato's face directed at my father.

"To be fair Alpha," I started slowly. "I have only recently felt the urge to get to train again since the tree incident when I was little." I left his sturdy brown gaze to look at the ground and lightly kick the rocks present there.

There was a long awkward silence. Everyone was seeing what Mato would say. "I understand, come to training starting tomorrow." He grunted with an odd brooding look as he turned on his heel and walked away.

My tongue shot out of my mouth toward my, before I slapped a hand over my mouth and ran into the forest. I couldn't believe I had to stick my tongue out at my father! I needed time to come up with why I had done that.

(Flashback ends)

I couldn't for the life of me come up with why I had to stick my tongue out at my dad other than winning with Mato's words. I started training the next day. I found I was damn good at picking up fight techniques. I was also pretty damn fast. Mato seemed to keep their eyes on me while we trained. He even would stop sparring sessions when things looked like I might get hurt. Either way watching him shirtless for a few hours a day was amazing!