Not-So-Fated Mates

Chapter 20: Training

Drake POV

The instant Layla’s words had faltered and that look had twisted her face, Drake knew without a doubt who had just walked into the training grounds. Turning slowly, he watched that overconfident little prick walking over to them. Then he stopped, mid-stride, and put his nose into the air before slowly bringing his head back down. Only now, his face was twisted with a great rage. He began to move toward Drake and Layla, his body radiating his anger until it felt like it was choking the air itself. He stopped a few feet away and opened his mouth, when a look of realization crossed his face. He turned his head to take in the fact that the pack was watching them, swung his head back to give Drake a murderous glare as Drake smirked arrogantly at him, then stomped off into the crowd, evidently seeking out an open mat.

As Drake turned back to Layla, he saw her looking in Zach’s direction, her face a mixture of confusion and anger at his intrusion. Knowing what question her eyes were asking, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “He caught your scent.” When she looked even more confused, he quietly explained how her scent was intertwined with his because of their night of fun, and how that would last a couple of days even if they didn’t have s*x again in that time. He grinned as he watched her cheeks heat at his words, the tips of her ears glowing pink. Oh, she was so easy to mess with…and he would never tire of it.

After gathering herself for a moment, she finally turned back to the pack and cleared her throat, giving them the run-down of the training session. Apparently, it was going to be a rather easy-going day for them, with her leading them through their Tai Chi exercises, then moving to sparring, and from their practicing their partial transformation and meditation. This should be interesting, Drake thought to himself. He’d never done Tai Chi and had always snubbed the idea of meditation, but something was clearly working for her to have had such success within her pack.

He watched how she worked with them, guiding them through the motions, occasionally leaving her place to go assist a pack member having issues. Somehow, she managed to be gentle and kind while still being strict and taking no s**t. He marveled at how well she toed the line between those, as he’d never met anyone who could do it so well. Part of the reason not a lot of females made it to the position of commander was that, as natural nurturers, they tended to be too lenient to do well leading a bunch of warriors, though those that worked hard at being warriors also tended to the opposite extreme out of a need to prove themselves to the males they worked with. Of course, it didn’t help that females normally had to work harder to be able to keep up with the males, considering that males, biologically speaking, had a leg up in gaining strength and fighting in general. He wasn’t sexist, though, and he really appreciated females that had a strong enough will to do everything they could to transcend that biological difference.

This particular female certainly had an iron will. She’d worked hard enough to beat out all the males in this pack, and still maintained a good balance between being her sweet self and being the hardass her fellow warriors and pack members needed her to be to help keep everyone safe. If he was being honest, he wouldn’t mind fighting side by side with her, and he actually wondered if she could take him in a fight.

“All right, everyone, partner up. We’re moving on to sparring.” Layla’s words jarred Drake out of his thoughts, and he realized he’d been spacing out a bit. Not that it was a problem, technically he was only here to see how she taught partial transformation, and he didn’t think it was Tai Chi that did the trick. He could be wrong, but he just couldn’t see how it would matter, though he knew it had plenty of physical and possibly even mental benefits.

Looking around, he watched as the pack began to pair off. When their movement stopped, he saw there was one person left out of the fun, and he honestly couldn’t blame anyone for not being willing to pair with Zach. Putting aside his douchebag demeanor, he was of alpha blood, and heir to the title as well. No lower pack member wanted to spar with anyone of alpha blood, let alone the one that would one day take over their pack. It was one of the reasons that the higher echelons of the packs, from the alpha to the delta, had their own training sessions, not to mention how busy and irregular their schedules could be as they worked to care for the pack.

Layla had spotted Zach’s lonely figure as well, and, with a groan, she turned to Drake. “I hate to ask, but could you spar with Zach?”

Drake grinned, an evil glint in his eyes. “Sure. Maybe I can teach the pup some respect while I’m at it.”

“I’m not asking for miracles,” she laughed. “Just try not to kill him. Though I won’t be sad if you did, I’m sure Alpha Richard would have a problem with it.”

“Oh, fine,” he said with a mock sigh. “I’ll keep the little bastard alive. But only ‘cause you asked me not to,” he added with a wink.

She shook her head at him, smiling, before turning to gesture for Zach to come over.