160 Better days ahead.
Lyla
I let out the breath I held as soon as I put enough distance between me and Ramscy.
Leaning against the wall outside the pack house, I took deep, restorative breaths to calm my racing heart.
Nymeris stirred within me, growling with approval. “Well done, Lyla. I thought you were going to crack under that steely gaze.”
“The exact words I need,” I hissed, pushing down to the base of the wall, letting the tension drain from my body. My heart was still pounding, and my palms felt clammy. “All of this happened because of you. If you hadn’t gone to Ramsey, acting like…” I trailed off, unable to finish the
words.
“A bitch? A slut?” Nymeris finished, “Is that the new name you want to call yourself?”
I groaned, pushing myself to my feet. “That was close, Nymeris. It’s okay if I’m freaking out.” I muttered under my breath.
“Just tell him it was you, Lyla. What’s the worst that can happen that hasn’t happened before? You heard what he said to the High priestess. He’s looking for you; he didn’t sound like he will harm you when he sees you. He’s our mate, Lyla… how many times do I have to say this.”
I scoffed. “You don’t know Ramsey like I do, Nymeris. You just met him.”
“And you’ve known him since forever?” she retorted. “Lyla… you have this bad habit of picking through someone’s words and hearing whatever suits your mood, and then you self–sabotage and act like the victim. Ramsey is a nice person, better than your Nathan.”
I opened my mouth several times, too shocked to make a sentence. “Ramsey is nicer than
Nathan?”
“Yes!” she replied. “Nathan bears grudges and looks like the kind of person that would remind you every day of your life, while Ramsey is only cold on the exterior. He’s a sweet man.”
“Oh, please!” I hissed. “You don’t have to say nice words about him to get in bed with him. Mate or not, I’m not ready to trust him, Nymeris. I’m speaking from experience and another reminder: Nathan is the person in our life now. He’s my boyfriend. So, please don’t confuse it and forget yourself. Ramsey has a fiancée already. She’s practically his mate and wife.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Lyla. The only instructions I would take from you are regarding changing my form or not. Otherwise, you’re always mistaken. Wrong about your emotions, intuitions and sometimes, I wonder if you’re even the Moonsinger. You have bad taste in everything, including men.”
Getting roasted by my wolf wasn’t what I’d envisioned. It was far from it. For some reason, Nymeris wasn’t scared to tell me exactly how she felt. She practically has no filter.
11:05
100 Better day
I didn’t wait for her to finish. I disconnected from her immediately, breathing in the mid–morning breeze to calm the angry tremors teasing at the edge of my mind. I also pushed the lingering sensation of Ramsey’s presence out of my mind.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the training ground.
The whole place buzzed with activity. Warriors sparred in pairs while others practised forms. under the watchful eyes of the training instructor. I hovered at the edge of the ground, my eyes following each trainee.
Despite still feeling sore from today’s fighting and barely resting afterwards, I felt a strange itch -a restless need to do something physical. However, I had arrived late, and no one was admitted. to the training ground after the morning drills.
Resigning to my fate. I leaned against the dwarf fence and continued watching them, trying to store their tactics in my head. I was so engrossed in it that I didn’t notice someone talking to me until a shadow fell before me, blocking out the morning sun. When I looked up, it was the training instructor.
He was a burly Gamma with greying hair and a gravelly voice. “Moonsinger?” He looked surprised and awkward at the same time.
I cringed at the word ‘Moonsinger‘ but maintained a polite smile.
“Just Lyla would do, Gamma Theo,” I said quietly, straightening my spine and giving him my hands
to shake
“Oh!” he nodded, cleaning his palms on his trainers before shaking my hand lightly. “It’s just that I don’t know what title to give you yet. Anyways, I’m surprised to see you here. I was told you went into a semi–coma up until yesterday, but you don’t look like you were sick.
“Tell me about it,” I chuckled. “I think it’s the genetics. I always look this good whenever I recover from any illness.
He didn’t believe me. I could see it in his eyes, but he simply nodded. “That’s a relief, then. Are you feeling better now?”
“Better than I have in the 23 years of my
life.
“Good!” he sighed with relief. “I was so worried we’d pushed too hard on you last time. Alpha Ramsey threatened to punish us…”
“Ramsey I mean, Alpha Ramsey threatened you? Why?”
“He said I let you spar with someone with more advanced skills than you.”
“As if I didn’t spar
with him first… I scoffed under my breath. “I’m so sorry about that,” I said. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault. I wasn’t feeling great that day, but I am now, completely fine.” I hesitated, then added. “I know I’m late for today’s training, and it’s almost done, but… could I join?”
“What?” his eyes widened with shock. “I’m sorry, but I cannot allow that. You just recovered. 1
11:56
Better days ah
“What?” his eyes widened with shock. “I’m sorry, but I cannot allow that. You just recovered. I don’t want to be the one who has to explain to that young priestess why you’re passed out on my field again. She almost fought with me”
I swallowed the laughter that bubbled to my throat at the picture of Nanny trying to fight this giant standing in front of me.
“I promise.” I said solemnly. “The moment I feel any discomfort, I’ll step back. Please…”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry… I can’t…”
I pouted my lips, trying to make a cute face at him–human girls do this a lot,, and it always
works
“Please!” I drawled with an unnatural high–pitched tone. “I promise to be careful. Just for a few minute. I need to exercise my body a bit. It feels stiff from lying in one position for a long time.
He stared at me for a few seconds before he nodded with a grunt. “I’m only doing this because you’re the nicest woman I’ve ever seen. But only light drills. If I see you wavering, you’re out.”
“Thank you!”
I raised my hands, indicating for him to pick me – Gamma Lycans was practically giant physically. Most of them grow as tall as 67 or more. He picked me up like I weighed nothing and brought
me to the other side of the dwarf fence.
I quickly ran to the small stall with their training safety kits,, and a moment later, I was ready.
“Watch carefully
Gamma Theo began by demonstrating intermediate defensive moves since I already knew a lot of basic defensive moves. I watched him, taking note of all his movements.
“Keep your stance firm but flexible,” he instructed, correcting my posture by nudging my with his boot. “Good. Now, step and strike.”
knee
I executed all the defence moves with a fluidity, which surprised me. It was as if my body was the one that remembered all the techniques and not my brain, and all my strikes were perfect.
After a few more rounds of practice with him, he paired me with a sparring partner–a broad–shouldered warrior with years of experience training with newbies, according to the
Gamma.
The warrior came toward me, a friendly smile on his face.
“Don’t hold back, he teased.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, I replied, my grin matching his.
The sparring began, and the moment the warrior made his first move, I reacted instinctively, sidestepping effortlessly and countered with a punch of my own, my knuckles grazing his shoulder with enough force to make him stagger back a step.
The other warriors training paused in their drills to watch; their eyes had gone round with
30
160 Better days ahead.
+53
The other warriors training paused in their drills to watch; their eyes had gone round with disbelief as I moved with speed and a precision that only long–time warriors could. My footwork was flawless; my strikes were powerful yet controlled. Every move I made was calculated as though I’d been training for years.
When the match ended with the warrior on the ground, panting and grinning up at me, Gamma Theo approached; he looked stunned.
“How did you…” he began, then caught himself. “Where did that come from? Where did you learn to move like that? Why didn’t you show these the other day?” he asked, half–accusatory, half–impressed.
I shrugged, wiping sweat from my brow, but I was trying to come up with a quick explanation. My moves, too, had surprised me.
“I used to train back at my pack. Twice a day with the Alpha. I guess it stuck, and last time, I was sick.”
Gamma Theo nodded slowly, though his expression suggested he wasn’t entirely convinced. “Well, this is so impressive. Keep it up.”
When the training session ended, I walked back to the pack house feeling invigorated, alive in a way I hadn’t felt before. My muscles that should have been sore felt strong, and if anything, it was as if the training had given me several bouts of energy, and my mind was clearer than it had been in days.
Thinking about everything that had changed in less than 24 hours, I knew better days were ahead.
