Page 18 of Alpha's Rejected Warrior
“I prefer ‘optimistic.’” I wink, but I still can’t help wondering what it would be like to get under Rhiannon’s skin in a completely different way.
“Did you miss the part about her being able to kill you? I’m not going through all this trouble to keep you alive just for you to get yourself killed by flirting with our Commander.”
“I always try my best not to get killed.”
We laugh again, but in the back of my mind, I’m curious now. Thea’s obviously hiding something about Rhiannon, but I’m not going to push it. Whatever Rhiannon’s story is, it’s not Thea’s to tell.
Today is my first day of training with the Alpha’s Guard. While we wait for the Alpha King to decide if I can stay in Kortan to serve as a lie detector at Xander’s summit, Thea has arranged for me to become her personal assistant. Part of my new role means being able to protect her if needed.
Not that I don’t know how. I mean, I’m over six feet tall, and despite being injured in my prime, I’m almost as fit as I was when I played college football. I’m only human, but not a puny human.
I get myself washed and dressed, putting on clothes that someone laid out for me. I don’t know who. They were just here when I got out of the bathroom. Leather pants and a tunic, plus a leather vest and a belt with about a million places to store weapons. Glancing at the mirror, I look pretty good.
Akila shows up shortly afterward to escort me to the training yard. Thea told me that Akila was the giant wolf that tackled me during my escape attempt, and I still can’t quite believe it. She looks completely non-threatening right now with her light brown braids and petite figure.
She stands outside my door and asks, “Are you ready, Ethan?”
“I guess,” I say.
We walk along the trail leading to the training yard, mostly in silence. Finally, I break the ice. “So, you can just . . . change into a wolf? Like, at will?”
She gives me a look that says,Are you serious?“Yes. We all can.”
“Hm. And it doesn’t have to be a full moon or anything?”
Akila scrunches her nose. “What?”
“That’s kind of a thing where I come from. Like, in the movies, werewolves mostly change during the full moon, and they’re weak against silver bullets.”
Her brow knits as she looks at me with confusion. I guess every part of that sentence probably sounds like I’ve just started speaking Japanese out of the blue. “Never mind,” I say. “I guess I’m just a little nervous about being ripped apart out there.”
She nods. “That’s fair. You’ve got nothing to worry about, though. We’ve been given strict instructions to treat you like a one-legged whelp. Luna Thea would not be pleased if you were harmed.”
Her statement stings a little, but I accept it. I am a human in their world, after all.
The training area is little more than a gated circle of dirt on the far side of the fortress. When we walk up, a large number of guards are already wrestling. Some are in human form, grappling with the largest beasts I’ve ever seen, while others are practically cartoon dust clouds of monstrous hairballs tearing into one another.
Standing on the side with her back to us is Rhiannon. She’s wearing a tight pair of black pants with her hair up in a bun. In the sunlight, it doesn’t look so brown anymore. It looks more auburn, streaked with shades of red.
“Commander,” Akila calls out, and Rhiannon looks over her shoulder. As soon as she sees me, I swear she gives a quick smile before turning back toward the wolves in the field.
“That’s enough!” she shouts, and everything stops. Each wolf ceases their attack on a dime and faces her.Shit. Nowthat’spower.
She turns to us again and says, “Welcome. Hope you’re ready.”
I look over her shoulder at the half-wolf, half-human-esque lineup. A few of them have changed back to human form and are now completely naked under the morning sun. “Yeah, I don’t think ‘ready’ is the right word for what I am right now.”
She cocks her head. “If this is too much for you, I can let my Alpha know you’d rather stay indoors and let your body get even softer than it is now.”
“Wow, you’re really determined to underestimate me, aren’t you?” I cross my arms and put on my best face. “I’m not a chubby couch potato, you know. I was almost a professional football player. People actually consider me pretty damn athletic.” Though I suddenly feel a lot less impressive surrounded by all this Lycan muscle. “At least, they do in the human world.”
“Good.” She smirks. “Glad to hear that you’re the best the Outer Lands has to offer.”
Rhiannon turns and calls out to one of the wolves, a guy named Jayme. He immediately bounds toward us, changing to his human form on the way. He’s a muscular man, at least as tall as I am with dark brown hair and striking pale-green eyes. He has the beginnings of a beard around his jaw and a significant amount of hair on his chest. And, like every other wolf here, he’s as naked as a jaybird. I concentrate on keeping my eyes above his chest.
“Yes, Commander,” he says to Rhiannon.
“I want you with Ethan for the next round,” she says. “Try not to hurt him too much.”
