Chapter 9 - Flora
On the first day of training, Flora woke up with nervous tension in her stomach.
Asking Camden to train the women of the pack had been a good idea that she didn’t regret for one second, but the idea of showing up without knowing what to expect was nearly paralyzing.
Her hands were cold as her body struggled against her fight or flight instinct.
She wondered how the rest of the men in the pack were going to respond to Camden’s plan.
Was she going to be in trouble with them for suggesting the plan?
Were she and Sofia going to need to run away or hide from their ire? The thought terrified her.
“What are we doing today, Mom?” her daughter asked.
“You’re coming with me to an activity with some of the other women in the pack,” Flora answered, deciding that it was best if Sofia stayed by her side. “Go and grab your notebook and some markers, okay? I don’t want you getting bored with our grown-up stuff.”
Sofia shrugged and ran off to pack a bag to bring with her while Flora finished getting dressed. When they were both ready, they headed out to the field that Camden had told her about.
It was a clear day, with hardly a cloud in the sky.
Sofia was skipping ahead of her as they walked, oblivious to the dark worries that plagued her mother.
Today could end up being a disaster. Maybe no one else would show up, and Flora would be the only person there.
When she had asked Camden to train her and the rest of the women, she hadn’t considered that the other women might not want to be trained—or be trained alongside a human.
But when they approached the grassy area set aside for training just outside of town, Flora realized her worries had been unfounded.
There were nearly a dozen women, ranging in age from twenty to sixty years old, waiting in a group.
She walked up to them, and they smiled at her, and for the first time in her life, she felt like there was no malice behind the gesture.
Moments later, Camden arrived.
“Good morning, Silverrose warriors,” he said, calling their attention to them.
“You may not feel like you are worthy of that name yet, but I know in your hearts you have what it takes to protect your pack, your families, and yourselves. By the time we leave here today, you are all going to feel stronger and more prepared to do just that. Are you all ready?”
There was an excitement buzzing around the group as they nodded in agreement.
“Sofia, go sit over there and play,” Flora said, giving her daughter a gentle push toward a bench on the edge of the field where a few young girls also sat, waiting for their own mothers.
Her daughter ran off without hesitation, and Flora smiled.
Sofia would make friends easily here. Flora was sure of it.
She turned back toward Camden and the women and saw that they had been joined by the rest of Camden’s squad, as well as two other males she didn’t recognize who looked to be soldiers as well.
Flora and the other women shifted uncomfortably at the sudden influx of men in their midst. They were all beginners at training. What if the squad made fun of them for their inexperience?
“Groups of four, and line up facing the trees single file,” Camden ordered.
The women complied quickly, reacting to the timbre of authority in his voice.
“This run is a relay, so we can gauge your level of fitness before beginning sparring sessions,” Camden continued. “Run down and back. When the person in front of you arrives, you begin. Ready, set, go!”
He didn’t wait for confirmation that they had understood before beginning the exercise.
Flora took off immediately, running for the edge of the field.
She knew this was part of the training, too.
He needed to know how quickly they could understand the instructions and follow orders.
Of the four groups, only she and one other woman started immediately.
The other two lagged behind, still trying to work through the instructions.
Flora pelted down the field, turned sharply, and sprinted back to her team. She tagged the other woman’s hand and found a spot at the back of the pack, where she received a nod of approval from Jasper.
All her fears had dissipated the moment she started running. She was doing something, making a real change in her life, and for the first time ever, she had help with that goal. She knew now that the squad was serious about this training.
“Alright, great job, everyone,” Camden said. “Now we’re going to come around and pull you into different groups to work on sparring skills.”
Each of the men tapped two women to join them. Flora and the woman she had raced against were pulled aside by Marbles.
“I’m Tessa,” the woman said.
“Flora.”
“You both did great with comprehending instructions and speed,” Marbles said. “I’m going to work on both of you with some sparring sequences. The goal here isn’t necessarily power, but accuracy.”
For the next hour, they worked to copy his moves.
When they were tired and sweating, he finally gave them permission to spar.
But within a minute of beginning, Flora realized just how disadvantaged she was against Tessa.
They were the same size and build, but as a human, Flora’s strength and speed were far less than Tessa’s.
Looking around at the field, she realized that even some of the less fit she-wolves would best her easily.
“Don’t be discouraged,” Camden said when he came around to check on each group. “Everyone has different skills and abilities. This is only the first day.”
Discouraged was the last thing Flora felt. She was galvanized to train harder to catch up to the others. Her humanity had been her downfall for her whole life, and she refused to allow it to hold her back again. Nothing would deter her from learning how to defend herself and her daughter.
But the second training session the following day was just as difficult on her as the first. And the third, fourth, and fifth sessions were no better. After a week, Flora began to wake up feeling angry more than excited.
“Are we going to the field again today, Mom?” Sofia asked.
Flora could tell that she was starting to get bored sitting on the sidelines while the women trained.
Luckily for her, one of the older women, Clementine, had decided that training wasn’t something she needed to continue at her age.
Instead, she had started a daycare for the daughters of the women participating.
“I am,” Flora said. “But you’re going to play with some friends at Ms. Clementine’s house. Does that sound like fun?”
Sofia squealed with happiness. Clementine had become a favorite of hers, acting like a surrogate grandmother for all the young girls in the pack. Flora was thankful that even though Sofia had no living grandparents who cared for her, she had found another person to fill that role.
With her daughter in the safe care of a trusted person, Flora hoped she would be able to work even harder at training.
Her focus was usually split between participating in the drills and checking to see that Sofia was safe and happy.
She was disappointed to find that even with Sofia gone, she was still lagging behind the others.
“That’s it for today,” Camden said, wrapping up the session. “See everyone back here tomorrow, bright and early.”
The rest of the women headed off the field, but Flora hesitated.
She needed to see some kind of breakthrough before she could go home.
It had been a disappointing day, and she wanted to feel the strength that Camden had told her would come with practice.
So instead of heading home, she picked up a staff used for drills and squared up with a practice dummy.
Over and over, slowly and meticulously, she went through the motions she had been taught.
She swung it over her head, crashing it down on the dummy’s head, then left to right in a backhanded maneuver.
She practiced her thrusts and her kicks until her legs burned with exertion.
“That’s not bad,” a voice said.
Flora startled, turning to where Camden stood twenty feet away. She hadn’t realized he was still there.
“It’s shit, actually,” she argued. “I knew I’d be disadvantaged because I’m not a wolf, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
Camden shook his head. “I don’t think you’re doing as poorly as you believe you are. Come on, square up. I’ll spar with you.”
Flora raised an eyebrow doubtfully, but put up her weapon in a ready stance.
Camden smiled, his eyes glinting with excitement as he took his stance.
They stood motionless for a moment, assessing the other person’s weaknesses, until finally Flora struck first. She lunged forward, only to have her weapon knocked aside by Camden.
Another blow, another parry. On and on it went, with Flora not making any ground.
She could tell that Camden was toying with her, allowing her to strike but not connect.
She gritted her teeth, knowing that if he wanted to end it, it wouldn’t take much effort from him.
Finally, he struck back. She blocked him once, then twice, but wasn’t fast enough to block the third strike.
The wood stung on her thigh as it made contact, and he followed it up with a second hit on her left arm.
As she was attempting to make a counterattack, he swung fast, stopping just short of her neck.
She inhaled sharply and dropped her weapon.
“Good,” he said, nodding his head and lowering his own weapon. “Next time, I want you to try a few defensive maneuvers between your attacks. You’re letting me draw you in, and that leaves you vulnerable. It’s harder to defend and attack with these weapons in close quarters.”
Flora nodded her head, listening to his pointers. She had expected that he would make fun of her terrible skills, but he had surprised her again.
“Got it,” she said.
“Ready to go again?”
She nodded, getting back into position. This time, she felt ready. Camden had actually given her decent pointers. She had known she was doing something incorrectly before, but hadn’t had anyone describe it so succinctly. Now that she knew, she would be ready.
Camden used his own weapon to slap her stick passively, readying their weapons together.
She took a side-step, swiping with her weapon toward his knees.
He dodged, dancing to the side and circling her.
She kept step with him, waiting for him to return an attack.
In a moment, he did, and the dance continued.
Flora felt confident as their attacks continued, matching each other in both strength and agility.
When she finally made contact with her weapon, she smiled, pleased with herself, as Camden’s eyes narrowed.
A welt was already beginning to form on his bicep where she had struck him, and she could see that they were much more evenly matched now.
He danced to the side, avoiding her lunge, and cracked down on her side with his own weapon. The sting of the injury was exhilarating. She moved closer, and a second later realized her mistake. The glint in Camden’s eyes was triumphant as he swiped underneath her feet and knocked her to the ground.
She landed with a thud on her back. He was towering over her, but after all the work she had put into this skirmish, she wasn’t willing to end things this way.
She couldn’t let him win outright. With a lurch, she grabbed his weapon and yanked hard, pulling him on top of her as his weapon flew to the side.
“That was impressive,” he said nonchalantly.
Flora couldn’t stop grinning. “I couldn’t let you win outright. Did I do okay?”
“Amazing,” he whispered.
She had been so wrapped up in their sparring and subsequent defeats that she had barely registered that Camden was lying on top of her.
His body was pressed against hers as he propped himself up on the ground using his hands on either side of her head.
Their bodies, sweaty from their exertions, were hot.
With each second, the heat seemed to increase as a tightness in her abdomen grew more pronounced.
Her breath hitched slightly as his breath tickled her face.
He was moving closer…closer…and she had no desire to stop him.
“Flora,” he whispered, and her eyes shut.
Their lips touched, and it was a thousand times better than their kiss at the marriage altar.
There was no audience or expectations; nothing except Camden’s lips pressed against hers.
She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling his weight more firmly down on her as her lips parted to allow his tongue to explore her mouth.