Chapter 6 — Ethan #2
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. Now that’s power.
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.”
Jayme’s smile alone triggers screams of Danger! in my mind. His teeth look a little too sharp for my taste. “Of course.”
“Hey, wait,” I say. “He’s gonna stay human, right? Or at least put on some clothes?”
Akila snickers as she walks past us to pair up with the partner Jayme had just left behind, a tall, blond man that I’ve only seen once before, during my escape.
Rhiannon sighs and says to me, “You’ll train as we do, or you won’t train at all. Is that understood?”
I look over at Jayme, who appears all too happy to have the chance to rip me apart. “I can’t exactly train as you do, Rhiannon—”
“You will address me as Commander. I am your superior.”
What the fuck? She’s enjoying this. “Fine, Commander. I was just trying to remind you that I’m not exactly Lycan. I’m thinking that I might be at a disadvantage here.”
“Of course you are,” she says with a laugh, her amber eyes shining. Damn, she’s hot.
“Are you planning to kill me on my first day of training?” I ask, lowering my voice so only Rhiannon can hear. “Or is this just foreplay for you?”
Her chin lifts, and her gaze sharpens. “You think quite highly of yourself for someone who’s about to get their ass handed to them, human.”
“Ah, so you do want to see what it’s like to get physical with me. I’m flattered, Commander.” I wink at her.
Rhiannon steps closer, her proximity making my head swim. “Trust me, Ethan. If I was paired up with you, you’d already be lying on the ground.”
“Promise?” I whisper, and immediately regret my boldness when her eyes flash gold.
“I’m serious, Ethan,” she says. “This isn’t Creek Falls anymore. If you are going to defend my Luna, it will not be against another human. Now, are you ready to begin, or will you be heading back to your quarters?”
“Only if you’re coming with me,” I can’t help but quip, hoping she doesn’t hit me. “I know! Just kidding.”
She raises an eyebrow, her eyes raking over me. If I were a betting man, I’d say she was into me too. If she is, I might as well give her a show. I pull my shirt off over my head and say, “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
I follow Jayme out to the middle of the dusty field and face him. The sun is almost unbearable on my back. I don’t know how they’re able to fight in this heat.
Behind me, Rhiannon says, “All right, let’s keep it simple. Grappling. Human forms only.”
Grappling! That I know how to do. Surely my old instincts won’t let me down. I lean down a little, judging Jayme’s center of gravity. If I can ram my shoulder into his stomach hard enough, I might be able to get him down.
“And . . . begin!”
My shoulder connects with Jayme’s torso exactly as planned. Almost immediately, Jayme’s arms come down, crashing into my back so hard that my knees buckle. Before I know it, he lifts me into the air. Up and over I go, slamming down into the dirt.
The air leaves my lungs on impact, and I’m on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water as Jayme stands over me, waiting for me to get up. I can’t move. Jeez, that was a good hit.
Everything stops, and Rhiannon jogs over to us. “I told you to be careful with him!”
“It was a simple lift and drop.” Jayme shrugs his shoulders. “I didn’t know that would hurt him.”
I’d tell them I was fine if I could get my breath. All that comes out is a wheeze. Rhiannon shakes her head and calls for a medic.