Chapter 34 - Senses

***Hopes pov***

“Wake up sleepy head” Callum is pinching my toes before climbing the bed straddling me.
The room felt dim and I couldnt see any light coming from the windows.
“Nooo…what time is it?” I whined, feeling I could need atleast one more hour of shut eye.
“Its training time….” He bends down snuggling and biting my neck
“Come on, up up up!” He jumps of the bed.
“Calluuuum!..Its dark outside!”
“Not for long, here, get dressed” He apparently found my new training clothes from my shopping spree with Cathy and hands me a set.
“Ghaaa…” I glare at him while I drag my self out of bed, in to the bathroom and I hear him chuckle outside the door.
“ You know I love you right? Even the morning dragon version of you” He says through the door..making my mood a little better.
“ I know, I’m sorry…I need coffee..” I sulk
“Knowing Greta breakfast is already served downstairs” he answers.
When I come out he stands dressed and ready waiting for me.
“How are you so energized already?” I ask, walking up to him, leaning my forehead against his chest. He puts his finger under my chin, tilting my head up to look at him.
“I get to spent the whole day with you today, I want to get an early start to make the most of it” He smiles and gives me a kiss that erase my sulky mood…I still need coffee though.

Walking down the stairs I hear a lot of voices and I tense up a bit. Callum notice and takes my hand. As we come down to the first floor a lot of people in training gear is sitting in the dining room eating breakfast. Callum lead me in to the kitchen instead where Greta is pouring a cup of coffee and hands it to me before I sit down.
“Thank you Greta, you are a lifesaver” I say and sit at the kitchen island, giving my full attention to the cup in my hands.
After a while I start to feel awake and shift my attention to the food, as usual Greta doesn’t disappoint. I take a bowl of yoghurt and some cereals, knowing I wont be able to train with a belly full of bread,bacon and cheese..but it looks so good, maybe after training I can heat up some leftovers I think to my self.
“Gooodmoorning my favorite people!” I hear Reeces voice as he walks in to the kitchen behind me. He pats Callum on the back as he passes him, earning a deep growl from Beacon..What was that about? He walks up to Greta and gives her a peck on the cheek as he takes the plate she hands him and come to sit beside me. Suddenly I feel tiny between these two men.
Reece bumps his shoulder on mine..
“Ready to go a few rounds?” He ask and slides in a piece of bacon in his mouth
I feel kind of nervous, I am a human woman, did Callum set me up to train with Reece and the other wolves?
“I suppose I am” I say and sigh before taking a deep sip from my refilled coffee cup

On our way to the training ground Callum holds my hand and I tug it to get his attention
“Callum, what’s going on? Am I suppose to train with the warriors?” I ask him a little worried, he circle his thumb on the back of my hand.
“Do you trust me Hope?”
“You know I do…”
“Then don't worry, you will train with me and then maybe with Reece” He says
I frown, still feeling he is up to something.
He brings me up in front of all the men and women waiting in straight lines for him to start the training. Reece stands on his other side.
“Good Morning!” He address them
“Good Morning Alpha!” They answered unanimously
“I’m sure many of you heard I found my mate..this is Hope, she will be joining us today.”
“Good Morning Hope!” again unanimously and I felt my cheeks redden. I put up my hand in a little wave thinking this was both embarrassing and ridiculous but I don't know that much about the ranking system in a pack.
Callum continued
“Vampires don't fight like we do, they dont depend on brute force. They have speed, they move soundlessly and they are creatures of the night so the darkness is no obstacle for them”..Callum walked over to a large duffel bag pulling up a fist full of blindfolds.
“The threat from the bloodsuckers are getting bigger, they are getting bolder and both more calculated and organized, smaller packs have already fallen..we need to adapt! We have the strength, the increased hearing and we can smell a leech a mile away if we put our minds to it, am I right?”
“Yes Alpha!”
“Good! Thirty minute warm-up then pair up. We are going to spar blindfolded so tell your wolves to sharpen their senses otherwise you will look very ridiculous in front of the audience” He said and nodded his head towards the left long side of the training ground where several people had gather to watch the warriors train.

The warm-up was like a nightmare workout. I refused to do less than anyone else, didn’t want to be seen as the weak human although I understood that trying to measure up to werewolves was childish but I didnt care.
I was on my back in the grass, panting when Callum brought me a bottle of water. I sat up and drank half of it in one go. I noticed some of the people around me whispered and snickered, the women in particular, I also saw several of them eyeing Callum and and stretched in challenging positions if he looked their way. I felt my blood heated and I think I feel Luna stir as well..human or wolves, the same rules apply I guess.
“Ready? Do you want me to attack first?” Callum asked handing me a blindfold
“Absolutely!” I snapped at him, putting it on and tried to calm my nerves.
*“Luna..want to help a girl out? Please..please help me..just for now and then you can go back to sleep”* I begged her in my mind. It was not like it was cheating, the others had their wolves, I just didnt want to be humiliated as the week human mate to the Alpha.

Suddenly I feel and hear everything around me, I can smell the coffee from the kitchen in the packhouse, I feel the grass bend under the shoes of those around me, I can trace a drop of sweat trailing down Callums neck ten feet away…my mind is painting up my surroundings as clear as if I took off the blindfold.
*“Thank you, now lets show them!”* I can feel Lunas smile on my own lips as we wait for Callum to attack.
As his arm flies forward in an attempt to push me I duck and swipe my leg, making him trip and fall.
I stand up straight and wait, my hands on my back.
As he circles to attack me from behind, I duck again and spin my body so I end up behind him, and I just need to give his cute ass a little kick for him to fall forward with the speed he already had. I hear him grunt and I cant stop the giggle that leaves my lips.
I stand straight again, my hands on my back and I wait.
I parried every attack, danced away at every lunge and Callum either landed on the ground or stumbled away before gaining his balance back.
“Of course he is going easy on her, he would never be so lame with one of us..on the other hand, I would prefer him ruff and hard” I heard one of the female warriors say to another, a few chuckles from the one that heard her.
“I don't get how he can take a weak human as a mate, I prefer my women strong and on all fours..” a man said, earning giggles from the women.
As Callum comes at me again I place myself on his side, hook my arm around his neck and swing my self up on his back, still with my arm tight around him.
“I swear to God Callum..If you don't stop holding back I’m going to be pissed and you will earn a back pain for sleeping in the chair in your office”..They are laughing at me!” I growl in his ear
I feel a small nod before I let go, and jump off his back, standing straight once again.
“Reece, bring me two canes” Callum said, I could feel his eyes didnt leave me. I could also feel the warriors around us had stopped sparing, forming a circle around us.
“Hope, I'm also putting on a blindfold so we are on the same level..kind of.” He said I just nodded figured the half of the group with blindfolds has taken them off, waiting for a show.


As soon as Callum handed me the cane I closed my hands in a tight grip around it.
This I can do, this is my field. I've trained in martial art since I was a kid so the cane is very familiar in my hands. I loosen my grip and spin the cane between my hands as me and Callum start circulate each other. I feel the air around us move as our weapons stirs it. This time I attack first.
He parries my cane high and then point it down and give me a rap on the ass, drawing several giggles and chuckles from the circle around us.
I feel the burning on my left buttock, and I hear a growl in my head.
*“We asked for it..lets show him we can handle it”* I think to Luna.
Callum attacks with a quick series of hard blows with the cane. I manage to parry most of them but his strength is felt in my arms and on the places were his cane hit me.
There is no question about who is stronger or faster. Luna can obviously help me with some things, but bound, she has no access to my muscles, but I manage to hold my ground and and because I’m smaller I’m more agile which makes it easier for me to avoid Callum’s stick unless I’m in a position to parry it. I even manage to draw blood when I hit him across the lip which earned me a couple of whistles from the circle.
Maybe I should feel bad but my adrenalin is to high and I’m still pissed at him for making me look week..and I know he will be healed by the time our blindfolds come of.
After about ten minutes Callums cane hits me hard over the right shoulder, making my skin tear. I can smell my own blood and feel it soak my t-shirt. He can smell it to and hesitate, giving me the window I need. I muster all my strength and punch him hard across his knee crease, spinning and punching him across the chest before bringing the cane to the ground and using it as leverage to kick him in the stomach and send him tumbling backwards. And he does. I quickly place one foot against his throat and one end of the cane over his heart.
“And that is how you kill a vampire!!!” Reece shouts and clapping his hands.
I slump down next to Callum, taking my blindfold off, he does the same and his blue eyes goes to my bruised chin, my bloody shoulder and my red knuckles.
I can see the pain in his eyes and I know Beacon is so pissed at him right now.