Chapter 18

Elizabeth Summers’ POV
I hate training more than anything else, even more than I hated doing trigonometry. At least in trigonometry I can hide near the back of the class and pretend not to be there. I can’t really do that when the alpha walks around the room assessing each of us. There's nowhere to hide.
Training was also the only time until recently that I interacted with other members of the pack outside of those I lived with. It never went well. Nobody wanted to be paired with me, on a good week someone would be away and I would practice my moves alone.
On a bad week I had to pair up with one of the other pack members. They hated being paired with me and when they fought me they would make it very clear just how much they hated it. They wouldn’t pull their punches or stop when they were supposed to. I would come home with bruises all over.
I pulled the sleeves of my oversized hoodie over my hands as I left my room. I wished that I could be doing anything other than heading towards the gym and training hall. It was almost enough to make me wish Jasper was here with me even though I was still a little conflicted over my feelings about him.
Around me the other pack members were heading towards the training hall. Usually they just ignored me but today most of them waved or smiled at me. That is worse than being ignored because I know they only want to get on my good side because of Jasper. I pulled my hood over my head and kept walking.
“Lizzy!” Jasper shouted, stopping me in my tracks.
He was about two hundred metres ahead of me with a huge grin on his face. He ran over to me, that huge grin didn’t leave his face even when he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I have missed you so much,” He said, making me blush.
“It has only been a few hours,” I replied.
“I know, much too long but you are back where you belong now,” He said.
He pulled me towards him, so close that my body was touching his. He kissed me passionately as he ran his hands over my neck, face and shoulders. He ran his tongue across my lips, requesting entrance. I opened my mouth and moved my tongue forward to meet his. Our tongues danced together as our hands explored each other.
I pulled him closer to me, holding him tightly around the waist. Jasper removed his lips from mine and started kissing his way across my jaw and along my neck until he reached the spot where he would mark me. Once his lips reached that point he started kissing me deeper and licking my neck.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I asked.
He didn't stop to answer me. He just held me tighter, continuing to lick and kiss my neck as though I was some kind of lollipop. I tried to push him away but he was too big and strong for me to get anywhere. I started to panic, I felt so vulnerable. He could do anything he wanted to me and there was nothing I could do to stop him. He could mark me right now and nobody would be able to stop him, not even me.
"Jasper please stop," I said, my voice thick with emotion.
He stopped what he was doing immediately, he kept his arms around me but he took a step back to give me some space. I could see in his eyes how much it hurt him to give me that distance but I was grateful that he had.
“What’s wrong Lizzy?” He asked.
“Did you just scent me?” I asked, ignoring his question.
I had heard of other werewolves doing it to their partners. It was a way of making sure everyone else knew that you belonged to them without marking them. I never thought that it would happen to me though. I didn’t think I would even be accepted by my mate let alone get a boyfriend.
“Yes,” He said, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“My wolf wasn’t comfortable with you being around so many males without my mark on your neck. At least this way you smell like me,” He said.
“Does your wolf feel a little better now?” I asked.
“Much better,” He said.
“Good but next time can you ask me first,” I said.
“Anything for you,” He said.
He stood still for a few seconds just smiling at me before he let go of my waist and took hold of my hand instead. He started leading me towards training. I followed him but as soon as my feet started moving I started to feel the dread from earlier returning.
“Couldn’t we just miss training today?” I asked.
I wasn’t sure where I got the confidence to say that to him. A few days ago I wouldn’t have dared to say anything to Jasper and now I was asking him to skip training to spend time with me. What was happening to me?
“I wish we could but I know what we could do together instead,” Jasper replied, flashing me one of his smiles that made most of the women in school swoon over him. I could see why.
“What?” I asked.
“You can show me that tv show that you like. You know the one you are always talking about with the space cowboys.” Jasper said.
That sounded perfect. Firefly may be old enough to be considered retro but it was still amazing. Mia came across it while she was doing some research for her media studies project. Ever since then it has been my favourite show.
I must have mentioned it in front of Jasper at least a hundred times. Jasper would always make fun of me for watching something so old, not that I cared. It was strange that he had suddenly changed his mind but I wasn’t going to miss the chance of introducing new people to my favourite show.
“You will love it,” I said, as we walked through the entrance into the training hall.
“Not as much as I love you,” He said.
He leaned over and kissed me on the lips then quickly walked away before I had time to respond. I probably had my mouth wide open as he walked over to Nico. I can’t believe that Jasper just said he loved me in front of a room full of our packmates.
I looked around the room. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to us but I was sure at least a few of them would have heard what he said. I could feel my cheeks heating up as I walked towards the back of the room and my usually hiding spot.
That was where I waited, watching as everyone sorted themselves into pairs around me. It feels like a lot of things have changed since Jasper declared me as his mate but this wasn’t one of them. Apparently I was still the person that nobody wanted to be paired with for training.
When everyone else had selected their partner the only other person left without a partner was Frankie. He was an omega but most of the other omegas didn’t like pairing up with him. His mom was an unranked wolf and this made him stronger than other omegas. Much too strong for me. I hated being paired with him. I always ended up with huge bruises and one time he broke my leg.
“Don’t think I am going to go easy on you because you are Jasper’s mate,” He said, looking down his nose at me.
“Of course not,” I replied.
He wouldn’t want to miss a chance at showing off how much better than the other omegas he was after all. I bet he is stupid enough to think that they will let him lose his omega rank if he beats us enough times at training. Doesn’t he know that it isn’t that easy to change your destiny?
Frankie kept his word when he said he wouldn’t go easy on me but as it turned out I didn’t need him to. I am not sure if it was because I was Jasper’s mate or the fact that I was concentrating harder to take my mind off Jasper's earlier comments. Whatever it was I wasn’t losing to Frankie quite as badly as I usually do and that was really getting to him.
He was starting to get desperate to beat me but that just made it easier to avoid his attacks. He kept trying to use the same sequence of attacks on me over and over again, I was able to use my speed and smaller size to avoid his attacks every time.
“What the fuck Liz, are you scared of me or something?” He shouted as his frustration got the better of him.
“No, dodging attacks is a valid form of defence,” I replied.
I glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at us, this was completely humiliating. I could see Jasper in the corner of my eye, he looked as though he wanted to come over here and rip Frankie’s head off.
“Only if you are a coward,” Frankie growled.
I could see Nico and Adam holding Jasper back. He could probably overpower them if he really wanted but I guess he was holding back because he didn’t really want to kill a member of his own pack.
“I am not a coward,” I said.
“Prove it. Hit me,” He shouted.
So I did. I punched him right in the face so hard that I broke his nose. That only made Frankie more annoyed. He stared at me as his fangs elongated and his claws came out. He was going to kill me and there was nothing I could do about it.
My heart was racing and I could feel myself starting to cry. What could I do? Until my eighteenth birthday I was almost as weak as a human. He could kill me in seconds. When he attacked me Jasper wouldn’t even have time to cross the room before Frankie killed me.
I just had to be thankful that Jasper didn’t wait for Frankie to attack. One second Frankie was standing in front of me looking all aggressive, then the next he was gone. He was being dragged out of the room screaming by Adam and Nico while Jasper pulled me into his arms.
“Don’t worry Lizzy. You’re safe now, I've got you.” He said.