Chapter 66
Alora’s POV con’d:
I looked at Victor, and we were both in athletic wear that wouldn't hinder our Sprites from melding with us. I let Selena come out, transforming in front of Master Brock. As we ran through drills, I had forgotten the shock the scars had given everyone who had seen them. Looking at Master Brock, I saw tears in his eyes, his face filled with grief. "Oh, girly," he gasped out. "What those people have done to you," he said in a horrified tone.
I had never realized how much Master Brock cared about me until now.
I knew what Master Brock saw; the scars were not from training. I had clearly been abused, and that's not something any adult Pack member could stand seeing happen to a pup. It took a few moments for Master Brock to compose himself. "I think you and I need to sit down for some tea and have a long talk, girly," he told me softly. "Your explanation earlier left out some details."
I nodded, responding with an "Okay" in the echoing lyrical voice of Selena. When he heard it, he raised his eyebrows.
"If you're wondering about the echo," said Victor with Nicholas's echoing voice, "it's a Vampire thing," he explained.
This caused Jaxon, Kian, and Galen to laugh. Master Brock snorted and then said, "A Vampire thing, huh?" in a wry tone. He headed into the building, returning after about ten minutes with four swords and their sheaths, along with two belts.
"You two will be practicing with twin blades today," he announced. Oh? Now that was going to be an interesting show.
I glanced over at Victor's Sprite, Nicholas; he nodded, a smile on his face. Selena was excited. "I've been practicing with twin swords since Xena was able to shift with you," she told me.
"Okay, I want you to have fun. I'll just be the spectator from inside this time instead of you," I said. I was happy to let her out. She had been trapped inside for eighteen years, alive but not able to live, there but not able to connect. It must have been so lonely, I thought sadly. How do you get that time back?
"I'm free now, Alora. I'm with you. Don't feel bad for something that was done when you had barely come into the world yourself," she tried to comfort me, which worked a little.
We took the belts and the sword sheaths, putting everything on and strapping them in place. Once Selena and Nicholas were prepped, they walked to the area where we were going to practice. Selena's excitement was a vibration of emotion.
Master Brock's POV:
I had been watching the Pack's social media threads when I came across the video Sarah had posted. My fury at what that brainless twat had done was enormous. Then videos of Alora's battles from two days ago, and the support she received from her fellow seniors, were heartwarming. When they caught me watching, I initially felt guilty for being caught.
That pup was just standing there, smiling at me. Then that pup had the gall to tease me about my age. I'm not that old; I'm only forty. My mate had died before we could have pups, leaving me alone in the world without her. I had barely survived it. Training that pup, Damien, and then Darien had helped me. But it was when I was given the responsibility of training Alora that truly brought me back to life.
This little pup had a special place in my heart. I knew her family was abusing her; I could almost see it in a cloud surrounding her. She had seemed to barely be alive when I first met her. As I trained her, I watched her grow. I watched her determination to live increase each day. Her power increased with my training. Even with her true power bound, she had become a force of nature.
I was more proud than I had a right to be for my involvement in that. I wasn't her father, no matter how much I wished I was. I was her Master Trainer, though, and I was happy to be in that position. I could provide her with the spirit she needed to fight for her future. And fight she did; I watched this incredibly brilliant pup advance further and faster than I could have expected.
When I approached her, there was a new scent. It took a moment, but I recognized a Vampire Hybrid scent, and it was coming not just from the young wolf with Jaxon, but from Alora. That had surprised me because she had never smelled that way. Stepping back and using my second sight, I was shocked. Her power had increased, almost five times what it had been originally.
Her power fairly glowed; she had Clan bonds wrapped around her. Her bond to Jaxon, Victor, and the twin Mountainmovers was very strong, far stronger than any other Clan bond I had seen before. The connection was in blood and spirit, unbreakable; the only way to break them was death or for Alora to break it herself.
The thread that had been wrapped around her heart, connecting her to Damien, the reason I was so sure he would be her mate, was now thicker, almost a chain. I had been disappointed when her mate turned out not to be Damien; then I was heartbroken for this pup when that mate rejected her. Damien would never have rejected Alora. That boy loved this pup.
Stepping back, I told Alora we would need to talk over tea. When it came to training, Alora admitted to not being in the right headspace for truly intense training yet. After everything she had been through in the last forty-eight hours, I believed her. So I had them do drills. I watched gradually as her stress dissipated, her mind centered, and peace settled over her. Drills had always helped her through whatever was troubling her.
I received a message from the Headmaster of the Alpha University about Damien's progress. He had won every single one of his fights so far. It looked like the boy would be home soon. Looking at Alora, I couldn't help but think, 'Good.' When Alora looked at me and smiled, I knew she was ready for more. I asked her what she wanted to do; she had never shied away from any of her training, she wasn't lazy.
If anything, I had to keep her from pushing herself too hard. She told me she wanted to fight with swords in her Sprite form. This meant I would get to meet a new part of Alora and her Gamma. When she transformed... all those scars... my poor pup, they hadn't just abused her, they had tortured her. My heart broke at this evidence. I just wanted to wrap her up and tell her everything would be all right.
The ones on her neck distressed me the most. It looked like they had tried to kill her multiple times. I was more glad than ever before that I had come into her life, given her the training she needed to make sure those people could never touch her again. It had taken me a bit to collect myself. Afterward, I went for the swords. Vampires traditionally fought with twin blades.
Although when we had first trained, we hadn't been aware of her Sprite, we had trained with swords anyway. She needed to know how to fight more than just another werewolf. I grabbed four swords in their sheaths and two belts, after seeing their height, I had grabbed longswords. The two put everything on, and I was pleased to see her new Gamma had done this effortlessly. I could see the power inside him; he had more than anyone would judge by his stature.
But that leanness was deceptive; it was also a Vampire trait. He was obviously conditioned and trained regularly. Knowing what I did of his family line, I had no doubt he had been training since before he could walk. That meant he would be an incredible asset to Alora. The two went to the middle of the arena, and we stayed back to give them space. I then signaled them to start.
The deadly dance that followed was truly a sight to see. Their movements were graceful, sure, and strong. Each connecting blow sent a chink of sound across the field. I could almost feel the sound in my chest. Sparks actually flew; there were steps back and forward, spins, and dips. Out of the corner of my eye, all three of the other pups were recording this.
I had cameras set up all over the place in the arena, so I could better spot flaws and adjust and train accordingly. I was grateful today that I had. I would need to make a video file and give it to the Alpha. I looked over when Darien came in; he was followed by his mate, Matt, and Sarah's three friends. Or at least they had been, but not now.
They came forward, eyes wide and amazed at what they were seeing. I looked back, and Selena was flipping away from Nicholas and landing in a crouch, swords out. Nicholas put one foot back and got into a slight crouch, swords out. Then in incredible bursts of speed and power, they came together, swords sparking, the dance close up, then Selena's kick connected to Nicholas's chest.
He flew back, his feet skidding on the ground, causing dust to rise. Selena ran forward and suddenly jumped up high, coming down with swords swinging. Nicholas raised his swords in time to block that blow and the four that followed. Selena was almost floating above with the attack; Nicholas pushed her back with his swords. That's when it hit me.