Omega 7

Chapter 20

After breakfast, Dante invited Jade to join him at the training grounds. He wanted to show her more of the territory, and he also wanted more of the pack to get a chance to meet her. But, it would be manageable for him to introduce her, without her needing to speak to any of them, because they would all be occupied with their training, so it seemed like a fitting and appropriate time, and she readily agreed.

The training grounds were very impressive. There were multiple obstacle courses that offered a variety of challenges, there were several fields for sparring, as well as running tracks. Additionally, there were a few armories that housed a variety of weapons for sparring. Everything from a bo staff and nun-chucks, to swords and knives. Dante had explained to her that one of their goals was to be prepared for many types of fights, regardless of the terrain or opponent, and being able to utilize a variety of weapons was necessary for versatility in battle. Needless to say, she was very impressed with how well trained and capable his pack seemed to be.

Jade's father had wanted to implement something of this kind, but hadn't had much time to see his vision come to pass. He understood the need for well-trained warriors, and had even sent Jade to a neighboring pack every summer, so she could learn how to fight. The last summer she had been there, she had even taken 2nd place in the end of summer sparring contest. Of course her training didn't help much when she was weakened by the wolf's bane, and beaten with silver lashes, while held captive by Luther's pack.

It was apparent that Dante also believed that women should be trained as warriors, and that fighting wasn't reserved only for the males. There were plenty of female warriors training as well. Most were fighting with each other, but some were sparring against some of the men, proving their excellent training and ability. One of these women waved at Dante, after she had finished her match and she was drinking water from her water bottle, her full bosom heaving as she gulped down her water while also trying to catch her breath. She had defeated her opponent impressively, using a staff against his sword.

Dante waved back, but noticeably blushed, and steered Jade in another direction. Jade couldn't help casting another glance at the attractive blonde who had managed to make her mate blush, with just a wave. When her eyes met those of the blonde, she couldn't help but catch a glimmer of defiance in the other woman's eyes. Jade shuddered a little, wondering what that look was intended to convey, and then moved quickly to catch up to Dante, who had continued forward at a quickened pace.

Jade enjoyed getting to see everyone training, and liked having Dante tell her about his pack. It was obvious that he had a great love for them all, and being their Alpha meant everything to him. She hoped that she could prove herself worthy as their Luna. She was introduced to several more pack members, and she even sat with a few of the younger members who were watching a demonstration. They seemed to love her, and climbed all over her. She had a great time rolling around on the ground and playing with them as well.

As they were starting to leave the training area, they noticed that several of the athletes were running the obstacle course, and Jade put her hand on Dante's wrist, stopping him from continuing, and requested they stop to watch for a few minutes. She was fascinated with the obstacle course, and her muscles twitched, watching everyone scurry through the various obstacles. She had loved obstacle courses when training with the neighboring pack, and would have loved to try these, but she knew she only had a fraction of the strength she used to have, and would have been embarrassed to try in front of everyone. But she loved being able to watch their efforts, as she subconsciously made mental notes for how to beat each section, hoping that one day she would be strong enough to try. When the competitors had finish, Jade and Dante continued on their way back to the pack house for lunch.

"Jade" Dante said to her, after finishing his meal, and she looked up at him expectantly. "I have a lot of things I need to work on in my office this afternoon. So Peter will be available if you need anything."

Jade had met Peter the other day at breakfast. He was Dante's Gamma. She nodded that she understood, but she was a little disappointed. She loved having so much of Dante's attention, but she also realized that he had devoted a significant amount of time to her since her arrival, and it was likely there were several things he had delayed working on, in order to accommodate her presence. She nodded again and smiled, trying to convey that she understood. Dante smiled back at her, and tucked her hair behind her ear. He hadn't shown her much affection in front of the pack, so it was a welcome surprise when he touched her.

Peter was sitting in the living room, with a clear view of the stairs leading up to her and Dante's bedrooms, and he nodded to her when she went up after lunch.

"I'll be here if you need anything, Luna" he said to her. She couldn't help but feel like he was more a babysitter than just available if she needed anything. And she also wasn't yet comfortable with him calling her Luna. But she wasn't exactly prepared to tell him that, so she just sighed a little and returned to her room.

Once in her room, she paced a little trying to decide what to do with her time. Dinner wouldn't be for several more hours, and Dante had indicated that he would be busy all afternoon, so she wanted to think of something to occupy her time. Finally she decided she would go to the gym in the basement and work out. After seeing the warriors and the obstacle course, she long to be as fit as she once was, and figured she might as well get a start on regained her previous capabilities. So she quickly changed into exercise attire, and jogged down the stairs.

"Where ya headed?" Peter asked, pulling himself to standing before she had even reached the bottom steps.

Jade pointed down the hall, toward the stairs leading to the gym.

"Excellent!" Peter remarked enthusiastically. "I'll join you."

Jade hadn't been looking for company, but wasn't going to complain. She figured Peter had been assigned to keep an eye on her. As she walked by Dante's office, she got a burst of his scent, and knew he was in there. She could also tell that Jackson was in there too, but they weren't speaking, as she didn't hear any voices as she walked by. She then made her way down the stairs to the gym and started running on a treadmill, and Peter did the same.

Jade wanted to work out with some of the weight machines as well, but the gym was pretty busy, as a lot of wolves were using this time to get in a workout, and she felt self-conscious in front of so many of them, especially with how weak she felt since her captivity.