Broken Wolf

18

"What's on the lesson plan for today, Ember?" I ask as I find my new friend after sneaking out. He smiles and shakes his head as he stands up from his place, reading under a tree. Brushing off his pants, Ember walks over to me.

"Same as yesterday. I want you to be able to fight without the crutches eventually. For now, you use one. In a week or two, I figure you should be able to lose the second one as well." He tells me, and I nod tossing my one crutch and adjusting the other. "I heard you were grounded... how'd ya sneak out, pup?"

"How'd you know!?" I ask, and he laughs.

"You and Delta Bane had a screaming match half the pack overheard. If anyone sees you, I'm sure your brother will find out." Ember tells me, and I groan. "Lucky for you people don't come this way much unless one of my family members comes looking for me... don't worry, they know to give me my space. They don't come looking unless it's necessary, and my mind link is blocked. I'll keep it open, and we'll be left alone."

"Good, let's do this, boss man!" I cheer, getting in a fighting stance, and he chuckles.

"I am far from anyone's 'boss', but come on. Show me what cha got!"

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After an hour, I am dripping sweat, but I refuse to give up. Who cares if this guy is twice as tall as me and a billion times the muscle! He is going easy on me so I can get used to my disability so I should be able to catch him off guard at least once! I just want to see my good buddy, Ember, flat on his back once so I can laugh at him.

"Need a break?" My trainer asks after delivering a kick to my side.

"No." I pant glaring at the guy.

"Chill, pup. No shame in resting. We aren't done yet. I'm just offering you a chance to catch your breath." He says, and I growl.

"There is shame in resting! It means you are weak! I'm not a weak little girl! I've lived through worse than a little kick!" I tell him, taking my stance. An understanding passes his eyes as he nods.

"I, a born and proven Alpha, am saying I'm taking a break. If you, a pup, are above resting, you can run around in circles to wear yourself out. Have fun!" Ember says before sitting under his favorite tree and taking a sip of water.

I stare at him, stunned for a moment before sighing and taking a seat next to him.

"How old are you, Ember?" I ask. An Alpha proves himself at 20, so he's at least that. I thought he was a teen. Everyone said it was, and I quote, 'a group of pups' that were killing the packs, so I figured he was a kid. I guess they were just meaning they were young.

"22." He answers. "My birthday was yesterday... not that I remembered that it was my birthday." He chuckles to hide his hurt. I guess that's why he was sulking in the woods. "You don't want to hear me whine... so, tell me about that boy you always shoot goo goo eyes at."

"I don't know what you are talking about." I say, turning my face to hide its red hue. I'd mention his birthday, but it's obvious he doesn't want to talk about it.

"Paxton, was it?... I hear from Titan that he's rising in ranks pretty quickly for one so young. Pups got heart."

"If you know so much, why are you asking?" I grumble.

"Because I still don't know what makes you look at him with heart eyes." Ember laughs.

"Who's Titan?" I ask, avoiding his questions.

"Nice dodge. Gamma Asher, sorry for the confusion." He answers. "Titan was his name when we were in the facility, the barracks, our home..."

"Do you miss it?" I ask, and he shakes his head as if trying to shake a memory.

"Miss it?... no... at least not really... I miss being certain of who I am. I miss my brothers... but no, I don't miss that place."

"Tell me about it?" I push. I know no one listens to him about this stuff, and I'm curious... but let's go with the me helping him explanation... it sounds nicer.

"You know it never felt like I was being used... we thought we were doing the right thing... no one gets that... or they just pity the poor little boys who were kidnapped. I had a childhood. I had brothers. If I could go back and never be taken, I'm not sure I would... maybe it's just because I don't remember my real family, but I can't imagine giving up my brothers." Ember says with a sigh. "I miss them. I miss how simple life was. We got up, trained, ate... I wish we would have been found before we had to kill, though. That's where it all went downhill. None of us wanted to do it... Anyway, that's enough training for today.... see ya tomorrow, pup."

With that parting thought, he gets up and leaves. I watch him go a few steps before calling out.

"Happy Birthday!" He pauses a moment.

"Thanks." Ember answers with a sigh before making his way off into the woods.

A/N

If you haven't figured it out yet, Charlie AKA Anhur AKA Ember and Libby are becoming good friends. The things he talks about in his past are in the book Titan. If you haven't read that, you may be confused about his backstory. This book is one of the later ones in the series. Anywho, hope you enjoy!