Kissed By The Moon

CHAPTER 17: This is New

I wake up bright and early, excited for my training with Charlotte. After yesterday, I feel like a lot of awkwardness has melted away. We spoke for a while after she woke up and had a delightful dinner. The hardest part was saying goodnight and watching her walk away to her room. I wanted to call out to her and tell her to join me but I had to remember her request to take things slow while we worked out our other issues that had the potential to ruin our relationship and sour the bond.

After a quick shower, I put on nude shorts and a matching sports bra, and head down to breakfast. I find Charlotte already there, looking really hot in a matching light pink set of biker shorts and a sports bra. She has her dreadlocks up in a bun, and we are joined by Brianna and Monroe, who sit next to each other, absorbed in their own little world.

"Morning love birds," I address Brie and Mo, "Charlotte, morning," I say, addressing my mate whose gaze I'm locked in.

"Hi!" She beams up at me, "How was your night?"

"It could have been better," I flirt with a wink, and the smile on her face broadens which makes me smile in return.

"Are you ready to train?" I ask, as I dish out a cheese omelette and pour out my smoothie prepared by Rita. I sit next to my mate in a chair I consider too too far from her since our shoulders are barely touching.

"Of course, I can't wait to see if you're all bark and no bite," she jests.

"I'm all bark," I whisper, "the biting comes later," I tease, leaning closer to her and being rewarded by a slight shiver and a stunned expression.

After breakfast we make our way to the gym to train. We start with a warm-up just to get our blood flowing and then I instruct her to fight me. To put her all into it, and that's how I begin my assessment of her. I notice the flaws I'd noticed before when I observed her at training. When she fights, she relies a lot on being stronger than her opponent, but strength isn't everything, when you aren't stronger, you can be other things, like smarter and quicker.

Secondly her moves are too rehearsed. She fights like there is a script that she expects her opponent to follow, and granted, most trained warriors will follow, but not every fight is against trained warriors. And the best way to beat a traditional fighter is to be untraditional or to at least combine various fighting techniques to gain the upper hand by being unpredictable.

"Lastly Charlotte," I conclude, "You have the flaw that even my fighters have. You fight like you want to die for a cause. That's not how you win. You need to fight like you want to live. Don't fight like you're fighting for others. Those who fight for other always lose to those who fight for themselves. Fight for your life, not for your honour. Fight me with the determination of someone who has everything to live for, and nothing to die for. Fight to survive, that's how you win. You win by never, ever, being willing to die."

"That sounds like a dangerous philosophy," she muses.

"Maybe, but it works," I respond.

"So, you're telling me you're not willing to die for anything? For anyone?"

"What good am I dead?"

"Fair point," she acquiesces after a moment of thought.

We resume training but only for a few minutes before we are interrupted by a mind link from Charles.

Amari, the investigation into the rogues has been concluded, please report to the dungeons for a briefing before they are taken by the Royal Guard.

Will my parents be there? I ask.

No. The Alpha and the Luna have already been briefed by the RIC.