Posted 4 chapters
"Welcome to your first training session," Zayn said to his pack as they stood in the sun, hot and tired. "I know it's only 7 in the morning, but there's nothing wrong with an early start."
Zayn's family, Vincent, Lilith, Eloise, and Micah, sat together on blankets. The day was warm already, and the werewolves nursed their tiredness with coffee and a healthy breakfast.
The only people missing were Harry and Liam.
Zayn had left his mate to sleep so he could rest his head. Yesterday, he wasn't able to cheer Liam up, and he was always on the verge of breaking down. He hoped that Liam would feel better today, but he didn't depend on sleep to settle the negative thoughts.
"Don't worry if you can't complete the workout. I just want to see what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are. Take a break if you need it, but keep in mind that determination will impress me."
Zayn stood in front of his pack and fiddled with the fitness watch on his wrist.
"Right, we're gonna do three laps around the field. Again, don't try to keep up. Go at your own pace." Zayn eyed Phoenix who nodded.
"Let's go!"
Sunny and Jason ran together at the back, and Louis tagged along behind them, ready to motivate those who struggle. The Beta wolf missed working out with a pack, though he did enjoy having one on one sessions with Zayn . His Alpha is excellent at lifting peoples spirits and inspiring them to push harder through the pain.
"Sitting here when it's this hot makes me so lazy," Ares said, checking his watch. His pack is due to arrive at 8, and he wasn't as motivated as his son when it came to working out.
"Do you mind if my pack joins?" Vincent asked.
"Not at all, it will be nice for them to meet." Ares still found it very strange to view Vincent as a werewolf. "Are you any closer to finding your wolf?"
"Yes, I just need a few more days of meditation. My senses are coming back, and I'm starting to feel territorial of my room."
"It must have been hard to keep your wolf down for so long," Micah said as he played with Eloise's hair. "I imagine the feeling is similar to when my wings hide for a while. They get restless, and I feel jittery when I can't expose them."
"That's how it felt at first." Vincent looked up, just as Liam looked out of his bedroom window. "But then it gets much worse. My wolf feels neglected and it messed with my emotions for years until I learned to control it."
"Impressive," Lilith said, watching Zayn and his pack in the distance. "Do you hunt in your wolf form? If you do, can I come because I'm overdue a killing spree?"
Everyone turned to stare at the demon, horrified and shocked, but Lilith smirked and crossed her arms. "I'm joking, relax."
"So," Eloise said, wanting to change the subject, "you think this Phoenix kid is a hybrid of a werewolf and a demon?"
"Definitely," Athena said after rubbing sun cream on her husband's face. "I don't think he's related to the hybrid, I think he is the hybrid, and he didn't say anything about his parents because they are the demon and werewolf couple who caused the Gamma's tale in the first place-"
"Shush," Lilith said, "he's listening." She focused on him for a minute longer. "Wait, I don't think he heard; he was listening to Zayn."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
After the gruelling training session, Zayn and his pack went out together for lunch in a cafe run independently by werewolves. The only person who didn't join was Phoenix. He said he had to sort out where he would be living now that England will be his permanent home instead of Scotland.