The Lonely Mermaid

There Is Nothing Can Console Me

Rain's POV

My parents were getting better with coming to terms with my condition. They had finally given up, mostly, on their dreams of the Olympics, but they still didn't like me being so far away. They were going to hang around for a few days to meet Connor's pack and my new family.

We hadn't told them about the pack hierarchy yet, but we planned to do so before tonight. Tonight all four of us are going to the pack residence to have my induction ceremony and celebration. I would be recognised as a member of the pack by all of the wolves present and I wanted my parents to be there as well.

I needed them to know that I would be okay here.

I had hundreds of warrior wolves who swore on their lives that they would protect me to the death. Connor told me that his pack had the reputation of being one of the deadliest and he wasn't joking.

I had met the other wolves at a pack gathering where Connor announced that I was his mate and their Luna. Apparently I am supposed to take care of their emotional well-being, but it just didn't sit well for me to be on the sidelines while everyone else is working and training. So I jumped in.

I had taken many self defense classes at my university, so I knew how to handle myself.

Connor nearly had a heart attack when I said I would train with the pack. His face was so shocked I couldn't help but smile.

Earlier

"Rain. You can't train with the pack. I don't want you to get hurt," he said with the best of intentions that only succeeded in pissing me off.

"Connor, would you please remove your head from your ass, it's not a hat," I said in reply to the shock of many pack members and warriors. "It isn't medieval times when women were accessories to be shown off and not their own people with their own strengths and weaknesses. I can take care of myself, but I need to practice or when I really need to, I won't be able to defend anyone."

Connor didn't have anything else to say then, so I just started walking to the front of gym where all of the warriors were gathered to begin their training session. I didn't need to ask for Connor's blessing, but I would have liked to know that he trusted in my strength enough to be confident in my abilities. Now I just wanted to put him in his place so that he can stop babying me.

"Who is brave enough to take on their future Luna? Who isn't afraid of being beaten by a girl? Come on! There must be at least one wolf here who has some balls," I taunted at the crowd, knowing I would get a rise out of them and that someone would step forward to be my partner.

Several wolves took a step forward to show that they wanted a chance to knock me on my ass. I surveyed all of the wolves that had risked their hide, to indulge me, because their Alpha was glaring holes in their backs as we spoke. After assessing their abilities to the best of my knowledge, I picked the wolf that looked to be more of a challenge.

He was at least six foot tall and had to weigh more than two hundred and fifty pounds. He also seemed to be the best trained out of all of the wolves, because he was controlling his posture and keeping his anger off of his face at what I had said about the warriors to provoke them. If I beat him, then Connor would have no choice but to believe that I could take care of myself with no problems.

"Alright. I pick . . . you," I said, pointing to my choice. He didn't move, but his controlled expression slipped away to show a rage filled smirk and his eyes filled with ice-like coldness. I wasn't afraid. An angry wolf was a sloppy wolf. This would be easier than I thought, but I still needed to keep my wits about me.

To find my rhythm and keep it, I played the song heathens in my mind and measured my breathes against the beat. The wolf and I got into the ring usually used for boxing and readied ourselves for them to call us to start.

The bell went off and we began to size each other up and look for weaknesses. The warrior made the first move. He swung at my face, hoping for one good hit to end the match quickly while still proving his strength and fearlessness in the face of his Luna and Alpha.

Sadly, he underestimated me and I dodged his blow. Recovering quickly. He tried to sweep my feet out from under me. I jumped straight up into the air and proceeded to perform a flip in the middle of my flight which landed me on his shoulders.

He tried to drop to the ground, hoping to shake me off, but I held on fast and used his momentum to flip him over his head. Stunned, he didn't move immediately, but he eventually got up again. Taking advantage of his shock, I landed three blows in succession on his abdomin. It was hard as a rock, but my fists were harder and I knew where the weak spots of the body were.

He wasn't expecting me to have that degree of strength and he lost his breath. He dropped to his knees, wheezing, but refused to give up. This time, I didn't give him a chance to recover and landed the finishing blow.

Generally, the only way to win in a werewolf challenge is to make the other wolf submit to you. I took my eyes and made them shift gold. I called on my magical strength and used the water in his own body to control his movements. Without control of his body, the wolf had little choice but to do as I bid and submit to me by barring his throat.

As everyone acknowledged that I had won this battle, I released the wolf from my grip and offered him a hand to get up. He looked up at me, defeated, but proud of the strength of his Luna and took my hand. I pulled him to his feet and gave him a hug to show that I still treasured his life as a part of the pack that I would one day lead and be a permanent part of.

Turning to look at Connor, I noticed that he was being held back by Robby and three other pack members. It looked like he had a hard time watching someone attack me without jumping in to save me. I walked up to him and took his face in my hands.

"Connor. Do you see what I was trying to say now?" I asked, wanting a favorable response this time.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but it's just so hard looking at you, who appears entirely human, and remembering that you are anything but," he explained his earlier behavior.

"I can understand that, but, babe, you are going to have to get used to it. If you don't screw up again, I'm going to be around for a long time," I laughed as he agreed to let me train with the pack.