Little Red

Chapter 14

I breathe heavily, hands on knees as I try to catch my breath.  The cool morning air slices against my windpipe with each ragged breath.

It's 8 am and I've spent the last 3 hours doing warming up with Samuel.  Based on the way he's breathing behind me, one would think otherwise.  

"That was great.  We should be warmed up now."  I remark, turning to him with a smile.

He leans against a thick pine tree, one hand pressed against his black-clad chest as he breathes deeply.

"That was a warm up?"  His dark eyes flick to my face as he straightens.

"Yeah."  I answer with a small shrug.  

We spent the past three hours running around Dark Night's perimeter - alternating between sprinting and jogging. The perks of being superhuman.

He gives me a disbelieving look. 

"Well damn."  He curses.

"That was my brother's version of an easy day."  I inform him with an eye roll.

"I'm sorry to inform you of this, but your brother is insane."  He grunts.

I laugh, caught off guard by his joke.  He seems to be in a good mood today.  

I wonder how long that will last.

"I agree, but he's dedicated."  I say, the ache in my chest eases as I talk about my family for the first time since I've arrived.  "He's the one who taught me everything I know."

"So he's the one I should blame for my torn shirt."  Samuel mutters.

We enter the training ground a bit earlier than usual, and only a few people in our normal group are already here, standing in small groups.  Theo is one of them.

Even from yards away, I can see the twinkle in his blue eyes as he spots us and immediately waves me over.

He bounds up to meet me when we approach.

"Hey Red, I missed you yesterday."  He greets with a boyish smile.

"Hi Theo, I'm not sure you'll be saying that when I kick your butt during the starter."  I joke.

"Ouch, you wound me."  He says, holding his hand to his heart.  "But really, are you okay?  When you didn't show up the past two days...."

My insides warm at the concern in his bright blue eyes.

"Yes, don't worry about me...you should worry about yourself."  I warn with a smile.

"Well you sure are confident today."  He quips.  "It's good to have you back!"

A few more wolves have walked up during our exchange, including Derrick.  He's deep in conversation with a dark-haired male, the scar pulling tight as he frowns.  Moments later, the other male turns into a medium-sized wolf and takes off into the tree line.

I spot movement in my peripheral and turn to see the she-wolf who flirted with Samuel last time.  She's talking to another male, her hand resting on his shoulder as she stands close.  Her eyes are not on him, instead she's sweeping the surrounding area.  Not that the male cares, as his gaze is firmly fastened on her chest.  When she sees Samuel, a predatory gleam appears until she spots me next to him, and her eyes narrow.  

I hold her stare until finally, she looks away when the other male says something.  Following her gaze, he sees me, his eyes darkening as they move over my form.  His gaze is unwanted, and it sets off a spark of anger in my gut.  I left my cloak behind today, and I now regret it.  No longer his center of attention, Miss Flirt shoots me another glare before walking away from him.  She stalks towards us with her eyes trained on Samuel.