The Luna's Nerd

~Chapter 33~

"Arms up. Fists balled. Breathe. Concentrate." Alice slowly paces down the line of us all and examines our posture.

'Yes, do as she says, Tyler. I wonder what Nicole would think of you taking orders from her.'

I frown and my arm falters, 'She's helping me. I'm actually starting to be more concentrated because of these lessons.'

Alice reaches me and fixes my arm. "You lost concentration, Woods." A small frown crosses her face, but she continues. "Alright, again."

We continue on the set, but Henry is distracting me with mindless chatter, and it's hard to focus. Alice has to repeatedly fix my posture. "We won't move on until Woods gets it right. Again." Everyone else groans, and I feel embarrassed. I'm their leader and I can't focus because of my wolf. She slowly instructs us, but her attention is solely on me.

'Can you shut it for 5 minutes?' I growl to Henry. He hums a song instead, and I finally manage to complete the set.

"Nice work, Woods. You only took up half our time." Alice comments sarcastically. I raise a brow at her.

"Sorry," I say sheepishly. Alice instructs us to the mats. David's group is already there, and I end up sharing a mat with a small, skinny boy. He's one of the smallest, but he's clever and smart enough to make the cut to be a warrior.

"Alright, girls and boys. Now, we're going to have a huge orgy." Alice announces. We all stare at one another in confusion. She adds, "I'm kidding."

Some laugh at the joke and others seem relieved. I remain expressionless. "We'll start basic combat tomorrow, guys. We don't have time today but remember your partners. You'll be training with them next." I'm actually relieved training is over for today. Rose's funeral is tomorrow and I haven't had the chance to see Nicole this morning since I was swept off to training before she woke up.

I follow everyone out to the doors, but Alice stops me. "Hey, Woods?"

"Yeah?" I face her.

"What was the set all about? Thinking of your girlfriend?"

I'm surprised she mentions Nicole. "No, actually, my wolf. I mean, I'm not thinking about him, but he just... he distracts me."

She laughs, "Your wolf, huh? Why not just block him out?"

My face reddens, "I-I uh, don't know how."

"I'm actually more concerned about you stuttering."

"Huh?"

"I mean, an Alpha is all big and bad, you're so... I don't know... cute?" She grins.

I stare at her strangely, "Uh, thanks?"

"But as for the wolf problem, I have no issue with teaching you how to console him. But it'll have to be a one-on-one session. I can't hold the group back since they've known how to do it growing up."

I nod, "yeah, that's okay. We can do it in my office or my room."

'Are you out?' I mindlink Nicole.

She doesn't reply, and I know it's because she's not nearby. We don't have a strong connection since I haven't marked her. We haven't talked about that yet. I text her instead. I know she isn't in any danger since Henry is so calm. "Maybe your room? It needs to be a comfortable area, and work isn't comfortable."

"Yeah." I agree and head back. Nicole messages back as we walk upstairs. She says she's out shopping for a dress for tomorrow. I put my phone away and speed up on walking.