Living In The Gates

Challenge

I woke up today with a strange surge of excitement and energy. Maybe it's because the heat has passed, or maybe because it's Saturday but I can't seem to place my finger on it. A soft yellow hue flooding into the room from the French doors to the balcony reminds me of a movie scene. It doesn't help that the lighting accents Luca's facial features perfectly. 

I slide out of Luca's arms and the sea of sheets to walk over to the balcony. Ten or fifteen warrior type men plus most of the pack are all gathered in the courtyard. Why are they...

"LUCA!" I yell as I scramble to find a sports bra and shorts. "Luca, get your ass up!" I throw a pillow at his head as I walk into the closet.

He shoots up with a derpy stunned face along with his messy chocolate locks. "What? Where's the danger?" He fully opens his eyes to see there is no danger, just me pulling my shorts on. Luca falls back into the bed. 

"I'm leading the training today! Fuck I've been waiting for this since I came here." I pull the covers off his upper half and pull on his arm to get him up. "Come on mister Alpha. I want to kick some Rowan Pack ass." 

He looked me in the eye with an Alpha stare then a smirk grow on his lips. Within seconds, Luca pulls me to the bed and pins me with my hands above my head. "Who's ass are you kicking?" He asks as his breath is hot on my ear.

"Yours," I whisper and flip us over so I was on top, straddling him. I know I could probably never be able to kick his ass since, in all mate pairings, the male will always be stronger. If I'm stronger than most females and some males, I can't imagine how powerful Luca truly is. I peck him on the lips then jump up and run out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen.

I'm greeted by an older lady in her late 50's with pale skin and greying hair. "Good morning Luna. I have made a protein smoothie for you to drink before your training." She handed me a dark green drink in a fancy glass cup topped with some extra fruit on top.

"Thank you..." I started. I'm surprised I haven't seen her before. I guess I use the kitchenette in our bedroom for most of the cooking I do for Luca and me. I don't know most of the pack members but hopefully, after today I will.

"Gertrud." She stated her name.

"Thank you, Gertrud," I took a sip of the drink. It felt like heaven in my moth. "It's very nice meeting you and this is amazing."

To kick off training I made everyone, including myself, fully sprint 10 miles. Kurt took the lead with his warriors while I stayed in the middle to continuously encourage the rest of the pack to push forward. Luca stayed in the back to make sure no one was slacking off. After, we planned to do two hours of cardio.

Once the 10 miles were up we all gathered in a large clearing in the forest. Cardio almost killed the ones who were unfit so I let them have a five-minute break. The group was split into two equal groups after that. Half was with me and the others were with Kurt until it was time to switch.

I stand in front of my group as they gather near while Luca leaned against a tree to my left observing. "It's not only important to be able to defend yourself as a wolf but as a human and harness your strength in both forms." I start my instructions for today's lesson. "I will be teaching you how to control your anger and then use your opponent's against them as a human. With these techniques, you will be able to take on a hothead rouge even if you are in human form." I pause to let that soak in. It's funny how I talk about controlling your anger yet that's what I struggle with most but not when it's a fight that determines if you live or died. In that aspect, I'm great with control. "Now partner up and do as I say." 

They started to partner up and Luca comes over to me. "Why would I do anything you say? You already made us run, like, for forever plus the stupid cardio crap." A voice yelled at me making me turn to her. She looked like the definition of a slutty Barbie. Bleached blonde hair and her caked-on makeup ruined from her sweat.

"Because she's our Luna." A girl next to her whispered, trying to pull her friend down from the challenge she wanted.

Barbie narrowed her eyes at me then smirked. "If anyone should be Luna it's me, not some American mutt." A low growl came from Luca as he took a step forward but I placed a hand out to show him to back down. Realizing this was my fight as a Luna, he backs down right away.

"If I'm not mistaken, are you challenging me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. To be completely honest I'm very amused by this. Here she is almost out of breath from the small exercise we did and I haven't even broken a sweat yet she thinks she will win.

"I see why not? If someone wants to be Alpha then they would challenge him, so why not do the same for the Luna spot? Plus when I win I'll have Luca to myself." She stepped closer to me, winking at my mate.

This is the part where I start laughing. Her face drops. Who does she think she is? If it wasn't for the serious glare she had I would think she was joking. "Alright," A devilish grin spreads across my face. "I accept your challenge. Just so you know, I will make you regret your decision." A circle formed as the other group come over to see the outcome. Everyone wanted to see if I'm worthy of leading their pack.

Luca grabbed my wrist, "Are you sure you want to do this? If you show weakness, you're opening up the board for more challenges."

"I have to prove I'm worthy of your pack one way or another, I'll be fine." With that, I give him a quick peck and run into the middle of the circle. I get into a defensive position and flash my eyes. 

She gasps and rage-filled her face, "I didn't know the Gates let murders in." She shifted into a dusty yellow wolf. I let out a fake yawn, heard that one before.

I stand up straight and cross my arms. "You had to get personal with it, didn't you?" She lunged at me but I easily sidestepped to avoid her. "As you can see, anger can cloud one's judgement if they are not in control," I announce to the group making this challenge more of a lesson. She came at me head-on and she jumped to face level. I quickly grab the left side of her face with my left hand and grab under her stomach with my right to use her weight to flip her over and pin her to the ground. "This is the part where I say that she is the hothead rouge in my example earlier." I let her go and stand back up. Still haven't broken a sweat.

She circles around me not giving up as she comes at me again the same way but from behind. I kneel and turn as she jumped at me. I grab onto her front paws and flipped her on to her back with a thud. In a blink of an eye, I was on her in a headlock. She tried her best to scratch at me and managed to get a deep one across my chest. I tighten my grip using my legs to snap one of her front legs and she let out a yelp. My canines drop and my eyes grow bright. "Submit." She continues to struggle as I tighten so much she can't move. "I said to submit to your Luna." I beamed in a powerful voice I never knew I had. 

She quickly shifts back as she clutches onto her arm. Someone threw a blanket at us and I release her from my grip. I bend down to her as she sits up in the blanket. My eyes still the bright icy blue. "Never, and I mean never, challenge me again or there will be a lot more broken than just our arm." Standing back up I address the group, "Does anyone else feel the need to challenge me?" A few looked down in fear while others stare shocked at my eyes. My fangs still dropped and my claws were still out. If I'm honest, I'm struggling not to shift at this moment and unleash even more pain on the girl but none of them knows that.

The group was silent before they bowed. "Training is done. Everyone, head home and get cleaned up." Luca's voice boomed and everyone started to head back. "Dane, Dylan. Help Harley to the pack Doctor." He pointed to Barbie sitting on the forest floor. 

A pair of twins step forward to her and help her up. I walk up to her so I'm face to face with her. My eyes are back to chocolate brown and my canines retracted. "I hope you see why I was chosen to be your Luna by the Moongoddes." With that, the twins took her out of the forest. 

"You're bleeding," Luca is at my side in at an instant. "It's deep, we need to get you to the doctor."

I brush it off, "No need. I've had worse." An emotion of pain and anger washed over his face. "I'm okay, I promise." I wrap my arms over his shoulders and pull myself close to him, giving him a hug of reassurance. Overall I felt today was pretty successful. Not only did I prove myself to the pack but during the training, I got to meet most of the members personally.