The Commander of Orion ✔️

Chapter 7

Kaelon

I instantly knew something was wrong when Edrei did not immediately answer Zoron's call outside her door. It was outside her normal self.

We had ridden her hard during our training sessions these past few days, trying to strip away the conditioning she had been exposed to over the years of training. I had considered stopping after the second day when I saw how much pain her body had caused her, but Zoron had assured me it would work, I needed to be strong as well.

It was hard but I listened to him when she came to me on the third day, barely able to focus herself when we trained. She was starting to slip from the mould she had been sculpted to since she was a pup. I could tell the reigns she had on her wolf were slipping as she would completely zone out or drop down to rest.

As much as I would've liked to, I didn't go easy on her. I wanted this period of intense training to pass by quickly- a small barrier we needed to cross together in order to be together.

I didn't want to give her the chance to regain her strength. Our training sessions would've lasted longer than they should if I did.

"Kaelon!" I heard Zoron yell from Edrei's room. Quick as I could, I ran to them. Edrik was not far behind me, obviously hearing Zoron's distress in Edrei's room.

I found Edrei limp in Zoron's arms. Her eyes were rolled over and her mouth slightly parted. She was unconscious. I swore.

"Put her on the bed!" I ordered my first commander.

Pushing down the urge to run to her, I gave Zoron space to manoeuvre around the tight room. He picked her up with ease and softly dropped her onto the assortment of furs laid out on the wooden frame.

"Go and get Mae," I ordered Edrik. He nodded, acknowledging my request before bolting out of sight.

Once Zoron moved out of the small confines of Edrei's room, I rushed to her side. "We pushed her too hard," I growled, trying to even out the blame but there was no point- it was me who ultimately had the final say.

"I underestimated her," I heard Zoron say. "I thought her mind would weaken when her body did, but it seems like her mind is outdoing her physical strength."

"The perfect soldier," I replied emitting a low deep growl. I was angry that I did not see this coming when it was perfectly obvious. "We can't break down her walls like this. There has to be another away."

Zoron's theory was proving itself right. He had speculated that Edrei could not feel our bond because she had been conditioned to become the perfect soldier overriding her instincts to mate and reproduce.

These types of situations were not rare in warriors who believed in their training, however, each warrior presented their symptoms in different ways. Some lacked the emotional capacity to feel deep emotion, while others, like Edrei lacked the instincts that were innate to every living being.

"What's happened?" I heard Mae's soft elderly voice yell from the hallway. I turned to her to see her round frame peering into the small room. "Come out so I can check on her," she urged, motioning for me to come out of Edrei's room with her walking stick.

I pursed my lips together before I hesitatingly left Edrei's side. The room was too small to fit both of us. It was designed that way to maximise the number of bedrooms that could fit into the upper floor. The bedrooms weren't designed to be lived in full time, yet, when I became Alpha, Zoron and Edrik just moved in, and so did I.