Wolf Pack: The Awakening

Chapter 6: Do Lies Protect Or Hurt?

After nearly an hour of hiking across the dense forest, the most beautiful campsite ever emerged into view. There were three humongous tents a good few feet away from the river flowing downhill. An unlit hearth stood in the middle of those tents, surrounded with dozens of canned food with a pot and kettle by the side. Probably half a mile to the east, Rosemary noticed two portable toilets and a garbage bin.

      Ashton whistled. "Fancy."

      "Yeah, well, we're not here to relax." Adrian walked towards the campsite, his gaze in all seriousness. "Toss your bags into your tents. It's training time."

Adrian had the girls and Ashton sit by a creek as he stood. "As shapeshifters with the ability to turn into animals, your nose is your greatest asset. In your daily life and combat, the sense of smell usually proves more useful than sight or sound. To unlock that skill, you need to block everything else and concentrate on what you can sense."

      Rosemary made a big show of it by breathing in deeply, paused for a moment and exhaled loudly. "The only thing I'm smelling is dirt."

      Andrew snorted. "Newbie."

      Adrian glared in warning at Andrew before refocusing on the girls. "Imagine your heightened senses are blocked by a door in your mind that's been there you're whole life. Clear your thoughts and feel the little things of nature around you. The inner peace you will feel is all it takes to open the door."

      Sophia contemplated his words and imagined the subtle joys she loved in a forest. The sound of the hundreds of crickets breaking the night's silence. The feeling of soft, wet mud on her clothes. The baths she had by the waterfall with Ashton and the girls. 

      The brunette inhaled through her nose.

      At first, her nose hurt from the rush of sensations. True to Adrian's word, the teen felt something huge shift within her. Even with her eyes closed, she could smell Andrew's lemongrass scent from a distance. She smelled the moving traces of what felt like squirrels upon the trees. As silly as it seemed, she could sense the distinct taste of tuna from one of the open tins by the bin. Her head felt so much lighter.

      In other words, Sophia never felt so alive.

For hours the boys pushed them to the breaking point, with more endurance and physical activities Ashton, Sophia, Etsuki, Rosemary and Violet had faced in their entire life. 

      Ashton, Violet and Rosemary seemed to be doing a much better job than Sophia and Etsuki. Sophia's large body meant she had no stamina whatsoever, while Etsuki hated all sports and never bothered exercising. As for the rest, netball training and athletic competitions proved to be of little help to their stamina when they had to run a five-mile trek.

       Finally, when the Sun was starting to set and the skies darkened until only the tiny flicks of the burning stars remained, Adrian called for a break. Everyone gathered at the bonfire for mushroom soup and peas. Sophia gasped out a 'Thank you' before gobbling down her food. Etsuki, at least, managed to salvage a little bit of dignity.

      "Tomorrow we're going to a classified training base," Adrian spoke up as they ate, his gaze still on the soup. "We've got a specialist coming to train you."

      "Who?"

      Andrew grinned. "Oh, he's wicked. The dude's one of the highest-profile and respected Alphas in the Tri-State Area. He's trained hundreds of supernaturals, he earns millions. Seeing as he's.......personally invested in this case, he's agreed to return from his professional sabbatical to help us."