Edited version of "The Protector."
Excerpt:
"You are my mate," he said to her coldly.
Tracy looked at him intensely. "What does that mean in werewolf?" She asked curiously.
"It means that you are my soulmate.'"
"You don't sound...
The next morning, Landon showed up early on the field. Eyeing him incredulously, Carla was unwilling to deal with another bout of his whining or poor sportsmanship. "Why are you here?" She asked suspiciously.
"I want to help with the training." He said with earnest.
"Well, a sore loser is as bad as an abandoned backpack in an airport." She said scathingly.
"Don't you mean a ticking time bomb?"
"That was too cliche."
Landon hung his head, "You're right. But we've learned our lesson."
"Well, since you've taken out our run leader, you can head the jogging team while I work with the others on weaponry." Carla said, pointing to a small group that was loitering at one end of the dew covered field.
"You mean you don't train them all at once?" Jack asked, coming over to stand with his mate.
"No. Omegas still have their work. So, we've broken them up into three groups. The first one comes out at six . We always warms up by jogging, stretching, and strength training. At eight the second group comes out. lead by Jessie and Asya." Carla said pointing to a light skinned black girl with a head full of unusually coppery red hair. About a head taller than Jessie, she was lean and extremely athletic. "She's much faster than the others." Carla continued. "Asya sets the pace for any running activity around the pathways through the forest. Jessie pushes the stragglers. The last group is out by ten, about the time the first group heads back for chores. I plan to keep Asya with me for extra practice. You two can take their places."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
^Asya Crawford^
"We got you babe." Jack said giving her a kiss.
"Right-O!" Landon said as they made their way over to the designated groups. Landon was feeling proud of his mate. Apparently she was kindhearted, but at the same time a strong leader.
"And what do you need me to do?" A deep voice sounded from behind them.
Carla didn't bother to turn around. Recognizing her father voice, she gestured for him to follow her. Joining the remaining Omegas, she split them into two teams ."Everyone in this group has fought in the tourney. You can help them better since you've seen them fight."
"The rest of you will be with me." She said.
When Jessie came over, some of the Omegas called out. Smiling over their acknowledgement, she looked confidently at Carla.
"Which group am I in?" She asked.
Carla raised her brow and looked at the young girl's arm that was still slightly bruised and wrapped in a bandage.
"If it's alright with the Beta trainer, you can be in mine." Jackson said, looking in Carla's direction.
Carla knew that training with her dad was a brutal affair, but it was exactly what they needed. Still, she couldn't help but worry. Looking at her father, she saw the questioning plea in his eyes. He was asking her to trust him. Carla nodded her consent and moved off to train her group.
She started them off with knife throwing. They were familiar with the basics but half of them couldn't hit the target. So, Carla worked on their form. Hearing grunts of pain, she looked over to see that her dad had knocked Lenny off his feet. Each Omega was taking turns trying to take him down. Jackson didn't hold back on the punishment either, but at the same time taught his group where they went wrong and how to improve.
The Omegas were hesitant to get hurt, but endurance was in their blood. They could withstand abuse of all sorts. Since the competition, they knew that they had a chance at becoming something greater than their title. Any thing was better than defenseless punching bags.
When it was Asya Crawford's turn, she took her stance and waited. She had gone up against regular pack members who were defeated by her in 30 seconds. Always quick to attack her opponent, she had decided to use a new tactic.
For the first time during his session, Jackson attacked first. Asya nimby ducked and dodged his advances. Jackson could only land a couple of hits which she deflected or rolled away from easily. She had learned from watching old Muhammad Ali fights not to stiffen up when hit, but to stay lose.
Jackson paused at the queenly swagger of his opponent. Sharply intelligent, he could tell she would be a hard one to beat.
"You're going to have a difficult time wearing me down." He said.
Asya dusted off her pants before strutting up to him. "How would you suggest we do that?" She asked with a grin.
Jackson attempted to speak but was hit with a hard blow to the gut followed by a sharp uppercut. Asya got in at least 5 good licks before Jackson hit her forcefully in the chest. Knocking the wind out of her, she flew back on the ground. Laying there, momentarily out of breath, she managed to ignore the pain and roll herself up into a fighting stance.
"When did you last shift?" Jackson asked. Dropping his hands he cocked his head to the side for her answer.
"I never have." Asya said, refusing to let down her guard.
"What about your parents?"
"They were unknown to me. I was an abandoned infant found in the woods by Elder Mason. I was wrapped in a pink blanket that was monogrammed with my name. The dead bodies of a white couple lay nearby. They had been attacked by rogues. Their faces unrecognizable, none of the nearby packs could identify who they were."
"But they were both wolves, correct?" Jackson asked.
"According to Alpha Mason, they were."
"Something's not right." Jackson said, puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't exactly smell like a wolf. Whatever you are, it's somewhat weaker." Jackson scratched his head. "I think you should go see the Alpha when he gets back. Good fight."
"You never said how we could take you down?" she reminded him.
Jackson smirked. "You don't need to know."
==========================
Comment, Vote, and Follow me for updates!
If anyone has already read "The Protector" which version do you like better?
