The Darkness Within

10 - Mates and Nightmares

A/n: Sorry in advance, the second half of this chapter will probably be sad but it had to be done for the emotional journey that I want to write. Trigger warning for rape and abuse but it can be skipped by avoiding the italics. I feel like a cruel writer right now for hurting my main character with this, sorry in advance.

The visiting werewolves learned better combat moves incredibly fast. Ciara attributed this to a mix of werewolf natural fighting abilities from their wolf half, their desire to learn to protect their pack, and Gamma Claire and Gamma Anne's excellent training methods. It only took two weeks from when the first group had originally arrived for them to be trained enough to return to their own pack and were sending a second group of warriors to be trained by the Grey Forest pack.

Ciara was sad to see the two males from the Red Star pack that she had sparred with frequently leave for home. She had come to consider them friends and the four of them, counting Tala, had grown much more skilled over the past two weeks. However, she was excited to see what new werewolves she would meet the next day when the second wave arrived. The pups, younger werewolves, and their families were to stay at the Grey Forest pack until Alpha Cyra felt their home was safe enough.

Apparently, neighboring werewolf packs kept in touch with each other and warned their neighbors of nearby threats. Beta Juno was the one tasked with this job, and after receiving messages from the pack's allies of demon attacks similar to the ones at Red Star a week after Red Star's arrival, ordered everyone to be on high alert. The number of warriors on watch duty doubled, warriors were sent with the hunting parties, and everyone trained in a weapon was allowed to carry whatever weapon they wished. Alpha Wilson, upon seeing she had no plans of leaving, allowed Oliver to be reassigned where he was needed rather than following her around all day. Evelyn had even insisted that Ciara carry a sword and dagger with her almost everywhere, the female's concern for her human friend shining through. While she wasn't nearly proficient enough in the weapons' use, Evelyn had told Ciara that the demons usually carried swords with them and that being caught without her own would likely mean death for her.

So, it became customary for the werewolves to have swords attached to their hips or over their shoulders. It was interesting to see what weapons every individual chose for themselves. While the weapons were similar, small variations in the style of each blade could be noticed and the combination of each individual's weapons was interesting. Ciara preferred her sword to be sheathed over her shoulder but kept her dagger and hunting knife at her sides. When the Beta had encouraged the adornment of weapons, Gamma Anne had been the one to train Ciara in the art of swordplay. The female had matched her with a sword that fit Ciara's movement style which the Gammas described as sleek, quick, and nimble. Ciara's small frame didn't allow her as much strength as a werewolf, but she had always been incredibly fast, allowing her to be a track star before entering the forest, and her small frame made her less of a target. Subsequently, she was matched with a thinner and lighter blade for a sword, allowing her to move it quickly and in tune with her natural movements. She had been informed that most blades as thin as hers would be brittle and not a reliable weapon, but her sword had been made by witches who Gamma Anna said Dark Goddess had blessed with blade-forging magic and their blades were beyond all others.

This time, Ciara wanted to see the new Red Star pack members arrive, so she asked made herself wake up early so she could attend. Which is how she ended up outside just as the sun was rising, thankful for her thick fur-clothes as the sky dumped plumes of snow on the waiting group. All the gathered werewolves paid the snow and cold no mind, their inhuman nature rendering them immune, however, Ciara could see that the lack of clear sight had the gathered werewolves on edge.

Ciara stood next to Evelyn and Lila, at their invitation, and she surveyed the gathered werewolves. All of Grey Forest pack's leaders were gathered alongside Alpha Cyra and her Gammas who had remained to help train the next round of Red Star warriors.