Fated By Starlight by Krista Street

Chapter 18

~ WYATT ~

Ten minutes later, all of my recruits were standing on the training field. The air whipped around us, and Avery’s long mahogany-colored ponytail slapped against her face. The angle of the wind sent her lilac scent careening in my direction.

I ground my teeth together. The inevitable had arrived.

I’d scented her excitement in the cafeteria. More than anything, I’d wanted to pull her aside, wrap her in my arms, and seal her mouth with a kiss. My wolf had whined eagerly, urging me to follow my desires, while sending me more images of our teeth elongating and biting into Avery’s neck.

But I couldn’t do that.

Not now.

Not for at least two years.

Fucking hell. Despite knowing that, my attraction to her was still growing.

And seeing her face and her reaction to me when I’d approached their table . . . I could tell this wasn’t a simple crush for her either.

We were made to be together.

I was as sure of that as I was the sky was blue.

Which only made this harder.

I tried to mentally shake myself from those thoughts as my recruits all looked to me and waited for my orders. Dee stood beside me on the sideline. It was another sunny day, but gray clouds hovered near the western horizon. Rain looked to be in the forecast.

Only ten feet separated Avery and me. Her gaze kept darting my way, raking over my frame. I wore my usual cargo pants and T-shirt. So did she.

My cock twitched when I took in the curve of her neck, the swell of her breasts, and the flare of her hips. Damn.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

I shouldn’t be noticing things like that.

A scent of desire coated in lilacs floated toward me. My lips parted. Avery was feeling as charged as I was.

But as I had in the cafeteria, I continued to ignore her.

Avery’s smile faltered, and Chris gave her a side-eye, a knowing smirk curving his lips. He’d scented her desire too.

My wolf snarled, and an image of me lunging at the young wolf and snapping his neck filled my mind. My heartbeat picked up, and I had to physically stop myself from reacting.

Inside, I turned a deadly growl on my wolf. Attack my new recruit? You want me to attack a new recruit because he scented Avery’s desire?

My wolf’s only response was a snarl.

Yes. Yes, he did.

I plowed a hand through my hair. This was madness. My wolf was legit going insane because I wouldn’t claim our mate.

Major Armund needed to take her away. She couldn’t take her away fast enough, because I couldn’t think with Avery around, and I sure as hell couldn’t do my job.

Dee gave me an expectant nudge as I continued to stand there, and I wondered how long I’d been complacent while an inner battle waged within me.

Snapping myself out of it, I stood straighter and shouted, “New recruits, this is Major Armund.” I waved to her. “She’ll be joining us daily from now on.”

Dee scanned all of them, not missing a thing. She had sharp eyes that reminded me of a hawk, and as one of the leading self-defense instructors at the SF, I valued and respected her authority.

She placed her hands on her hips and nodded at my recruits. When her attention shifted to Avery, she gave a small smile.

“Major Armund is our most skilled self-defense instructor. After warm-ups this morning, she’ll be leaving with Private Meyers to do one-on-one training.”

Avery’s lips parted, and disappointment splayed across her face. I tried not to be affected by that, but a stone settled in my stomach.

I yanked out my stopwatch. “We’ll start with running again today. On my mark.”

All of my recruits began to run, and Avery picked up a jog. The path was clearly marked in the field as everyone set their pace.

My jaw stayed tight as I watched all of them. Unlike last week, Eliza didn’t hover near the back of the group with Avery. She’d obviously fully acclimated to earth as she picked up an easy sprint. She quickly gained ground, running alongside Nick, which left Avery on her own, alone to bring up the rear.

My wolf rumbled. He didn’t like seeing Avery left behind.

Avery’s face clouded when she finally finished her first lap. She craned her head, taking in the rest of her squad already on the opposite side of the track, some ready to lap her a second time.

“Figures,” she muttered under her breath.

The comment drifted to me on the wind. From the looks of it, her mood was suddenly matching the growing gray clouds in the west. I didn’t know if that was because I still hadn’t acknowledged her or if it was because she was coming up last again—or both.

Dee and I watched as my new recruits ran for twenty minutes, doing lap after lap as the wind steadily picked up. Everyone encouraged or greeted Avery when they ran past her, but unlike last week when she didn’t seem to mind being the slowest in the group, with each lap her expression grew more frustrated and resigned.

I hated seeing that dejection in her. I could practically taste it.

I crossed my arms, my stance rigid. It took everything in me not to go to her. I wanted to comfort her and reassure her that she was perfect as she was. Just because she was lesser magically didn’t mean she was less.

But I couldn’t do that. Not here and not now.

“Everyone drop and give me a hundred,” I said after they finished the twenty minutes. I softened my tone when I turned to Avery. “Private Meyers, you may do twenty.”

Her teammates all fell to the ground, immediately in the push-up position as they began doing the morning drill.

Avery was the last to begin, her cheeks bright red. She slowly pushed up and down.

Her gaze darted to Bo. Among the men, he was the weakest, but he was still moving twice as fast as Avery.

Then she looked at Eliza. Unlike last week, the fairy was pushing up and down quickly, breezing through this exercise.

I gritted my teeth. It was so obvious that Avery was comparing herself to others.

Major Armund seemed to reach the same conclusion. She gave me a knowing look. Already she was learning how she needed to train Avery.

Avery’s confidence was low.

That needed to change.

When my recruits finished with the push-ups, I had them all spread out and begin sit-ups. After that, it was jumping jacks followed by lunges.

Avery was gasping for air by the time drills finished, even though she was doing less than everyone else. A flush now filled her neck, and her humiliation was so strong I could scent it.

My jaw locked as I fought my instincts tooth and nail to protect her. I wanted to tell her that she would get stronger and faster. That training took time.

But I also knew that singling her out would only add to her embarrassment, so I kept my mouth clamped shut and only addressed her when drills ended.

“Private Meyers, may I have a word with you?” I looked over her head, fearful my eyes would give away the emotional war raging inside me. So I concentrated on the clouds gathering in the west. They’d moved steadily closer.

Sweat slid past Avery’s ears as she struggled to slow her breathing. She also kept a hand on her side, probably feeling a stitch, but she stood straight and replied, “Of course, sir.”

I stepped away from the group and Avery followed me to an area near the trees. We weren’t far from the others, but it was enough that non-werewolves and vamps couldn’t hear us.

When I finally faced her, a small hesitant smile curved her mouth. My lips thinned. When she looked at me like that, I wanted to say to hell with everything.

But I couldn’t.

Her hesitant smile grew. “It’s so nice to talk at last—”

“Major Armund is going to be training you today.” I cut her off, more harshly than I intended, but I had to keep my wits about me and having her so close was pushing me to the breaking point. I kept my gaze over her head, refusing to make eye contact. If I did, I would drown in her eyes.

From my peripheral vision, I saw her smile falter, but I kept my expression distant and cold. If my control snapped now, it would be the end of me.

Think of Marcus. Think of Marcus.

“I’m sorry, what?” Avery finally managed.

My stomach tightened at the hurt in her voice. Stay professional. What would you say if another recruit addressed you like that?

My nostrils flared. “Do you care to try that question again, Private?”

Her eyes widened, and another flush stained her cheeks. “Sorry, sir. I don’t understand—”

“I’ve called Major Armund in to do one-on-one training with you. From now on, you’ll do drills in the morning each day with your squad, but then you’ll spend the rest of the day training with her. She’s incredibly talented at teaching self-defense. I’ve asked her to work privately with you so that we may ready you for the Institute. Your training officially begins now.”

Confusion clouded her face. “Of course, sir. So I won’t be partaking in the group training at all . . . sir?”

“No, you won’t do any of the group training. For the rest of your time here, your training will be tailored to fit you exclusively. As an ambassador student, your training requirements are vastly different than what we expect of SF members.”

The scent of humiliation flared from her.

Shit. I didn’t mean that as anything other than a practical declaration, but she’d taken it completely the wrong way. I wasn’t singling her out because she was inferior. I was singling her out because it scared the crap out of me to know that she could someday be in danger, and the only hope she had at saving herself depended on how well I trained her.

But she didn’t know that.

She just saw that she was the weakest.

Her shoulders sagged, and my wolf snarled at me so viciously, I feared he would erupt from my chest.

Swallowing down his fury, I forced myself to stand still, staying as cold and unyielding as a glacier. But I couldn’t calm the raging power that vibrated within my limbs. My alpha magic flowed so hotly against my skin, it felt like magma, yet I kept it contained even though my muscles strained against the onslaught.

“I understand, sir,” she eventually said, eyes down.

The silence stretched between us.

My fingers curled into my palms. I was so close to losing it. So close.

Remember your promise. Remember Marcus.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. Keeping my voice rigid, I said, “Report back with your group at 0600 tomorrow morning. Good day, Private Meyers.”

And with that, I strode off.