Her Pack by Tamara White
Chapter Ten
"Ah! No fair!"I cry as Nate runs up to the house and slams his hand on the front door before running back to me and swooping me up in his arms, and swinging me around. My pout quickly turns to laughter, and I relax in his hold. He stops suddenly and sets me on my feet, his hands resting on my hips.
We stare into each other's eyes, our smiles fading as something more intimate ignites between us. My eyes flick to his lips as Nate reaches up and cups my cheek tenderly. "I missed you, Dani. So damn much,” he breathes out, his eyes filled with longing.
His head dips towards mine, my heart racing in anticipation for his kiss but he hesitates only a breath away from my lips.
I don’t move, not wanting to rush him, to rush this moment between us. His thumb strokes over my jawline, like he too doesn’t want to go too fast. Softly, his lips brush against mine, a small moan escaping him. He tugs my body flush against his, the racing of his heart matching my own.
A groan rumbles in my chest, my wolf rising up to make her thoughts on her mate touching her known but somehow I’m able to keep her at bay, enjoying this moment with Nate all on my own.
His hand tightens on my waist, the hand on my cheek moving to grip my neck but it’s not painful, if anything it’s possessive and it sends a tingle of arousal through me.
The kiss becomes heated as I meld my body to his. His hand on my waist tightens and I move my hands to his waist, running them up under his shirt feeling the hard planes of his chest.
Suddenly he breaks the kiss, pressing his head against mine, his breaths coming quick. I’m panting too, my heart racing with adrenaline so I close my eyes to try and get a hold of myself.
“I missed you,” Nate murmurs once his breathing has returned to normal.
Regret settles in my heart at how much my leaving them caused them pain. "I missed you too,” I sigh, vowing never to be so stupid again.
He presses a soft kiss to my head and steps back, his eyes roaming over me before settling into a happy smile. "Right, we should be training. Since we're well and truly warmed up, how about you show me some of those moves that had you knocking me on my ass when we first met."
I nod and clear my head of the arousal my wolf is still pushing through me. I can feel the heat under the surface ready to break out if I lose control but I need to be better than that. I need to keep it under wraps. I need to learn control, not only for myself, but for other pack members. I can’t always let a heat rise and trigger in every pack member in close proximity. I should be able to control it, at least that’s what James said I would be able to do one day soon.
Once my head is focused on training and only training, I offer him a teasing smile. "Well, I'm not sure whether or not it will help but why not.”
I begin walking around him, my gaze running over him critically. "Go into a defensive stance. Show me how you would defend yourself if it was only one attacker and you."
He doesn't argue or ask questions, simply does as I say. He's in a simple stance, his dominant foot back a little and his hands hanging loosely at his sides. His body is tense though and I know that if I were to attack him now, he would attempt to use my weight against me and throw me to the ground. But in an attack, he’ll most likely lunge at me like he will expect his attacker to do.
I nod slowly, mimicking his position. "Attack me."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Nate lunges at me, and I simply step back and to the side, watching in amusement as he stumbles over his own feet and falls to the ground. I hold out a hand to help him back up.
"What did you do wrong?"
He sighs in frustration, before going back to where he previously stood. "I underestimated you. I thought I would be able to trick you by simply lunging. I figured you wouldn't expect me to do something so simple but you were ready for it."
The annoyance is clear in his tone and by the agitated way he fidgets.
"Hey, there's no shame in that. But the lesson is, never underestimate your enemy. That was the first thing my father ever told me and he made sure I remembered it. No matter who, or what you are facing, you must always be on alert. Whenever you face off with a foe, always assume they are stronger, faster, and all-around better than you. If you go into a fight expecting to lose, you are that much more motivated to win."
He cocks his head perplexed. "Um, say what now? if you expect to lose, you'll win? What kind of bullshit line is that?"
"I know it sounds crazy, and it took me a while to understand what it meant but it's true. I've always gone into a fight, thinking I'm not strong enough, not good enough to defeat my opponent. Have I lost fights? Sure, and they won't be the last. But I had my father there to back me up, and protect me from being truly hurt. From those fights, I learned more about myself and the weaknesses that I had. But it also gave me a passion to be better the next time, to ensure that I put everything into the next fight because I knew that it could mean the difference between life and death."
Nate contemplates that a moment before speaking. "Strangely, I actually do kind of understand the thinking behind that logic. Not that I think it's right that your father let you lose fights before saving you, but if it did help you then who am I to argue? I just wish I had more time to get to know your father. I wonder if he would have taught us the things you know."
For a moment, grief overwhelms me at the mention of my dad. How much I miss him. How much I miss James too. They lost their lives to protect me. And they could have been invaluable to defeating Luke and his followers, but I will use everything they taught me to make sure I get rid of Luke once and for all.
It only takes a moment for me to get myself together again. I think after talking with Eli a lot when I first came here, I’ve been able to accept that they’re no longer here. It’s gonna take time to get through their loss. Especially my father’s. There are going to be moments in life that he should have been there for and he won’t. But I am lucky that I have my mates and my mates’ families to help ease those moments and get through all the painful memories.
I should find the time soon to do something for him, something to honor the impact he had on my life and this world. Without him, none of these wolves would have the royal bloodline they worship. I sincerely hope that there is a life after death and my dad was rewarded with seeing my mother again. That they’re both in some afterlife, looking down on me.
Rather than dwell on thoughts of my parents though, I simply go back into training mode. I will make time for them, a whole day where I honor them both the way they should be but there is too much to do right now. When everything with Luke is over, I will ensure all the packs know of the sacrifice my parents made for me, and for the packs.
Shaking my head before I get too distracted, I concentrate on Nate and the way he’s watching me with sympathy. I can tell he wants to comfort me but he senses I don’t want it.
I clear my throat trying not to let emotion seep into my tone. "Show me your stance if you were being cornered by multiple attackers. You can sense them all around you but you don't see them. I want to see what you would do." I instruct Nate, watching him with scrutinizing eyes.
As he positions himself, I step back, smirking as I do. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to attack him when he least expects it. I want him to be deep in the zone, focused on his surroundings. If he's concentrating, he should be able to feel where my attack comes from but if he's not, well then all is fair in love and war.
He keeps his arms loose at his side, his head cocked and eyes wary. He must know I'm up to no good.
"Close your eyes, Nathaniel. Sense my attack with your wolf, not with your sight. Deflect it. If you can..."
I drop to the ground in a move my dad once used on me. He tricked me because I was too naive and thought all attacks would come from my height when in reality you never know if an attack will come from the ground, from the air or from the side. The important thing is that you are able to prepare yourself for all those eventualities.
As I crab crawl close, I smile up at my mate, enjoying the way his nose twitches, scenting me. The sad thing about this exercise though is that he can't use his sense of smell to find me. I've been with him since we left the house so no matter what, he'd pick up on my scent. The only time it would make a difference is if I was directly in his face. Then it would be a hell of a lot stronger.
"Dani?" Nate questions, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he fights the urge to open his eyes. He lifts a hand in front of him, sweeping it in front of him trying to determine where I am. It takes all my willpower not to giggle at him as he moves his body away from me in a completely different direction.
That's when I extend my leg behind him until it's the same height as his knee, and I position myself so I can curve it behind him. I wait, not quite touching his leg, ready to pull him over when he moves and jumbles my whole plan. Suddenly, Nate isn't under me like I had planned. He's above me, his eyes wide in surprise. His hands are placed on either side of my head and my breath stops from the intensity in his eyes.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that." I chuckle, placing my hands on his chest to push him up but the moment my right hand settles over his heart, the air between us changes. His cerulean blue eyes are piercing me in a way that leaves me breathless. He lowers slightly, just enough that his nose touches mine, and his body is lined up against me. It's clear from the hard length in his pants, that he is very happy to have the upper hand right now.
I reach up with my left hand to cup his cheek, tracing over the soft skin of his jaw. “Nate, we’re supposed to be training.”
He hovers over me, a teasing smirk on his face. “We are training. We're just having a little intermission."
He leans close and presses his lips to mine tenderly. My hands twine up and around his neck to pull him closer so his body is firmly pressed against me. He groans low in his throat and tears himself away from me.
Disappointment shines in his eyes as he gets to his feet and pulls me up too. “As much as I really want to continue this, we’re supposed to be honing our skills so we aren’t caught unaware.”
Damn him. Of course, he has to talk about what we should be doing rather than just letting our wolves free to have their ways with each other. My wolf is going crazy, eager to be one with him and I imagine his too is eager to form the mate bond that has been denied so far.
The wolf part of me wants to give in. To let him mate with me, and feel the completed bond with at least one of my mates. But the human part of my mind is struggling with the knowledge that it may upset the others.
Nate must see what is going through my mind because he wraps me in a hug. "I love you, Dani. I think I loved you the first moment I saw you and I love you even more now. We don’t have to rush our time, okay?"
"Why?" It may be stupid to ask but I need to know. I feel ridiculously lucky to have all these men in my life yet it still feels so surreal to think they all care about me. How can he love me with all that my life has brought them? People have been killed, packs gone missing, lives upturned. How can they even stand to be with me knowing that this is what their life will be when the time comes for me to be Queen.
My blood may make me royalty, but I know at heart I am not a queen. I don’t want to lead the packs and risk them falling to ruin. Look at how power has corrupted Luke? How can I be sure that won’t happen to me or one of my mates?
Nate helps me to my feet, tilting my head when I refuse to look at him. He sighs sadly when he sees the obvious self doubt shining in my eyes. "It's because of the person you’re becoming that I love you. Every day you grow into a beautiful woman, intent on saving the world. You are fighting the battles of a whole damn species and yet you still persevere. I can see in your eyes there are days you want to quit, to give up but for the sake of us all, you push forward. You don’t let fear of what’s to come hold you back, you keep fighting until there’s nothing left to give. That’s why I love you. And that’s why the packs love you. You may be the future Queen by blood but you are a queen at heart. That is what makes you different from Luke.”
"He's right you know."
I startle at the sound of Eli's voice. He's standing on the bottom step of his house, wearing nothing but the silk boxers he went to bed in.
"You may not see it Dani, but there is a radiance about you. It's not just us who see it, but every wolf you encounter. It's why they are so drawn to you," Eli explains as he walks to Nate and I. "Even the wolves who follow Luke. They see the power within you which is why they follow him. They are scared of the pull you have and the things you could do to our world. We've lived in fear of him for so long that people are scared of the change you will bring."
Nate takes a step back as Eli steps into the space and cups my cheeks, leaning forward to rest his forehead on mine. "You are the Queen we all need, Dani."
I sigh, feeling the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. Everyone keeps saying these things but I feel like their faith in me is misplaced. Vivienne herself had a vision that I would be killed by the crown so how does that make me worthy to lead a whole species? And now, the cleansing has failed so I have to wonder if all this faith they have placed in me is mistaken?
