Zeke

"We're gonna work on attacks and counter-attacks today" I informed the group of teens. I was with Kamdyn's group, meaning Austin the ass-hole was here too. I just wanted to get this training session over with. Today is the day that Caleb, Piper, Liam, Mason, and everyone else is supposed to come. "One of you will attack, and the other try to counter it" I instructed. They were already in pairs, the same pairs from the first day.

I was actually proud of that. All the guys seemed to get over their thing about not hitting a girl since it's just for training. Everyone started the exercise and I watched from the front. "Oh, shit! I'm sorry!" I turned to see Mary clutching her stomach and Charlie hovering over her.

They saw me coming over and Mary quickly straightened her back whilst Charlie looked down at the ground. "What happened?" I questioned.

Charlie ran a hand through his hair as a guilty expression crossed his face. "We were doing the training and stuff. And Charlie countered my punch, and he punched me. It was hard to breath, but I'm fine now" Mary assured me quickly.

Nodding, I looked back and forth between them. "Do a replay. So I can see what went wrong" I instructed. They complied, Mary throwing a headshot. Charlie pushed her arm away from his face with one of his arms as the other arm threw a punch at her gut. He barely touched her though. "Alright. Charlie, good job with the counter" I praised him before turning to Mary. "When you punch, you wanna exhale. So if someone counters or punches you when you're trying to punch, you won't get the wind knocked out of you" I stated.

She slowly nodded her head and threw a few practice punches. I nodded in approval and walked away from them. I went to Marcus and Tracy. "Counter-attacks isn't just dodging. You want to block a hit and retaliate" I told them. I took Tracy's spot and got into position. "Give me your best shot" I taunted Marcus.

He smirked, obviously being cocky. "Alright. I want everyone to watch" I declared. They all stopped their fighting and faced Marcus and I. "Go" I commanded Marcus. His fist swung out and I dodged it. "This is just dodging and blocking. If you want to actually win a fight, you have to counter-attack" I stated, while continuing to avoid being hit.

Marcus started kicking, but I blocked every attempt with my hands. Getting bored of it, I grabbed his foot when he kicked and pushed him backwards. He fell on his ass and back. "Counter-attacks. You have to fight back" I told them. The group nodded and continued their training. I offered a hand to Marcus and pulled him to his feet. "You good?" I asked.

For a few moments, he just blinked at me. I looked at the ground to see if there was anything hard that he might have hit his head on, but there was nothing but dirt and some grass. "You helped me up" he mumbled.

With slow movements, I nodded my head. "Good observation, Marcus" I said just as slowly as my actions. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head?" I questioned.

He nodded his head, then abruptly stopped and started shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow, not understanding his answers. "Yes, I'm fine. And no I didn't hit my head" Marcus clarified. "I'm just surprised that you helped me up, that's all" he informed me.

I put a poker face on to stop the frown that wanted to appear. Of course it would be a surprise if I did something nice. "Continue training" I demanded, turning my back on him.

***

"Good job, everyone. You guys are getting better with techniques. Next time, we'll be working on your cardio" I announced. They all nodded, but didn't hide their distaste very well. "Remember, the Crimson Night Pack is visiting. There will be a party with everyone at eight. You may leave" I dismissed the group. In seconds, they all cleared out- well, almost all of them. "Can I help you, Ashlyn?" I asked.

She opened her mouth, before stopping herself and shaking her head. "Um... never mind" she muttered, turning and walking away from me. I think out of the whole group, Ashlyn is the one that's scared of me the most. Lightly jogging, I caught up to her. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth as she flinched away from me.

We both stopped moving and she ran her hand through her hair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you" I apologized. She nodded and took a few deep breaths. We started walking again, but she stayed a few feet away from me. "Are you easily frightened?" I questioned.

Ashlyn shook her head. "Just of you" she muttered. Her eyes immediately went wide as she looked at me with an alarmed expression. Wow. She is absolutely terrified of me. "Not that you're scary or anything. I just-"

"Go shower and change. Then meet me back out here in an hour" I demanded. I could hear her heartbeat speed up. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna show you something. Trust me" I said softly. She stared into my eyes for a few moments before nodding her head. "One hour" I stated, before letting her walk off.

I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. "Is Ashlyn your mate?!" I turned to see Caroline and Thalia. "She's such a sweet young girl! She's tad bit shy, but it's so adorable!" Thalia squealed.

Shaking my head, I walked closer to the pair. "She's not my mate. But she is very, very scared of me. For some reason, I don't want her to be scared of me. So I'm gonna fix it" I stated.

Thalia grinned at me. "So you're taking our advice. You're proving your reputation wrong" I didn't deny it because I didn't want to see her disappointed. I'm not sure why, but it bothers me how Ashlyn I so afraid of me. "Go clean yourself. You're probably gonna scare her off with your smell" she teased.

Rolling my eyes, I jogged to the pack house. I jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I got to my floor, which is huge just for one person. Quickly, I made my way into my room and to the shower. I decided to tell Nick that I would be leaving for an hour or two, just in case he needed me for something.

After my shower, I threw on some clothes and ran a hand through my damp hair. "I heard you have a date with Ashlyn" Nick teased as I walked outside my room. He was leaning against the wall opposite from my door.

"It's not a date. And before you ask- no she isn't my mate" I stated. He tossed me something, and I quickly caught it. "What's this for?" I questioned, holding up the car keys.

Nick rolled his eyes at me. "It's for a car" he deadpanned. I chuckled and shoved his shoulder before walking towards the stairs. "I figured you might need one" he mused.

Shaking my head, I felt a few droplets fall on my shoulders. "I don't need one right now, but thanks" I said, stuffing the keys into my front pocket. "Don't get the wrong idea about this question" I blurted, as we got to the bottom of the staircase. "Does Ashlyn have a mate? I don't want to start drama. And this still isn't a date. I'm just changing her perspective of me" I clarified.

He took a few moments to think about it before shaking his head. "I don't think so. She's 17 though. She could have one and I just don't know about it" he stated.

Nodding, I thanked him before leaving the house. Piper and the others are supposed to be here in a few hours, so that's more than enough time to do what I need to do. I quickly got to the training area, but Ashlyn wasn't there yet. I was about ten minutes early. Pulling out my phone, I read a couple of texts from Kat and Piper. They were just so excited to see me again. There was also one from Sam. He just complained about my boxes being 'so goddamn heavy'. Lazy ass.

"Beta Zeke- I mean Kingsley. Beta Kingsley" my head shot up to see a fidgety Ashlyn standing a few yards away.

I sighed and stuck my phone back in my pocket. "Just Zeke. No Beta. I'm not my father" I muttered. The memory of his bloody body leaning against a tree flashed in my mind. But as quick as it came, the picture disappeared. "Come on" I urged, starting to walk.

She reluctantly followed after me, still keeping her distance. We passed by a few patrol guards before going into the forest. "I have a little sister" Ashlyn blurted randomly. "She's not really little anymore; she's 15, turning 16 this year. I would like to be alive for her birthday" she said quietly.

I stopped walking and turned to look at her. She was obviously serious. I could stop the chuckle that escaped my lips. "Ashlyn. I'm not gonna kill you" she sighed in relief, causing me to laugh again. "I was eight when I left this pack with my sister. You were about six. Do you remember anything about my father or Alpha Terence?" I questioned.

Ashlyn shook her head. "My family didn't live in the pack house. We didn't talk to or about them" she stated.

Nodding, I walked over a random log. "When I was younger, I wanted to go on runs with my sister and father. Alpha Terence let me ride on him back, seeing as I was too young to shift" I informed her. "After every run, he would secretly take me out to get ice cream with extra sprinkles" the last part got Ashlyn to laugh.

We stopped walking again and I faced her again. "There was a rogue attack. I don't remember much, but I know that my mother was killed" I told her.

Ashlyn's lips curved down into a frown. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly.

Shrugging, I leaned against a tree trunk. "My father and Alpha Terence changed after that. They beat my sister every minute they got. My father had a torture room built into our house. I had to listen to my sister's screams, not being able to do anything about it" I said angrily. I remember Piper used to make me hide in my room whenever we were home.

"They decided to force my sister to mate with Nick. Thalia helped us leave before it got to that point" I stated. Ashlyn stayed quiet, listening intently to every word. "We escaped, but they never stopped looking for Piper. One thing led to another, and Piper returned alone. Her mate's pack went after her and we started a battle against Alpha Terence, my father, and rogues" I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

Ashlyn got closer to me, her eyes wide with shock. But I could tell that she was intrigued by the story. "My father was forcing his own daughter to mate with another man, knowing that she had a mate. Terence threatened to snap my sister's neck. I shot him in the head" I stated. "I killed one guy before that. He was hitting my sister with a belt. Her back was bloody and he wasn't gonna stop. I killed him too" I said quietly.

She let out a breath of air, taking another step closer to me. "You killed those guys to protect your sister. People think you're a monster for that. I thought you were a monster" she admitted. "Why didn't you say anything? Deny what they say" she asked.

I scoffed and pushed myself off the tree. "I can deny it. I just choose not to. People will always make more rumors. I can't deny every single one" I informed her. "The people that I care about know the truth. That's all that matters" I stated.

She slowly nodded her head, curling her hair behind her ear. "So why are you telling me?" she questioned for the second time.

"Are you still afraid of me?" I asked. She shook her head. "There's your answer" I stated. I caught some scents. Footsteps could be heard, getting louder as they approached us. "Ashlyn, get behind me now" I demanded.

She froze. "What? Why?" she questioned, not moving from her spot.

I tugged her towards me, just as a man ran past. Ashlyn shrieked, getting closer to me. "Stay behind me" I said sternly. Six men circled around us. "Mind-link someone" I instructed, unable to do it myself. We didn't have the ceremony, meaning I wasn't part of the pack.

One of the men tsked and shook his head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you" he said, looking past me and at Ashlyn. I reached behind me and covered her body with mine. "That would make us much angrier" he stated.

I could feel Ashlyn's heartbeat. If she was too scared, she wouldn't be able to focus on anything. So she wouldn't be able to mind-link anyone. "Remember what we learned today. If you don't think you can beat one of them, just use defense" I whispered so the men couldn't hear me.

They narrowed their eyes and growled, causing Ashlyn to shriek again. "We need to fight them. Take deep breaths and focus. I won't let you get killed" I promised. She slowly nodded, and I could hear her breathing return to normal.

I darted forward before snapping a man's neck. "Fight, Ashlyn!" I demanded, kicking a man and dodging another man's fist. I grabbed the man's wrist and flung his body towards a tree; he went still. The man I kicked got back to his feet and another guy appeared next to him.

One of them shifted and pounced at me. I dropped to the floor, hitting the other man's legs. He fell down and the wolf jumped for me again. I didn't move quickly enough, and the wolf landed on top of me. It went for a bite and I grabbed its muzzle and jaw. Pulling as hard as I could, I broke its mouth apart. I moved my hands to its head and neck and twisted my arms.

I heard a snap, then he went limp. Throwing the body off of me, I looked to Ashlyn. Two men were approaching her. I came from behind them. I kicked the back on one man's knees, sending him to the floor. The other man quickly turned and swung his fist out. I caught it in my hand, twisted it until I heard a crack. He howled in pain. I sent a punch to his face and he fell to the floor after contact.

I went for the other guy. He attempted to run and I went after him. I tackled him to the ground and he hit his head on a large rock. "Zeke!" Eyes wide, I sprinted back to Ashlyn. She was on the floor, a wolf hovering over her. Ashlyn had her arms up as the wolf clawed at her skin.

Quickly, I kicked the wolf off of her. It whimpered before shifting back into a human. His right leg was broken and his right wrist looked broken also. Knowing he couldn't go anywhere, I helped Ashlyn up. Tears rolled down her cheeks. I carefully took a hold of her arms and looked at the claw marks.

Hearing footsteps again, I pushed Ashlyn behind me. I sighed when I realized it was only Joey. He must've been on patrol again. "Get more men. Take care of the deceased and take that one to a cell" I demanded. He nodded his head, eyes glazing over. I took off my shirt and ripped it into two pieces. I wrapped Ashlyn's arms in the fabric and picked her up.

"Rogues have the best timing huh" I joked. She let out a small laugh before I started running back to the pack house.  

___________________________________________________________________________

"And then something invisible snapped inside her, and that which had come together commenced to fall apart."

-John Green (Looking for Alaska)

It's been over 2 weeks; and I'm sorry for the long wait. Things have been rough lately. And yeah...

Kayyyzzz Byeeezzzz

~A.J.