qotd: How old are you guys?

Gif to the side of Rena

The training continued every morning and night for the past week. I'd wake up at 5 in the morning, start with a jog through the forest with Danica and a few others, and then the conditioning and sparring followed suit. Training was usually 2 hours, and the night sessions were 3.

Over the small period of time, I began to notice the little things. My arms, legs, and stomach were fuller and seemed much more healthy than when I first arrived here. My senses were sharper than ever before. I never understood just how much a wolf relied on their senses until Danica forced me to. It was a real eye opener. I could hear things on a whole other level, along with smell. Shifting into my wolf became less and less painful the more I did it. My wolf's pelt used to be scraggly, patches of hair missing in clumps. My joints and bones used to burn when I used them continuously. Now the spots were growing back in, and my joints rarely ached.

It made me realize just how malnuritied I really was in my brother's pack.

Here, the pack supported one another. I never saw bullying, and when I did, it was between siblings who were teasing each other. Arguments were settled amicably by either those around them or even Damon.

Then there was the Devil himself.

Damon's worries about training never left. He often showed up to watch the night sessions at the gym with Danica and others. It was an understatement to say he was more than surprised when he saw how hard I could punch.

He's never pressured me into things I don't want to do, nor does he get mad. He doesn't order me around ever. He makes me feel okay to be me. He doesn't make me being myself feel so wrong, or like I should be doing it in secret. He's accepted me.

Damon's POV***

I crossed my arms and tuned out Aron. I was standing against the hallway across my mate's room. Her door was half way closed and she sat there on her bed, reading a book. Her legs were criss-cross apple sauce and her hair was in a messy bun as she hunched over and focused on the book. I smiled to myself at her.

Though she'd refused to give me any background information about her pack or her past, she was giving me her present. I'd gotten to know more about her for the past few weeks.

She hated fruit and liked vegetables more, when she was ever in a position where she didn't know how to respond or act, her face would redden and she'd play with her hands and look all around the room. She loved reading, especially historical fiction and when she was zoning out, she was always thinking about something. As to what she thought about in her head, I was clueless. Perhaps her past life, and all she'd gone through.

I've only kissed her once, and she's only kissed me on the cheek one time as well. It's obvious I crave more, but Rena held an aura of innocence around her. It was strange. You could tell there was something unforgivable that was done to her and yet through it all she still remained innocent and lively. The oddness of it all was that I found myself always wanting more of her.

I wanted to hear her talk more, laugh more, and give more. I wanted to know more about her and her past. I wanted more of her playful side. I wanted her brave side where she had the audacity to kiss me on the cheek. I always wanted more.

"Erm," Aron cleared his throat.

"Hm?" I asked, continuing to stare at Rena through the door creak. I crossed my arms and ripped my gaze from her to Aron.

"Alpha Larson Blackwell is on the phone," He revealed. I stared at him and sighed, trying to stay calm and collected. In reality, the mention of Larson was enough to make me go insane. He was her brother, and showed no signs of that meaning a thing.

"Very well," I said, following Aron across the hall and into my office. I walked in, shutting the door behind me. Aron handed me the small phone that sat at my wooden desk.

"Alpha Damon," I said as I took the phone into my hands.

"Ah, I was hoping to speak with you," Larson's voice crept through the phone. I held back a growl.

"Well, you have the audacity to even consider picking up your phone, so I'm hoping you'll have a grand reason for calling me," I replied. He laughed on the other line. My annoyance grew.

"Oh you'll love it. I'd love to request my sister, Serena Blackwell," I growled deep within my throat, "However, to you I'm sure that doesn't sound all too reasonable."

"You'd be correct."

"I'll speculate a little bit here. She's my sister, also connected to an Alpha bloodline. Though she's fled from my territory, I also know she is in yours. Considering the laws, one cannot leave one's pack without the consent of their birthed to Alpha of the pack."

As I was about to object, I shut my mouth. Technically he was right, but the law is allowed to be bent, trouble is, I'd need his consent. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was almost like a custody battle, only I was like a stranger fighting with biological parents.

"There are exceptions," I reminded him.

"If the Alpha allows there to be," He chuckled. I lightly growled. There was almost nothing I could do. I suppose I could go to the Board but they were known for murder and brutality to solve problems. If someone threatened to spill our secret, then the next day that someone would become a no one. Plus I couldn't go to the Board without having Rena's full story. Either way it was a loss.

"And because I'm still her ruling Alpha, I request she be brought to my pack immediately," he requested nonchalantly. My fangs began to elongate on their own. Was he insane? He must be as if to think I'd hand him over my mate after seeing the condition she was in when I'd found her.

"Absolutely not."

"Ah, I figured this would be harder than it needed to be. Things go awry, Mr. Baine, when laws aren't respected. Anarchies, riots, that poor thing. A Domino Effect will take place, bad event leading to bad event. Do we really need to risk our pack's lives all for one meaningless girl?"

"If she's meaningless then you don't need her," I retorted.

"Oh but I do, but that's private business. You have 48 hours to return her."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, we'll have a Domino Effect won't we? Good day Alpha, do think carefully about my offer."

And with that, hung up, the line going dead. Without thinking, I slammed the phone down, let out a frustrated growl, and slumped my hands onto my desk to hold myself up.

"Was that my brother?" Rena's small voice echoed through the office. I turned around in shock. I didn't even hear her come in. I sighed, and turned around, crossing my arms and leaning against the desk. I looked over at Aron with raised eye brows. He dipped his head, and left the room without a sound.

Rena's large eyes looked up at me with confusion. She intertwined her fingers together and held them to her chest. She wore a white loose night gown and her hair was in loose waves at her shoulders.

"Yes," I told her. I figured it was best not to lie to her, especially after she just started to trust me.

"Oh," She replied, looking down at her feet. I bet she already knew why he called.

"I'm not letting him take you," I said, hoping to break the silence.

"Will you hear me out?" She asked. I nodded. She took a deep breath and shut the door behind her, leaning against it with her hands behind her back.

"I know you're going to be mad, and I know you'll want an explanation, but maybe it would be better to give me back to him," She mumbled.

"What?" I asked her, hoping I'd heard her wrong.

She refused to look up at me.

"It's just . . . you are an Alpha. And being so, I'm assuming your vows include that of protecting your pack and doing what is best for them."

"Okay, but you are in this pack right now, so I need to protect the whole pack," I replied, my voice getting thicker. Why was she always wanting to leave?

"Damon," she whispered, her eyes plastered to the ground. I got up, taking steps towards her. I was now hovering over her.

"You can't leave," I told her, looking down at her head of brown hair.

"Hey," I whispered, "look at me," I commanded in a gentle voice. Slowly, she jerked her neck to look at me. Her glossy brown eyes locked with mine. Those chocolate eyes held so much. I just needed to figure out what.

"Please don't make this hard," She whimpered, blinking hard.

"Oh you don't know the half of it," I started. Her eyes snapped open in puzzlement. "I'm going to make it so difficult that the thought of you leaving will make you cringe. I'm going to make it so challenging for you to want to leave me, your toes will curl."

Her eyes got more glossy and tears gathered in the corners of the whites of her eyes.

"Please," She whimpered.

"No. No more 'pleases'. You're not giving up, not anymore. I don't know much about your past, but what I do know is that you've had to fight and you gave up along the way. I'm not going to let that happen anymore. No more giving up."

My jaw clenched as she blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Why are you so kind to me?" She whispered. I wrapped my arms around her, and within mili-seconds she wrapped hers around my waist. I wasn't letting go, and neither was she. I rested my chin on the top of her head.

"I wish you'd let me in," I muttered.

"You don't want to see inside," she whispered, digging her head in to my chest.

"Why not?" I challenged. But she didn't answer.