Rejection on the Full Moon (Rejection Series) Chapter 104

Waiting for everyone to arrive to the training grounds, Lace and I decide to talk about the alliance treaty I plan to sign before leaving. Both of us promise to be there foe each other not only as allies, but also as friends.

"I'm happy you came back, Gem, even if it was to help make Hidden Claws strong again." Lace whispers, and I smile.

"To be honest, if Ariven had told me we were coming here, I would have denied any help and let this pack rot. He was right that coming here would help me heal," I state honestly, seeing the understanding look that Lace shoots my way. I know she would not have blamed me for not helping, and I am grateful for that. I might have even offered her a place in my pack had I not helped, and she came looking for me, apologizing and explaining her side.

"Looks like everyone is here." I change the subject so that we can focus on training as Mika arrives last.

"What took you so long?" Lace asks, and Mika just sighs.

"Long story short, Gem's dad scares me," Mika answers, and I chuckle. My father linked me as soon as he arrived at Hidden Claws, finally free from pack duties, to make his way down here with some Warriors to take care of the Blakes.

"What did he do?" I ask out of curiosity, watching Mika shiver with fear for a moment.

"I don't want to talk about it," He mumbles and looks away. I guess Mika had a front-row seat of just the type of torture tactics my father can perform on wolves, considering they are traitors to the Goddess and the Crown. Deciding to drop the subject, I lead the siblings towards the group of wolves going through the warm-up stretch Ariven is leading and motion for them to stop.

"Okay, wolves," I call out, waiting for everyone to stand to attention.

"As many of you might remember, I was once a member of this pack. As such, I remember the days Alpha Sorus and Luna Reena had everyone run twenty miles," I see the look of dread on their faces and internally groan.

"I also know that when the Blakes took over, they stopped this. This means the majority of you are out of shape," A look of guilt washes across the group in front of me, and I know my words are true. Great, I have even more work ahead of me.

"So, I am going to go easy on all of you. Since the youngest of this group is sixteen and just starting to really focus on training, you all will run ten miles, and after a quick break, we will go into hand-to-hand practice. Lace and I will be looking to see whom we can trust to train the pups ages ten to fifteen, so work hard and know a promotion is up for grabs." I continue, seeing a look of relief and confusion on the Hidden Claws pack faces. A she-wolf with curly red hair tied into a bun raises her hand.

"Yes?" I ask, allowing her to speak.

"Why do we have to train the pups?" She asks. I motion for Lace to answer.

"Because we want every wolf to know basic defense. With the Soulless population on the rise, knowing defense can turn the tide in any fight and give the pups enough time until help can arrive." Hushed conversations arise after the answer is given, some agreeing to pups' training, some thinking they are too young. I roll my eyes, ready to cut in and get training going, but Ariven beats me to it.

"The reason why Silver Crystal Crescent was able to grow so fast is because everyone is trained from the age of five. We make games for the pups to enjoy that help to improve their small bodies. It is beneficial to their health ooveralland makes transitioning to regular training easier." His statement cuts the conversations short, and I smile, ready to start the training for the day.

"So, just a few rules before we start the run. One, no shifting into wolf form. We want to train your human side to be just as strong as your wolf. Two, anyone who shifts will have to perform one-hundred suicides after being injected with a small dose of Wolfsbane." A collective groan goes through the crowd, and I chuckle. Suicides suck. Suicides while weak with Wolfsbane suck even worse.

"Geminie will be in wolf form as we expect your human form to be able to keep up with a wolf. Of course, she won't be going too fast, so as to try to keep the pace similar to a Soulless on the verge of death." Lace cuts in, and I smile, running behind a large tree as Lace continues to explain everything to her pack. I quickly remove my clothes, folding and storing them in a bin and shift into my wolf form. As usual, the tuft of fur keeps falling into my face, and I growl in frustration as I trot from my hiding spot toward Ariven. The crowd gasps in surprise as the sun reflects off of my fur, the prism-colour caused by sunlight shimmering with the silver stars on my body. Ignoring the awestruck stares, especially the one from Mika, I paw at Ariven's pocket and shake my head, indicating the fur blocking my eyes is annoying me.

He chuckles and reaches into his pocket, revealing two hair clips when he pulls his hand back out. Bending down, he helps to pin my fur back, and I am able to see properly without fur in my face.

"Come on, guys, we all saw her wolf last night during the fight," Mika growls, stopping his pack from continuing to talk about me. I roll my eyes, deciding now is a good time to start the run and trot off down a route that will be challenging for a ten-mile run.

"And that's our cue to run!" Ariven calls out, and a few minutes later, the sound of the group running behind me eggs me on to run faster.