Rejection on the Full Moon (Rejection Series) Chapter 45

Upon reaching the training field, I stand off to the side, watching as Miles and Lease work on demonstrating group tactics to Forest Paw. Some of Blood Moon's newer wolves play the role of enemy, as they demonstrate a five-on-two scenario. Pride swells inside me at the ones I call my family when the demonstration ends, and everyone splits off, putting the lesson into practice. Miles sees me, motioning for the Blood Moon wolves to continue training Forest Paw as the two come up to talk to us.

"How bad?" Lease asks, taking the spot on my left while Miles stands to my right.

"Bad. We might have a Soulless army in the early stages of being formed. Hidden Claws is one of the packs being attacked." As an ally pack of ours, Hidden Claws would be considered second in strength next to Blood Moon. Run by the Beta Couple until the young Alpha comes of age, Hidden Claws has grown considerably over the years. But there was something nagging at me to look deeper.

I take a deep breath and begin to explain the meeting. Miles and Lease listen intently to each word while we stare out at the wolves training before us. They understood just how important it is to help out Forest Paw by the end of this conversation, as Dominic and Leo join us soon after I finish explaining things to my two friends.

"Call an end to hand-to-hand. We're working on stamina next." I motion to Miles, taking the scarf from Lease and tucking half of it into my waist band. Miles yells out for everyone to gather around as Dominic gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, knowing full well I needed to run in order to clear my thoughts.

"Due to an agreed-upon change between Blood Moon and Forest Paw, our training will be as followed: hand-to-hand combat in our human form for an hour to two hours, stamina training, then combat training in wolf form. Things are worse than we thought, and so your Alpha has agreed with these changes." I begin, looking over the crowd of close to two hundred wolves, both Hunters and Trackers alike. I could see the unease and excitement in all of them, the pride in Blood Moon in being able to train the way we normally do at home, and the excitement in Forest Paw wanting to improve for their pack. We had two more weeks to whip them into shape, and I just pray to the Moon Goddess that we are able to instill a new way of working into all of them.

"Same rules as yesterday. We keep going until you take the scarf, but this time I will call an end once three hours have passed. If you can take this scarf from me today, I will call an end to the training to have you all well-rested for the harder lessons I plan to teach you all." I see the determination in their eyes as their gazes turn to focus on the neon pink scarf hanging from my waist. What the Trackers in this group know is that I'm keeping an eye out for an individual talent I can spend some time training one-on-one.

"Remember, no shifting. We want to train your human form so that your wolf form can become stronger. Training only your wolf form will make your human form weaker. Now, ready?—" I looked around me at the wolves, smiling as they get into a runner's stance, ready to chase me.

"—GO!" And I was off, running at a speed that would push the wolves of Forest Paw's limits and show off just how far they have come in a week. The winter air is thin, causing many to have a hard time breathing within thirty minutes, but others kept up. My wolves resume their usual positions, surrounding the two hundred Forest Paw wolves and making sure no one lags behind as I lead everyone around the territory. My thoughts drift back to the idea of a Soulless army being formed, something no one believed would ever happen. But the current circumstances say otherwise.

Every now and then, I would dodge attempts of wolves trying to reach the scarf, reaching the hour and a half mark when Leo decided to try his luck. This just made me run faster and cause the Forest Paw wolves to groan, yelling at their Alpha to stay away from me so they had a fighting chance. Everyone knew I was the mate he publicly rejected on her birthday, even the new wolves who have joined since I left.

Running through the snow-covered forest after the revelation of Blue's theory helped organize my thoughts. I was able to come up with a plan that I linked with Dominic, Christian, and Miles about that we would put into action when we arrive back at home. This included calling all the packs in the area to get a sense of what is happening, as well as copies of their reports. I plan to make a trip to the Temple of the Goddess and speak with a priestess there.

The two-and-a-half-hour mark comes along, and many more attempts were made. My pack mates would link me when a Tracker has fallen behind like I had asked earlier, eliminating them from the list of possible replacements as Head Tracker of Forest Paw. But I have a feeling like I'm being studied like a wild animal. Of course, I knew Leo was staring at me lustfully, but he made no attempts to move closer to me like before, probably afraid of his pack mates rebelling against him. But this other gaze made me hyper-aware of my surroundings as I try to pinpoint where it was coming from, but this person concealed their whereabouts expertly, giving me hope. Forest Paw was running out of time to be released early from training, and this wolf who is studying me is their chance at finally being able to claim this scarf for victory.

Suddenly, my body is tackled to the ground. Whoever it is that made their move causes the two of us to roll on the cold forest floor. The scarf is then snatched from my waist band and a small body stands above me, holding it in victory above her head as her pack mates cheer and mine stare at her in disbelief.