Chapter 46
"Again!" Hope growled at the three male betas surrounding her as the rest of the pack looked on from the larger circle they formed around the four wolves, as if encasing them within a fighter's ring.
Jed jumped at Hope first, attempting to take a swing at her head at the same time River approached from her rear, wanting to dive at her in a tackle. Both guys failed miserably as Hope dodged Jed's blow and swiftly grabbed him by the arm, then used his own momentum against him by swinging him towards River behind her. River, instead of tackling Hope, ended up tackling Jed erroneously.
The two males quickly started growling at one another and bared slightly protruded canines, causing a distraction to Hope while Rafael snuck up on her from a different angle. Hope eyed him from the corner of her viewpoint, but as soon as Jed and River actually started a scrappy altercation, she quickly swung around to them. "Quit! Now!" She growled loudly at the pair with her eyes a threatening gold, but with her back turned to Raf, the young male quickly seized the opportunity to grab Hope in a head-lock from behind.
However, little did Raf realize that it was exactly what Hope had wanted from him, her own arms having already been in place to prevent him from securing his hold. Instead, he soon found himself flipped over Hope's shoulders, right into the middle of the growing pile of beta males. He hit the ground flat on his back right between Jed and River, the wind knocked clear from him. He rolled over groaning.
"Again!" Hope growled even louder this time, but none of the three guys dared to move from their spot in the dirt. They were visibly exhausted, physically beaten, and egoistically bruised.
"Hope…" Josie spoke gently from the side where she was standing next to Nim, the same worried expression crossing both girls' faces.
"What?!" Hope snapped in their direction without realizing who she was even reacting at. When she saw Josie straightening her back and tilting her chin slightly upward, the subtle hint of a glow to her dark eyes, Hope knew she had overstepped.
Breathing heavily, she finally relented and returned her gaze to the guys and the rest of the circle of wolves as they gathered amongst the trees. "Dismissed." She said callously as she started yanking loose the straps of her fighting gloves. The wolves all started ambling towards the school building as Hope turned to watch them go, her three male betas grumbling and rubbing at the sore spots of their bodies. They had gone several rounds against Hope as the rest of the pack looked on and the tribrid was absolutely relentless. They could barely touch her.
Josie folded her arms across her chest as she watched her mate from the side. Nim gave the tall brunet a light pat on the shoulder and then started walking back to the school herself, leaving he alpha pair to have their talk in private.
"What's going on with you?" Josie asked immediately and emphatically once the others were out of earshot.
"They HAVE to be ready. I can't risk…" Hope sighed and paced a few steps, hands gripping at her own hips as her gaze wandered to ground.
"They are doing as much as they can, Hope. What you can't risk is an angry, exhausted, and dissatisfied pack turning on you. Give them a break!" Josie pleaded seriously.
The comment caused Hope to snap her eyes up at Josie, her blues growing slightly wide in the sudden realization that she might actually alienate her pack if she keeps pushing them as hard as she had been for the past week.
She didn't mean to. She's just so…
Scared.
"I'd give them the world." Hope sighed and rubbed over her brow in frustration. "They're my family now." She bit her lip and stepped towards Josie, grabbing her hand and held it firmly between hers. "YOU are my family, now, and I just cannot risk anything happening to my family."
One of Hope's fears regarding becoming alpha that she had before had been raising its ugly head as of late within the dark spaces of her mind. She felt responsible for her pack, her family. No, she WAS responsible for them, and she wouldn't be able to bear it should any harm come to them. She knew the level of her fear was irrational, but she had been struggling.
She had been struggling with this fear more than usual as of lately for one simple reason: Hope had never been this happy before. She had a pack, a family unit that grew stronger in bonding every single day. She had an amazing love by her side. She had freedom and she had purpose.
And she could not shake the nagging feeling at the back of her mind, reminding her constantly, that it could all go awry so quickly with the threat of the Necromancer still on the loose.
"Your family is stronger than you think, stronger than what you give us credit for." Josie coaxed gently and pulled Hope closer. It only took the other girl a split second to wrap Josie tightly within her arms. "We won't disappoint you." Josie whispered into Hope's hair as she buried her face there, hugging her and holding her and soothing her until she could feel the alpha relaxing in her grasp.
"Come on…" Hope pulled back and flashed a smile at Josie some minutes later, then proceeded to wag her brows as she stepped backward. "Let's go for a run."
Josie grinned. She didn't need a second invitation.
Hours later they would find themselves a mess of sweaty skin and tangled limbs within a clearing somewhere deep in the forest, just as the peaking moon started calling the fireflies to come out to dance.
(…)
"We can go for a hike." Alaric raised his brows while his twins stared at him in confusion the following day.
"Is that a metaphor for something remotely more exciting than walking through some trees and shrubbery?" Lizzie asked, hopeful.
"Well, we'd be walking uphill too, don't forget that." Ric answered the blonde sarcastically.
"In that case, no thanks." Lizzie shrugged and leaned back in her chair.
Josie had approached her father regarding the problem she had witnessed with Hope and the wolves and had been trying her best to emphasize the importance of the students still getting to experience some semblance of normal teenage life. They needed a distraction – a break from training especially – she implored her father.
Thus the current suggestion on the table.
"One hike for a pack of wolves isn't enough, dad." Josie tilted he head, clearly not impressed.
"No, I'm serious, it will be fun. A few hours hike from here into the hills there's a waterfall with a pool and plenty of camping space. We could go for a night or two. No forced activities; just some time to relax and bond. And it's still close enough to school to be safe." Alaric offered, sincerely, and allowed the darker of his two daughters to consider the offer.
"Just the wolves?" Lizzie squeaked indignantly.
"I thought you weren't interested." Ric noted pointedly.
"I was just kidding, daddy. I love…nature…and all that." Lizzie gave her trademark sweet smile that she always gave when she was trying to cover up something. In this case it was, perhaps, her desire to watch a bunch of sweaty werewolf boys shirtless and splashing around.
"Well I doubt most of the witches would be interested anyway. And the vampires are unlikely to go wherever there's a large gathering of wolves, so…" Ric shrugged, trying to put the pieces of his plan together.
"So, it's a wolves-only trip?" Josie asked in confusion. That just sounded like it could turn into bootcamp.
"No!" Alaric and Lizzie both echoed at the same time, before Ric elaborated. "That wouldn't be fair. We'll just call it a senior excursion weekend. Whoever wants to go, can go. And those who choose to stay can have a movie marathon in the hall or something. Everyone wins by getting to choose how they would like to have their fun – indoors or outdoors."
Josie finally smiled, then. She liked the idea. She knew some wolves will prefer to stay behind at school, but most would enjoy some time out in nature. Camping, waterfalls and swimming, soaking up some sun, and running into the night didn't sound half bad to her.
It didn't sound half bad to Hope either when Josie informed her of the plan some time later. She remained a little reluctant with the safety of the pack in its entirety always first on her brain, but she could not deny that blowing off some steam like that was a great idea. She happily agreed.