Cilla.
Defeating the rogues made me feel pretty good about myself. I realized the need for me to train more after that attack. Having realized that Ridian would not always be there to protect me and the pack, it was time for me to better my skills incase stronger enemies decided to attack us. I was very happy with what I had achieved but knew there was need for me to do more.
Kenny tried to punch my arm but I expertly dodged it and punched him in the chest instead. I had realized that he was trying to go easy on me and was trying to …him so he could fight back and we’d have a better training. As much as I tried he never budged so I started thinking of getting a new trainer.
“Call Brody,” I told Kenny as I went to sit under a tree and drank some water. Kenny concentrated and linked to Brody. I didn’t hear what he was seeing since he was speaking through his mind. Eventually, he came up to where I was.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “Mr. Jamison is said to be pretty rough on the edges.
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I need right now. Is he coming or not?”
“He’s coming,” Kenny said. “I’ve got to go now. I need to check on some things.”
“Alright. And Kenny?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
He nodded before vanishing. He was soon replaced by the tall and enormous frame of Brody Jamison. He was smirking.
“Hey,” I said, standing up.
“Now that my brother is away, I get a turn.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s no way to speak to your luna.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry if I have offended you, my luna.” He said the words ‘my luna’ creepily which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I started regretting my decision to ask for him.
“I need you to help me get better at fighting,” I began. “In short, I need a trainer.”
Suddenly, I was knocked to the ground. My head hit the ground sending pain all over it. I started to sit up. Before I was up, I heard a thud and saw that Brody had been knocked down. When I heard him grunt in pain, the haziness in my eyes cleared and I saw the person who had sent him down.
It was Ridian.
He was standing there glaring at his brother who had already got up. I rose and faced Brody. “What was that for?” I asked Brody.
“Yes,” Ridian said. “I would like to know why you would hit my wife like that.”
“She asked me to do so,” Brody said nonchalantly.
My lips parted. Ridian stared at me, looking for an answer.
“Yes, you did. You wanted me train you, didn’t you?”
Realization dawned on me. “Yes, I wanted you to train me not murder me. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear enough.” I turned to Ridian. “Welcome back home. You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“Looks like you guys had a serious fight,” Brody observed. “You usually can’t keep your hands to yourselves.”
“Will you please excuse us?” Ridian asked.
Brody nodded and walked away. Silence ensued.
After a while, he spoke. “I heard about the attack,” he said, stepping closer to me. “I heard that you fought so bravely, and I want to let you know that I’m very proud of you. I always knew that you were capable of great things but I was not always sure that you were ready to protect and take care of the pack like you did. Thank you so much, my dear.”
I smiled weakly. “It was my pleasure to carry out one of my duties as the luna of this pack.”
Ridian leaned closer and kissed me on the forehead before pulling away. After the way he had left me, I was not in the mood to mess around with him. In fact, I was wishing he had stayed away longer because I needed more time to process how things were going between us. I didn’t like being apart from him but there were so many unresolved things that needed to be sorted out.
He seemed to notice that I was in a foul mood so he quietly walked away, and I did nothing to stop him. I just watched in pain as he made his way towards the fence around the pack house. I turned and started jogging deeper into the woods, heading to the swamp a few meters away from where I was. The slaves had planted there some rice and the plants were looking very healthy.
We both spent the day apart, each of us minding out own businesses. At the end of the day, it was inevitable for me to return to our suite. I was scared of facing him but there was nothing I could do. We had supper together, but were not talking. It was very uncomfortable but somehow, we managed to get through it without stabbing each other with forks.
Ridian finished first and went into the bedroom. I heard him shower and then get to bed. As I sat there, I debated within myself. I couldn’t decide whether to join him there or go to the guest room. In the end, I decided to go and shower in the bathroom near the bedroom before going to sleep in the guestroom.
I entered the bedroom and removed my clothes before stepping into the shower with a towel in hand. The room was dark as the lights were off and Ridian’s eyes were closed so I was sure he was not watching me. A part of me was disappointed. I showered quickly, dried my body and brushed my teeth before returning to the bedroom. I went into the closet and put on a long decent nightdress.
I was about to head to the door when I decided to just sleep in the bed with my husband. Although he was still awake, his hand didn’t move to find my body like it sometimes did. He was so close yet so far away from me.
It was very disappointing, and it hurt.