Ella’s POV
“Ella, out.” Dad shouted from outside where I was to have my trainings.
I frowned as I stepped out of the house. Hadn’t he said the training was to start by ten, an hour after breakfast? Why was he shouting for me to come out so persistently when I wasn’t late? I shook my head as I moved forward. He could be funny at times.
Kevin ran out to meet me and pulled me back by my hand, his face covered in worry. I smiled at the sight of him. He was always cute whenever I see him like this though I knew he wasn’t trying to be cute. I wondered if he was ever going to stop acting like a worried mum. Even my mum would have trusted me by now and stop acting like I was going to the death cellar anytime I was going to train.
I hoped he wasn’t going to stop me from fighting the rogues on the D-Day of the war. I was going to fight him and bust his nose on that day if he tried to stop me.
“Kevin,” I gasped, looking at where he held me and then back at his face. “What are you doing? I need to go. Dad is already shouting my head down.”
“I can hear you, daughter.” Dad shouted from where he was.
“But you were and still are.” I shouted back at him.
“And still will be if you don’t get yourself here in the next ten seconds.” He shouted again.
I smiled and shook my head. Who said dads weren’t dramatic?
I turned to Kevin. “You heard him. Let me go.”
He swallowed and nodded but his hand still rested on mine. “Be careful.”
Dad snorted from where he was. “Quit being dramatic, boy. I’m her father and wouldn’t kill her.”
“You heard that too.” I smiled at Kevin and pulled my hand away from him. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.”
He snorted and moved forward. “Like hell I won’t even if I don’t want to.”
I gasped as I got to the training ground and realized why Kevin had been getting super worried and nervous about my training for today. There with my dad were two other men who flashed a fake grin at me as if I didn’t know why they were there. They were there to whip my ass and train me till I snap.
Three trainers? Oh no. I was doomed today. I wanted to run into the loving, worried arms of Kevin and call it quits for today.
“Getting chicken feet already, daughter?” Dad asked as if he sensed my thoughts.
No, I wasn’t. Yes, I was. No, I wasn’t. I fought with indecision.
I shook my head at him. “No.” My pride wouldn’t live it down if I quit even before I began.
I moved closer and smiled at Damien and Loki. “Hello, boys.”
They smiled at me but it was devoid of the usual warmth they reserved in their eyes for me. I felt panic creeping up on me and shoved it down. They were only acting that way to show me that they were in serious mode.
I could also do that.
I glanced back at Kevin. He was biting his lips in worry and wished he would stop causing injuries to the lips I loved kissing so much.
“These are your opponents for today, Ella.” Dad said when I got closer.
Ah! I was wrong. I could never have been more wrong. I had thought they were all to train me but I was to fight them. I was to fight them? I gasped, echoing the question in my head over and over. Where was I to start from? These two were seasoned warriors and would whoop my ass in ten seconds if I lifted a hand against them.
I could finally understand why they weren’t smiling at me. They were preparing themselves to beat me up.
“You can do it if you know you can and you can always call it quits if you know you can’t.” Dad said, cutting into my thoughts.
How did he always do that? I wondered. How did he always know what I was doing or thinking and interrupt me with his voice just like that?
I swallowed again and stared at him, knowing he had something more to say. I couldn’t bear to look at Kevin, knowing that my resolve was going to melt and I was going to run into his arms if I see the worry on his face.
Dad continued. “The war is creeping on us and we don’t know when that will be. We know for sure it’s going to be earlier than we ever imagine because the rogues are trying their best to get rid of us as fast as they could.”
I loved that he had said ‘us’ even though the war had nothing to do with him. Kenneth only hated the blood moon pack and wouldn’t have included a member of the blue river pack unless he knew they were helping us. Judging by what dad was saying, it was obvious they all thought that the rogues knew already that dad and Caleb were helping us.
I frowned. Why didn’t I know of that? When did the men have a meeting without me? I felt left out and the feeling wasn’t comfortable. I was determined to prove myself that the men didn’t have to keep thinking of me as a damsel in distress and try to keep me off the battle.
I was ready for this fight and the war.
Dad was still saying something and I tuned in back to him. “You’ve been training and it’s time to show me how much strength you’ve packed in that delicate body.” He smiled as if to lessen the impact of his words and make it sound less of an insult. “The rogues aren’t going to think that you are female and avoid you in the war like we do. If anything at all, they would want to kill you first to hurt your mate so you have to show that you can protect yourself at that time if you want to fight. If you can beat up these two men, I would say you are eligible to stand on the battleground when the rogues show their hideous faces. If you can’t, I will personally lock you in the basement on that day till the war is over. Do you understand me, young lady?”
I nodded, thinking carefully of what he had said. “I’m not delicate.”
He smiled. “Show me.” He said and walked away, leaving me alone on the field with Damien and Loki.