Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The aspirin didn't touch the headache and by lunch time, Riley felt terrible. Her whole body ached and she was beginning to wonder if she might be sick. Patrick, for his part, had been nothing but helpful. He seemed to figure out that she wasn't feeling well, but graciously avoided pointing it out any further. He answered her questions thoroughly and didn't seem to mind that she was taking longer than normal to get through some of the paperwork. After staring at the same page on rotation and patrols for ten minutes, she gave up and asked that they take a break for lunch. Patrick led her back out of the academy and across the grounds where morning training was just wrapping up. With all the extra warriors from other packs and the council, the grounds were abuzz with people. She spotted Max in a serious conversation with an older looking warrior. Wesley was speaking to a group of council warriors she recognized, his usual scowl in place. "Gamma!" A warrior in one of the sparring rings waved his hand. Patrick waved back before turning to Riley. "I need to go check in with a couple of my trainers. We can touch base after lunch if you want to see anything this afternoon." Riley nodded. "Sure. That sounds good." Patrick headed off across the training grounds, leaving Riley alone. She continued watching the warriors move around the grounds for a moment before turning towards the pack house. Riley collided with a wall of muscle, stumbling backwards as hands grabbed her elbows, keeping her steady. The smell of sandalwood hit her before she even realized that it was the alpha she had collided with. "Goddess, sorry," exclaimed Kent as he steadied her. "I thought you saw me." Riley took a step back out of Kent's grasp. He was wearing only a pair of gray athletic shorts and sneakers, his black t-shirt slung over his shoulder. His bare chest glistened with sweat as she ran her eyes down his body, taking in the well-defined muscles of his chest and abs. Raking her eyes back up to his face she saw his black hair was a mess, falling across his forehead. "I wasn't paying attention," Riley finally said, meeting his dark blue eyes. "Clearly." He smiled, his teeth gleaming. Riley's heart nearly skipped a beat as his smile grew, a dimple appearing in his right cheek. "How was your morning? Did you see everything you wanted?" "I saw quite a bit but there's still more. We decided to take a break for lunch." Riley was finding it hard to stay focused, her eyes roaming over Kent's bare chest yet again. "What did you think?" She could feel the heat of his gaze and looked up to see amusement dancing in his eyes. "How about I put my shirt on so you're not so distracted?" She rolled her eyes even as her cheeks flushed. "Goddess, you must think highly of yourself." "Just making an observation." He laughed as he pulled his shirt on. She rolled her eyes again and turned towards the pack house. She was relieved to find that the fresh air and slight embarrassment had at least gotten rid of her pounding headache. 1/2 < Chapter 12 +15 Poets > Kent fell into step beside her. "What did you think of what you saw this morning?" "Your patrols and training program seem pretty top notch. I've seen a lot of packs and how they run things and yours are among the best." He smiled again, seeming pleased. "That's great to hear. I owe most of it to Patrick though. He's very detail-oriented and sees things most people would miss." "He seems like it. He was very helpful this morning." She tried to ignore how Rose purred when Kent walked close to them and how his arm occasionally brushed against hers, sending sparks through her. "Pat's great," Kent confirmed. "I wouldn't be able to run this pack without him or Max or Penny." He opened the back door of the pack house for her and they walked down the hallway to the dining room. The dining hall was loud and busy with so many warriors having finished their training at the same time. Leo was sitting with a couple council warriors she recognized. He waved her over and she turned towards them when Kent caught her elbow, sending sparks up her arm. "I'm going to eat with some of my warriors," he said, leaning in to speak in her ear over the din of the room. "Ok," she replied, trying to ignore how close he was. "I'll catch you later," he murmured, catching her gaze before walking away.