Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Rose was getting tired near the end of their run. Patrick's wolf must have noticed too as he stopped occasionally to give her a break. It took far longer than it should have to reach their starting point. Rose went behind a tree, but Riley was unable to shift. She tried several times until Rose laid down wearily. What's going on? Riley asked, trying to keep her panic in check. I don't know, Rose answered. I'm just so tired. Everything hurts and I feel like I can barely move. "Riley?" Patrick's voice echoed through the trees. s**t, Riley said, we can't even tell him what's happening. I just need a nap or something, Rose murmured. I don't know why I feel like this. Patrick came around a tree and spotted Rose. He knelt down next to her, placing his hand on her head. "Are you ok?" Rose shook her head. "Can you shift back?" She shook her head again. "Can you walk back to the tree line with me? I can mindlink Lana from there." Patrick grabbed the bag of Riley's clothes and started heading towards the treeline. Rose climbed slowly to her feet. Can you do it? Riley asked as she watched Rose follow Patrick. I guess we're going to find out. Rose only made it to the edge of the tree line before she slumped down again. Patrick turned, kneeling down in front of her again. "I'm going to go get Lana, Ok?" he said gently. "Patrick?" Rose lifted her head, following the sound of the voice. The smell of sandalwood drifted through the air as Kent came into sight. "Patrick," he repeated as he got closer, "I've been getting worried. You're a lot later than I was expecting. Where's Riley?" Rose seemed to perk up as he drew even with them. Riley couldn't help but feel annoyed with her wolf. She was like a lovesick puppy when it came to this man. Kent did look gorgeous though. He was wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and sneakers. His bare chest glistened with sweat. His pants sat low on his hips, showing off his stunning abs. Kent froze when he spotted Rose. "What's going on? Is everything ok?" "Umm..." Patrick hesitated, glancing at Rose. "I can't talk to her in wolf form, so I really don't know what's going on." 1/4 < Chapter 21 +15 Points) Kent knelt down, reaching out to touch Rose. "Goddess, she's a beautiful wolf." Rose licked his hand, causing him to smile. "And friendlier than her human." Patrick smirked. "She is pretty. I've never seen a wolf with this coloring before." "What's going on?" Kent asked Rose. "Where's Riley?" Rose climbed to her feet and licked his face, causing him to laugh. "Pax wants to meet you," he murmured, stroking her neck. "He's begging right now actually." I wish I could meet him too, Rose sighed as she preened under Kent's affection. Well, right now I wish I could shift back, Riley muttered. "Can you let Riley shift?" Kent asked Rose, trailing his fingers down her snout. She licked his fingers in response and then grabbed the bag of clothes, turning back into the trees. Are we going to try again? Riley asked. Yes, Rose declared, we can't look weak in front of our mate. Plus I'm feeling a little better. Riley rolled her eyes and waited for Rose to start the shift before she took over, her bones and joints cracking and shifting back into place. She quickly pulled her clothes back on and started to walk where she had last seen the guys. She stopped when she heard Kent's voice. "You were gone two hours longer than I expected. I was getting worried." "We stopped for lunch and talked longer than we should have." Patrick sounded tired. "It took longer to finish the last part of the loop. Her wolf just... got tired or something." "Tired?" Kent asked. "Is she ok?" "I think so," Patrick answered. "She says she's fine. She keeps blaming it on stress." "That's what she said yesterday." Kent sounded skeptical. Riley hurried the rest of the way through the trees. Kent looked up at her as she came closer. She stopped short, her gaze trailing from his face down his chest to where the v of his abs disappeared into his pants. Patrick coughed and she jumped. Kent was clearly trying to suppress a smile. She felt her face go red to be caught ogling this man yet again. "I need to get back," Patrick said with a jerk of his thumb. "So if we could move this spectacle along, that would be great." "Right," Kent said, almost laughing. "Let's go." They walked back to the training grounds, Riley trying not to walk too close to Kent or look too much. "When do you start identifying your warriors?" she asked as they walked. "In school," Kent replied. "We start training for our pups at age eleven. We have most warriors identified by the time they are sixteen." He motioned to the training field where several warriors were sparring, going over how the warriors train versus the new civilian training they implemented a few months ago to deal with the rogue attacks. They walked among the sparring circles as they talked, stopping when they came upon Max and Leo sparring. 2/4 < Chapter 21 +15 Points > Riley watched with interest as Leo knocked Max flat on his back. "I thought you were one of the best warriors here?" she said jokingly when Max looked up at them. "I am, but this guy is a f*****g beast," Max said, climbing to his feet. "He's not that tough," Riley admonished, smirking. "I can take him down." Max narrowed his eyes. "No way in hell. The only person that has taken him down is the alpha." "She's right," chuckled Leo, wiping his forehead. "She's put me flat on my back more times than I can count. Riley is a force to be reckoned with." "Do you think she could take down the alpha?" Max asked, grinning with his brow raised. "Definitely." Leo took a drink from his water bottle. Kent rolled his eyes, smiling good naturedly. "They were going on about this yesterday." He gestured between Riley and Leo. "But I don't lose." "Not yet anyway," Riley taunted. Kent gave her an amused smile. "I'd hate to humiliate the best warrior advisor the Council has." "Really?" She laughed. "I'm not scared of you. Fighting Leo is a cakewalk. I took down your gamma yesterday. " "Seriously?" Max exclaimed, turning to look at Patrick. "She did," Patrick confirmed. "Only the second time," Kent pointed out. "You lost the first time." She pursed her lips and Kent's smile widened. "I've taken Pat down every time," Kent continued. "I don't lose. I'll prove that to you right now if you'd like." He motioned to the sparring ring that Leo and Max had just been fighting in. "This is going to be good." Max rubbed his hands together. Kent motioned to the ring again, raising an eyebrow at Riley. "Maybe a different day?" Patrick said, looking at Riley. "You've had a busy day." "Are you her f*****g mother?" Leo asked, glaring at Patrick. "I think she's capable of deciding what she can handle." "Patrick is probably trying to save her the embarrassment," joked Max. "Just give us a moment," Patrick said, grabbing Riley's arm and pulling her away from the other men. "Are you insane?" he whispered, leaning in close to her ear so the others wouldn't overhear. "You could barely shift back from a wolf about ten minutes ago. Now you want to spar the alpha? What the hell are you thinking?" "I feel fine," she whispered back. "I told you it comes and goes." "Don't be stupid," Patrick admonished. "You asked me to keep the details of your illness a secret from Alpha, the least you could do is take care of yourself." "What are you two whispering about?" Kent boomed, coming closer to them. Patrick stepped back from her, turning to face the alpha. "I was just suggesting that the two of you could 3/4 < Chapter 21 spar on a different day." "Who the hell are you to decide that for her?" Kent demanded, his eyes turning black with anger. "I'm just trying to look out for her," Patrick said quickly, his face reddening. "She can take care of herself. She's made that abundantly clear to me over the last couple days," Kent hollered. "Stop," Riley said, grabbing Kent's arm. He recoiled from her touch. "No!" he yelled at her. "You tell me what the hell is going on." "Nothing is going on." Riley felt exasperated, suddenly wondering if she should just tell him the truth. "I don't believe that," he snapped. "You're lying to me. I can tell." She held her hands up in surrender. "I'm not having an argument with you here." "f**k this!" Kent yelled, storming back to the pack house. Comments Get Bonus (Ad) >