Chapter Eight: Training

Amelia

But why was he so mad? Or was he just jealous?

I shook my head. 'No, that cannot be. Knowing he'd obviously expressed his displeasure with my presence here seemed silly. I feel like I'm destined to be his mate, yet he acts disinterested.

Then why was I sent here?

I dropped into my seat, my head throbbing from the uncertainty. I placed a hand on it to relieve the agony, then looked around to find that everyone was almost finished with their meals. His actions did not appear to upset them.

Yeah. Unlike me.

Sighing, I grabbed the water on the table with my other hand and took a sip because I had lost my appetite. I simply want to go upstairs and snuggle into bed to sleep.

Everyone completed their meals, and I couldn't be happier. I stood up and began to clear my plates when Lorena's voice interrupted.

She tells me, "Oh., I frown. So that, my dear. The omegas will do that." I frown. Omega? What's that?

Just then, the maids who served us rushed into the dining room, gently lowered their heads, and began packing away the dishes, and I pondered: are maids called omegas here? As if reading the question in my brain, Rex responded for me.

'Omegas are the lowest rank in a pack; they have the right to serve every other level in the wolf pack; they are more like a weaker wolf.' She murmured sleepily in her corner.

Oh, that explains it, but it still seemed like maids and slaves to me. Lux snorted, and I ignored her before turning to say goodbye.

I tiredly walked up to my room, shut the door behind me, and quickly changed into my nightwear, my muscles aching as I slid into bed and pulled the covers around me, falling asleep soon.

*****

The sound of a tap on the door jarred me out of my slumber, and I sighed. The rays of sunlight that covered the entire room told me it was morning, so I sluggishly stood up, stretching my limbs. I hadn't slept so well in a long time, and Helena wouldn't let me get up this late.

I stepped up to the door and opened it to discover a little, curly, blonde-haired girl standing there, dressed in all black and clasping her hands in front of her.

"Uhm... "Hello," I said, and her blue eyes opened slightly as they met mine.

"Good morning, Miss..."

"Amelia... Just Amelia, please," I immediately mumbled.

She smiles faintly. "Okay. Alpha Stark has requested your presence on the training ground. wrinkle my brow.

Training ground?

"Why?“

She shrugged. "I'm not sure why, but I was just assigned to inform you. I'll be back shortly to get you there."

"Alright, thanks."

"Lia," she murmurs, bowing slightly before turning to depart.

Training ground. I thought. That sounded like some kind of fighter training ground.

I closed the door and attempted to relax my jittery nerves.

I sincerely hope I was not brought here to fight in a battle or something.

My phone immediately rings from a table in the room, and I walk over to find Danny calling. I swiped up, answering it.

'Hello?'

"Hey... Danny," I whisper quietly, and I hear him exhale.

"Oh, thank heavens, Amelia. Where the hell have you been? Are you alright? You haven't been showing up for work or returning my calls. I was extremely worried."

I buried my head and sat on the bed, crying silently. I missed my only friend and missed hearing his voice. I'm just not sure how to adequately express everything that's going on. He could flip out.

"I left the country, Danny." My voice trembled as I cleared my throat.

I don't know where I am. I'm probably far from home in California.

Maybe even in another country.

Why didn't you tell me? And why are you sounding like that? Are you okay, Amelia? Yesterday

I called, and to my amazement, a man answered."

I frown. "A man?"

My heart stopped a beat when I remembered Stark clutching my phone.

He had answered the phone call.

Was it why he behaved strangely? Was he possessive?

When I remembered how gentle his lips felt on my flesh, I shuddered and shook my head.

"Yes, he was extremely disrespectful. He ordered me to stop contacting you and disconnected the phone call. I was startled since I had never seen you with a male. Is there something you aren't telling me, Amelia?"

I stood up.

"No, no. 'Yes...I mean...yes.'" I groaned and began walking around the room. "

“I’m okay, Danny. A few things happened recently. It was unexpected. It’s really complicated, and I don’t know how to explain it. I’ll tell you maybe when we next see each other," I said, wiping tears from my cheeks with my palm.

'If you say so. I'm just pleased you're okay. That reminds me, Yale finally awarded me the scholarship.' He chirped excitedly, and I gasped, returning my palm to my lips.

"I'm so happy for you, Danny. I had a feeling you would get it. Congratulations!" I was beaming.

"Thank you for believing in me, Amelia. Have you checked for yours?"

I had forgotten I had applied for one, and this new strange situation was definitely making me lose my mind.

We couldn't afford to go to school on our own, so we considered applying for scholarships at Yale and Stanford early this year. I had only hoped that one would accept me because of my excellent academic performance, as did Danny, and I couldn't be happier for him now that he has received what he had been praying for.

I'm not sure I can realize that desire now that my life has turned upside down.

"No. I've been busy, but I'll do that later. I have to go now, Danny."

"Okay, just don't forget to give me an update on your scholarship," he adds on the other end of the phone, and I can image him seething at me.

I chuckle. "Sure, I promise to be in touch, and good luck with yours." When he said goodbye, I disconnected the line and looked at the clock on the phone, which read fifteen minutes to nine.

I dropped the phone on the bed before running to the bathroom for the shortest bath ever.

Just as I was getting ready, there was a tap on the door, and Lia strolled in. She smiled and bowed slightly when she saw me clothed, and then she led the way.

I followed her as we left the room.

"Where is this place?" I whispered quietly as we traveled through the big, many corridors. She looked at me before turning a corner.

"The Royal Empire Pack? Florida," she explains as she leads me along a garden walk.

Oh, I'm not that far away, I thought.

As we rounded a corner, I was confronted by wolves and humans engaged in a battle on what appeared to be an actual battlefield. In the middle, I could see two large wolves spearing and tearing into themselves as they rounded in circles until one finally succumbed in defeat. They shifted back into their human forms, and I looked away from the nudity. I followed Lia behind like a lost puppy as she led me further into the field, my heart racing as we went.

Unaware that we had come to a standstill, a low growl next to me shocked me, making me to turn in terror, only to find Stark eyeing me carefully. He looked extremely wonderful in all-black attire, and his not-so-ridiculous, overwhelming aroma surged through my lungs, so I inhaled in.

He took a step away from me and turned with his hands folded behind him to look at the wolves in front of us, which made me pout.

I nervously turned to check around, and some werewolves were already looking at me with curiosity.

They are unaware that I am his mate.

"Amelia." Stark's raspy voice diverted my attention, and I was shivering. "To be a member of the pack, you need to become one. This is a warrior pack. We fight to protect ourselves from external forces. So here you'll have to also fight; nobody is going to babysit you. You will train, build yourself, and overcome barriers, and if you don't start immediately, I'm afraid you won't survive for long here."

Wait, what?