chapter 5

Tamara

I didn't know exactly what time I finally passed out. I just remembered lying on the large bed, staring at the dark stone ceiling until my exhausted body gave out.

It felt like my eyes had only been closed for a few minutes when a hand shook my shoulder hard.

I groaned and cracked my eyes open. The room was completely dark. Earth stood over my bed, already dressed in thin training clothes.

"Get up," Earth said, her voice wide awake.

I sat up slowly and rubbed my face. My back still ached from being thrown into the wall yesterday.

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"Time to go," she replied, pulling the thick blanket off my legs. "Get dressed. I am showing you around."

I wanted to complain. I wanted to tell her I was tired and hurting, but Earth gave absolutely no room for me to talk. She walked to the door and waited. I forced myself out of bed, dug through my pink suitcase, and quickly put on a simple pair of black leggings and a tight long-sleeve shirt.

When we stepped outside the pack house, the cold morning air hit my face. It was freezing, and the sky was still pitch black. But the training grounds were completely full.

Hundreds of wolves were already outside. The loud sounds of heavy breathing, fists hitting punching bags, and bodies slamming into the dirt filled the air.

"They are already awake?" I asked in shock.

Earth nodded as we walked past a group of men lifting massive heavy logs. "The warriors in this pack survive on four hours of sleep every single day, sometimes even less. We wake up at four in the morning and train non-stop until nine. After that, people go about their daily duties, which usually involves even more physical work or combat training."

I stared at her. "Four hours?"

"Yes," Earth said simply.

I looked around at the people training. The sheer strength of these wolves was terrifying. I saw two women wrestling in the dirt, throwing each other around easily.

Then I looked down at my own body. I compared my small hands and thin arms to the massive, heavily built wolves around me.

Even the women here were way bigger than most men in my former pack.They had broad shoulders, thick muscles, and tall frames. I looked completely out of place. How was I supposed to survive in a pack where everyone was built for war?

Earth showed me the weapon racks filled with iron axes, and blades. She showed me the different fighting rings drawn in the dirt.

Everything here was hard and brutal.

"Alright," Earth said, stopping near an empty space on the edge of the field. "Let's see what you can do. We are going to spar a little."

My eyes widened. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now. I need to know your basic skills if I am going to help you survive."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I raised my hands, getting into a simple defensive stance that my brothers had taught me back home.

But before Earth could make a move, my attention shifted.

A familiar scent hit my nose. Pine, and spicy musk. My heart instantly skipped a beat and my body unconsciously began to look for him.

I turned my head and looked across the training grounds. Alpha North was there.

He was standing inside one of the main fighting rings, sparring with three large warriors at the same time. He was completely shirtless. Sweat shined on his skin in the dim morning light. His muscles flexed with every fast, powerful movement.

He blocked a punch, grabbed a warrior by the waist, and threw him to the dirt without breaking a sweat.

I couldn't look away. I was practically drooling. My wolf went entirely crazy, pulling hard at my chest. The mating bond was so strong. I was incredibly drawn to him, and every instinct inside me just wanted to run over and touch him. But there was nothing I could do. He had made it very clear that he didn't want me.

I tried to force myself to look back at Earth, but then I saw movement near the edge of North's ring.

It was Serena.

She was walking directly toward my mate. She carried a water bottle and a towel, smiling that same mocking, confident smile she had given me yesterday. She was getting ready to step into his space again but I wasn't about to let her win again. I picked instinct over reason. I completely ignored Earth calling my name. I walked away from our empty spot and marched straight into the middle of the busy training area. My eyes were locked only on Alpha North.

Serena was just about to hand him the towel when I stepped right into the ring.

North stopped moving. He looked at me, his chest rising and falling heavily from his workout.

The warriors around him backed away slightly. Serena's smile disappeared, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

I didn't care about her. I looked boldly up into my mate's icy, stormy eyes.

"Spar with me," I demanded.

The entire training ground went totally silent. Every single person stopped what they were doing to stare at me.

I stood my ground, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I knew there was a very high possibility he would say no. I knew he could easily embarrass me in front of his entire pack again. But I stared at the terrifying Alpha and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would say yes.