Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Quinn POV

As I arrived at the training grounds my eyes lit up. My dad was finishing up a session with our top warriors. He's a tall, burly man with dark brown hair and even darker eyes. He exudes confidence and raw power. It doesn't take much for him to get the respect he deserves from his warriors. He's nothing but a big teddy bear to me though. I hadn't been able to train with him for a few weeks since he's been busy with some strategic planning for our Alpha. I've missed him so much.

I headed into the locker rooms so I could get ready for my session. I swapped my jean shorts for some spandex and I threw on a sports bra. There's no need for a lot of clothing while training. Extra fabric can only hold you back. I placed my sandals in my bag and traded them for running shoes. Lastly, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and looked in the mirror. This was when I most felt like myself. After putting my bag into one of the many lockers lining the walls, I headed out to meet my dad.

His face lit up with a huge smile when he saw me, and I returned it.

"Quinny! I've missed you! Been so crazy around here with this new training. I feel like I haven't seen you in days!"

"Dad, I saw you yesterday at breakfast. You're losing it old man."

"Old man, huh? You want to test that theory?" he joked.

"Not. A. Chance. I know what you can do. I don't need to be on the receiving end of that. No thank you," I joked back. Dad and I frequently spar during training sessions so I know what he's capable of. There's a reason he's head warrior and it has nothing to do with his calm, kind demeanor.

I love this man more than anything in the world. He is my everything and has done so much for me. He always tells me that he would be nothing without me. This comment usually starts an argument as I know I'd be nothing without him, but we always end up agreeing that we would be nothing without each other. We're bound for life through our shared tragedy and that is what has kept our relationship so strong after all these years.

"What's on the agenda today," I ask.

"I've got something special up my sleeve for what could be your most important day of training thus far," he replies.

A thought infiltrates my mind at that moment. What will happen to him if I have to leave with my mate tomorrow? Could this be our last day together? Can I even live without him in my life every day? I quickly pushed that thought aside as I approached him. If it was true, I didn't want our last day together to be thinking thoughts like that. There was no reason to borrow trouble. I probably wouldn't even find my mate anyways.

Apparently, my dad had been having the same thoughts because today for training he wanted to review all the survival skills he had taught me over the years. I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen if I meet my mate, but I couldn't turn down a good challenge.

"Okay Quinn, here's your task. You need to reach a point on the map I'm going to give you...without being caught. You'll have to use all your tricks to get past what I've put in your way though. I know you're good but don't underestimate the man who taught you." With that he winked, handed me a folded piece of paper, and we headed outside.

Before I could even ask my dad another question, he had shifted into his dark brown wolf and sprinted off towards the forest. Apparently, that was all the direction I was going to get today. Fair enough.

I quickly unfolded the paper and realized it would be almost no help to me. There were no defining characteristics aside from a few squiggly lines and the small X that apparently marked where I was supposed to end up.

I folded the map, stuffed it in my sports bra, and started on my way. I figured following my dad would be a bad idea. Since he was in on this, I know that if I cross paths with him, I'll never reach the end goal. He always taught me that if someone runs away from you, they probably want you to follow them. I turned on my heels and broke through the edge of the forest.

The area near the training facility had denser brush than the forest near the pack house. It helps the warriors to train in more intense terrain, so they are more competent when it's most important.

My arms, legs, and stomach were constantly getting cut up by stray branches and thorns, but I pushed on. My quick healing is keeping me from bleeding too much, but I'd have to be careful because the scent of my blood might draw in whatever traps my dad has set for me.

I remembered he told me about a way to mask scents when you don't have any resources with you. Werewolves have strong senses of smell, so this is key when trying to avoid anyone pursuing you. I followed the smell of water not too far in the distance. This would be a great place to work on my cover.

As I neared the stream however, I heard a noise in the distance. Quickly, I climbed the tree closest to me and settled my breathing. As I calmed myself down, my heart rate slowed and blended with those around me. I had to be as still as possible in order to not draw attention to myself.

The noise got louder and louder as I sat high up on my perch. It was one of my dad's warriors in training. It seems he's employed some of his newbies to be bait for my trials. He should know better than to send the newbies. I can sense them from a mile away even without my wolf. No need to attack this one however. He couldn't sense me and was slowly headed away from the stream.

When his footsteps were far in the distance, I vacated the tree and sprinted towards the water. That warrior might not have been able to find me but I know he was only the tip of the iceberg.

As I approached the stream, I saw exactly what I was looking for. There was some wet clay lining the riverbed. I could use this to cover up my scent. As the clay dries it creates a seal that locks our scents in. I coated the clay on as much of my body as I could, paying special attention to my neck and shoulders. This is the area where most of our scent comes from so it's imperative to make sure this is well covered.

Looking like some sort of swamp monster, I finished up my paint job and picked up the map I had discarded on the ground to avoid getting clay on it. Since I didn't sense any imminent danger, I decided to find a safe place to investigate this map further. There must be a reason for having all the random squiggles on it. Hopefully I can figure it out before my dad decides to come looking for me.

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