Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

72. Clash of the titans🌶️

RILEY

I dropped my stuff on the guest room's bed in the Alpha's wing that Flora, the housekeeper, took me to after I arrived. The curious looks that I got from various pack members as we walked through the packhouse amused me- evidently, the rumours of who I was must have spread quickly.

"Forgive them, miss- they don't mean to be rude but everyone is wondering about the woman that the Moon Goddess picked for our Alpha, especially as he is not exactly the settling down type," she tried to explain on their behalf when we entered Rafe's wing but it only made me titter.

Don't I just know it.

I took the room in and noticed a small, handwritten note on the coffee table:

Meet me at the training grounds.

You'll find some clothes in the second drawer.

Training grounds? It was certainly not where I expected to meet Rafe, given all his promises earlier. Still, I had to admit that it was a pleasant surprise. I was looking forward to a bit of a workout to release all the tension from the past few days, even if none of us had rested properly after the fight with Markolf.

Maybe it was because of the abilities that I gained after the guys marked me but I felt surprisingly energetic, almost restless, ever since that moment with Rafe in the hallway and now that I was back in Scotland, the feeling had intensified. It was as if every fibre in my being knew something that I didn't. Like something was about skin-tight and I couldn't lose time resting and miss it. So yes, burning off some energy sounded perfect right now.

I opened the drawer and spotted the grey sports bra and black skin-tight boy shorts left for me. It was a bit creepy how whoever got these knew my exact size but, frankly, after everything I had witnessed since finding out about this world, nothing shocked or surprised me any longer.

Once I was ready, I made my way to the training grounds with some guidance from Flora. As I crossed the Windcrest estate, I marvelled at how beautiful the pack's grounds were. Yet, what struck me more was how different the whole place felt compared to the times I visited when Angus was still Alpha. It used to be a much colder, serious pack but now it reminded me of Blackwood with its liveliness and vibrancy. I was sure that it was Rafe's leadership that brought on this change, even though he had only taken over recently.

The smell of sweat and stale air hit me the moment I entered my destination. A big group of pack members was gathered around one of the areas inside the building, cheering as they watched two large wolves fight each other. The fight was fierce but a familiar silver-grey wolf was clearly dominating.

As I watched the encounter through the crowd, an irresistible pull drew me closer to the fighting ring. The pack members made way for me until I found myself standing at the front line just in time to see Kai pounce on his opponent for the final blow, letting out a victorious howl as he was announced the winner of the fight.

Did you bring me here to see you show off your skills, Rafe? I rolled my eyes.

But it was Kai who actually answered my mind link. Did you hear that? Our mate thinks that my skills are worth showing off, he replied with smugness in his tone, although his words were more for Rafe than for me.

As the crowd dispersed in the hall, the silver wolf trod towards me and I felt this inexplicable connection to him, just like I had with Blaze. The awareness I had of both of them whenever they were near me made me wonder if this was what it was like to have your animal.

He licked my hand before he rubbed his head against it. It was the first time I got to interact with Kai and I was excited to give the big guy some loving because I felt that he and I would get on like a house on fire. I ran my hand through his thick, shiny fur. He was warm and soft to touch- I could easily lose myself petting him for hours. Slowly gliding my hand along his back, I scratched his head and his ears when I got to them, which elicited happy chirping from Kai.