The Elites

Chapter 8

I put my long black hair into high ponytail and shoved my feet into suede shin high combat boots then slipped a small knife into the side of my boots, it never hurts to be prepared. With a sigh, I straightened up and begrudgingly left my room to go talk to Jace about plans for the war. It was probably near midnight by now, fatigue was hitting me hard and I was struggling not to succumb to it.

The cool, brisk air of the night woke me up a bit. The forest surrounding the heart of Bane territory was quiet, mostly because the small animals sense the predators wearing human faces. The serenity soothed my nerves, but only slightly.

This war had me on edge, what the hell did this European pack want? Why were they attacking the Bane pack?

Another question plaguing me was, who is Mia's baby daddy if it isn't Jace? And why do I care? I'm over it. Maybe it could be because the curiosity in me is overwhelming. I wanted answers.

My thoughts are scattered, my brain barely functioning.

I sighed, and reluctantly entered the Alpha's home. Honestly, I didn't even want to be here my body was begging for my bed, my mind pleading for some rest. The life of an Elite is a tough one. I barely concealed my yawn as I opened the door.

Jace was waiting for me as I entered his home. "Hey, sorry I have to pull you away from sleeping but we need to discuss plans for this war." Jace looked tired and stressed. Being an Alpha was difficult work, especially when it comes to protecting your pack.

I knew that responsibility as intimately as I knew both Jace and Eli. There were sleepless nights and never ending thoughts plaguing your mind. "It's business as usual, don't worry about it. This isn't my first late night war planning session." I said, a small smile on my lips. Jace looked shocked to actually see me smile at him. I wasn't surprised, I have been nothing but rude and unforgiving towards him, while he relentlessly tried to convince me to be with him once more. "Let's discuss increasing training, and I want everybody to be trained. Not for the benefit of protecting the pack, but for the benefit of being able to defend themselves." I cut Jace off before he could even say anything.

He clenched his jaw before answering me, then gestured for me to follow him into his study, "You're right. Who will train the older males now that Eli is out of The Elites?"

I sighed tiredly, as we reached his study and I plopped down on a chair. "I'll most likely have to do it, or I could switch with Charles." I say, mostly to myself.

"I could do it. I am Alpha after all." Jace interjected.

My eyes tiredly shot up to meet his. I saw that he was serious. "Do you know how to train other wolves? You're supposed to pass your own limits and strive to break any barriers and limits the other wolves have made." I informed him. Jace looked at me, captivated by what I was telling him. "Training isn't just about teaching someone to become a better fighter, you're also conditioning yourself and becoming better. Don't go too easy on your opponent or opponents. Yes I said opponents. In training you inject real life situation, sometimes you won't always have just one opponent, hell you may have to face several by yourself." I didn't break eye contact as I continued. "Sometimes you'll have a partner or more people fighting with you. It isn't as easy as you think. Humans have the right idea with training their men how to work as a well oiled machine, you can't fight with a group of people you can't absolutely trust and you can't let them or yourself get in the way of who you are fighting."

"It sounds a lot more difficult then it seems." Jace blushed slightly at his lack of knowledge about training, "I had no idea." He murmured shyly. Seems like the big bad Alpha didn't like admitting defeat.

I resisted the urge to smile at his cluelessness. "Most don't, it takes losing your first battle to realize you're doing things wrong." I said trying to console him. I felt a little pain inside me warning me that I was putting my emotions before the job. I turned my emotions off and detached myself from the situation. "Of course I knew before I started The Elites, so I didn't lose my first battle." I told him haughtily.

Jace sighed and shook his head in exasperation. I knew he hoped better, but I will not be swayed. "But how far could I push my wolves before someone ends up getting hurt too badly?" Jace asked me.

"You don't. If they get hurt, that's okay. If they can't handle a simple little wound then they can't handle fighting for real." I stated bluntly. It was the truth, if you couldn't handle a small little wound then you can't handle a full blown war. "Along with sharpening fighting skills, training helps to build tolerance against pain and how to avoid fatal injuries." I didn't want Jace to go soft on his fighters, he needed to understand that coddling them isn't going to win this war.

There was a brief silence before Jace spoke again, "I'll train the wolves, but it would be great if you would help me out."

I pursed my lips before responding. "I'll help, but I have to make rounds and make sure everyone is being trained properly." I agreed, letting my words be phrased carefully. I wanted to make sure he didn't get the wrong idea about me being there and leading by his side.

Jace may not know it but his wolf is pushing him to have me by his side helping him lead. As an Alpha, Jace would always need his Luna not a cheap replacement. While I remained here he would continue to find ways to make us look like we're putting up a united front, leading together. I couldn't let him get that into his mind.

"Let's get started on what strategy we're going to use for this war. Have any of the prisoner's woken up yet?" I asked Jace, I was eager to begin interrogating especially now that I didn't have Eli to share that duty with. Oddly enough I felt a tiny pang in my heart as I thought about Eli.

As Jace and I discussed what strategies we would use and how border patrols would be increased I kept thinking about who would replace Eli on my team? Josephine inherited his powers, but Ryder had the brains to be my second in command. Charles wouldn't be in the running anyways because he's more interested in his weapons.

Fatigue started to wear on both of us and we could barely keep our eyes open as the night began to turn into day. As I noticed the tiny bits of rays appearing I bolted out of my seat, "We'll discuss more thoroughly later, right now I have to go warm up with my team." I said stoically before rushing out of the office to burst into the pack house yelling at my team to wake up so we could begin.

"Geez Aurora, get some rest you haven't slept in twenty four hours." Josephine chastised me as she strolled down the stairs.

I shook my head, "There's no rest, I'll sleep when I'm dead. Now let's go!" I yelled the last part and impatiently waited as Charles and Ryder lazily strolled down the stairs not the slightest bit effected by the glare I was giving them.

My patience wore thin and I jetted out of the house, not bothering to change into more comfortable clothes because I knew the allure of the bed waiting for me would be too much for me to resist. I felt some of the tiredness sweep away from me as my feet pounded the ground as I ran. I heard the others catch up with me and beginning to get into formation. Ryder came to my side and in that moment I knew that he was my second in command and I could always depend on him. We were dedicated to The Elites and dedicated to the cause we campaigned for. Violence and redemption.

Finally a chapter! Tell me what you think about my second original chapter of this story (the first original chapter being chapter three) Sorry for the wait but I've had intense writers block and my laptop charger wasn't working even now it's barely working. Vote, comment, fan. I'll be extremely happy if I get at least one vote or comment :D .