The Not So Sad Rejection

Chapter Thirteen

The Challenge

Three days later Trina was finally back to her normal self. And she was pissed when she realized Tyler had marked her. Then she was straight up lethal when I explained to her exactly what marking you mate meant. Jason and I decided that it might be safer for everyone if she didn't see Tyler for a couple days.

"Are you sure you're ready to start training again?" I asked Trina as we prepared for a weaponry session. "Maybe you should wait another couple of days."

She scoffed. "I'm fine, Kate. Quit babying me."

I pursed my lips. "The attitude is far from needed."

She grinned, "My attitude is always needed." A lock of hair fell in her face, again. It'd been doing that for the past ten minutes. I knew why she kept it down when normally she'd have it up. She was trying to cover up the bandage on her shoulder. She huffed and finally just grabbed a hair from her wrist and put her hair into a sloppy ponytail.

I rolled my eyes. "Here let me." I walked behind her and pulled the hair tie out carefully trying to untangle it from the strands of hairs of hair that had already coiled themselves around it. I brushed my fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame the unruly curls. Finally I just gave up and settled for putting it up in a neat high ponytail. "There."

"You haven't done my hair for me in a long time," she commented.

"That's because she was never very good at doing hair," a voice laughed from behind us.

I smiled, "That's what I had you for Alex."

She grinned, "And I had you so someone could drive me everywhere."

"So what are you doing here?" Trina interrupted. She wasn't trying to be rude, she was just curious. Manners weren't really a thing where she grew up. I wasn't kidding when I told my parents we were still teaching her. Another reason we had her in school longer was because we were playing catch up. She goes to school year round as opposed to just nine months.

"I'm here to learn," Alex answered. "I don't like being not being able to take care of myself, I would have joined the Lupᾰtor but I didn't want to follow any of Alpha Levine's orders more than absolutely necessary. I figured this would be a good opportunity to learn."

Trina nodded and I saw respect glinting in her eyes. I wasn't sure it the respect came from the desire to defend oneself or not live under the thumb of an Alpha. To be honest it was probably both. Trina struggled with listening to Jason at first, for a while the only person who could tell her to do anything was me. It was nearly three months into her training that the chain of command was finally drilled into her head.

Alex's arrival was the first of several. It seemed that those who attended yesterday's session spread the word. Of course with Grant no longer glaring at them people decided to challenge me but no one ever won.

Trina said she needed to get away from the pack house so I told her we'd go out for dinner. "Ready?" Trina asked impatiently.

I raised an eyebrow, "why are you so eager. Usually I'm the one rushing you."

"No reason," she said.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "I know when you're lying Trina."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Whatever. I'll be in the truck."

I sighed and twirled my keys around my finger. "Going somewhere?"

I looked at Grant. He was always watching me, much like Tyler had done to Trina, whenever we were near each other. "I'm taking Trina out for dinner. She's going a little stir crazy. Too be honest, so am I."