Ivory

SIXTEEN*

Sixteen:

Training continued to go by painfully slowly. Every day felt like it took a year and it didn't help that it felt like I was explaining things to kindergarteners. No, actually, I had taught preschoolers who had more respect than these assholes did.

Every day after training I would have to go out in the woods for hours to calm down because my wolf getting pissed and I couldn't have her completely freaking out with Brettly hanging around the territory.

Before I knew it, it was the eighth of April. One day before my birthday. Apparently we weren't going to have any training tomorrow because of the Alphas birthday, which he didn't seem too keen on celebrating. Not that I could blame him, this day had been the bane of my existence for my entire life.

After sitting by the stream for a few hours meditating and talking to John, Zander, Parker and Natalia for a while, I wound my way back to the house in search for some form of food. As soon as I entered the kitchen I came face-to-face with the girl who brought me that salad the first day. What was her name? Betty... Beau...?

Beth, I think that was it.

She was busying herself with making things for supper probably, and it didn't go unnoticed that she was alone in the job. With a heavy sigh I went to the fruit bowl, picked myself and apple and sat down at the island. I watched her take things out of the cupboard and the fridge and my frustration level rose.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. She stopped what she was doing and turned to me cautiously, almost like I would harm her. "I haven't seen you at training."

She looked at me with a look of complete surprise and awe. "Oh, no," she stated, bringing her hands up in front of her chest, "I'm not allowed to train. Alpha Kieran's orders."

I could feel a scowl growing on my face. That bastard was doing it again, what the hell was wrong with him? "Well, Beth... that is your name?" She nodded and began to twiddle her fingers around the hem of her long sleeve shirt. "I'm the trainer, and I say you are going to train."

She shook her head and her black hair swung in front of her face. "No, I can't go against his orders like that," she stated almost mechanically.

I got up from my stool, walked towards her and braced my arms on her shoulders. "Listen to me, you are training. Kieran isn't stopping me from it, and I can see it in your eyes that you actually want to."

A small smile twitched on her lips, showing me a hint of her dimples. It was enough for me, she was training and I didn't give two shits about what my brother said about it.

"Then it's settled," I stated, removing my hands from her shoulders, "your training begins tomorrow. And I don't want to hear how it's his birthday tomorrow. If he asks, it's my fault and if he has a problem then he's going to have to find another trainer, alright?"

She nodded, and I saw a glimmer of excitement in her eyes at the prospect of disobeying the rules of her Alpha.

I smiled at her and walked out of the kitchen. Usually I didn't have more than an apple to eat after training, which a lot of people didn't think was good for me but that was all I needed.

I walked around the halls, completely absorbed in my thoughts, so I didn't notice when I walked into the Alphas wing. That had been where my room had been originally until I 'voluntarily' moved into the basement. My parents and grandparents had their rooms on one side if the wall and the other side was where the kid’s room was, as in Kieran and mine.

My body began to turn around, but I stopped when I heard a bone chilling noise. It made my body freeze and my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. It was a weep, a woeful weep coming from the ajar door near the end of the hall. Since this was a dead-end hallway, there was a room at the very end where the sick Alpha's family members go when ill.