The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 15

Zoey

My stomach growled, lurching me out of my nap. I hugged my middle and blinked against the fading sunlight.

"What time is it?" I grumbled to myself.

...time for food, my wolf whined. We need food to fuel us through training, if you're going to continue.

"What do you mean 'if I continue'?" I gawked. "Of course I'm going to continue. Why wouldn't I?"

It's scary... and painful," she explained. I would understand if you're hesitant to push yourself.

"I am hesitant," I agreed, "but I want to be stronger and prepared for the future. Part of that process will be pushing myself... and falling down... and getting back up again."

Well good, she said. That spirit will get you through the worst part.

"Isn't it time for food?" I stretched for a moment before forcing my body off the couch. I still didn't know what time it was, but I guessed it was probably sometime after lunch. How the guys hadn't found me­—or come looking for me—was a total mystery. I'm sure Van would have an earful for me, but I was learning to handle his scowls.

I shuffled out of the room and down the stairs. A few voices echoed off the walls as the late-eaters headed back to their tasks. Otherwise, the house seemed quite calm in the aftermath of a meal. If a lot of people were around, I'd probably stop to see how I looked before going downstairs. But since it appeared that very few people were around...

"Zoey."

Ah, the man himself, my wolf sighed.

Indeed, Van stood right outside his bedroom door. He'd changed into a different outfit, and his wet hair suggested that he'd worked out and showered. Beside all that, it was very difficult to ignore the stare that was boring holes into my head. The lack of other facial expressions made it nearly impossible to read him, not that I could do that anyway. At the moment, I would appreciate any indication of where this impending conversation was going to go.

"You okay?"

I blinked and ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't hit any snags, so thankfully I must not have looked too ruffled. "Yeah; I'm fine. Nothing a little snooze couldn't help."

His gaze darted over my outfit before settling back on my face. "...and were you able to sort some things out? You going to be okay moving forward?"

I rolled my shoulders and nodded. "Yeah. I just need to get stronger. It caught me off guard, that's all. I didn't speak up for myself, so I got pushed harder than I could handle. It won't happen again."

He left the door and slowly crossed the hallway to where I was standing. When he reached me, he cupped my chin in one hand and lifted my head just enough to get a full look. That's when I saw the little spark somewhere deep in those hazel-green eyes.

What's that all about?

"You sure you're going to be okay?"

I nodded again, finding a little mental fortitude in saying it again. "Yeah; I'll be fine. Promise."

He stared at me for a second before dropping his hand and stepping back. "All right. I'm sure that Stitch will be more than happy to modify your training. We just want to help you get stronger, regain the skills you had, and maybe figure out where you could fit into a pack."

A pack. Not this pack, not my pack... just a pack.

Don't think about it too hard, my wolf warned me. He probably didn't think about how you'd take it. Just take the offer of help. Please?