I looked at her, surprised she had agreed so easily. “But if you make me miserable, I’ll leave.” I took the win and smiled.
The following morning, I headed to the training and found Jade talking with another woman. I couldn’t help but stare at her, taking in the stretchy pants and the loose tank top. I stared at her exposed skin, feeling it stir something up inside me.
“You have quite a bit of a turnout,” Kaleb said next to me. “I’m impressed.”
I nodded, taking in the various women who joined. I was happy to see that they were willing, and I wanted this to be a turning point for the pack. I tilted my head as I took in the woman next to Jade. “Who’s with Jade?”
“That’s Nora. Her best friend since senior year.”
I nodded, taking in the way Jade smiled at her. I could see it was genuine, like when she smiled at Ilsa. She seemed to be more open as she spoke with Nora, and I wondered when I would see that side of her.
We started the training with a workup. Stretching our muscles and basic movements. Once everyone was warmed up, we started with defense. I had them punching and kicking. I had people sweating as I showed them how to block and the correct way to catch a punch.
I continued to watch, but my eyes continued to drift back to Jade. She wasn’t the worst person in the ground, but I could tell Jade didn’t have the stamina or the muscles for half of what I was asking. She and Nora were working together, both shaking as they tried to do each movement.
“Jade, your punches need to be harder,” I stated, standing at the front. I watched as heads turned to her, and her entire face went red.
Kaleb was walking around and reached over to correct her placement. He said something to Nora, who started to laugh.
I continued to make everyone work, making even the guys groan in pain. I was surprised by how much the woman kept up and how they didn’t complain as much. There were comments here and there that I heard, but the longer we went, the quieter it became.
I walked around, adjusting people as needed. I continued to go back to Jade, though, wanting her to put more power behind each hit. I told her to lift her leg higher when she kicked and to correct her stance when it was wrong. Each time Jade threw me a look, her face red with embarrassment.
After feeling that everyone had had enough, I called the training to a close. I watched a few of the guys drop exhaustedonto the ground. Some of the woman laughed as they moved to gather their items. I looked at Jade, who was bent over, her hands on her knees, as she tried to take deep breaths. Nora had her hands on her back, saying something to her.
I cleared my throat. “Jade, stay a moment.”
Her head popped up, and her eyes were glued to me right away. She scowled, looking like she was ready to rip me a new one. Nora spoke to her, but Jade shook her head, offering her friend a smile before pulling herself up. As people cleared out, she stood waiting. Her arms were crossed as she stared at me, tapping her left foot as she waited.
As soon as the area around us was clear, she spoke, pissed. “You purposely singled me out for everything I did.”
“I did not.”
“You did,” she snapped furiously. “You hardly said anything to everyone else, yet you constantly ridiculed everything I did.”
“I corrected you,” I countered. “Because I want you to be strong. I want you to be good at this.”
“For what reason!?” she asked, throwing her arms out. “I have no real reason to learn any of this, Brandon.”
I had to give her a good reason, besides just saying so. I couldn’t tell her about the hybrid or what was out there. So, I went with something else. “Do it for Ilsa.”
Her mouth snapped together, and her hands curled into fists. “You didn’t have to be an ass about it.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. I hadn’t been trying to, but every time I looked at her, the words just seemed to slip out. I suddenly found myself wanting to see her get angry. People put more power behind things they did when they were angry.
“You improved when I did.”
“Because I was embarrassed that everyone was looking at me.”
“How about some extra training then?”
She snorted and shook her head. “No. I’m not doing this anymore after today.”
“You are because you need it. You, much like everyone else in this pack, need to know how to protect yourself.”
“Why does it matter so badly to you? What exactly is the point here?”
I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t. So, I went with something else that was true. “You never know what’s out there, Jade. Just because our pack gets along with the other surrounding ones doesn’t mean something couldn’t happen. What if something happened to Ilsa? You do realize that being the father of an Alpha is not going to be easy. People will come after her.”
