Chapter Four

Rose waited patiently for the alpha to arrive at the large home on the pride’s land. Apparently, he was working with his eldest daughter out in the forest and was running late. She didn’t know much about mothers, fathers, and siblings, but after watching the way Kraven and Hope interacted, she was curious about the dynamic.

As she sat at the kitchen table with the alpha’s mate, she realized she was so far removed from reality. Children, or “cubs” as they were called, moved about the home as if it were their own. Mothers helped with chores around the house, and Guardians came in and out of the house to grab water or food after working on the land.

The weather was getting colder, but it wasn’t anything like where she’d lived before. Even when she’d escaped, it was cold at night. Here, it was tolerable. That didn’t give her any inclination as to where she’d run and flew from. All she knew was that she’d stuck to the wooded areas and rivers that flowed downstream. If what little she knew of geography was correct, she’d need to let the alpha know that the place she was made was north of her current location.

After a good night’s sleep and hearty meals, she was feeling more like herself, and her body was beginning to recover. She felt stronger in mind and body, and that was a good sign. She hated feeling vulnerable.

“Rose, are you okay? Is there anything I can help you with or answer while you wait on my mate?” Liberty, the female leader of the pride, asked. She was older; closer to Kraven’s age. But that didn’t take away from her beauty.

“I’m trying not to be overwhelmed,” she admitted, blushing slightly. It wasn’t an unknown feeling to her, but it also wasn’t something she’d felt very often. “Give me another few hours, and I will be back to myself. I already feel stronger. Kraven has also given me some more information about the ways of the pride and of my…our kind.”

“As well he should,” an older female huffed. If she remembered correctly, her name was June and she cared for the youngest members of the pride. Rose believed she was considered a caregiver to the children.Well, “cubs”, as she had been told by Kraven while they’d walked over from his home. “Cabin”, she corrected herself. There was so much to learn, but she would be informed and up to speed by the end of the day.

Her eyes kept straying to where Kraven was out in the living room talking to other males she had not met. He’d assured her the adult males were like him…a Guardian, and each one of them was sworn to protect the pride.

Even though she trusted them because Kraven had given his word, she still wished he was closer to her. With him around, she felt more at ease. She felt…whole…like she could navigate this new world as long as he was by her side. Oh, and his scent…

“Hmmm,” Liberty made a noise, bringing her attention back to the female leader.

“What?” Rose asked.

“You should talk to Kraven tonight about the scent you’re producing,” Liberty stated with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“You can scent that?” Rose felt the flush of embarrassment heat her cheeks. That was also a new emotion she’d never experienced. “Why?”

The females all leveled their eyes on Liberty, and for a heartbeat, Rose wondered what was happening, but the alpha entering the backdoor of the house had everyone ignoring what had just happened.

He came into the kitchen and had a smile for everyone in the room, but his eyes darkened when they fell on his mate, Liberty. Seeing them together pulled at her heart. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling. No, this was a yearning, and that was another new emotion she’d never felt before.

“Rose, how are you today?” Talon had a smile for her, but she noticed something else in his eyes, and it worried her. The leader of this pride appeared to be stressed and worried, and she could tell he was hiding it well.

“I’m doing okay,” she hedged, but she felt a rush come over her, and her animals pushed at her to answer their new leader. “There’s so much I need to learn, but that’s not a concern for me. I was trained to absorb all I was taught, but I have this overwhelming need to get more acquainted with the born shifter’s way of life.”

“We are going to get to those questions you have today, and if we don’t, I’m sure Guardian Kraven will inform you about any questions you might have after we are done.” Talon kissed his mate on the top of her head and asked Rose and Kraven to follow them to his office.

Talon was a good leader, and it was a relief after all she’d known over the thirty years of her life. However, she was keeping her mind open to learning everything she could.

They’d trained her mind as well as her body, and Rose was like a sponge…she could learn new information quickly and precisely, making her an effective fighter. But this new, outside world? It was going to be a lot of information, and from the looks of it, she would be hit with all kinds of new input soon.

“Why did you give me your blood?” she asked the moment they settled into the office where Talon led his people. The ritual was foreign to her.

“Well, did you ever have to take your leader’s blood to connect to him?” Talon’s brows twitched but didn’t wrinkle. It told her he was trying to stay level-headed when he was worrying deep inside.

“No, never,” she replied, tilting her head to the side. She hated to change the subject, but she had to know. “Why do you hide your emotions from me?”

“Excuse me?” Talon narrowed his eyes then, and she knew she’d struck a nerve.

“I was trained to fight, alpha.” Rose shrugged and sat straighter in the chair in front of his desk. “Reading people was part of what I was trained for, too.”

“And what are you trained for exactly?” Talon asked, casting a quick glance at Kraven. Kraven didn’t move or shuffle from side to side, and that calmed her. She was a bit confused about the male, but that would have to wait until they were done. It was time to focus on the task in front of her. Getting lost in her thoughts could be the very thing that killed her.

“I’m a fighter…an assassin for them,” she answered truthfully. There was no need to lie, because they’d saved her and she sensed no aggression from them. She was smart, and now that she’d healed from the injuries she’d sustained at the hands of the hospital’s Trackers, Rose was stronger in mind and body.

“Who are they hunting?” Talon pressed for answers, and she wished she could tell him everything…but she didn’t even know the reasons.

“I was never told,” she replied. “I’d heard whispers of possible protection for someone, but I never found out who it was. They had me, and the others, on a schedule. We trained to fight, learned weapons, and studied the histories of the human world from the time we were able to shift. Once we were able to control our shifts, they put us into the classrooms.”

“How old were you when you started training and studying?” Talon was calmer now. She didn’t sense any anger or concern. He’d schooled his features well.

“I think it was my sixth year of life,” she answered.

The alpha broke his hardened look but only for a breath. Shock was his emotion. When she nodded in a silent response, Talon composed himself and looked at Kraven. She didn’t have to turn around to check the male’s expression…she could feel his worry. It was like an electric heat that surrounded her body.

“I’d like for you and Kraven to work together today. We have a gym where our Guardians and Protectors train. I’d like to know what you can do. But before then, I want you to tell me everything you can about the hospital where you lived before escaping.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

“I have one more question,” he stated.

“Okay.” She waited, taking in his body language. The male was caring and worried for her.

“Why did you leave? What happened to make you flee the only home you’d ever known?”

Now, it was her turn to break her composure…lowering her eyes for the first time in her life.

“That’s one question I can’t exactly answer, but I had my reasons.” When she looked up at the alpha, she knew her eyes were shifted, and from the blur to her vision, one of her eyes was that of her panther…the other was blood red.

Talon dismissed them both, promising to keep her protected, but Kraven had a suspicion she wasn’t going to need anyone to protect her. She was a fighter and had been bred to be a killing machine.

“I want to try something,” Kraven stated as they walked down the hall. “You can refuse if you’re not feeling up to it.”

“And what is that?”

“Come with me to our training facility,” he stated, reaching into his pocket to text his sister. When Hope replied, he walked alongside Rose across the backyard of the alpha’s home.

“So, we are going to the old dorms?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

“I want to have you spar with my sister,” he suggested, glancing at her. She was stunning with her long, blonde hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. They were different than born panther shifters, but he didn’t care.

“I don’t know,” she sighed, biting her lower lip in a way that showed her vulnerability. “I might hurt her.”

“We are shifters.” He shrugged. “She will heal.”

“That’s awfully brave to bring your sibling into this,” Rose scolded. “Doesn’t she have a say in it?”

“Actually, I do,” Hope interrupted as she exited the side door to the dorms. “I’m a Protector here at the Shaw pride, and I’m willing to help you and my brother out.”

Kraven noticed Rose’s shoulders relax, but a glint in her eyes told him she looked forward to the training. If she was as strong as he believed, she would be an asset to the pride. He really wasn’t worried about Hope. She could hold her own in a fight.

The females held their gloved hands up in front of their faces. Only their eyes were seen over the tops. Hope started to circle Rose, and Rose didn’t miss a step as they sized each other up.

Hope took the first swing, but missed when Rose ducked in a sharp, calculated move. Kraven didn’t even have time to blink in the split second it took the new female to respond to Hope’s first swing. Rose jabbed Hope in the ribs and was back upright in a millisecond.

“I’ll give you that one,” Hope replied, but it was a ruse. She swung on Rose, clipping her across the jaw, but the female didn’t even react to the blow.

“Grazed me,” Rose mumbled. She wasn’t teasing at all. No, Rose spoke the damage tally of Hope’s attack.

Their back and forth went on for several minutes. Not one of them made a move to break from their sparring. Rose was a force as she landed blow after blow on Hope, but don’t let that fool anyone. Hope landed her fair share of jabs and blows to Rose.

Kraven took a seat on the bench by the door and watched them carefully. Neither one of them was going to stop. He once mentioned a break, but they both responded with a hard, “No!”

He kicked his feet out and leaned against the window, waiting for them both to tire. After twenty minutes, his phone chimed with a text from Talon. He watched them for a few more minutes and decided to leave them to it. They weren’t going to kill each other.

He slipped out the door to meet his alpha at the main house, looking over his shoulder at the beautiful, blonde female who’d taken up every thought he’d had since he had found her in the forest.