Chapter 26

Rowan

The scent of pine and damp earth filled my nostrils, a familiar balm against the burning in my muscles. I was lost in the rhythmic sound of my fist coming into contact with the training bag in front of me, and the world felt like it was completely reduced to the dance between my muscles and mind. This was my sanctuary, a place where I could shed the weight of responsibility and connect with my wolf.

Last night had been more overwhelming than I could ever anticipate. I knew about Elara's past, and I had felt a swell of pride rise in me when she had taken the step to come clean to Kai. I had decided to keep the knowledge to myself all along, knowing that it wasn't in my place to let the other two know and that she had to come clean to them in her own time. It had been a relief to find out that she had opened up to Rhys, and also to Kai.

What had shocked me, though, was Rhys' confession that had followed after.

Living with Kai and Rhys over the last couple of years had brought about a sense of solidarity. We had a solid friendship that I knew I could always count on, and the recent events surrounding our shared bond with Elara strengthened that friendship. But never in a million years would I have been able to guess what his past had looked like. He never talked about it, and I also didn't care to ask, but I never imagined that he was once upon a time, the heir to the biggest adversary.

Silas.

He was the only one who had dared to challenge the dominance of our pack in a long time. Over the years we had faced countless foes, each strong and determined, but none have left a mark on our pack as deep as Silas. It was a personal vendetta, a test of our will, strength and our very existence. He sought to subdue us, so he could brag that he had the Almighty All Alpha Pack under his control.

So it was easy to see why Kai had been so upset at Rhys confession, but after talking about it, he had come around. The emotions from last night had been so heightened that even now, hours later, I could still feel them thrumming under my skin.

"Rowan?" Elara's voice broke through my thoughts, and I paused in my movements, turning to find her standing at the entrance to the field.

I offered her a smile that quickly faded when I caught the vulnerability in her eyes. I moved across the field and toward her, taking her face into my hands once I was close enough.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked

"I encountered my wolf again," she began, and I nodded.

We had talked so much last night, and she had revealed everything about the horrors she had suffered back in Silas' prison in more detail. She told us how he had severed all connections to their wolves to weaken them, and so it was easier for him to take over their minds. She also revealed how, for the first time last night, she had encountered and even heard her wolf.

"Really? That's good news, sweetheart. Why do you look sad about it?" I prodded.

"She warned me that there's something coming. Something dark, and the sound of it makes me scared. I know you don't believe me, but that day during our picnic date, I really did see a shadow spying on us. I don't know how they could have possibly left before you could search, but I know what I saw. Now that Naya has escaped too, I know that Silas is going to double his efforts to find us, and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on us. I don't want to feel completely powerless against him. I was hoping you could train me," She confessed, and I pulled her into my arms, placing a soft kiss against her forehead and enjoying the way that she completely melted against me.

"You're safe with us, baby. He'll never be able to get to you here. But I'll train you. Come on," I urged, leading her farther into the field.

"First, I'm going to train you to be more in tune with your wolf. She's the other half of you, and the more she awakens, the more of your consciousness you'll have to share with her. She is your animal instincts, which are much more sensitive than your human ones. So you need to understand how to listen to her. Close your eyes," I instructed and Elara did as told.

"What can you see?" I asked and she pursed her lip in concentration. It was an action that made me smile.

"Nothing."

"Try again. Focus. Imagine a shield in your mind. Now put up the shield to block out the things you don't want to experience. Push away scents and noises and focus only on my voice." While I was still speaking, I moved toward the edge of the training field where different training materials were kept and I picked out a few of them before moving to another corner of the field.

"Now what do you see?" I asked and Elara's face scrunched up in concentration for several seconds before it was relaxed in frustration. I began tying up the rope in my hand into a tight ball.

"Still nothing," she responded and I threw the rope in her direction, straight at her face. Just when I thought the ball of rope would hit her in the face, she raised up her hand to catch it, her eyes opening in shock.

"Good job!" I praised, and the wide smile that spread across her face was enough to make me laugh.

"Your most powerful sense is your sense of hearing. It gives you the edge, it gives you control even when all your other senses might fail you. If you can hone your hearing, then you can almost predict what is about to happen before it happens. Even with your sight cut off, you were still able to see the rope before it hit you. You need to be able to put up a shield to block out the unnecessary noise, but you can't block out every sound. It leaves you vulnerable and helpless. Do you understand?" I asked, and she quickly nodded.

I pulled out a piece of cloth from my pocket and moved behind her. "I'm going to blindfold you now. Trust your instincts and trust your wolf," I urged as I covered her eyes with the cloth.

I watched as she bit her lip in anticipation and the small action was enough to distract me. Her scent washed over me, and the intoxicating blend called to the very core of my being. It threatened to unravel the careful control I maintained over my wolf, and I blinked hard, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand and ignore the very strong pull of her essence.

"Be calm, baby. Clear your mind of all wandering thoughts and focus only on the immediate sounds around you," I advised and I watched as calm washed over her and her shoulders relaxed.

"Catch," I said, throwing an item at her and my heart swelled with pride when she did.

For the next couple of minutes, I made her catch or duck different items, and in different directions. Once I had exhausted the items I had to throw at her, I approached her, pulling the blindfold off her eyes and laughing when she squealed with excitement.

"I did it!" she said, and I nodded.

"You did so well. I'm so proud of you."

"I could feel my wolf so close to me, Rowan. I've never felt this…" she began, but the rest of her words were lost to me.

For some reason, her scent seemed to be starting a war inside of me, and the closer I was to her, the more it felt like an actual struggle to keep my wolf at bay. His growls echoed in my mind, a relentless demand for dominance and it filled me with confusion.

"Are you all right, Rowan?" Elara suddenly asked, and I blinked to clear my foggy vision. Her eyes were filled with worry as she reached out to touch my forehead.

"Let's continue another day," I said, stepping out of her hold, hoping that it would help clear my mind, but it didn't work.

"But I was enjoying this," Elara responded with a pout and I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me, but it felt like I needed to step away from her or my wolf would completely take over.

"We will continue to do it, okay? Every day, as early as you can manage, we can have a one-hour training session before the day begins. How about that?" I offered, and her smile returned, stirring something deep inside of me.

"I'd love that," came her response, but her eyes still held a trace of longing. I wanted to spend every moment with her, but the thought of losing control over something that I still couldn't even figure out terrified me.

"We can do something else," I suggested, hoping to distract her as well as myself. I didn't have to work today, and I reasoned that it might be better if we spent some time together out of the house. Maybe this feeling would ease.

"Can we go to the salon?" she asked excitedly, and I nodded in agreement.

"Of course."

But as we walked away from the training field, hand in hand, I knew that the battle for control had only just begun. There was something about her scent that had changed and the stir that had begun within me was hard to ignore.