"Your form is wrong," a voice said.

I was in the forest, as I was nearly every afternoon, training. I was halfway through my fifty push-ups and as soon as I recognised the voice I just rolled my eyes.

"It's not," I replied bluntly.

Alpha Rivers seemed to spend more time on our territory these days than he spent on his own. He was constantly delivering grain and vegetables - one day he came with a single sack of turnips and spent three hours in our kitchen talking to Tobias and getting in my way as I was trying to cook.

He also had this irritating habit of following me into the woods. I was a woman who valued my time alone and I used to find the forest a peaceful escape. But now it was just another place I had to keep an eye out for him and put up with his condescending, sexist, annoying comments.

"You're making it harder for yourself without any benefit," he sung, an amused smile on his lips.

"I'm not," I repeated.

"Straighten your back."

I shot him a glare, "I do not need your help," I said as I continued exactly how I was.

In response, he crouched down and slowly put one hand on my stomach and then the other on my back as he guided me up, reducing the curve of my back.

"Better, huh?" he asked as I completed another press-up this time feeling the strain in my arms and shoulders only, not my back and hips too.

"Yes," I admitted, "...thank you."

Although I was more concerned about his lingering hands on my body. His fingers were gentle and light on my skin as he guided my posture through another press-up.

But then I couldn't bear to let him touch me anymore so I sat up and forced a smile.

He retracted his hands but stayed crouched down at my level.

"Why are you here? Again," I asked a few seconds later, quickly getting to my feet and looking down at my legs as I brushed the leaves off me, my hair, fortunately, falling over my face as I bent over.

"Why are you hiding in the forest? Again," he replied getting to his feet too.

"I'm not hiding," I said, looking back up at him, "I'm training."

"Hmm," he said as he looked down on me, "Then you won't mind if I train with you? Unless you were in fact deliberately avoiding me...?"

"I prefer to train alone," I replied.

"Do you fight alone too?" he asked, "When you are protecting your pack, are you alone?"

"No, but-" I began.

"Then why would you practice in an unrealistic environment?" he continued, "...Unless of course, you fear my presence."

"I do not fear you," I said.

He smiled as he watched me with glinting eyes.

"Then it is settled," he replied firmly, "We will train together."

I paused, "Fine."

He wasn't going to make me admit something that wasn't true.

"I had a run around the lake planned next," I said, stretching my arms from my pushups. "And then archery."

He nodded, "Sounds great."

I then shook my arms loose, tightened the tie holding my hair up in a ponytail and began to run.

He followed me and we ran in silence until we reached the other side of the lake.

I had to stop for a breath, he'd been running aside me at total ease and I could feel my competitive streak subconsciously pushing the pace, refusing to let him outdo me. It was probably the fastest I'd ever done this route but as a result, my lungs were screaming and my legs begging me to stop.

"We should walk back," He said, not even out of breath, as he watched me leaning over, panting hard.

I shook my head, "I'm fine," I said bluntly.

He's twice your height, an Alpha and a man, Esme. He has an unfair advantage.

"You just ran five miles in less than twenty minutes," he said, "I'm impressed that you aren't on the floor."

I looked him up and down, "And I'm impressed that you aren't even slightly tired. How?"

"You may lead this pack but you aren't an Alpha," he replied, "And you will never have the advantage we have. But you run well."

I stood up and took one more deep breath. My lungs were recovering but I was exhausted.

"Walking?" he asked again.

I paused for a second before nodding, "Probably best."

We walked through the forest, with the glistening blue lake beside us.

"Are your poor men waiting for you at the house?" I asked having regained the capability to breathe and my usual composture.

He shook his head, "I came alone today."

"You know, you could just get a bigger cart and bring a month's worth in one trip," I said, "It's not exactly a short journey?"

"And miss watching you nearly expire from running too fast?" he asked with a grin, "No chance."

I rolled my eyes, "This is the last time I let you come with me."

"Then I better make the most of it," he said suddenly stopping.

He then lifted his shirt, revealing his belt. I noticed the perfectly toned abs that had been hiding under there all this time and I couldn't help admire them...well that was until he pulled his knife from his belt.

I clutched my bow and stepped back.

"Relax," he laughed, "I'm not gonna fucking hurt you."

I lowered my bow.

"Where's the trust, Es?" he asked, biting his cheek, holding in his laughter.

"Then what are you doing?" I questioned.

"I was going to ask if you are any good at throwing?" he asked waving the knife around in his hand.

Oh.

"I'm okay. But I usually shoot," I replied, keeping my eye on the knife.

"And for close range?" he asked.

"That's when the mediocre skill comes in," I said.

"Show me what you've got," he said holding out the knife to me.

"Not only have you invaded my training but now you're modifying it?" I asked reluctantly taking the knife and putting my bow down.

"Step out your comfort zone, Esme," he said, "Loosen up."

I scowled, "I am loose," I said gripping the knife.

"Says the twenty-year-old virgin..." he muttered.

He then pointed into the forest.

"Aim for the tree with the peeling bark," he said.

It was only about twenty metres away and I'd thrown knives before.

I can do this.

I stretched back my arm, aimed and hurled it as hard as I could.

It hit the tree with just enough force to stick and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not bad," he said, "But personally, I have never fought enemy soldiers who are eight feet tall."

I looked back to where the knife was. It had landed high on the trunk and if the tree was a person I would have missed them by a longshot.

"For all I know about your enemies, they could be..." I mumbled.

He glanced at me with a cold expression before he looked away, swallowed and paused for a moment before pulling another knife from his belt and putting it in my hand.

"Try again," he ordered in a flat tone, "Aim lower and don't bend your elbow so much. You'll injure yourself."

I set my feet shoulder-width apart and stared straight ahead at the tree again, readying my hand.

"Wait, wait, wait," he said before I felt his hands on my hips.

I took a sudden breath in, my shoulders tensing.

"You don't want to stand like that," he added turning my body so I was stood semi-side on, "Bend this leg," he added tapping my back leg, "And then when you throw, straighten it and you'll have far more power."

He then reached for my arm and guided it back to just beyond a right angle, "And then you won't need to stretch your arm back any more than that and you won't strain your elbow."

I nodded and he finally took his hands off me and stood back.

I let out the breath I'd been holding, shook my mind's attention off him and focussed on the tree once again.

I aimed and threw using the exact technique he had shown me.

This time, the knife shot through the air, sticking straight into the tree at high force at about five feet off the ground.

"Perfect," He said. "You're a quick learner."

I smiled as he went to go and pull the knives from the tree.

Even he had to stretch to reach the first one and he had an incredible height.

We walked along the lake at a leisurely pace in quiet. The birds up in the treetops seemed to do the chatting for us along with the lapping on the water at the shore.

"Your pack is beautiful," he said a we looked out across the lake.

The sun was setting over it, reflecting it's orange rays onto the ripples of calm water as the moon began to rise in a faint outline of a crescent above it.

"Do you regret wreaking havoc on it for years?" I asked, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

"What's the point in regret?" he asked.

"There is no point to it. But that doesn't mean you don't feel it. It's either there or it's not," I replied.

"Then it's not there," he said, "...Because it's pointless."

I rolled my eyes, "You could have just said no."

He grinned.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, "Continually attack us completely unprovoked?"

He shrugged, "Because you are our neighbour...and before this deal, our rival," he said, "We had to keep you weak or you'd rise up and do the same to us. Pheonix is strong, large and powerful and I couldn't give you any chance to out-compete us."

"You mean like we used to before..."

"Before your father died," he replied, "Yes. Exactly like that."

There was silence for a few minutes as we walked. I had a question itching at the back of my throat. It burnt and begged to be released but I knew it would destroy the fragile peace we had between us.

"Was it you?" I asked, "Did you kill him?"

He swallowed.

"No," he said.

"You just said that the death of my father allowed your pack to grow and gain power. His death was a convenience to you? And somebody murdered him. We never knew who but it would make perfect sense if it was you," I said pausing.

"Esme, it wasn't me," he said firmly.

I examined his face for any signs of lies.

No smirk, no twisted glint in his eye and his face was genuine and serious as he held our eye contact.

I nodded, "Okay," before walking on.

He still walked beside me only about half a metre away, "So your brother raised you?" he asked.

"And Rose," I said.

"Were you happy?"

I looked at him and watched his brown eyes as he awaited my response.

"Yes," I replied with a nod, "And I still am."

"But what's your plan?" he asked.

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Are you satisfied with this life?" he asked, "Is this how you plan to spend the next six decades?"

I paused at the sudden question.

"Yes," was all I can say.

"You're really happy as a simple, uptight little Nightingale girl," he replied, "You hardly even smile at men and you do the same thing every day. Doesn't sound like living to me."

I clenched my jaw, "Simple Nightingale girl?" I repeated, "I am a leader of this pack, Alpha Rivers. The fact that you don't think a woman should have such a role doesn't change that. And yes I do the same things every day. It's called a routine and I have it because I am responsible and grounded and determined to devote myself to this pack. I don't have time for messing around and wasting time."

"Okay fine," he said sharply, "Sounds nice."

I narrowed my eyes, "Then what's your plan Alpha Rivers?" I asked.

"Oh well I like to live, sweetheart," he replied, "Actually enjoy life and all the pleasures it holds. "

I rolled my eyes, "How can you ridicule my life when yours revolves around sex?"

"Who's happier, love?" he asked, "And I lead my pack alone and even with my other past times, my pack is still stronger than yours. Surely you could spare twenty minutes?"

I took in a deep breath, "You know I liked it better when we were walking in silence," I snapped.

He grinned to himself and put his hands up in surrender, "Fine. We'll walk in silence."