Chapter Twelve:

"Watch the body language, Kendall.  The body language can give his next move away."  Harrison Trager, the Head of the Royal Army, instructed me.

I nodded and watched my sparring partner, Nathan's, movements.  I scrutinized him, trying to take in everything he did.  He had his fists raised and he bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting to strike.  When I saw him tighten his right fist and cock his shoulder back the slightest bit, I knew what was coming.  I ducked my head just as his fist came flying towards my jaw.  He hit nothing but air and I used his momentum against him.  With his shift in weight, I was able to push him forward.  Once I had him on the ground, I dug my knee into his back, twisted his arm around, and pushed his face into the mat.  I smiled victoriously once I had him pinned, but I spoke too soon.

Nathan managed to throw me backwards and pin me into the ground before I could even blink.  The air left my lungs briefly as my back was slammed against the mat.  Now it was his turn to smile smugly down at me.  He bent my arm at an awkward angle and dug his knee into my chest painfully.  I struggled for a few moments, but finally grudgingly submitted and tapped out.  He immediately released me, his knee leaving my chest made it easier to breathe.  As I sat up, I rubbed my throbbing shoulder and looked to Harrison, waiting for his feedback.

I had been training with Harrison for over a week now.  It had been one week since my chat with King Finnian.  I hadn't seen much of him, although he still came to my room while I was sleeping like a creeper.  I had fallen into a routine.  I would start my morning in Tyler's office, answering the phone.  After lunch, I would spend the afternoon training with Harrison.  I also made a friend out of Nathan, who had become my unofficial sparring partner.  Nathan was of Alpha blood.  He, like me, was the youngest of the Alpha children.  He decided to join the Royal Army instead of staying in his pack.  He was strong, an excellent warrior.  He was no doubt stronger and more skilled than me, but I had learned a lot between him and Harrison.

I was lucky to be training with two amazing warriors.  Most of the Royal Army trained under lower ranked warriors, whom in turn trained under Harrison.  The Royal Army was huge, so it would be impossible for him to train everyone individually.  I was the exception.  Since I was labeled as King Finnian's guest, it got me certain benefits, such as training with the best.  Harrison had been taking the time to teach me in ways even my father hadn't.  Although he wasn't of Alpha blood, it didn't matter.  He was the biggest badass I'd ever met, even for an old guy.  He wasn't really all that old, about the werewolf equivalent of middle age, but I still liked messing with him about it.

Nathan on the other hand was fairly young.  He was about fifty, which to a werewolf was equal to the early twenties.  He had bright red hair and freckles covering his pale skin.  He had a baby face, which I thought was the perfect disguise.  He looked sweet and innocent, but could secretly kill you at least one hundred different ways using nothing but his hands.  He was tall and muscular and was ranked as the Second in Command of the Royal Army.  It was quite the accomplishment for his age.

"You didn't twist his arm hard enough.  He was able to break out of your hold.  You got too smug and loosened your grip.  You never let up until the enemy is dead, or in this case, they tap out."  Harrison explained.  I groaned, but nodded nonetheless.

Nathan held his hand out for me, which I accepted gratefully, and hoisted me to my feet.  We both got in fighting position once again.  I continued to carefully observe his body language, waiting for him to give away his next move.  I never attacked first.  I always waited for him to make the first move and go from there.  Harrison taught me not to become complacent on doing that, for the simple matter that in a real life situation, you might have to attack first.  But for now, he was allowing it.

Nathan tightened his fist and dropped his shoulder just a bit.  I was about to duck, preparing for a punch, but his slight shift in weight let me know that the punch was a fake out.  I was proved correct when his leg kicked out, trying to catch my knee and knock me off balance.  I moved just in time.  I knocked his leg out from under him.  He fell onto his back and I was on top of him before he could move.  I was able to neutralize his hands, just in time to not take an elbow to the face.  When his hands weren't a threat, I put pressure on his throat with my forearm.  I held tightly, not letting my hold budge even an inch.  After a few minutes, he reluctantly tapped out. 

I jumped off of him and to my feet, letting loose a girly, excited squeal.  I did a crappy victory dance.  That was the first time I had forced Nathan to tap out.  I felt accomplished.

Nathan had literally kicked my ass all week.  I had been reluctant at first to give it my all.  I didn't want to really hurt him.  Their training was way more hands on than our training back home.  I quickly got over my fear.  Nathan hadn't taken it easy on me, whatsoever.  I was usually pretty bruised up by the end of the day.  Since Nathan wasn't holding back, I stopped and gave it my all. While it was intense and usually painful, although we could tap out if we needed to, it was certainly beneficial.  I felt stronger in the last week than I had in all my twenty-three years of living.

Nathan grumbled unhappily, but he seemed proud deep down. 

"What was that, Red?  Was that a congratulations, I'm sorry it was so easy for you?"  I mimicked his voice for the words he hadn't spoken and held my hand to my ear mockingly.

"If it was so easy than how come it took you so long?"  He objected.

"I was scared you were going to steal my soul.  My bad."  The ginger jokes had certainly not been in short supply.

"I'm glad you can finally admit that you were scared."

"Of your gingerness?  Of course, always."  I teased.

"I'll keep that in mind, Simba."  He looked up at my hair and smirked.

"It's humid."  I defended while trying to smooth out my frizzy locks.  I gave up and tied it up in a messy bun with the rubber band on my wrist.

"Thanks, now you won't be able to suffocate me with it."  He full on chuckled now.

I spun around before he could see me coming and slammed my fist into his stomach.  It wasn't hard enough to really hurt, but enough to surprise him since he didn't see it coming.

"Don't anger the beast."  I warned, pointing at him threateningly.

"I like how you refer to your hair as the beast, but not your wolf."

I shook my head at him and turned my attention to Harrison, who looked mildly amused at our bickering.

"What's my feedback, old man?"  I joked with him.

"Your feedback is that you're a little shit and I'm not old." 

"Someone's mighty sensitive."

"Someone can and will kick your ass, little girl."  His voice held nothing but affection, letting me know he wasn't serious.

"Anytime, grandpa."

He chuckled, but then got serious.  "That was good.  That's really all the feedback I have.  You did good."

I smiled brightly at him, proud of myself for his lack of feedback.  "Thanks, Harrison."

"No problem.  Now why don't you two take a break." 

We nodded and collapsed onto the training mat.  Harrison walked off, moving onto another sparring couple.  We were on the training field.  It was on the opposite side of the Royal Territory than the castle.  It was basically just a wide open field covered with training mats.  People were all over the place, either sparring or watching someone spar while instructors gave feedback.  Nathan and I were on the edge of the field, away from everyone else.  We both grabbed our water bottles and took long sips.

"So, you going to that brunch tomorrow?"  I asked him after I finished drinking.  Despite the temperature being almost below freezing, I was sweating so I wiped my forehead with a towel.

"Yeah, you?" 

I nodded.  Tyler had told us about it earlier in the week.  Apparently, they held a brunch on the first Saturday of every month.  It wasn't open to the public like the mating ball was.  It was more for the high ranked members of the Royal Pack to meet with the Royals and talk with them.  Council members were also free to attend, but weren't required.  Since Matt and Dalton were making good progress with securing my dad a seat on the Council, we were invited to attend.  I never turned down free breakfast.

"Who all usually goes to those things?"  I wondered.

He shrugged.  "Not many people, actually.  The Royals of course.  The high ranked members of the Royal Army and the Royal Trackers.  A few other important people who help run the castle.  Council members sometimes show up."

I nodded and took another sip from my water bottle.  I was going to question him some more, but was interrupted.  Tyler, Matt, and Dalton walked out of the woods and onto the training field.  Harrison met them halfway, leaving them all stopped in front of our training mat.

"What are you guys doing here?"  I asked them.

Tyler answered me first.  "King Finnian likes to come observe training every once in a while.  He decided to come today.  He should be here with Kieran soon.  We finished our work early today and decided to come watch as well."

I nodded and suddenly grew nervous.  I hadn't spent a lot of time, or any really, with King Finnian since last week.  He told me about his past, willingly, and I ended our time together with a hug.  Butterflies started fluttering around my stomach at the idea of seeing him. 

They disappeared when Harrison spoke.  "You heard Royal Gamma Tyler.  The King is coming.  Back to work.  Don't want him to see anyone slacking."

Nathan and I both nodded and got back to our feet.  Although Harrison had become a mentor of sorts rather quickly and we had a friendship where we could joke around, he was still in charge.  And he didn't take it easy on me in the slightest.  Not because I was a girl, or because I wasn't a member of the Royal Army.  He trained me just like he would anyone else and he had my respect because of that.

"This should be good."  Dalton snickered.  Matt and Tyler both looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

I paused as I pulled my sparring gloves back on.  I glared at him, then looked back at Nathan.  "You know what, Red, you look tired still.  Sit back down."  He smirked and shook his head, but walked off muttering something under his breath.  I turned my icy stare back to Dalton.  "Collins.  You and me.  Now."

He smirked arrogantly and I wanted to punch him so hard that he wouldn't have control over his facial features. 

"This should be easy enough."  He sounded so sure of himself, it fueled the fire simmering in my belly.

It was true, Dalton was a good fighter.  Perhaps even better than me.  I always refused to spar with him though, so I wouldn't really know.  I had always trained with Selena.  It was always a good way for Selena and I to take out our anger at one another, so we never argued on the arrangements. 

Now that I had spent some time training with two of the best warriors, I felt more secure about my skills.  

I finished securing my gloves and he did the same.  He was already in workout clothes, probably with the intentions of training while he was here.  Matt and Tyler were dressed similarly.

"Whenever you two are ready."  Harrison informed us from the side of the mat.

We both nodded and I got prepared.  He was cocky, so he came at me quickly.  He threw a right hook to start and I dodged it flawlessly.  His left fist moved quickly, trying to catch me in the stomach before I could move upright after I ducked.  I jumped back just in time.  I faked aiming for his face next, finally going on the offense.  He lowered his head just in time, setting me up perfectly for the move I planned from the beginning. 

As his head was ducked, I grabbed the back of it and slammed it against my knee, effectively cracking his nose.  Blood started gushing out.  He lost his cocky attitude and finally got serious, ignoring his injury.

He ran at me next, trying to throw me to the ground.  I maneuvered my body at the last second, so instead of him knocking me over, I was able to flip him over.  He landed his a hard thud on his back.

I made my move before he could even sit up.  I was on top of him, similar to how I was on top of Nathan earlier.  I bent his arm painfully and dug my knee into his chest.  He fought and I just twisted his arm hard, as far as it would go without breaking.

It took a lot of struggling, but he finally conceded and tapped the mat harshly.  I got off of him with a grin. 

"You're right.  That was easy enough."  I told him.

He glared up at me as he stood up.  He walked back over to Matt, spitting out blood along the way.  Nathan threw him a towel so he could wipe his nose.

"You've gotten good.  I'm impressed."  Matt told me.

I beamed at him.  His words meant a lot.  I sometimes acted like my family's opinion didn't matter to me, but in all honesty, it meant everything.  So to get Matt's approval on something that the men in my family dominated was refreshing.  It was good to finally be on their level physically.

"Wait until you see her fight Nathan.  He's damn near one of the best I've ever seen.  And I've been doing this a while."  Harrison told Matt.

"Let's see it then." 

My attention snapped towards the woods.  I hadn't even heard him coming, the sneaky bastard.  Apparently no one else had either, because we all looked surprised.

King Finnian stepped out of the tree line, Royal Beta Kieran right next to him.  All at once, it seemed the entire field noticed his presence, his power and dominance radiated over everyone.  Everyone bowed to him.  I didn't at first, but decided to, only to keep up appearances.

"As you were."  He commanded everyone.  He wasn't overly loud, but everyone heard him, returning to what they were doing.

His blue eyes turned to our group.  They raked over me briefly, but not long enough for anyone to notice.

"King Finnian, it is always a pleasure."  Harrison bowed again once they were next to us.

"You know I like to check on things regularly, Harrison."  King Finnian told him, his voice calm and cool. 

I'd come to realize, he used that voice with everyone.  It was very rare that he would openly show emotion.  I guess he usually liked to save all his anger for me.

"Yes, sir."  Harrison turned back to us.  "Well, you heard King Finnian.  He wants to see you two spar, so get to it."

We nodded and got into position.  I didn't look back over at King Finnian.  One reason was because I knew I wouldn't be able to look away and two was because I was nervous.

I wasn't sure what his game was here.  He had been adamant that I not get hurt.  So why did he want to watch me fight, where I could very well get hurt?

I pushed away my nerves and focused.  I had to get away as unscathed as possible.  Finnian may not want me, but his wolf sure as hell did.  Meaning, seeing me get hurt could end badly for Nathan.  He didn't deserve that.  As strong and as skilled as he was, he was no match for the King of all werewolves.

I was walking a thin line, because I also didn't want to appear weak to him.  I wanted to prove to him that I could hold my own in a fight.  The only way to do that would be go all in on the fight.  I couldn't tap out unless he was really hurting me.  The only solution would be to not let him hurt me... easier said than done.

I exhaled slowly and watched his movements, letting them guide me. 

The fight moved slowly for a while, not much happening.  He'd throw a punch or kick, I'd dodge.  I'd do the same and he'd dodged.  For the first five minutes or so, that was all it was.  Missed hits and a lot of dodging.  The only thing it showed was I had gotten better at defense.

After a while, Nathan finally managed to land a hit.  It wasn't where he intended, but it still got me.  He was aiming for my cheek, but caught the edge of my chin and lip.  I felt my lower lip split open, but I ignored the blood. 

I didn't hear growling and no one came after Nathan, so that was a good sign.  I didn't look over to see if he was angry.  I kept my eyes trained on Nathan.  Harrison's number one rule and the rule he drilled into my head to begin with:  Never take your eyes off the enemy.  Keep your senses open and alert, but never let your eyes stray.  So I didn't.

I decided it was time for a secret move Selena and I had come up with.  Male werewolves were ridiculously tall and Selena and I had got stuck with the short gene. We had found a way to use that to our advantage. 

Nathan's legs were shoulder width apart, which was good since his shoulders were so wide.  I dove down quickly, before he could stop me.  I also had the element of surprise on my side.  He had never seen me do this move.  I twisted my body on the way down, so that I landed on my back.  Once I was on the ground, my hips touching his feet, I hit the backs of his knees as hard as I could.  They buckled and he fell to them.  I pushed him forward and pulled myself out from under him at the same time.

I jumped on his back before he could get up.  I dug my knee into the back of his neck and twisted his arms behind his back.  I didn't let my hold on him slacken like I had earlier. 

"Tap out, Red."  I demanded as I twisted his arms higher.

He fought and struggled for a few minutes, but I kept my grip on him.  Finally, I noticed his hand awkwardly tap against my arm.  It was hard for him to do, with his arms at the angle they were, but he made do.

I immediately released him and jumped up.  I fought the urge to dance again, not wanting to look immature in front of King Finnian. 

To show my good sportsmanship, I reached my hand down and helped pull Nathan to his feet.  He patted me on the shoulder in congrats and beamed with pride.  I supposed he didn't mind losing to me twice since he won so many times already that it was just plain sad.

I looked away from him and turned my attention back to the guys.  I took in all of their facial expressions.  Dalton looked happy, probably that I had not just defeated him, but Nathan as well.  Matt couldn't look any prouder if he tried, Harrison too.  Kieran looked impressed.  I hesitated briefly before I turned to look at King Finnian last. 

His face remained blank, but I could see the emotions in his eyes.  Once he saw I was alright, pride lit up his eyes.  Elation filled my heart at the look.  

It didn't last.  His eyes soon left mine and turned impassive again, but it didn't matter.  I saw how he really felt and that meant everything.

I waited with baited breath, waiting to see if King Finnian would say anything.  After a moment of silence, he finally did.

"It is unfortunate you couldn't have done that when you were under a real attack, Miss Keating."  He said evenly.

"I don't know.  I rather enjoyed having my head bashed in."  I drawled sarcastically.  Based on the gasps around me, I should have bit my tongue and nodded submissively. 

"Kendall."  Matt hissed as he glared hatefully at me.  I winced uncomfortably under his scrutiny. 

"That's quite alright, Matthew."

Really?  Matthew?  He called my brother by his first name, but I constantly got Miss Keating?  What kind of shit is that?

"I apologize for my sister, your highness.  She lacks functioning brain cells."  He continued.

"Like I said, it's quite alright.  Her sarcasm is refreshing."  He told my brother.

"My sarcasm detector is usually spot on, but apparently you broke it King Finnian.  Are you being sarcastic or not?"

His eyes lit with humor, his lip barely tugged up in the corner.  "I'm never sarcastic, Miss Keating."

"I'll keep that in mind, your highness."  I said, not sure how else to answer.

He looked like he was going to smile, but he just shook his head and walked away, towards the next mat.  Harrison gave me one last good job before dismissing me for the day. 

Tyler, Matt, Dalton, and Nathan remained surrounding me.  Matt turned to give me a dirty look.

"Really, Kendall?"  He looked at me expectantly.

"What?"  I feigned innocence.

"Don't give me the puppy dog eyes.  Those don't work on anyone anymore.  You know what." 

I sighed and dropped the act.  "Sorry, it just slipped out.  You know I have no filter."

"Well you better get one."  He snapped. 

"I think he is rather fond of you."  Tyler commented.

I blanched, but tried to hide it.  Matt caught it, but kept silent.  Dalton looked at me knowingly.  I shrugged off Tyler's comment and played nonchalant. 

"He'd have to know me to be fond of me.  We've barely spoke three words to each other and those were during interviews."  I told him.

"I suppose you're right."  He said, but he looked at me disbelievingly. 

"Well I could use a run before dinner.  Anyone care to join me?"  I changed the subject.

"I think I'll take a rain check.  I'd like to train a bit today."  Tyler answered first.

Matt and Dalton both agreed with him.

"What about you, Red?"  I asked Nathan.

"As much as I so enjoy your smartass insults, I'm going to have to pass this time."

"Okay, well I'll see you at brunch tomorrow anyways."  I told him.

"Yeah, see you.  Goodnight."  He walked off the training field, into the woods.

"I'll see you all at dinner.  Have fun."

With that, I walked deep into the woods, stripped once I was a good distance away, and shifted into my wolf form and took off.  I ran for two hours, letting out any pent up energy that remained.

As much as training helped me release that energy, somehow Finnian always managed to bring it back.  He always managed to rile my wolf up.  It was getting harder to ignore my need to mark and mate with him.  My instincts were screaming at me to, and I never ignored my instincts.  I could only hope that we could work things out soon.  I was trying to stay positive considering we'd seemed to be making progress, but you never knew with him.  At the very least, I hoped I could find out what he was hiding. Because I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was hiding something.