The Pack's Luna: The Pack Series Book 4 novel Chapter 5

Piper

I’ve noticed that Alpha Michael is starting to pair us differently in our sparring class. Since we’re all pretty sure that Yorick is going to make it onto C-Squad, I’m thrilled that I’m part of the group that includes him and Zach. I don’t like that Megan is part of our group, but l’ve noticed that she’s changed recently. She’s not quite as bitchy as she used to be and she doesn’t flirt with Yorick or Zach like she did in the beginning. However, she still looks at me with disdain. I’m sure she’d look at Cyra that way too, if she was in our group.

Since Cyrus was born, she’s rejoined our sparring class, but she’s not part of this group that is fighting for a spot among the elite fighters. Landon was in our group until Alpha Michael heard that he accepted the Gamma position in Yorick’s pack. After that, he was switched out of our group, which is another reason that I feel like we’ve made the short list. Now there are only five of us, including Chase.

Five candidates for four spots. I intend to get one of those spots, preferably one in the Alpha squad.

“Today, we’re going to try something different. While we’re all shifters, sometimes you don’t have access to all your senses in the field. So, each of you will have one of your senses covered while the other four attempt to make physical contact one at a time. You, the central person,won’t know who is coming when. You’ll have to use your other senses to try and keep yourself from getting tagged by multiple enemies,” Alpha Michael says.

He looks at the five of us. “Hellfire, you’re up first. Blind,” he says, using my nickname. All elite fighters have them but Zach gave me that name and it apparently stuck.

He puts a blindfold on me. “Now, use your other senses, feel where your enemies are. Smell them, listen for their movements,” he says, then steps away.

I’m used to using all my senses, especially in a fight and I realize very quickly how important this type of training is for us if we’re going to be in real-world battles.

I hear the huff of a breath and I turn, blocking a hit.

“Good,” Alpha Michael says.

I stand up and wait, listening. I feel movement behind me and I spin, ducking. I feel the air across my back as the swing misses me.

“Excellent!” Alpha Michael says.

Each of the four comes at me once, then it’s time to switch out.

“Nickname, you’re up,” he says, making me grin. Yorick gave Zach that name because he’d given all of us nicknames. Zach HATES the name, but it stuck just as much as Hellfire, Shakespeare, and Landon’s Hercules.I didn’t know how they were chosen to attack, but now that I can see, I realize Alpha Michael is pointing to the person he wants to attack and giving them the gesture of arm or leg to attack with.

Zach blocks a hit from Chase and Megan, then Alpha Michael gestures for me to attack with my legs. Since I know I have to be quick or he’lt have a chance to react, l swing my leg as I’m crouching. Zach leaps, but I still catch-him, knocking him onto his back.

“Sorry, Zach,” I say, grabbing his hand to help him up.

We go through the rest of class, switching out with the person whose in the center until everyone has a turn, then we switch to losing our hearing. If I thought the loss of my sight was bad, loss of hearing is much, much worse.

When Alpha Michael finally calls the end of class, he stands in front of us.

“What I hope you’re starting to see is that each of you is more dependent on one or two of your senses. What I’m going to do is force you to start using all your senses equally. If your dominant sense is blocked for some reason, it puts you at a disadvantage on the battlefield.

Tomorrow, we’ll eliminate your sense of smell. Once again, you’ll see just how dependent some of you are on your sense of smell. Well done. This was a good start. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says.

As soon as class ends, Yorick jogs over to Cyra, pulling her into a hug. The two of them wave at us, letting us know they’ll see us at lunch. They always go get Cyrus when we have breaks. Cyra needs to nurse, but they also love having their young pup with them.

I feel that familiar pang of desire and jealousy, but I push it down.

“So, which sense was stronger for you?” Zach asks me.

“I was surprised that it was hearing. I thought for sure it would be sight,” I tell him.

“Mine was sight,” he says. “Losing my sense of hearing was easier for me as long as I could see.”

“Mine was hearing too,” Megan says.

“Sight for me,” Chase says as we walk inside.

“Interesting. I wonder if it’s related to our genders, or if that’s coincidence. We should ask Alpha Michael if he knows,” Megan says.

“We’ll check with Yorick too, see which of his senses he struggled with more,” Zach says.

“I need a shower,” I say, turning toward our rooms.

“I do too. I’ll come with you,” Zach says.

“I’m not missing lunch again because you want a ‘quickie’ in the shower! You don’t know the definition of a quickie,” I growl.”Wow, I’ve never heard a woman complaining about a man who has stamina,

“he teases.

“Stamina is all fine and dandy until I start missing meals.”

“Don’t I know it. Next to hangry in the dictionary, they have your picture,” Zach says.

I reach out to punch him in the arm, but he dodges away.” See you in the showers,” he grins before heading to his room.

We shower quickly, since we really are on a time limit to eat and get to our next classes. Zach knocks on my door jușt as l’ve finished getting dressed. I open the door, pulling my long hair into a pony-tail since I don’t have time to dry it.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Ready,” I say, locking my door and taking his hand.

Fallon suddenly sits up in my head.

‘Fallen? I say.

“What’s up?” Zach says. He’s always been very intuitive and he pays attention. It makes him a great lover, and I personally feel that he would have made a fantastic Alpha. Since he’s a second son, I know his attention to others will also make him one hell of an elite fighter.

“I’m not sure,” I say, focusing on Fallon.Up ahead, I see Yorick and Cyra. They’ve stopped to talk to a couple, but I can’t see who they are.

Suddenly, there’s a loud, possessive growl and Yorick pushes Cyra and Cyrus behind him, opening a pathway that let’s me see the man who Fallon was searching for.

I laugh, mirthlessly. “Maybe if you had bothered to show up to any one of Cyra’s court dates, then you would have found me. Perhaps you’re as bad a friend as you are a mate,” I growl. “Accept my rejection and walk away,” | snarl. 1

“No,” he snarls back.

“Henry,” the woman says. Goddess, even her voice is soft.

If she’s what he wants, then I’m everything he doesn’t want.

“Yes, Henry, why don’t you run along with your mate. Go sign your alliance agreement, finally, and then go live your life.”

Yeah, okay, I’m pushing every fucking button | can think of, but I don’t care. My heart is breaking, my wolf is howling, and I just want to get away from him.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he growls at me.

I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t think they have rooms for non-students. And for the record, I’m training to become an elite fighter so if you don’t take your fucking hands off me in three seconds, you’re going to see what it means to go against a woman who doesn’t care about putting you on your ass.”

The man has the fucking audacity to grin. Well, he doesn’t actually grin. But his lips twitch as he fights to NOT grin.

All it does it piss me.off.

“One,” I snarl and he raises an eyebrow as if calling my bluff.

“Two,” I say in a sweet, singsong voice.

“Henry, you’re going to want to step away from her,”

Yorick warns.

“Too late. Three,” I say, breaking his hold on me and slamming my fist into his solar plexus making him wheeze and hunch over as the air rushes from his lungs.

“Let’s go, Zach,” I say, stepping past Henry as the soft, sweet she-wolf rushes up to him.

“Keep him away from me,” I growl at Yorick and Cyra.

Yorick nods, his lips pressed together tightly.

I walk into the cafeteria, realizing that I have no appetite.

“This way,” Zach says, Leading me out a back door and away from the loud chaos of the lunch time crowd. He doesn’t stop until we’re at the forest line that surrounds the Academy, then he stops and pulls me into his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers and I burst into tears.