Chapter 56
FOLLOWING an entire day of mourning for the courageous warrior, life gradually returned to normal on the dawn of the next day. The high–ranking pack members gathered for a meeting to discuss how they would safely eliminate the infected rogues without risking any more casualties.
“Instead of relying on our wolves, what if we tried taking them out with guns? We could use special bullets like the ones we used during the war. Wouldn’t that be more effective?”
Serena’s suggestion caused all eyes to focus on her direction.
“Right, that might be effective too.” Gamma Taylor gave a nod of approval, acknowledging Serena’s suggestion. After all, fighting didn’t always require transforming into their wolf.
“Sure, it sounds like a good idea. But won’t it be expensive? Those specialized bullets don’t come cheap.” One of the elders pointed out.
“I’m sorry but our pack warrior’s life wasn’t cheap either. We can always replace money lost on ammunition, but once a warrior’s life is lost, it cannot be recovered.” Serena’s response caused the elders to go quiet, as they realized that Luna had a valid point.
After some deliberation, they all came to an agreement and continued their discussion. When it was over, Serena decided to remain in the meeting room, where Alpha Perez had also chosen to stay. Although he claimed he was fine, she could sense that he wasn’t. After all, he was the one who took down the warrior the previous night.
“I’m going to start my real training inside the forest today.” She informed him as she took his hand that was resting on the table and gave it a light squeeze. “Can you give me a good luck hug? I know you’ll be busy today, so I’ll ask for it now.”
“Are you nervous?” He smiled as he gently pulled her and made her sit on his lap instead. His hand rested on her waist as he brought her closer to him, inhaling her scent. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
“What about you? Are you okay?” she asked, her fingers gently tracing the lines and curves of his face as she studied it intently. Despite the smile on his lips, she could see the pain etched in the depths of his eyes. It was a familiar look, one that spoke of blame and regret, most likely stemming from his perceived failure to protect his fellow warrior.
“I’m doing my best. Though I understand that death was unavoidable, I still feel guilty because that night was the first time I took a fellow pack warrior’s life myself.” he explained, his voice filled with guilt, “I have no qualms killing an enemy but-”
Serena didn’t let him continue speaking and pulled him into a hug, his face buried in her shoulder while her hands rubbed his back soothingly to comfort him.
something that had to be done. I understand that killing a comrade is difficult, “You didn’t kill him without a reason. It was
stop thinking about it. But please, don’t blame yourself for it. It wasn’t your fault.” Serena leaned in and I won’t tell you to and softly kissed his temple. Alpha Perez then pulled away slightly to look into her stunning blue eyes, his thumb gently grazing her chin as he sighed contentedly.
“I will try my best,” he said before kissing her on the lips. “Shall we go?”
“Huh? Where are we going?” She tilted her head, confused.
“I will escort you to the forest for your training before I resume my work,” he replied, and Serena nodded before getting off his lap. They intertwined their hands and walked hand in hand until they reached the forest, their footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. The surrounding trees were tall and thick, casting shadows over the forest floor. It was a serene place, a stark contrast to the chaos and danger that would soon lurk inside it.
As they entered deeper into the forest, Serena could feel her heart thumping in her chest, especially when she could already see the barriers that had been set up as her training grounds. She glanced at Alpha Perez who seemed to sense her restlessness as he squeezed her hand in reassurance.
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Chapter 56
༈ ཎྛ ས ཟྭ 59%
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“Are you ready? I will tell Gamma Taylor to release the rogues now,” He let go of her hand and placed his hands on her shoulders instead. Serena smiled and closed her eyes as Alpha Perez kissed her forehead before she nodded in agreement. “I know that this training may have been difficult, but don’t worry. I am confident that it will effectively help you awaken your wolf.”
“Yeah, I trust your words.” She nodded, and he returned her gesture with a bright smile. Before saying goodbye, he pulled her into a warm hug and gently patted her head.
“Alright, I’ll return to my study now. Taylor was already heading here to send the rogue. You’ll only have to deal with one today, but tomorrow there will be two and we’ll increase it until we reach your goal.”
“I know, Taylor already informed me that.” She let out a chuckle, attempting to hide her slight nerves as she shooed him away playfully. “Go on, continue working already. Also, thank you for escorting me, I’ll see you later.”
“All right, I’ll be waiting for you.” Alpha Perez said before he turned away, and she continued to watch until he disappeared from her line of sight. She took a moment to inhale deeply before stretching out her limbs, the trees dancing along with the breeze. She didn’t have any weapon at hand again today, and unlike the training session she had with Priscilla the other day, she knew this one would be quite different.
As she finished stretching and adjusted herself, the sound of dry leaves being crushed under a heavy paw caught her attention. She turned quickly, her eyes widening at the sight before her. A massive brown rogue with deep scars running through its thick fur stood just a few feet away, slowly making its way toward her.
With her eyes glued to the rogue, she remained unmoving not until it suddenly ran towards her, ready to kill without hesitation.
Startled, she instinctively leaped backward in an attempt to avoid the swift attack. However, she lost her footing and tripped over the large root, causing her to land on the ground with a heavy thump. Before she could react, the wolf had pinned her down and she was fighting against its sharp claws trying to dig into her body.
“Shit, talk about bad luck,” Serena muttered under her breath, a shiver running down her spine as she heard the rogue growl that seemed to rattle her bones. She clenched her jaw, relying on her alpha blood as her wolf remained dormant in this tense moment. “Wasn’t this life–threatening enough for you to come out?”
She let out a groan as she pushed the rogue’s large paws away and flipped it onto its side. Breathing heavily, she quickly got up and moved away to catch her breath. As she began to calm down, she noticed that the rogue had also gotten back up and was staring at her intently, ready to attack again.
Serena gritted her teeth and willed herself to transform, but she was still stuck in her human form. With no other choice, she braced herself for a direct confrontation with the rogue. She charged towards it, hoping to land a solid punch. But her opponent was too quick, easily avoiding her fists and moving with lightning speed. Before she knew it, he had already flipped her over, causing her heart to thump like a drum on her chest as she spun through the air.
It was a strange feeling, but it faded quickly as she kicked the rogue who was anticipating her landing. With a loud thud, the rogue flew several feet before hitting a tree trunk and whimpering in agony. Serena stood up, panting heavily from the exertion. It had been a close call; she was certain that without the surge of adrenaline in her system, she would have been bitten for sure.
She took a moment to watch the prison rogue, but when it didn’t stand up, she made a quick escape from the woods, signaling the end of her training session.
“That was fast,” The sound of Alpha Perez’s voice startled her. She turned to look at him with surprise, questioning why he was there instead of in his study where he was supposed to be working. “I decided to just wait for you because I had a hunch that your actual training would be a piece of cake for you.”
“Well, I struggled a bit, and I felt a weird thumping on my chest. I don’t know if it was adrenaline or what, but I have a nagging feeling that I must endure more challenges to awaken my wolf,” She explained as he approached her and wiped the sweat off her brow with a towel he carried with him. “So, how about I faced three prison rogues tomorrow instead of two?
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12:36 Fri, Nov 29
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