Page 20 of Rejected Mate Bride
It was a clear day, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Sofia was skipping ahead of her as they walked, oblivious to the dark worries that plagued her mother. Today could end up being a disaster. Maybe no one else would show up, and Flora would be the only person there. When she had asked Camden to train her and the rest of the women, she hadn’t considered that the other women might not want to be trained—or be trained alongside a human.
But when they approached the grassy area set aside for training just outside of town, Flora realized her worries had been unfounded. There were nearly a dozen women, ranging in age from twenty to sixty years old, waiting in a group. She walked up to them, and they smiled at her, and for the first time in her life, she felt like there was no malice behind the gesture.
Moments later, Camden arrived.
“Good morning, Silverrose warriors,” he said, calling their attention to them. “You may not feel like you are worthy of that name yet, but I know in your hearts you have what it takes to protect your pack, your families, and yourselves. By the time we leave here today, you are all going to feel stronger and more prepared to do just that. Are you all ready?”
There was an excitement buzzing around the group as they nodded in agreement.
“Sofia, go sit over there and play,” Flora said, giving her daughter a gentle push toward a bench on the edge of the field where a few young girls also sat, waiting for their own mothers.
Her daughter ran off without hesitation, and Flora smiled. Sofia would make friends easily here. Flora was sure of it. She turned back toward Camden and the women and saw that they had been joined by the rest of Camden’s squad, as well as two other males she didn’t recognize who looked to be soldiers as well.
Flora and the other women shifted uncomfortably at the sudden influx of men in their midst. They were all beginners at training. What if the squad made fun of them for their inexperience?
“Groups of four, and line up facing the trees single file,” Camden ordered.
The women complied quickly, reacting to the timbre of authority in his voice.
“This run is a relay, so we can gauge your level of fitness before beginning sparring sessions,” Camden continued. “Run down and back. When the person in front of you arrives, you begin. Ready, set, go!”
He didn’t wait for confirmation that they had understood before beginning the exercise. Flora took off immediately, running for the edge of the field. She knew this was part of the training, too. He needed to know how quickly they could understand the instructions and follow orders. Of the four groups, only she and one other woman started immediately. The other two lagged behind, still trying to work through the instructions.
Flora pelted down the field, turned sharply, and sprinted back to her team. She tagged the other woman’s hand and found a spot at the back of the pack, where she received a nod of approval from Jasper.
All her fears had dissipated the moment she started running. She was doing something, making a real change in her life, and for the first time ever, she had help with that goal. She knew now that the squad was serious about this training.
“Alright, great job, everyone,” Camden said. “Now we’re going to come around and pull you into different groups to work on sparring skills.”
Each of the men tapped two women to join them. Flora and the woman she had raced against were pulled aside by Marbles.
“I’m Tessa,” the woman said.
“Flora.”
“You both did great with comprehending instructions and speed,” Marbles said. “I’m going to work on both of you with some sparring sequences. The goal here isn’t necessarily power, but accuracy.”
For the next hour, they worked to copy his moves. When they were tired and sweating, he finally gave them permission to spar. But within a minute of beginning, Flora realized just how disadvantaged she was against Tessa. They were the same size and build, but as a human, Flora’s strength and speed were far less than Tessa’s. Looking around at the field, she realized that even some of the less fit she-wolves would best her easily.
“Don’t be discouraged,” Camden said when he came around to check on each group. “Everyone has different skills and abilities. This is only the first day.”
Discouraged was the last thing Flora felt. She was galvanized to train harder to catch up to the others. Her humanity had been her downfall for her whole life, and she refused to allow it to hold her back again. Nothing would deter her from learning how to defend herself and her daughter.
But the second training session the following day was just as difficult on her as the first. And the third, fourth, and fifth sessions were no better. After a week, Flora began to wake up feeling angry more than excited.
“Are we going to the field again today, Mom?” Sofia asked.
Flora could tell that she was starting to get bored sitting on the sidelines while the women trained. Luckily for her, one of the older women, Clementine, had decided that training wasn’t something she needed to continue at her age. Instead, she had started a daycare for the daughters of the women participating.
“I am,” Flora said. “But you’re going to play with some friends at Ms. Clementine’s house. Does that sound like fun?”
Sofia squealed with happiness. Clementine had become a favorite of hers, acting like a surrogate grandmother for all the young girls in the pack. Flora was thankful that even though Sofia had no living grandparents who cared for her, she had found another person to fill that role.
With her daughter in the safe care of a trusted person, Flora hoped she would be able to work even harder at training. Her focus was usually split between participating in the drills and checking to see that Sofia was safe and happy. She was disappointed to find that even with Sofia gone, she was still lagging behind the others.
“That’s it for today,” Camden said, wrapping up the session. “See everyone back here tomorrow, bright and early.”
The rest of the women headed off the field, but Flora hesitated. She needed to see some kind of breakthrough before she could go home. It had been a disappointing day, and she wanted to feel the strength that Camden had told her would come with practice. So instead of heading home, she picked up a staff used for drills and squared up with a practice dummy. Over and over, slowly and meticulously, she went through the motions she had been taught. She swung it over her head, crashing it down on the dummy’s head, then left to right in a backhanded maneuver. She practiced her thrusts and her kicks until her legs burned with exertion.
