"Alpha, there you are." Nick showed up beside Zach when he saw him and Katie walking back. She had a blush on her cheeks while his best friend had one of the rare smiles he was caught with, and Nick couldn't feel happier for him. Yes, alpha Zach had been happy with Megan, but not slightly as happy as he could be with Katie, Nick now believed, turning a blind eye at the fact that the mating bond had already been broken. "It's your sister."

"What's wrong with Ella?" Zach asked instantly and Katie's eyes widened. Seeing how suddenly worried Zach became for his little sister's well being was a scene she didn't want to forget. However, her eyes travelled back to Nick urgently because she too was worried.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Thomas on the other hand I'm not so sure about." Nick rolled his eyes as he pointed to the opposite side of where they were standing. There stood Ella seething, tapping one foot on the ground in annoyance and Katie couldn't help but smile at her friend.

Zach's expression softened and he let out a deep sigh with a nod. Making his way to his sister, Zach thought of the thousand times he had to intervene when things got out of hand. "What's wrong, Ella?"

Ella's black hair was whipped to the side as she turned to look at her big brother, her blue eyes full of fury. "Thomas never listens to my commands, and I'm starting to get really fed up. Yes, I'm aware that I'm not you, but I still am your sister." She huffed in annoyance as she waved her arms around before turning to Katie. "And where have you been?"

Katie smiled widely at how much she had truly missed Ella. "He still gets under your skin, doesn't he?" She asked. Thomas was as harmless as a white dove, yet with Ella they both never saw eye to eye. And being the Alpha's third in command, he had to deal a lot with her, since Zach liked to give her some decisions and pack affairs to handle every now and then, just in case something ever happened to him, she would have an idea on how to lead a pack as strong as theirs.

"All the damn time. And seriously, where have you been? You promised you'd come around more often. I haven't seen you in two whole months, and then I hear that you got attacked by rogues a couple of weeks ago. You even came to the house and never thought about coming to see me in my room?" Ella crossed her arms over her chest and demanded an answer. She had honestly missed Katie and their long talks, but ever since Katie moved out of the pack house and into her dorm they had been seeing less of one another.

Zach shook his head slightly, frowning in confusion as he looked between Kat and his sister talking. He had no idea they knew each other, and seeing how friendly they both were was like a new blade to his chest. Another reminder that he knew absolutely nothing about Kat.

"It was past midnight, Elle. You'd have never woken up. But, you're right, I did break my promise to you and I'm sorry. My life has just been a little crazier than usual these past few months." Katie's eyes remained on Ella, refusing to meet with the Alpha's. Ever since she found out that Zach was her mate, and that he preferred to keep that fact a secret, Katie had completely avoided Ella. It was her big brother after all, and no matter how badly she had missed her friend, Katie knew she wouldn't like lying to Ella's face every time they met. "One day I'll tell you all about it, I promise."

Ella's eyes softened as she caught the sadness flashing behind Katie's eyes. Stretching her arms ahead, she pulled her friend for a hug. "I'm dying to know but it seems heavy, so I won't try to pull it out of you. I'll be here whenever you want to talk, though. I missed you so much. How's Jess and Jared?"

Zach felt another piece of his heart break at the scene before him. He understood now that his sister and Katie were friends and that because of him their friendship was going through a rough time. So his decision had also cost Katie a friend. How many wrongs did he still have to right? "I didn't know you two were friends." His voice was small and his frown deep.

Katie's eyes found Zach's and she could see the guilt swimming through them. Giving him a soft smile, in a weak attempt to ease the weight she now knew he was carrying, she nodded. "Your sister here is a piece of work."

Ella grinned. "And Katie has never held that against me." Her eyes swept behind her brother to catch Thomas conversing with Nick. "Oh, right. You need to tell Thomas to listen to my commands a little because I might kill him if he doesn't."

Zach pushed his thoughts aside in order to focus on the matter at hand. "What kind of commands?"

"Didn't we agree that the excercises for the mated members would be held at the far east of the woods?" Ella asked her brother and when he gave her a nod she went on. "Well, his majesty didn't listen to me and had them gone north, even after I told him not to. And when I asked him why, he said that there's a river at the far east and that it would have blocked the mates' scents from one another and messed with their training."

Katie frowned. "Water doesn't affect someone's scent unless they either jump in it, or go across it. Even then, mates could still catch each other's scents if they concentrated hard enough." She turned to Zach whose frown matched hers, yet his eyes were shining with pride. "If anything, it would've been actually better for the exercise. Would've made it more challenging."

"That's exactly why Zach and I picked the spot for the mates and not the non-mated. And then Thomas goes and does the opposite of what I tell him to do." Ella shook her head in fury once more, but Zach's eyes remained on Kat. Her mind worked exactly as his did, and she came to the same conclusion, choosing the perfect spot for the training. She would've been the perfect Luna for him and his pack.

Letting out a sigh, Zach turned to his sister. "The hunting exercises are over anyway, so it doesn't matter anymore. When we get back to the pack house I'll talk to him about going against you. If he believes a decision you've made isn't the right one he should bring the matter to me and I'll have the final say, or Nick if I wasn't available. He shouldn't act on his own. I'll make sure to tell him." Zach nodded at his sister who let out a deep breath then nodded her head.

"Thank you." Ella smiled at her brother before turning to Katie who was admiring how insanely handsome Zach was using his Alpha voice and discussing important matters. "Now you come with me. How are Jessica and Jared? I miss them so much."

Zach's eyes followed Katie as his sister pulled her away from him, already missing having her scent near.

****

Katie had been listening to Ella go on and on about the whole Thomas matter for an hour and she was starting to have a major headache. "For the tenth time, Thomas is harmless, Ella. Don't you remember how helpful and nice he was to me when I first joined your pack?"

Ella nodded her head in agreement, but she wasn't convinced. "Yes, I do remember. I'm not saying he's a bad person, I'm just saying that I have a feeling something fishy is going on. Call it intuition or whatever, just please come with me to check the east side of these woods."

One of the things Katie had always loved about Ella was her sense of adventure. She was ready for new experiences all the time and was always curious. Sometimes a little too curious for her own good, though. Yet Katie knew that whether she joined her or not, Ella was still hell-bent on checking out the woods. And Katie couldn't just let her friend go alone, just in case something was truly up. "Fine. We'll go check it out, but we go tomorrow in daylight. We're not going hunting for trouble after dark, Elle. Besides our next exercise is about to start, so let's go." Pulling Elle along, Katie made her way back to her friends.

****

Standing next to Zach, Nick grabbed everyone's attention. "Alright, now that everyone is here let me explain. This exercise is about physical strength and endurance. Each of you will fight two other members that were randomly chosen for five minutes. Whoever brings the other to the ground first is the winner. Remember the one law we have is absolutely no blood allowed. Draw as much as a single drop of blood from you opponent and you'll be disqualified and removed from the pack's fighting team. Draw a lot of blood, and you'll be thrown out of the pack altogether, am I clear?"

Nick stressed further on the one law that the pack had always ensured. Under no circumstances was it allowed for a member to hurt another during the exercises. During any other day it would be looked into and the reason's for such a fight will be fixed by the beta or in severe cases the Alpha, and proper punishment would be forced. But never during trainings, never when your opponent's guard was down. "Here is the list of names. Each name will have their opponents' written beside it. We start in five and we'll go by order so the first three names should get ready."

Unlike the previous one, this exercise Katie actually enjoyed. She loved training and fighting with Zach's pack as much as she used her own. Hand in hand combat was her thing. The energy that filled her up once she took position, the stamina she enjoyed as she changed one opponent after the other, the physical effort that helped her release all the stress, were all things she enjoyed a little too much. She was looking forward to have her name called.

"Wanna bet I win both rounds?" Jared's voice came from behind Katie and she instantly grinned. Katie and Ella had joined Jared and Jessica for lunch earlier after their first exercise, but went on their separate ways to shower right after.

"I already know how great of a fighter you are, Jay. So if I have to bet, then my money is on you." Katie pinched Jared's cheek and he swatted her hand away with a frown.

"Yeah, but still not as good as you are, princess." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. When they first became friends, Jared had kept teasing Katie repeatedly, trying his hardest to get her to fight him and when she finally did she left him sore for three days after.

"Well, of course not." Teasing him further, Katie shrugged as they watched the fights start.

****

Zach kept carefully watching and evaluating the fighters with Nick, taking note of the common mistakes the ones who lost made so Nick would pay more attention to them in their trainings. Fifteen fights later, Jessica had won one fight and lost the other, Jared had won both fights, and Katie's turn was up.

Greeting her first opponent sweetly, Katie learned his name was Patrick. She smiled at him softly before she took her defensive position as their fight started. Zach paid close attention to Kat when the man across from her made his first move. He was more than twice her size, yet the confidence that flowed from her was almost tangible.

She wasn't the slightest bit intimidated, on the contrary. Zach found himself hypnotized by the beautiful smile that never left Kat's face as she dodged every blow her opponent shot her way for four minutes straight. Right when the last minute started, Katie took matters into her own hands and pounced back. Punching her opponent in the ribs, Katie smirked once he doubled over to clutch his sides. Now that he was almost her same height, Katie elbowed him in his right cheek enough to make his head turn but not to extract blood.

Moving swiftly to the side opposite from where his head turned, Katie went behind him and planted her heel into the back of his knee, causing him to fall on the ground, on all fours. Throwing a couple more punches to his sides, Katie had him lying face first on the floor with half a minute to spare.

"Damn. You got your hands full with that one, man." Nick whistled from beside Zach who couldn't move his eyes from Katie, yet let out a groan in agreement. Her smile was still perfectly intact, and Zach's breath left him at the proof of how much she had actually enjoyed it. She could've easily won thirty seconds into the fight but she kept it going for as long as possible, enjoying the seconds as they passed.

Once again, Zach felt his blood rush to the front of his jeans at the sight of this beautiful, strong and seductive woman before him. Her golden hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and her chest was rising with every breath, teasing him through her black tank top. Her joggers hung a little low, giving him a slight idea of how smooth and soft the skin of her stomach was.

Katie could feel Zach's eyes on her and she couldn't stop hers from making sure. Yet once her eyes met with his, she regretted her poor control. She was instantly knocked out of breath as his eyes darkened with a desire she knew was meant for her alone. He was looking at her like she was the sweetest thing he had ever decided to devour, and the thought of his hands following where his eyes were going was driving her mad.

Katie hadn't noticed who her next opponent was until he stepped in front of her, blocking Zach from her view, and she instantly frowned. "Ready for round two, Katherine? But beware, this time I'm completely sober." Rick gave Katie what he believed was a sexy smirk, only she frowned further in disgust.

Zach's blood ran cold when his mind registered who Kat's next opponent was. "No. Not him. Find her anyone else to fight. He doesn't get to come near her." Zach's voice was full of authority. He was giving Nick a clear order only Nick looked at him in confusion.

"I don't get it. Why?" Nick asked his friend who had suddenly become alert and full of hot rage.

"Doesn't matter. Find her anyone else." Zach struggled to keep his voice low as he repeated, his eyes never leaving Kat's face who seemed as shaken as he was. Katie's eyes moved to find Zach then back to Rick who licked his lips, as if he was ready to dig into a feast. Another wave of disgust washed through Katie's body but she stood her ground.

"I can't do that. They had already started and if we intervene now everyone is going to notice something is up and people will talk. Relax, Katie's good. She can handle Rick." Nick patted his best friend's shoulder.

Moving his eyes to the fight ahead once more, Zach groaned in anger. He wasn't worried about Kat getting hurt; he knew she could bring tears into Rick's eyes just fine. Zach was worried about Rick trying to make a move on Kat again, because if he did as much as an accidental inappropriate touch Zach was going to kill him and no one would be able to stop him. Rick wasn't going to get away with laying a hand on Kat again, Zach decided.

Katie's heart was beating loudly in her chest. She could feel Alpha Zach's fury radiating off him from a mile away, and she was thinking the same as he was. One wrong move and they would have to peel the Alpha off of Rick, hopefully before too much damage was done. And the way Rick was looking at Katie showed her that as soon as she gave him the chance, wrong moves were exactly what he would be doing.