A week later

"That was...," I trailed off panting as I attempted to catch my breath. I rested my hands on my knees as Ace handed me a bottle of water.

"It gets harder each day," Xavier shrugged.

"But if you wanna train to become one of the best warriors then you're in the right place," Ace finished.

"I do," I said feeling more determined than ever. I think physically training myself is helping to shape my mental training. It'll help me become mentally stronger and stable.

"Then let's go again!," Ace yelled before he blew a whistle. I glared at him before I continued the circuit. Almost an hour later, I was allowed a break. I grabbed the towel off the bench and wiped the sweat from my face and neck.

"Hey," a voice said. "You're Alana, right?" I turned towards the source. A man stood in front of me, flexing his muscles that were covered in sweat.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "You are?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Damon," he laughed, his noticeable dimples on show. I let out a small awkward chuckle. He instantly stopped and stared at me for a moment. It was unnerving. "I'm new to the pack so I'm just hoping to make some friends."

"Well, I'm pretty new too."

"Really?," he asked. "You don't seem to be. You got the future leaders of this pack wrapped around your finger. I mean with the way you all walked in and the way they were looking at you, anyone can see that they like you."

"Excuse me," I snapped suddenly feeling my anger flare up at his lack of disrespect for his leaders. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to respect the leaders of your pack? And I'm pretty sure that includes not talking about them behind their backs."

"Calm down, I didn't say anything bad. I was actually trying to compliment you," he shrugged. I let out a scoff as he rolled his eyes. "I'll see you later," he muttered.

"I hope I don't," I mumbled under my breath. I watched as he walked away. He seemed weird. He gave off this uneasy, unfriendly vibe.

"Who was that?," Xavier asked as he slung his arm over my shoulders, finally back from his toilet break.

"The new guy," I told him. "I don't like him."

"Me neither."

-

"Let's go out," Ace suggested. I raised an eyebrow. "All three of us. We can go clubbing, to the movies, anything."

"So we're going out of pack grounds, towards the humans," Xavier asked. Ace nodded his head.

"I vote movies," I announced.

They both rolled their eyes before saying simultaneously, "Clubbing."

"That is not fair," I said loudly. "There's two of you and one of me. I just wanna chill. I don't wanna be getting dressed up."

"Come on!," Xavier groaned. "Maybe, we'll find our mates." My body instantly stiffened at the word 'mate'. I never told them I found mine. Why would I tell them? I've barely known them for a week. "What?," he asked, looking at me weirdly.

"Nothing," I said, taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" I nodded my head.

"Strange little wolf," Ace muttered as he looked at me. I rolled my shoulders back before leaning back in my seat at my desk.

"Speaking of mates, Maisie found her mate so she'll be leaving us soon," Xavier said. I couldn't hear the other words that left his mouth after the word 'Maisie'. His mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. I thought I got over this. I thought I left my past in my past but that's not possible, is it?

It's carried with you everyday for the rest of your life. It's a reminder of all of the good, the bad and the fucked up times. You can't ever get over something. You can't move on from it without ever healing from it and learning from it first. My mom told me that.

But in my case, I believe I won't ever be able to move on from it. Of course, I can make myself believe I can but deep down inside, I'll know the harsh truth. The one thing that I truly believe is that your past defines who you are today.

Suddenly, I got up from my seat and ran to the en-suite with a hand covering my mouth. I could hear the boys rushing after me. I leaned over the toilet and heaved out everything that was in my stomach, emptying its contents. One of them held my hair back whilst the other rubbed circles on my back. Once I was done, I moved away from the toilet and sat down next to it for a moment, just in case my body decides to let out more food.

"Are you okay?," Ace asked. "You're not gonna puke again, are you?" I closed my eyes and shook my head 'no'. "Alright, rinse your mouth." He pulled my onto my feet before I brushed my teeth at the sink. Once I was done with that, Xavier and Ace tucked me into my bed before putting a bucket beside me.

I knew I wasn't going to puke again. The only reason why it happened was because I heard her name after so long. So, so long. Memories I want to forget flooded my mind the moment I heard her name. It was like I could her take her last breath all over again.

I felt helpless.

Frightened.

Knowing I was safe with the two boys that were sprawled out on the floor arguing about who lost the final jigsaw piece, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to overtake me.