The Mark of Betrayal (by Cooper) novel Chapter 34

Samara

I realized while I was telling Alpha Sterling and Luna Devi about what happened that horrible night, that I felt safe in Roman’s arms. He not only held me, but he connected to my mind, sharing my grief, but also letting me know I wasn’t alone. It’s been a really long time since I felt safe and loved like this. Alpha William was a great Alpha, but the love of an Alpha and a father-figure is not the same as the love of a mate.

After our meeting with Roman’s parents, we had breakfast together. Luna Devi asked me a lot of questions about the last nine years, how I snuck out of Alpha William’s pack every day, what it was like living in a southern pack, if I missed the northern winters, and a thousand other questions. It was as if she was trying to catch up on everything she missed in the last nine years over breakfast.

“Devi, let the girl eat,” Alpha Sterling finally says to her.

“I can’t help it, Sterling. Her mother is gone. Jessica was like a sister to me which makes Samara like a daughter to me. The daughter I never had. If Jessica were here, she’d be asking the same questions,” she says unapologetically while hugging me for the hundredth time.

I smile at Luna Devi as I eat, and she runs her hand over my hair. “You really do look just like her. Well, back when she was your age. Your mother was always beautiful and vibrant. I see those same qualities in you, Samara.”

“She’s got Theo’s fighting intelligence, too,” Roman says, making me sit up proudly.

“He got that from Royal,” Alpha Sterling says. “That man was a genius on the sparring field.”

As sad as it is, it also feels good to be able to talk about my family again, to remember them during happier times.

“I have some pictures of your mother tucked away somewhere, sweetheart. I can dig through them and find them if you’d like,” Luna Devi says to me.

“I’d like that a lot, Luna. I don’t have any pictures of my family.”

“I have some of Theo as well, Samara. We’ll go through them, and you can have whichever ones you want. A lot of them have Sawyer in them,” he growls before stopping himself. “But I know there are some with just the two of us and I think I might even have some of the two of you,” he says smiling at me.

“I’d like that,” I say softly.

After breakfast, I talk to the pack members while I wait for Alpha Sterling to get settled. I feel Roman step up behind me as I’m talking to several warriors. Their eyes all look up over my head a moment before Roman’s hands settle on my hips and I feel his heat seep into my back.

“Are you ready Ayla?” he asks, kissing the top of my head.

“You’re going to train Ayla? Can we watch?” the warriors ask excitedly.

‘Ayla?’ I ask her. She’s the one who will be learning and might feel uncomfortable if she has an audience.

“I am ready, my mate. But I’m not sure it will be exciting to watch me, warriors. I’ve never learned to fight.”

“But you watched, like Luna Samara did, right Luna Ayla?” a warrior asks her.

“I did.”

“We’d like to watch, if it’s okay,” they say again. I notice that the pack is murmuring and starting to move in our direction, as if the word is spreading quickly that Ayla is going to practice.

“I am fine with you watching. As long as you know not to expect much,” she says.

“Come on,” Roman says, taking my hand and leading me outside. I turn, watching the pack begin to congregate behind us, following us out to the sparring field.

“Oh good, if the pack is here, we can use them as a barrier,” Alpha Sterling says as we walk out. I notice that he has used rocks and sticks to create a large circle in the grass.

He turns to look at me. “Ayla, based on what Roman and Pierce have said about you, I think the best way to train you is to explain what I want Pierce to do, then let him show you. Once you know how he’s going to attack you, we can work on defense. Then, when you are able to defend his attack, we’ll switch and let you use the same tactic against him to try and take him down. Obviously, Pierce won’t hurt you, but I am going to make sure he’s not too gentle with you. You need to learn how to prepare against an attacking wolf who really is trying to kill you.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Ayla says to him.

“It’s also important for you to maintain awareness during a battle. While your focus is on the wolf or wolves that you are fighting against, you need to be aware that other wolves are battling around you. If one of those wolves is suddenly free of their attacker, they could turn and attack you from behind. Since the pack wants to watch, I’m going to have them spread out around this circle and if you get too close to the edge they’ll nip at you to help you regain awareness. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Alpha,” she says again.

He comes over and takes my face in his hands. “Learning can be frustrating for anyone, but more so because you are a white wolf and you will have higher than normal expectations for yourself. Do not let your frustration impact your lessons. If you need a break, let me know. If I feel that you are letting your frustration get in the way, I’ll stop the lesson until you can relax and get hold of your emotions again. I’m telling you this now because I don’t want you to think that I’m disappointed in you. It’s expected, but you won’t learn anything if you start fighting with emotion and not with intelligence. Okay?”

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