#8 The Archer and her Wolf

Thea

What the hell was wrong with that man? He had the nerve to act like he owned me and that I was obligated to be with him. I had no reason to give him the time of day. I wasn’t interested in being anybody else. If he wanted to pine after a ghost for the rest of his life, then fine. That was his problem.

I grumbled to myself the whole way back through the woods and out of Valor Moon’s territory. My plan was to catch a ride back to my pack, but now I was too pissed off to deal with my family. Instead, I pinched the pendent that portals me back to the compound and stomped the whole way up to my room. I wasn’t in the mood to be around anybody. I flung myself down on the bed and screamed into the pillow.

After I called Alpha Xaiver every curse word I could think of, I knew it was time to blow off some steam. I changed into a racerback bra and workout tank, and a pair of capri leggings before storming back through the house. Everyone knew better than to bother me when I was in one of my moods.

On the other side of the compound from the common areas were the bosses’ offices and the door to the underground tunnel. Like every other door, I had to go through the security protocols to access it. It was your typical underground tunnel, dimly lit and damp. My sneakers echoed off the stone floor as I walked to the end, where another security door blocked my way to the gym.

I went to the weight room first, warming up on the mats and then getting to work. I worked out my legs until I couldn’t feel them anymore, then went to the boxing gym to throw a few punches.

I wrapped my hands and put on my red boxing gloves. I squared up to a punching bag and let all of my anger loose. I slammed my fists into the bag repeatedly, feeling the sweat rolling down my back and face as I pushed my body to the limit.

“Woah. Whose face are you imagining on that bag?” The boxing instructor, Vladimir, chuckled at me. I didn’t miss a beat as he came up behind the bag and held it still for me. I continued my merciless assault.

“Seriously, Crim, what’s up?” Vlad looked at me with concern.

“Are you my therapist now?” I grunted, taking another swing. Vlad sighed,

“No, but I can give you a therapy session in the ring.” He offered. I stopped beating the bag and nodded, eager to pound some real flesh. Vlad strapped on a pair of mits and joined me in the boxing ring.

“I thought you were taking some personal time?” Vlad said as we squared off.

“And I thought we were fighting, not talking.” I countered, taking a swing at his face which he easily dodged.

“You get sloppy when you’re emotional.” He said after dodging a few more combinations. I growled at the word emotional and connected with his face. He stumbled backwards and spit out blood.

“I don’t get emotional.” I snapped. Vlad landed a kick to my side, knocking me backwards. While I was distracted, he swung at my face and connected with my jaw.

“Yes you do, you’re human.” He argued. I shoved him away from me and took up my fighting stance again.

“Half.” I clarified.

“Right. And I’m all vampire who can sense your anger from a mile away.” Vlad snorted as I went for an uppercut.

“Anger fuels the fire.” I repeated his mantra as he landed a jab to my ribs.

“Unless it clouds your judgment instead.” He countered as I avoided another kick.

“My judgment is clear.” I said through my clenched jaw.

“Is it?” He asked me sarcastically just as his mit made contact with my eye.

I groaned and fell back against the cage. I could feel that my eye was already swelling. Vlad was a 500 year old vampire who packed quite the punch, even with his cushioned boxing gloves. By now, a crowd had gathered to watch our spectacle. They were shouting out with each hit and let out a collective groan as I reeled from Vlad’s last punch.

“Listen to me, Crim.” He stepped forward in a relaxed stance and I stood straight up and down to listen to my trainer, “Feelings aren’t a weakness.”

“You’ve never said that before.” I snorted.

“Unchecked, uncontrolled emotions in a fight make you weak and emotions to an assassin are a weakness. But, feelings for a person, mean strength. You’re not just an Archer or a fighter or an assassin, Crim, you’re a person, too. Forgetting that has never been a part of your training. Losing your humanity isn’t a requirement of the Archers. Keeping your emotions bottled up inside is only going to destroy you.” Vlad’s voice was calm and sure as he graced me with his words of wisdom.

Instead of respecting his advice like usual, I scoffed and threw my boxing gloves at his feet.

“I’m not interested in my humanity.” I said before climbing out of the ring.

“Then, you’re already lost.” He said before I left the boxing gym.

“Hey, Crim, wait up!” Black ran up behind me as I crossed the yard for the training grounds outside, “I saw that fight.”

“Good for you.” I deadpanned.

“Listen, stop,” Black grabbed my arm and forced me to stop, “Just pretend like I’m your girlfriend and we’re normal people for ten seconds. What’s going on?”

I tried to remove myself from his grip, but he wasn’t having it. I knew I could make him let go if I really wanted to, but something about his expression made me stop struggling.

“I met my mate.” I snapped and Black’s eyes went wide. He was a werewolf, after all, so he knew how serious this was.

“Why are you here?” He asked.

I had no idea what Black’s story was and why he became an Archer. Most wolves joined after their mates rejected them or died as a way to reconcile with the loss. A few joined before meeting their mates and then left once they did. I didn’t know which category Black fell into.

“Because this is my home.” I stated obviously.

“You know, I haven’t found my mate yet.” Black said and I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I didn’t know that.” I replied.

“Yeah, I’m only here until I do. The second I meet her I’m gone. I joined to avenge my pack, it was nearly wiped out from a rogue attack shortly after the kingdom took over. I was an infant and my mother died in the attack. Effie gave me a way to find the sons of bitches who killed my mother and massacred my pack.” Black confessed and I suddenly understand the darkness and sadness in his eyes.

The thing about Archers is, we all had a sob story. No one joined up just because they had a thing for archery. We all had a reason, a deep seeded, tragic reason for joining. Some of us shared our reasons like ghost stories around a campfire while others kept it themselves. It was a personal choice and no one pushed someone to tell their story. I wasn’t surprised by Black’s reason for joining. It was so similar to so many other stories I’ve heard.

“I’m sorry about your mother, Black.” I sighed.

“Thanks. The point is, I wouldn’t choose being an Archer over my mate and neither should you.” He said.

“I’m not a full wolf, I don’t feel it like you do.” I said.

“I know, but you do feel it. And your mate, well I bet he feels it like a full wolf.” He stared at me accusingly.

“He’s an Alpha.” I confessed.

“He feels it even worse, then. You’ve got to give him a chance.” Black let go of my arm then, “For both your sakes.”

“I’m fine where I’m at.” I argued.

“But, are you happy? Because, from here, you don’t look too happy.” Black crossed his arms over his chest.

“Who the hell cares about happiness?” I snapped. Black shook his head, frowning.

“We aren’t all here with the same agenda as you, Crim. Some of us just want vengeance or to do a little bit of good before moving on. This isn’t supposed to be an end goal, it’s just a pitstop in our story. You’ve served for almost ten years, don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Black leveled me with his dark eyes and, for the first time, I saw a flash of emotion in them.

“This was never a pitstop for me, Black, this is it.” I replied sternly.

“That’s a sad life, Crimson. I’d hate to see you throw away something as amazing as the matebond for this. Especially when you could have it all.” Black shook his head at me.

“How could I possibly have it all?” I asked snarkily.

“You don’t get how this whole matebond thing works, do you?” Black chuckled darkly, “Your Alpha will literally give you anything that you want. Name it, and it’s yours. That includes remaining as an Archer for as long as you need to, to feel done. If you just give him a tiny piece of you, he’ll find a way to make it all work.” Black said.

“And how selfish of a person would I have to be to make him suffer like that? He has a son, Black.” I felt my anger begin to dissolve and my cool facade falter.

“I see. So, this isn’t all about you giving up being an Archer. This is about you not wanting to hurt him or his son.” Black smirked at me, “So, she does have a heart.”

“Shut up.” I growled threateningly.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Crim, you’ve got a lot to work out. But, I can say that rejecting him and spending the rest of your life as an Archer until some mark finally kills you, is no life at all.” Black said before dropping his arms and moving away from me.

“Is girl time up, yet?” I sassed him. Black rolled his eyes and his expression returned to his normal soulless eyes.

“Yeah, it’s up. Come on, I’m going to kick your ass in the arena.” He said before running towards the sparring arena.