Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 59

**Blake POV

It had been far too long since I’d spent time training the new recruits one on one. I had plenty of trustworthy lieutenants that could oversee training, but I knew that it was good for moral e if I did the work myself, as well.

The newest recruits were promising, and it filled me with pride to see how quickly they were learning. I’d been outside with them for most of the morning, so I wasn’t surprised when a messenger interrupted me.

The young man nervously handed me a thick envelope with a red w ax seal. I dismissed him and he hurried away, as if he were afraid of being near me when I opened the envelope.

I looked at the seal and my face fell. It was from Lanecreek. I knew that I wasn’t done dealing with my uncle, but I had hoped I would have more time before I had to face this mess again.

I sl*pped my thumb beneath the seal and broke it before pulling the letter out. It was a formal invitation to dinner tomorrow night. I wanted to throw it into the dirt, but I refrained. I sighed and looked at the men as they sparred.

It was dangerous to even entertain my uncle’s games. There was no telling what underhanded schemes he was trying to advance. I would be well within my rights to tell him off and demand Lanecreek remain separate from the rest of the kingdom, but I knew that I shouldn’t.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Nora was right aboutGraham. I didn’t know him, so maybe it wasn’t fairto assume his intentions. There was a very real possibility that he was being manipulated by our uncle and Kelly. I owed him a chance, didn’t I?

I was torn from my thoughts when one of the new trainees sprinted forward and slammed full force into one of the others. The injured wolf whimpered as he attempted to roll back to his feet.

I growled and rushed forward.“Enough!”I ordered.

All of the movement stopped as the recruits turned to face me. The aggressive young wolf was the only one that hadn’t acknowledged me. He was caught up in the adrenaline and pacing menacingly closer to his opponent. I grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him back.

“Shift,”I snarled angrily. He did as he was told, thenquickly got to his feet.

“Sir?”he said in confusion.

I could tell by his eyes that he was coming back to his senses. I grabbed the back of his n*eck and made him look at his opponent, who was shifting back to his human form as well.

“Who is that?”I demanded.

“Christian?” he said in confusion.

“That,”I bean sternly, still holding onto him,“isyour ally. You will live and fight alongside one another. You will risk your lives for each other!”I released him and he looked up at me mutely.“This is a training exercise,”I said firmly.“Your goal is to practice, not to injure your peers.”

He looked at Christian and nodded. I could tell that he wanted to say something, to argue with me, buthe didn’t dare.“Yes, sir.”

“Run laps,” I growled in irritation.“Until you learnto control your wolf when under duress, you won’t be sparring.”

He hung his head and walked away from the sparring area. The rest of the recruits around us went back to their exercises when I glared at them.

Christian got to his feet and was waiting patiently for me to give him an order.“Are you alright?”I asked.

He laughed nervously and nodded.“This is why I’m more suited to a cubicle,” he joked.“I’m grateful you’re giving me a chance.”

“You’re doing well,”I assured him.“I want you to goto the healer, just to be safe.”

He nodded.“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

He grabbed his things and headed toward the entrance to the healer’s office near the training grounds.

I looked around at the others as they continued their exercises. It made my heart swell to see how many of the young men were willing to volunteer their time to learn to protect the pack.

It was astounding how much things had changed in the past few months. Keeping a kingdom thriving was too much for any lo ne person to do. It took an army of dedicated warriors and staff to keep things functioning. Even then, it was hard for me to manage.

I walked among the recruits, observing them closely. These men had only been training at the castle for a few weeks. They had a long road ahead

3/7 17.91of them, but they were a promising bunch.

One of the youngest recruits, Aiden, was holding his own against his training partner. I paused as I walked by him and observed his stance.

“Keep your head up,” I advised.“Don’t take youreyes off of him. It only takes a second to be caught off guard.”

He lifted his head and grunted his understanding. I moved on from there, offering encouragement and minor adjustments as I went.

I paused and glanced to my right, toward the garden. I could see the goddess statue from here. It was the place Nora would complete her ritual and could be the location that ruined my life.

It was a dramatic thought, but I couldn’t help it. My love for Nora was unquestionable and there was no doubt in my mind that she was meant to be mine. I could only hope that the goddess agreed. If her instincts didn’t tell her that I was her mate, it could complicate things and there was a chance that it would drive us apart.

What would happen to us then? If I were to lose Nora for good, I don’t know how I could go on. She became my queen out of necessity, but she was so much more than that to me now.

I forced the thought aside and walked toward the garden. I had to believe that things would work out. Nora needed her wolf, it would be selfish of me to do anything to stand in the way of her becoming whole again.

As I neared the statue, I was surprised to see Nora sitting in front of it, gazing up at it. She seemed to be deep in thought and didn’t notice my approachat first. When she did, she turned and smiled sweetly at me.

“How’s training going?”she asked.“Are the newrecruits showing much improvement?”

“It’s going well,”I answered.“They’ve learned a lotin the past few weeks. Especially Christian. I see a lot of promise in him.”

“He has the benefit of a great teacher,” she observedas I sat down beside her.

I shrugged halfheartedly. It was a sweet sentiment, but I felt like I’d done the bare minimum. I’d been distracted.“His heart is in it,”I replied.“That counts for a lot.”

Her smile widened and her big, beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement.“That’s a surprisingly cheese sentiment coming from the big scary Lycan king.”

She smirked and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Am I big and scary?”I asked with a chuckle.

“I used to think so,”she noted.“But the more I getto know you…”

I raised my eyebrows at her and put my hands on my hips. She giggled.

I pulled Nora against my chest and k*ssed her softly. She melted into my arms and I held her close. I glanced up at the impassive face of the statue. What was she doing out here staring at the goddess?

Was she feeling anxious about putting off the ritual? Guilt threatened to bubble up within me at the thought. She was only putting off the ritual for my sake, so that she could be by my side as we dealtwith my family.

“Are you alright?”I asked softly.

She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed softly. I waited, sure that she was going to speak, but she didn’t. I felt her shake her head minutely.

I wanted to ask again, or apologize for asking so much of her, but I didn’t. Nora had never responded well to prying. I needed to give her space and trust that she’d open up to me if she needed to.

I was too afraid of chasing her away again if I pushed her too hard, and I couldn’t bear to lose her.