Forbidden Territory

Alexina

Once I’d returned to the cabin, I asked Jayden to check on Chloe. I needed to know she was safe before I could even think about sleep.

I sank into the loveseat, my mind spinning with thoughts of the impending punishment. I prayed that he wouldn’t banish me from their territory yet—I hadn’t even found a job.

The sound of footsteps approaching the cabin broke my train of thought. The door swung open and Chloe burst in, throwing herself into my arms and knocking us both to the floor.

“I can’t believe he didn’t kill you,” Chloe said, her hands tracing my face as if she couldn’t believe I was really there.

“I’ve never seen Klaus lose control and shift like that before,” she continued, her voice distant, lost in thought.

“Well, it might still happen. We have to see him at six for our punishment,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, but the fear of death as a punishment was real.

“No, he’ll be calmer by then. He’ll probably make you pick up sticks or something equally mundane,” she replied, sinking back onto the couch.

“I hope so. I’m going to try to get some sleep,” I said, standing and heading towards my room.

“Sleepover,” Chloe declared, following me into my room and crawling into bed beside me.

“Just in case your brother kills me tomorrow?” I joked, laughing as I switched off the bedside light.

“Yeah, just in case,” she replied, ruffling my hair before turning onto her side.

“Night, bitch,” I said, closing my eyes.

“Night, bitch,” she echoed, and we both laughed before drifting off to sleep.

***

Beep… Beep… Beep…

I rolled over in bed, silencing my phone with a groan before sinking back into sleep. I was too exhausted to get up.

Knock… Knock… Knock…

“Who the fuck is that?” I grumbled, pulling on my robe as I crawled out of bed. Chloe just buried her head under a pillow and went back to sleep.

I opened the door to find Dane, looking thoroughly annoyed. He shook his head at me before grabbing my arm and dragging me out the door.

I was in a tank top, yoga shorts, and a silk robe, with my hair tied up in a messy bun. I didn’t even have shoes on.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to pull away as he dragged me across the yard.

“You’re late,” Dane said, not even bothering to look back at me.

“Late for what?” I asked as we reached the door of the pack house. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I remembered where I was supposed to be.

“Never mind,” I said, walking willingly into the house.

I took a moment to wipe the dirt off my feet on the rug by the door. My nerves were on edge as I thought about my impending punishment. Chloe didn’t seem too worried, but I couldn’t shake the fear of what might happen when I walked into Klaus’s office.

Dane opened the doors for me and closed them behind me. He didn’t follow me in. Tristan was already there, sitting in one of the chairs across from Klaus’s desk.

He turned in his seat when I entered, a wicked grin on his face. No doubt he was thrilled that I was late.

“Sit down,” Klaus said, his voice cold and even. He was clearly still angry about last night, or maybe it was because I was late and he had to send someone to fetch me.

I took my seat next to Tristan, keeping my focus on Klaus. I didn’t want to be in the same room as Tristan, let alone right next to him.

Klaus sifted through a stack of papers on his desk before pulling out two sheets and sliding one in front of each of us. I read what was on the paper.

*Training Schedule*

Seth, Daniel, Thomas - Mon, Thu, Sat 5 - 7 p.m. - Trainer: Dane

Cory, David, Joey – Fri, Wed, Sun 5 – 7 p.m. – Trainer: Dane

Elisa, Tina, Cherry – Tue, Thu, Sat 5 – 7 p.m. – Trainer: Tony

Tristan, Trevor, Jayden – Mon, Wed, Sat 5 – 7 p.m. – Trainer: Alexina

The list went on, but my focus ended there. My mouth dropped open in shock. What the fuck? I’m supposed to train Tristan how to fight?

This had to be the worst punishment he could give me. I was weighing this punishment against death, and death was actually winning.

I looked up to see Tristan still staring at the paper, his face flushed with anger, his hands crumpling the paper.

“Are you serious?” Tristan asked, standing abruptly.

“Sit down!” Klaus ordered. Tristan immediately obeyed, but he didn’t look happy about it. I had to suppress a giggle watching him recoil into his seat at his Alpha’s words.

“Yes, I am serious. I thought about the best way to punish you both for what you’ve done, and this seems to be the best punishment.

“Not only will it teach you two how to get along, but it will also give three members of my pack an opportunity to train with a great fighter,” Klaus said, offering me a friendly smile.

I was elated at the compliment Klaus gave me; my wolf was purring with excitement inside me.

I knew I was a great fighter; my father had hired only the best to train me. But it was nice to have someone else recognize it.

The more I mulled it over, the less this seemed like a punishment. In fact, it was almost a reward. I was being given three days a week to kick Tristan’s ass, and I wouldn’t even get in trouble for it.

My wolf was practically dancing with anticipation, eager to sink her claws into that jerk.

“Are you kidding me? She’s not a great fighter!” Tristan spat, shooting me a look of pure disdain.

“I could take her down right now,” he continued, leaning in closer as if to intimidate me. If he thought I was scared, he was sorely mistaken.

Klaus chuckled, drawing Tristan’s attention. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the look of surprise on Tristan’s face.

“You don’t think I can? Let’s take it outside right now and find out,” Tristan challenged, rising from his chair, ready for a fight.

“I’m not going to tell you again, sit down!” Klaus commanded, all traces of humor gone from his voice.

Reluctantly, Tristan sank back into his chair, picking up the training schedule and pretending to study it. I imagined he was just trying to regain control over his inner wolf.

“This schedule will start immediately, so you will have training tonight. Your training will be moved to the clearing behind the pack house so that you can be monitored until I know you two can be trusted together. Do you two have any questions?” Klaus asked, finishing his explanation of our punishment.

“Is there anything else I can do instead of this?” Tristan asked, hopeful.

“No,” Klaus replied simply.

“Then can I go now?” Tristan asked, clearly annoyed.

“I just want to remind you that this is training, not fighting. If either one of you gets out of hand, I have far worse punishments in mind. Do you both understand?” Klaus asked, his voice full of authority. We both nodded in agreement.

“I have a question,” I said, just as Tristan was about to stand. He sighed loudly before sitting back down.

I waited for him to be seated before continuing. I was enjoying the fact that he was irritated and wanted to leave, but had to stay longer.

“How will I communicate with them in wolf form?” I needed a way to give them instructions if I was going to train them. I couldn’t just shift back and forth to tell them what they did right or wrong. That would be exhausting, not to mention the whole being naked thing.

“Don’t you already know the answer to that question?” Klaus asked, eyeing me suspiciously. I racked my brain trying to think of any reason I should know the answer to my own question, but came up blank.

“Umm, no, should I?” I asked, still unsure.

“You have the ability to mind link with any wolf. It’s in your blood. Have you never tried it before?” He asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Holy shit, I didn’t know that! Well, I guess I kind of did. My dad had told me about it, but I thought it only worked once you were an Alpha. I guess I was wrong.

I looked back up to see Klaus still watching me, waiting for my answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but Tristan interrupted me.

“What do you mean it’s in her blood? I thought only Alphas could link members of different packs. She’s not an Alpha,” Tristan said, adding a ‘pfft’ at the end as if the idea of me being an Alpha was ludicrous.

“I have an Alpha bloodline,” I said proudly, my smile growing wider as I watched the shock wash over Tristan’s face.

“No fucking way! Is this true?” He turned to look at Klaus, his shock quickly morphing into anger.

“Yes, she is technically an Alpha,” Klaus confirmed, looking completely relaxed in his seat, unfazed by Tristan’s foul mood.

“This is just fucking great. Can I go now?” Tristan asked, still fuming about the Alpha bloodline revelation.

“Tristan, you may go. Alexina, you stay. I still need to talk to you about a few things,” Klaus said, dismissing a visibly pissed off Tristan. Tristan didn’t look back as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“I wanted to discuss salary with you,” Klaus said, pulling my attention back to him.

“Salary?” I asked, confused.

“Yes, you will be working as a pack trainer. You will be compensated for your work,” he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

“Well, I don’t know. I guess whatever you think is fair,” I replied, having no idea what a trainer was supposed to make.

“Okay, now that we have that settled, how is everything going in the pack for you so far?” He asked, rifling through the stack of papers on his desk and pulling one out to write something down.

“It’s been good. Thank you again for letting me stay here,” I said. I owed my life to this man and his pack for not killing me when they found me.

“Okay, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask,” he said, placing the piece of paper he was writing on back on the stack.

“Thanks,” I said, giving him a polite smile.

“Have a good rest of your day, Alexina, and please try not to be late for training,” he said. I could detect a hint of a warning in his voice. He must be one of those sticklers for punctuality.

“I won’t be late,” I said, standing from my seat, grabbing the training schedule off the desk, and heading for the door. I gave him a quick wave as I made my way out the door.

Klaus

I had sensed the Alpha blood in Zena’s system the first time I met her, so it didn’t come as a surprise to find out that she was the daughter of Ryne Torelli, former Alpha of the Shadow Pack.

News of the assault on the Shadow Pack by the Knight Pack had reached me, and I was on tenterhooks for the official announcement that Garrett had seized control.

Pack law dictated that any takeover required a valid reason and had to be announced to neighboring packs within a month. I was eager to hear what fabricated excuse Garrett would concoct for his attack on the Shadow Pack.

From my understanding, the Shadow Pack was peaceful, never having initiated an attack on another pack. The Knight Pack, however, was merciless, having already annexed two other packs in the region.

Garrett harbored the ambition of ruling all the packs in our region. I was convinced he was the mastermind behind the deaths of my parents and my mate.

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of my mate. Dana was my world, and her absence had left a void in me that could never be filled.

Her death felt like a part of me had died with her. The only love that remained in my heart was for my sister.

I had given up on the idea of finding a love like Dana’s long ago, knowing it was an impossible feat.

I was certain that Garrett had orchestrated the murders of my parents and mate. It was the only way he could even dream of taking over my pack.

Despite the three additional packs he had managed to annex over the years, my pack was still larger than all of them combined.

Attacking my pack would be a foolish move, but I wouldn’t put it past him.

I had spent the last few hours researching Zena and her former pack, curious about how many pack members had survived the attack.

Garrett was strategic with his attacks, wasting no time in targeting the Alpha.

Once an Alpha was killed by another, the pack members automatically pledged allegiance to the new Alpha, unless they severed their ties with the pack and became rogues.

Knowing Garrett, he wouldn’t give them a choice. It was either stay or die.

I had just finished printing all the information I could find about the current state of the Shadow Pack and was filing the papers when I heard growls emanating from the backyard.

I rose from my desk and moved to the window that overlooked the clearing.

Zena and Tristan were both in wolf form, with Tristan repeatedly lunging at Zena, only for her to dodge the attack or push him back.

A low growl resonated in my chest. They had both been ordered not to fight, yet here they were, brawling in my backyard.

Anger surged within me at their blatant disobedience. I took a few deep breaths to compose myself before heading outside.

Once outside, I watched as Tristan charged at Zena’s wolf again. I yelled for them to stop.

Before I knew it, I had shifted into wolf form.

My wolf took full control of my body as we approached Zena and Tristan, who were frozen in place, still growling and snapping at the air between them.

It was an odd sensation, having my wolf in complete control. I had never relinquished control to him before.

I was taken aback by the intensity of the growl that erupted from my wolf next. I could sense his anger at them, but there was another emotion there that I couldn’t quite identify.

The growl had both of them dropping to the ground, their growls ceasing. After getting to the root of the fight, I decided to take some time to contemplate their punishment.

I was still seething over the fact that they had fought in the first place, but technically, neither of them had broken the rules.

I was impressed by Zena’s restraint in not harming Tristan. From the brief skirmish I had witnessed, it was clear she could have taken him down multiple times.

I returned to the pack house, struggling to control my anger towards Tristan. If he weren’t my friend, I might have ripped his throat out right there in my backyard.

I needed to clear my head to think of an appropriate punishment for the two of them. I walked back into my office and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. What was I going to do with those two?

I decided to focus on some work and contemplate their punishments later.

I pulled out the pack training schedule. A few wolves had requested schedule changes, and I wanted to see if I could accommodate them.

Looking over the schedule, an idea struck me when I recalled how Zena had fought in the clearing today. Dane had also mentioned that she was an exceptional fighter. I had a plan.

I fired up my computer and made the necessary changes to the schedule, printing out a few copies. I would need them for my meeting in the morning with Tristan and Zena.

I glanced at my watch to see it was already past three in the morning.

I placed the printed training schedules on the ever-growing stack of paperwork on my desk before heading off to catch a few hours of sleep.