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Lucas

Watching Kaylee in the corner of the training room, talking with Evette as the two she-wolves work out, I find myself smiling and thinking about how this is how life should be. I spent years under my father’s grasp, scared of the destruction of my pack if I went against his wishes, and nearly lost the best damn thing ever placed into my life because of it.

“Need a sparring partner?”

Jumping, I whirl around, intending to punch the person who snuck up on me, only to stop my fist from colliding with Marco’s nose. The warrior smiles at me sheepishly, neither flinching nor retaliating from my sudden attack.

“Sorry, Marco. I didn’t hit you, did I?” I ask awkwardly, lowering my fist as Maya slinks around me, amusement in her eyes as she walks towards my mate and her friend.

“It’s fine, man. Besides, I think I deserve the beating with how I’ve treated you these last few weeks,” Marco replies, shrugging as he leans against the wall beside us.

We stand awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to say or do. Since the moment I arrived at Ivory Fangs, Marco and I have been rivals. We’ve thrown many punches against one another without thinking, always being scolded by my aunt in the end for our pettiness, even after rescuing Kaylee from Shadow Moon. This is the first time in weeks that we have stood across from one another without any animosity.

“I just wanted—”

“I could use—”

We both stop as we speak at the same time, the awkward atmosphere growing. I can feel the curious gazes of the others in the room on us, watching and waiting to see if we’ll come to blows again. With a sigh, I motion for Marco to go first. He had approached me peacefully—albeit scaring the crap out of me—and a good man would hear him out.

“I wanted to apologize for how I’ve been acting towards you,” he begins, shocking me. I never thought I’d see the day Marco would apologize to me.

The bond hums and Kaylee’s gaze lands on me, making me shiver. I can feel her curiosity through our bond and link her that everything is fine—Marco and I aren’t going to try and kill each other right now.

“When Kaylee came here, she was cautious of us. We were cautious of her, too. It wasn’t until she helped us with the aftermath of the attack that I realized Kaylee was a strong spitfire,” Marco continues to explain, his words making me smile. I can just picture Kaylee and my aunt taking over to help this pack after the attack.

“It wasn’t until moments before we held the funeral pyre that I learned of her being rejected, and I realized that is what drew me in. She was like me, rejected and abandoned by our Goddess-given mates. At the time, I thought maybe, just maybe, the two of us could grow close as friends and help each other out. Then I grew feelings for her.”

I hold back the snarl that threatens to spill from my lips. I knew from the moment I met Marco that he was in love with Kaylee and was even ready to compete with him while I won her heart back. I know Marco is only saying this to me because of the guilt I see written clearly on his face. It’s why I haven’t punched him yet.

“I thought she deserved better. She deserved a man who could love her. I would have fought you for her if it ever came to that. Then I met Maya three days ago and realized I could never be the man Kaylee needs, because I couldn’t love her as a mate could.”

Marco looks up at me, his eyes staring into mine with such sincerity that all my anger for him vanishes.

“So, I’m sorry for how I treated you. Kaylee is important to me, but now I see she’s like a little sister. So take care of her. She needs her mate. She needs you.”

With his words said, Marco begins to walk away from me. Without thinking, I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder, stopping him from walking away further.

“How about we put the past few weeks behind us and start over as friends?” I suggest, feeling Marco tense under my hand. “Besides, I could use a sparring partner.”

Marco turns around to face me and smiles with relief.

“I’m not going to hold back if we spar,” he jokes, shrugging my hand off him.

“Neither will I.” With that, we both go to the closest empty sparring ring.

[Thank you,] Kaylee links me, her voice filled with relief.

[For what?] I ask, turning to find her staring at me as Maya and Evette work on lifting weights.

[For accepting Marco’s apology and for turning over a new leaf with him. The old you would have torn him to shreds.] Her words give me pause, and I think back to how I acted in the past before finding Kaylee as my mate.

She’s right. Had a male been hostile to me and tried to apologize weeks later, I would have torn them apart without a second thought. I would have reminded them that their hostility and disrespect towards me would lead to their downfall. It wasn’t until after rejecting Kaylee that I began doubting my actions and started to change.

[I told you, baby, I would do anything to be with you again. That means changing to be a better man, a better wolf,] I reply, smiling at Kaylee, who looks away, blushing.

Turning back to face Marco, I see him rolling his eyes at me as he bounces on the balls of his feet.

“Are you done flirting?” he asks, making me roll my eyes.

“Yes. Are you ready to get your ass kicked?” I respond, getting a playful growl from Marco before he takes a step towards me. Our sparring has begun, and I find myself excited to grow this new friendship as my fist moves to intercept his first punch.