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Kaylee

Sitting under the willow tree just outside the packhouse, I take a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. In the distance, children’s laughter can be heard as pups chase after a ball they found in the storage room. After the meeting had ended, I went to my office to continue my regular beta duties—planning training and hunting schedules with Royce and Marco before noting who would be ready to advance in ranks in our army.

Marco suggested the pack should know about the upcoming battle. I disagreed with this, stating that only our warriors should be informed to prevent chaos and anxiety inside the pack, but ultimately, it wasn’t my decision. Instead, I told Marco to bring this idea to Amelia and David. The next thing I knew, they were calling for a pack meeting with all wolves over the age of eighteen. Amelia was the one to explain the situation to the pack—how we had a spy sneak into Ivory Fangs and give information to Ramos.

As I thought, many wolves were worried about their safety, considering that many of our packmates either were once rogues in need of a pack or had suffered at the hands of Ramos and come to Ivory Fangs for a safe and secure life. I stepped in, reassuring them that a plan of action was being made and that no one would lose their life or livelihood because of the situation we’d found ourselves in. We held the fact that Lucas and I were planning to claim Oak Fur back from our packmates, not wanting to reveal our plans to stop information from being leaked.

After that, Amelia told everyone they could inform their pups of this news. The training facilities would be open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for those who wished to become stronger or increase their self-defense knowledge.

Many of our stronger warriors stepped up and volunteered to help with training, especially if pups requested more in-depth training than the basics they currently receive. Many wolves were happy with this arrangement and happier to be informed about what was happening.

“I thought I would find you here,” Lucas calls out as he parts the willow tree branches, stepping under the cover the tree provides.

“Yeah. It’s been a long day, and I thought hiding here would be the best decision.” I shrug, smiling at my mate.

“That it has,” he groans as he sits beside me, his vanilla and mint scent wrapping around me. I take another deep breath, feeling myself relax further. Lucas was busy with his own tasks after the meeting. He stayed back to help David search the cell phone taken from Devon to find the contacts of the friends Devon listed for us.

“I’m glad we have six weeks until our fight with Ramos and Marilyn. Killing them will be the best reward for all this work,” Lucas grumbles, lying under the willow tree with his head on my lap. I smile, running my fingers through his black hair as I study his face.

The scars from when I clawed him after the rejection are gone, and his skin is just as perfect as the night we found out we were mates. Not only that, but it seems the mark of a Betrayer is also gone. I never noticed that it had vanished until now. I was too busy dealing with all that life had thrown at me since Lucas rescued me. To see that the only thing marring his skin is my mate mark, a crescent moon with a lilac stem cutting through it, makes me happy.

“I agree. I can’t wait to sink my claws into Marilyn’s and her goons’ flesh. They owe me years of misery,” I agree. Lucas pops up at this, turning as best as he can from his position to look at me with possessiveness.

“You aren’t fighting!” he exclaims, his tone low and serious.

“Yes, I am,” I counter, frowning at my mate. Killing Marilyn and Ramos and taking back Oak Fur had been my plan to begin with.

“No. I’m not risking you and our pup being injured during the battle. You can come with us and give orders from a distance, but you’re not fighting,” he says, running a hand through his hair. I can tell that Lucas is frustrated—I can feel it through the bond—but I won’t be backing down.

“Lucas, I will not be hiding away like some damsel in distress. I’ll be fighting alongside you as your equal,” I argue, standing to my feet and marching towards the willow branches.

“Kaylee, come back here!” he calls, his words ending in a growl as he follows me. I ignore him as I push the branches aside and step out from under the tree, the breeze brushing past me.

“Kaylee!” I turn around as Lucas catches up to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Where are you going? We need to talk about this,” he states, his eyes filled with anger. I shake off his hand and take a few steps back before deciding to answer him.

“We’re going to the training grounds, and I’m going to show you just how sure I am about joining this fight,” I state firmly, glaring at my mate. “If you want to fight about me joining the battle and tearing apart our enemy’s flesh, then I’m going to kick your ass until you’re on the training ring floor, ready to apologize to me.”

I turn on my heels and march towards the training grounds. Lucas follows after me, calling my name and telling me to talk this out with him. But I know Lucas. He’s just as stubborn as I am—except his stubbornness is about keeping me locked away somewhere safe, whereas mine is about holding my own.

I walk past many buildings, Lucas moving from calling out my name in the open to trying to link me and make me see reason. At one point, Amelia links me, asking me what is going on as I dodge Lucas’ attempts to grab my hand, arm, or shoulder, and I explain that Lucas doesn’t want me to fight beside him when we take back Oak Fur.

She just tells me to beat some sense into him, considering he wants to make me his equal and become an alpha beside him, and I wholeheartedly agreed with her.

When I reached the training grounds, word had spread that Lucas and I would be sparring for some unknown reason, and a crowd had gathered to watch. Few people have seen me spar—my duties keep me in my office most days. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t watched me take down a moose or a buck mid-summer to fill our freezers with fresh prey.

“Kaylee! I’m not fighting you,” Lucas growls as I enter the ring and turn to face him.

“Either you fight me and prove my strength, or you sleep on the couch tonight and every night until you apologize to me,” I respond. Wolves around us whisper, wondering what fight their beta pair had gotten into to make me so mad. Some speculate that Lucas had called me weak, which came close to the truth.

“Kaylee, you know why I won’t fight you!” Lucas tries to reason. By now, Simon, Evette, and Marco had entered the building, and the three wolves were standing behind Lucas.

“Do we want to know what’s going on now?” Simon asks with a frown.

I decided that stating the problem aloud was a bad idea, so I linked Lucas, Marco, Evette, and Simon.

[Did Marco and Royce tell you about our plan to take Oak Fur from Ramos and Marilyn and kill them?] I ask.

[Yes. Simon and I are going to join you,] Evette answers, brows furrowed in confusion. [What does that have to do with you wanting to fight your mate?]

[Lucas says I’m not allowed to fight beside him because I am a liability,] I answer, my gaze still on my mate while I wait silently for him in the ring.

[Kaylee is the strongest she-wolf we know. Why would she be a liability, Lucas?] Simon asks, his confused gaze on Lucas.

[Because she’s with pup. It’s why I was so hell-bent on hurting Evette a few weeks ago when she and Kaylee were sparring,] Lucas answers. I can feel the shock emanating from Evette and Simon at this revelation, Simon looking between Lucas and me.

[How...I mean, I know how, but when?] Simon asks, running a hand through his hair.

[It happened because of my forced heat. But right now, I need to beat some sense into Lucas. I refuse to allow him to order me about the way Ramos ordered Luna Lidia. I am his equal, not his property,] I answer, growing impatient.

[You know that’s not why I said I don’t want you fighting,] Lucas argues, snarling in exasperation. [I just don’t want you or our pup getting injured!]

[Dude, you could barely handle them when we lived in Oak Fur. You need Kaylee at your side in this battle,] Simon chimes in with a shrug, getting a glare and a growl of warning from Lucas.

[He’s right, Lucas. You said yourself that Kaylee would be an alpha ruling beside you, not a Luna that needs to be kept behind you,] Marco says, becoming the voice of reason. [Now, either apologize to Kaylee and accept she’s fighting beside you or join the ring and prove your point that she should stay out of danger,] he adds, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Fine!” Lucas shouts, striding towards the ring. “I’ll show you that you should listen to me and stay safe!”

I smirk, feeling his frustration and anger swirling in the mate bond. The crowd cheers as Lucas kicks off his sneakers, and I do the same, the two of us circling each other in the ring.

Then, as if a bell rings that only we can hear, we rush towards each other, our fists in the air as our fight begins.