Page 141 of My Broken Mate

*REMUS*

The black eyes of my brother’s wolf are gauging us, but Atlas doesn’t seem the least bit afraid. It’s the second time that I have shifted, and the first time in front of one of my brothers. Sean has tested Atlas’ stamina first, running with him through the pack lands. Admittedly, it’s pretty obvious we have some work ahead of us, but Sean doesn’t seem to mind.

For the last thirty minutes, however, our wolves have been standing facing each other, justlooking.

Sean’s wolf is strong and dominant, oozing power as is typical of an alpha of his caliber, but Atlas just isn’t scared. He is calm and composed, standing in front of our alpha, letting him inspect and test him however he wants. Eventually, Atlas bowshis head a little to Sean, but it doesn’t feel like there is pressure on him.

Maybe it’s because there is nothing scarier than the monster we’ve already faced.

Or maybe it’s because he knows neither Sean nor his wolf would ever hurt us.

Suddenly, Sean shifts back to his human form, gesturing to me to follow suit. “Interesting,” he mutters.

“What’s interesting?” I ask, accepting the robe Sean hands me

Sean takes a second one and puts it on, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Atlas obviously has some work ahead of him for having been dormant for so long. Now that I know what we are dealing with, I can put together a good training schedule for both of you. Your training needs to adapt, too—you have a whole new strength available now. Not to mention that Atlas is an alpha wolf through and through. There is a lot of new stuff you'll need to adapt to."

My heart takes a leap of joy. "I am actually looking forward to that. Is he really that strong?"

"We come from a pretty strong alpha lineage," Sean tells me. "And from what we know now, your mother's family is from averyold lineage of wolves. Once you start training properly, you will notice just how much strength you actually have."

All three of us have done some digging since we returned. What Atlas told me is true. It looks like my mom was from a very strong bloodline of wolves. There are not many family members left, but I do think it was the reason my father hunted her down and made her his mate.

She was a trophy to him. He never saw her as a person, but as a rare ornament in his life.

"You still haven't told me what you found interesting," I say.

Sean smiles. "What’s interesting is his nerve.”

“What about them?” I ask, terrified that something might be wrong.

“He has nerves of steel,” Sean explains. “He is simply not scared. And it’s not like he is overestimating himself face to face with my alpha wolf; he just seems incredibly calm. Eye to eye with my wolf, he should have been more scared than he was.”

“Is that bad?”

Sean laughs. “Not at all, Remus. It’s probably in his blood. You are from a strong lineage of wolves. I believe that’s the reason for it. His mind is very strong – for a wolf, that’s a tremendous gift. We can learn how to fight and how to build up stamina, but a strong mind is much harder to build.”

“You mean to say, he doesn’t care if someone is an alpha or not, he just stands proudly?”

“Exactly.”

“Cool,” I say. I could use a boost of confidence.

“It really is,” Sean verifies. “It means eye to eye with any alpha, Atlas won’t submit.”

“Didn’t he submit to you in the end?” I ask.

“He did,” Sean says. “But because he wanted to, not because he felt my aura. He did it out of respect for me and my wolf.” He pauses. “Let us test something. Are you up for that?”

I nod, looking at Sean expectantly. When our eyes meet, I can see something in his, flashing. The air around us seems to get thicker, an invisible force suddenly pressing against my mind. It takes my breath away, so much so that I want to hide somewhere or run. There seems to be a hand around my lungs, squeezing them tightly.

Then, however, something inside me shifts.

Atlas’ presence gets stronger in my mind, and the pressure I felt subsides. I still feel Sean’s aura around me, but it doesn’t terrify me anymore, and it doesn’t make me want to submit. “Oh shit,” I mutter.

Sean looks amused. “Why are you saying that?” he asks. “Obviously, this is amazing for you, and actually for Gabe and me, too. I have no doubt about it anymore, your mother’s strong bloodline—it’s in you.”

“Is that really okay for you?”