Page 104 of The Alpha Enforcer and His Dancing Warrior Vol. 2 (Ribbon #10)
“In fact, Tiffany was so worried he reached out more than once over the years. I thought I annoyed the shit out of the man for almost seven years calling to make sure Melanie was training. I actually thought she was going to have lost a step or five because she had to be forced to go to train at all. I nearly got an ulcer for no reason because clearly she trained how she always used to then some.” Obviously.
I asked Uncle Bjourn, “How much has she trained with Cayden?” Uncle Bjourn answered, “I don’t know, but I will find out. I know he offered her a place with us. It’s a damn shame she didn’t accept.” I snorted, “No joke.” Uncle Bjourn yelled, “Good fight!” They all stopped.
Melanie turned to ask, “Are you getting in here, T?” Tristan replied, “Aren’t you tired?” Melanie tossed Micah her bamboo stick who was grinning. Melanie shrugged, “I’m fine. Unless you're scared to get your butt kicked by your sister.” Drake choked on his drink.
Tristan laughed, “You’re on, Ladybug.” EJ said, “Uhh is this a good idea?” My mom popped over declaring, “It will be fucking fine. I’m betting on Melanie though.
” I said, “I think it would’ve been a big ass problem if Paige hadn’t done whatever she did with the black sweat thing, but Melanie believes in her wholeheartedly.
So I do too. Paige fixed that problem, and this is fine. ”
I heard cheers and looked up. Warriors from the pack had begun to trickle in. They started chanting, “Muffin Luna! Muffin Luna!” Which drew more people inside. My dad laughed, “I think your nicknames are catching on, Angel.” Mom argued, “Mine are different.” That was true.
Tristan and Melanie were trading jabs, but she was blocking his. Drake snorted, “You’d think she’d been training with him for years.” Peter offered, “She used to sneak in to watch him train.” After thirty minutes Melanie pinned Tristan.
Oden snorted, “Mate was having fun, or she could’ve done it sooner.” I knew that. Drake gaped. Tristan laughed, “You’ve got moves, Ladybug.” Melanie helped him up and the gym roared with cheers for their Muffin Luna.
The pack link was buzzing with news that my mate was a fighter like me. My dad snorted, “My god. You two together will be quite the force. Just wow. We’ll have to catch her up in wolf form. I was thinking that could take time, but I’m obviously wrong.”
Tristan and Melanie came over laughing. Melanie winked at me before she happily said, “Race you back to the house, Tristan.” He replied, “You’re on.” She patted his shoulder, “Hopefully your mate can ease the sting of losing to your little sister twice in one night.” Tristan laughed, “You wish.”
I could tell he knew he was going to lose, he just didn’t care. I warned, “She’s uhhh really fast.” EJ snorted, “She is.” Tristan replied, “She always was.” Fowler hollered, “Smoke his ass, Muffin Luna! Show him no mercy! I’ll know if you do!” Melanie laughed.
Uncle Bjourn smirked before shouting, “Ready, set, go!” Melanie took off. Tristan gaped before he took off after her. Peter mused, “Is it me, or is she faster now than she was as a pup?” EJ laughed, “Blame Alexander.” Everyone turned to face him.
Drake questioned, “Come again?” EJ smiled, “I emailed Melanie when I thought she was Ashley. She specifically mentioned Alexander’s workouts and the fact she does them religiously. She even commented on the amount of cardio in his plans. Then told me not to tell him part of why she mentioned it. ”
I asked, “Why did she say that?” EJ answered, “That’s between her and I.” Suddenly we heard Melanie shout, “SLOW POKE!” Drake looked at his watch whispering, “She’s already at the house?” I popped to the living room.
No one but Melanie back yet. She was drinking a Gatorade and winked at me. Tristan ran in and she tossed him one. He raised an eyebrow commenting, “Ok, when did you get so good at fighting? And how did you get faster than you were as a pup?”
Melanie shrugged, “One has to be better and on top of things when in a pack without a wolf. I was also training others how to fight. I watched every video Xander put out. Plus, I fought with Micah and Cayden. Also, I do A LOT of cardio.”
Tristan snorted, “Alexander, you’ll have to give us your programs. I’ll have to review all your videos for the last seven years.” I bit my lip saying, “I can send them to you.” Tristan evaluated Melanie, “You really could kick Dalton and Dakota’s ass, couldn’t you?”
Melanie snorted, “Easily.” I felt her utter confidence in that. Tristan shook his head, “I’ll be damned. I think I believe her.” I chimed in, “You should. She took down a lot of the pack in Switzerland. Including their Male Lead Warrior, in seconds.” Tristan winked at her.
The larger group walked in. I told Tristan, “She also nearly beat me too.” EJ stopped to ask, “What now?” Max yelled, “HOLD ON! Melanie almost beat you?” I nodded. He clarified, “In a fight?’ I chuckled, “Yes.” He shouted, “YOU?” I nodded.
Max pleaded, “TELL me someone has it on video.” I shrugged, “Ask Phil.” Max took off running for Phil’s place.
I rolled my eyes. Max yelled over his shoulder, “Micah, start hacking! I MUST SEE THIS!” Micah laughed, “Where did you guys fight?” I answered, “Switzerland. With the pack there. She beat everyone but me.”
My dad’s eyes widened. My mom clapped, “Fuck yes! Melanie, you HAVE to attend the training we do with the women of the pack.” Melanie agreed, “Sure. Just tell me when it is.” Oden hummed, “She knows when it is.” That is definitely what the sheepish look on her face was saying.
Melanie stood announcing, “I’m going to shower. Goodnight, everyone.” She darted upstairs. Well, that was one way to avoid the question of how she knows when the training is. Or how she knew who my Uncle Bjourn was before being introduced officially.
Tristan snorted, “I think in any other situation I might be upset that my little sister kicked my ass, but she was just very much like the normal Melanie I know and love with me. That was the first time since she was fourteen I’ve had the real Melanie back. I’ll take it. Also, she’s amazing”
Drake agreed, “She is. I think she could beat me.” Peter snorted, “She could beat me. I think she’d give everyone here a run for their money.” My mom asked, “Why would she need to fucking run for money? Or your money?”
I laughed, “He means she might be able to beat everyone here.” My mom rolled her eyes, “After all these years someone might think it would fucking kill you all to make any damn sense.” My dad kissed her while the rest of us chuckled.
Sam spoke from behind us, “Why is she always in hoodies? Ladybug rarely wore hoodies unless it was to bed. Or to hide a dance outfit from Drake. She even works out in them now and I find that incredibly suspect.”
Drake frowned admitting, “That’s true. She always danced in tank tops, t-shirts, or much to my annoyance, sports bras.” Sam rolled her eyes, “I haven’t seen her in anything but hoodies or anything like she used to wear.”
My mom said nothing, but she looked at my dad. I saw the worry briefly flicker in her eyes. Everyone looked at me. I shrugged, “I haven’t….” I trailed off. Oden snorted, “How are you going to say that in front of a non-Hackura blood family?”
I admitted out loud, “You know what? I don’t know how to say that in an appropriate way since her family is here, and you aren’t Hackura.” Tristan sighed, “I regret asking this already. Have you seen my sister in a bikini?”
I shook my head, “No she wore a swim shirt and bikini bottoms.” Julian offered, “Styles change. She was gone for a….” He trailed off.
Everyone knew the end of that sentence. My dad added, “I don’t get the sense Bl ack Path was like us in any way.
They could encourage their females to cover up.
Or make them.” Tristan snorted, “I don’t think they made Ladybug do a damn thing.
They made her work with Hunters, and she became Red One. ”
“From what Cayden said she’s who the others he saved look to. They call her the savior of the forgotten packs. Whatever they were trying to do to her in Black Path, they failed. One could say epically.” He threw the Gatorade bottle.
Everly spoke quietly, “T?” He turned, “They drugged my little sister and tried to rape her! What the fuck?! THE GODDAMN MATED ALPHA WANTED MY LITTLE SISTER! What is that? Is it just a free for all outside our allies?! She was FOURTEEN! She said she was a freak. What did that even mean? She said that it didn’t work. What does that mean?”
Micah chimed in, “Brody had to heavily adjust the medications for her when he took care of her. Her body’s metabolism just absorbed anything he gave her. He gave her incredibly high doses that he shouldn’t have had to.”
He continued, “Now that we’ve brought Corbin in, he and Brody are looking into if the spell to suppress her wolf could’ve had effects like that. Her healing is better than every Werewolf I know except for Alexander. Which is only because he can heal himself.”
Sam frowned before saying, “No one can know that. I don’t care what you have to do Drake McAlister, but if I so much as SEE a Supernatural Council member near my pup I’ll lose my goddamn shit. She was already taken from us once. I won’t have them doing experiments on my daughter.”
I growled in anger which had my dad grabbing my arm. Sam shrugged, “You know I’m right. Whatever they did to her, could have altered things. She’s already desirable because she’s a genius. All the things we know she’s come up with, and there will be others we don’t know about yet.”
“Now she can heal easily, she’s insanely fast and strong. No one will take my pup again, Drake. Or the Conners will not be their greatest problem. I will be.” Sam turned and walked up the stairs. Oden said, “That was a good parting line.” It was.