The Gamma’s Second Chance (Crescent Lake #3)

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

CASSANDRA

My heart and my brain want to head straight back to Nolan’s house, but my body needs water, so my new wolf friend and I stop at the jugs at the edge of the field, near where Beta Reid and Delta Sebastian stand observing the warriors. They both give me a cursory nod in greeting, and I wave at them while drinking my water. But while Reid turns back towards the training session, Sebastian continues to observe me, his keen eyes taking me in from head to toe.

I ignore it, though—or try to—dropping to my knees to pet the wolf who ran with me, scratching it behind the ears and smiling at the soft fur and the thumping of its paw against the ground as I find a sweet spot. And all the while, I sense Sebastian watching me.

“I see you’ve met Cav,” he says once I stand from the ground and begin my journey home, calling out to me from where he stands to observe the warriors.

I glance down at my little—er, big—wolf friend. “Cav?” I ask, glad to finally know the wolf’s name. Its ears perk up, and its tail wags harder when it hears me say its name.

“Cav. Cavalier,” Sebastian continues, strolling over to us and crouching to pet the wolf. “Wes named him after the prince in The Nutcracker,” he says, standing back up and patting Cav on the head. “And yes, he wears a tutu, even though he’s a dog. And no, none of us understand why or how he puts up with it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without it since the day Wesley brought him to the pack.”

“Is he a dog or a wolf?” I ask, furrowing my brow.

“Half and half.”

“And he’s… what? The pack’s pet? Mascot? Project?”

Sebastian crosses his arms. “He’s technically Haven’s. But the entire pack adores him, especially the pups.”

“I can see why. He’s very sweet, and he was excellent company while I took my run just now.” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder, and Sebastian’s eyes flick towards the forest line and then slightly higher up the mountain before returning to my face.

“You ran that trail pretty fast,” he says, changing the subject. Cav jumps up, placing his paws on Sebastian’s chest, and he grunts, knocked back a step by the unexpected hug and the kisses the wolf begins to place on his face. But he just rubs his muzzle and scratches his ears again as he continues speaking to me. “Your time was faster than almost all of our female warriors.”

I lift a brow at him. “You timed me?” He nods. “Why?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

He raises one shoulder and winks at me. “Curiosity.”

I bark out a single sharp laugh. “Right.”

“You should join us for the remainder of the training session,” he says, shoving Cavalier off his shoulders with a gentle push, his hand still patting him on the head as the wolf pants next to him. “You haven’t had a chance to yet, and it’s always good for our warriors to practice with an unknown, unfamiliar opponent.”

I scan the sparring warriors, watching them as they practice their skills, chewing on my lip. It has been a while since I’ve participated in a decent sparring session, and I shouldn’t be letting my skills slide. If something happens where I need to defend myself or Haven, I should be sure I am in top form.

Plus, it may help to work out some of my emotional frustrations.

“Yeah, that would be great, actually,” I say, giving Sebastian a smile and placing my hands on my hips. “Where do you want me?”

He turns and gestures at me to follow him as he makes his way back over to where Reid stands. A tall, dark-skinned pregnant female with her hair in box braids stands with him now, his hand resting in the small of her back, his thumb drawing casual circles, both of them watching a sparring match between Maddie and a blond male I haven’t met yet.

“Mason!” Sebastian yells, his voice booming out over the grounds. The blond sparring with Maddie glances at him for a split second before turning his attention back to their match right as Maddie jabs him in the gut. He grunts and Sebastian chuckles. “Your right hand is getting lazy. Take a break!”

The two immediately back away from each other at Sebastian’s order, tired but self-satisfied smiles on their faces as they high-five each other. The male—Mason—jogs to the side of the sparring ring and then stops to catch his breath.

“Cassandra’s going to sub in for Mason,” Sebastian says to Maddie. “Get a quick drink while she prepares.”

“Cassandra?” the female next to Reid asks. “Nolan’s roommate?”

“The one and only,” I say, keeping the grimace off my face and the snark out of my voice.

“Taryn,” she says, reaching around Reid to shake my hand.

“She’s my mate,” Reid says, his chest puffed up and his eyes shining with pride as they stay glued to her face.

I shake her hand, chuckling to myself at Reid’s obvious obsession with his other half. “Nice to meet you.”

“Normally, I’d have you fight her,” Sebastian says. “But she’s on a hiatus from hand-to-hand combat and patrol duties until Dr. Russo clears her after she gives birth.”

“Are you saying I’m your second choice?” Maddie asks as she returns from her water break, and Sebastian gives her a noncommittal shrug. “Ouch. That hurts.”

“That’s facts,” Sebastian says.

“I’m one of our top warriors!”

Sebastian’s lip twitches as he glances at me from the corner of his eye. “I bet Cassandra can take you down without breaking a sweat,” he says, crossing his arms and widening his stance.

She clutches her chest. “That hurts even more!”

Reid shakes his head at them and points at Maddie in warning. “Don’t take that bet. Learn from my mistakes. Not you,” he adds, turning to Taryn before she can even speak. “You, Sour Patch, and Gummy Bear are not mistakes. You three are the only good things to come out of a bet with Seb.”

My brows furrow. “Sour Patch? Gummy Bear?”

“Gummy Bear is Reid’s nickname for this little guy,” Taryn says, rubbing her bump and smiling down at it. “Sour Patch was our daughter Savvy’s nickname.”

“Was?” Sebastian scoffs, shaking his head. “Pretty sure everyone still calls her Sour Patch most of the time.”

“You nicknamed both of your kids after candy?” I ask.

Taryn laughs and nods, shrugging one shoulder. “Reid has a bit of a sweet tooth.”

Reid’s eyebrows wag as he looks her up and down. “Damn straight I do.”

“Gross,” Maddie says, gagging. “I know all of you are as horny as rabbits, but I do NOT need to know the specifics of what my family members like to do with their mates.”

“So what do you say?” Sebastian asks, turning his attention back to Maddie. “Loser buys the winner’s gas for two weeks?”

Maddie’s mouth wiggles back and forth as she considers his offer, her hand cupping her jaw while she thinks. She glances at me, sizing me up as I wrap my hands in tape from the bag of supplies near the edge of the ring, then roll my shoulders, loosening out the remaining tension from my overexertion yesterday. I keep my face emotionless and my gaze on my hands, feigning nervousness and inexperience, letting her make assumptions about me based on my stature.

“You’re on, dickhead,” Maddie says, slapping Sebastian’s hand and shaking it once. “No offense,” she adds, peering around him towards me. “I’m not trying to imply I’m better than you or you suck. I just—”

“Don’t actually have enough money to cover my gas for two weeks?” Sebastian says with a laugh, finishing her sentence for her.

“No!” She crosses her arms, and as he turns to me again, she nods at me behind his back and mouths, “Yes!”

I bite back a laugh and shake my arms out, giving Sebastian a high five as I move towards the sparring ring.

“You should probably take that shirt off,” he says, grabbing my arm gently before I can get into position. “It’s loose and easy to grab,” he adds before I can ask him why, his eyes once again flicking to the forest and up the side of the mountain before returning to my face. “And I’m assuming you don’t want it to get ripped.”

I blink at him, and my eyes trace the same path as his, up the mountainside and through the trees, in the area where that overlook sits. To the spot where I know Nolan is. Or was. He may have left already.

My heart skips a beat in my chest as my head whips back around towards Sebastian, who wears a triumphant half smile on his face. He holds his hand out to me. “I’ll hold it for you,” he says, leaning close and keeping his voice low enough so only I hear him.

I swallow and yank it over my head, handing it to him and clenching my jaw to keep any emotion off my face and out of my voice. “Thanks.”

He nods and backs away to the edge of the ring, where Mason, Reid, Taryn, and my new wolf friend Cavalier all stand, waiting to watch us. Sebastian keeps that smirk on his face and crosses his arms, winking at me.

Cheeky bastard.

I knew others would read too much into me wearing Nolan’s shirt. Even with the faded scent and my sweat from my run on it, it’s still very obviously his shirt.

I push all that out of my mind, though, as I meet Maddie in the sparring ring, and we both crouch into our ready position. She grins at me, and Reid whistles, signaling the start of our match.

I fake to the front, like I’m going straight for the offensive, and Maddie falls for it, darting forward to match me. I almost feel bad for letting her underestimate me, but that goes away as soon as my fist connects with her wide-open throat, and my lycan perks up, soaking in the adrenaline from the fight.

She gags and blinks and whirls towards me, but I’m already gearing up for my next move. I duck under her swing—strong but wild as she tries to make up for the hit she already gave up, her training and focus going out the window momentarily. Her knees give out from under her as my foot connects with each, and she grunts, her irritation growing stronger by the second.

Our audience cheers and howls from the sidelines, but I tune it out as much as possible, zeroing in on Maddie and our match. She tries to straighten her legs and stand strong, but I kick out at her ankle. She yells and topples over, hands floundering as she tries to decide whether to soothe her ankle and knees or to right herself again and continue the match.

It doesn’t matter, though, because I’m already heading in for the pin. I tackle her with ease, one hand gripping her hands above her head and the other at her throat, claws partially extended and ready to strike, my lips curled into a snarl and my lycan growling softly in triumph.

“Yield! Yield!” Maddie says, laughing beneath me. “I yield.”

As soon as she gives in, I hop up, claws retracting and a smile spreading across my face. She grabs my hand as I reach down to help her up, and loud applause sounds from the group watching us, growing louder as Sebastian strolls closer. “So what did you learn?” he asks Maddie, his arms crossing, my shirt—I mean, Nolan’s shirt—draped over a forearm.

“Don’t underestimate your opponent. I know, I know!” She huffs and shakes her head. “I should have known better than to take that bet!”

“I told you!” Reid shouts from the sidelines, and Mason and Taryn laugh. “Never bet with Seb!”

Maddie rolls her eyes, then glances at the ground before flicking her eyes up to Sebastian. “I can’t pay for your gas,” she mutters.

He winks at her and leans closer, whispering so only she and I can hear. “Don’t worry about it.”

She brightens and turns to me, holding her hand out again. “Good match,” she says. “You definitely threw me for a loop. I wasn’t expecting an oracle to be so well-trained.”

I cock my head to the side. “Why?”

She shrugs. “I just thought—” She winces and cuts herself off.

“We sit around and meditate all day?” I ask.

“Well… yes, actually,” she admits.

“We’re all trained in combat. Everyone needs to be able to defend themselves and the island if needed.” I glance at Sebastian, who still has his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. “Something I’m guessing your brother knew before he threw me in the ring with you.”

His smile widens. “You’d be guessing correct, Cass.”

I lift my brows. “Cass?”

“Short for Cassandra?”

“No, I know that.” I chuckle. “No one calls me that, though. Just Cassandra.”

“Oh.” His smile fades. “Sorry. I just—”

“You can use it, though,” I say, shrugging one shoulder. “I don’t mind.”

His smile returns in full force. “Great!” He strolls closer to me, eyes scanning the grounds around us before landing back on my face. “So, Cass,” he says, lifting his hand and plucking some stray pieces of grass out of my hair. “How about a real fight? With someone who doesn’t underestimate you?”

I cross my arms and lift my chin. “Someone like you?”

He nods. “Exactly.” He picks another piece of grass from the end of my braid on the other side, then flicks it behind my shoulder. “So what do you say?”

I purse my lips as I consider his offer, rolling my shoulders and rocking side to side on my feet, checking the tension and stiffness left in my muscles. Most of it is gone after my run and quick match with Maddie. There is still some lingering exhaustion deep in my bones, exhaustion left over from yesterday, from hiding Haven’s aura and from the emotional turbulence of living with Nolan.

But it’s not enough to deter me. The only way out is up, and I need to stretch and strengthen all of my abilities.

“Sure!” I say. “Why not?”

Sebastian’s gray eyes shine with excitement and mischief. He hands Maddie Nolan’s shirt, then removes his gray T-shirt, handing it to her as well. “Two out of three?” he asks, stretching his arm across his chest and circling me, spinning us so my back is to the gathering crowd.

I nod and bounce on my toes, shaking out my hands to loosen myself up again. Maddie was easy to take on, but she was unprepared. Sebastian, on the other hand, knows the true level of my skill and training, and he won’t go easy on me. I need to be ready.

He crouches, and I match him, lifting my hands to signal that I’m ready. He glances behind me for a second, and then Reid blows the whistle, signaling the start of our match.

Sebastian makes the first move, rushing towards me, and I brace myself, preparing for impact and readying my fists for a hit.

But neither comes. A roaring growl echoes over and around us, rattling my bones and setting my teeth on edge. The hair on the back of my neck raises, and my lycan perks up, pushing forward as Nolan moves me out of the way and tackles Sebastian to the ground, blood dripping down his face as Nolan’s fist connects with his nose.