Innocent Little Runt
Chapter 67

Xavier’s POV

“How’s her training going?”

Celeste had been training with Lycer and sometimes Jake for the past week. I wasn’t really a fan of Jake training her but I knew she needed to know at least basic hand-to-hand combat. Enough to get her away from anyone who might get near her at least.

I hated the fact that she had to train at all. I am her mate and I should be able to protect her. That’s my job before anything else.

“She is doing well in everything but running in human form. She is better as a wolf when it comes to that category but not as strong. I’m not quite worried though. She should be fast enough to get away from any close up, sudden dangers.” I nodded at Lycer, noticing a look in his eyes that told me despite is words, he was indeed worried about her. I think it is just a natural thing for him as her protector.

“Jake?” I moved my eyes over to the next person. He looked bored with the slightly angry look he always has. The only time I have seen him without that look is when he is near Josh. I don’t know how I never noticed that they were together before.

“She isn’t really that great with the hand-to-hand combat.” I tightened my fist. I needed her to be able to protect herself. If this doesn’t work out and something happens to her guards. . . I don’t want to think about what would happen if she was taken away from me again. “However,” Jake said and I sighed in relief. A ‘however’ would be good in this situation. “She has potential. She seems to not be able to focus very well. After hearing Lycer’s report I think I will start having private training sessions like you originally requested. I guess being able to see everybody else like I thought doesn’t work for her.” I scoffed.

“Why do you think I requested the private training. She doesn’t like the feeling of people staring at her. The less, the better. I know my mate, believe me next time.” He grunted and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

“Why don’t you take a break Jake. Your attitude is getting on my nerves. If you’re not in a better mood by the time you return I’m making you spend a night in the back of the cellars.” His eyes widened but I could tell he thought I was joking. I wasn’t. He was pissing me off. He left the room and I turned back to Lycer. “Take a seat.”

He went to the chair near the window and looked around the yard, his eyes darting towards the tree. I could hear his foot tapping repetitively on the ground.

“You can sense it too?” He looked at me and nodded.

“I could sense it the day that Malum’s experiments took me too. The feeling in the air. I had already promised to see Celestial that day so I just shrugged it off. She had to see me get taken, see me get held down as they beat me. I don’t know how long she stood there for. I should have ran in the opposite direction. She was already so tainted and she had to see that. This- this feeling in the air. It is definitely a bad one.”

“The patrols found experiments and just some random rogues near the territory. They are more active than they were last time we saw them. Last time we saw them, they attacked and took Celeste.” I ran a hand through my hair.

“So up security, around Celestial and the rest of the pack.”

“I already did. Celeste’s guards almost doubled and security around the rest of the pack doubled. We don’t know how to smell them so it is hard to replace them.”

“It’s because of their mixed b***d.” This caught my attention. I spun on my heel to look him directly in the eye. “Malum mixes b***d of other creatures into their bloodstream. It’s a lot at one time and wolfsbane is added in as well. It’s why it is such a painful process. The wolves bane fights off the b***d that is naturally in their system while the other b***d is able to travel throughout their body. It starts to make their cells react. Malum hasn’t figured out a way to make them true hybrids without killing them but that isn’t his goal. It is just the closest thing he is going to get to doing.”

I took a minute to fully comprehend what he said. Eventually, I nod but a question has surfaced in my mind. “How would you know? I thought you were locked up in a cell almost the entire time you were stuck there.”

“I was but when I first got there he tried to turn me into one. He was hoping it would make me want to tell him the secret.”

“Lycer, last time I asked you, you told me you basically told me that you wouldn’t tell me unless absolutely necessary. I think it’s necessary. If we can do something about this then we can protect this pack. We can protect Celeste.” He clenched his jaw and got up. He kept looking around the room, cautiously looking out the window.

“It’s not necessary,” he argued.

I lost it. I yelled, “Do you want her to get hurt?” I went up to him and grabbed the collar of the button up shirt Jake lent to him. “Because I sure as hell don’t! And what do you think will happen if one of us, or Zay, or Lesa, or anyone else she has gotten close to gets hurt? She won’t be able to handle that!”

“I know that!”

“Then tell me damn it!”

“Fine!” He pushed my hands off of his collar. He ran a hand through his hair again. “My Father, he was an original. One of the first werewolves out there.”

“That was millions of years ago or something. That’s not possi-“

“They’re immortal.” I stopped talking. “The originals are immortal. So are their children if they have any.” My eyes widened.

“So that means you’re-“

“Immortal.”