Stronger by Ang Chris
Chapter 9

I finished my plate and my mother suggested that she and I go on and help with the crops. They werestarting to sprout after planting and they needed fertilizer and weeding.

Cea was more of a warrior and after a few broken dummies and one destroyed training ring, she and Iwere no longer allowed to train together. So I spent this time alone in my thoughts.

I decided to go about my duties and pretend as though he was not on my mind at all.

Did I want him to come over with his gray eyes and ruffled hair and take me for a romantic conversationabout the life we would build together…maybe. But I was not going to show it.

I grumbled to myself pulling out weeds for the better part of the morning, clearing a good portion of thefirst carrot patch.

I watered the crop and opened a bag of fresh fertilizer. The more you wanted to throw up the better itwas for your food.

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I was used to the stench after years of working on the veg.

I packed it around the sprouts and mumbled to myself about what I was going to do to my infuriatingmale.

“Luna,” some woman called behind me.

I knew my mother was working on the tomatoes a few patches away from one of our larger yields so itneeded wise attention. I paid no attention.

“Luna,”

Honestly, if he had said even one word. If he had sent flowers this morning. If he had shown somerespite of decency for me 1 would not want to walk up to him and kick him right in the-

“Luna Annette,”

I looked over at two feet beside me. Huh? Luna, who?

I looked up at a tall long d*rty blond–haired girl with a pleasant round face.

“What?” I was stunned at this change of events.

*I would have to get used to that. I suddenly felt old and like I was supposed to be looking after a bunchof

rambunctious little wolves.*

“My name is Ella. I’m from the Northern ecl*pse pack. I’ve been looking for you all morning to introducemyself and see if you need anything.” she explained, smiling with her hands behind her back.

“Oh,” I stood and took off my shit–covered gloves. I dusted off my face and smiled back at her. “Youcan just call Anna. I’m helping with the crops right now but is there anything he needs from me?”

I waited holding my breath hoping she would tell me that he was ready to apologize.

“No, I came to replace you myself. Alpha has said we will leave in two days to return to the pack it will takea day or two to return so I thought I’d help you with whatever you needed,”

She means packing. She wants to help me pick up my life and take it to my new land. *

“I’m busy at the moment,” I put my gloves back on and knelt to continue my work with the carrots.

“Oh! Of course,” she mumbled.

“You can tell me about your pack though,” I looked over my shoulder. “I don’t even know where it is,”

Ella began explaining to me that their pack was in Yukon, Canada. They were in the wildernessbetween two rivers and a mountain range.

She was a warrior, one of the best and she was here with her brother Brain, another skilled fighter.They both had a very good sense of hearing and Brian was exceptionally fast.

She told me how she hardly ever helped with the crop because she hunted often. She explained shepreferred to make clothes when it came to providing for her people.

I listened to the ins and outs of their community. She told me of their sheep wool and the greenhousesfor the ramie. This helped them to make fabrics and clothes.

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I noticed how sturdy her clothes seemed and they were of good quality.

Eventually, I had finished my gardening for the day and it was time to head back and train.

“Come on, let me wash up and we can spar with my training group,” I nodded, squinting to keep thesun out of my eyes.

She stopped and gaped for a second looking at me with wide questioning eyes.

“Luna, I um…. I’m not familiar with your training style. I don’t want to disrupt your practice,” she lookedme up and down when she thought I wasn’t paying attention to her as I cleaned my hands and face,

I chuckled to myself at her worry for me. It was true that looking at me as a small girl with a shapelyfigure I did not‘ look at all like I could knock someone a head taller than me on their ass.

Luckily not only was I born of two alphas I also was trained since I was four. I knew how to attack ataller target and when to use my tiny figure to my advantage.

My endurance was unparalleled and my speed could no doubt match her brothers. This was also agood way for me to be level headed when my mate decided to show his stupid face.

“I’ll be fine. I wanna see what the warriors in my mate’s pack are like… And I’m sure you want to knowwhat I’m like,” I turned, drying my hands and crossing my arms around my chest.

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She shifted her weight on her feet, probably uncomfortable that I had called her out for worrying aboutme and trying to deny me a spar.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” I laughed and started walking towards the training house.

I changed into leggings and a tank top…braided my hair and rolled it into a bun.

Ella put her hair up and walked into the ring to face me. Both of us had our hands wrapped which wascustomary for mock fights.

I admit it was not best to do this before I had even become her luna but I was interested to see how mymates‘ warriors fared.

“Are you sure?” she asked me putting her hands up and furrowing her brows.

A few of the members of my pack gathered around the octagon including Charlie and James.

I put one of my arms almost parallel to the floor and my other by my face.

She and we inched our way toward each other waiting for the other to move first. 1

She went for my right side first and I blocked and brought my knee up. Which was way too easy.

“Don’t go easy on me,” I barked. “A real enemy is going to come at me with everything they have and Iwant my sparring partner to do the same thing,”

She nodded and we circled each other this time I felt her change to use all her strength the forcemoving through her b*dy as she launched her knee at me and simultaneously hit my side.

I absorbed the blow to my side and grabbed her knee, taking my leg and sweeping it behind her otherleg dropping her to the ground.

I kept one arm wrapped firmly around her limb pushing my fist into her stomach. In return. Shepunched me in the face.

I allowed her on the inside of her hip bone and she took the opening to grab me at my torso and fl*p meover her.

We rolled around for a.moment before separating and standing to face again.

This time I moved first faking right and then sweeping my leg around to hit her in her side and thenspinning back to punch her other flank.

I finally kneed her stomach and she pulled my hair grunting shocked at my quick and endless barrageof her. She did a double–tap to my left rib cage that left me gasping.

I slammed a first into her shoulder to stop another blow. I kicked her in her stomach and she grabbedmy foot and yanked me towards her but I allowed her and brought all my weight at her with speed.

We crashed against the fencing of the ring and I did not let go grabbing her waist and slamming herdown on the floor before she spun and smashed her arm against my face.

Back on the ground, I wrestled to get on top of her to keep her down and force a concession but herweight was not easy for me to take I had to slow her down.

I punched her right in the middle of her chest with all my force sure enough knocking the wind out ofher. I straddled her and brought my hands around her throat in a mild choke so she could still get someintake of air.

She kneed my back as she panted and gasped but I knew she had to yield to catch her breath. I hadwon but not as effortlessly as I wanted to.

She patted my arms twice and I got off of her instantly, helping her up and rubbing her back as thecolor of her face went back to normal.

“You were right, “she rasped smiling a bright and happy smile.

I turned to get her some water and looked right into the grey eyes is been waiting for all day. 2

I hopped out of the cage and grabbed her water and a towel handing it to her and letting her down asshe drank up and

rubbed her throat.

I didn’t look away from him and he didn’t look away from me.

He kept his arms crossed and his face gave no impression of his thoughts but I wanted to hear hisvoice.

I took a sip of my water as we sat there in the deafening silence.

“You fight well,” he grunted eventually.

I would have thought him a fool if my heart hadn’t spun at his compliment. I blushed instantly andsmiled like a five- year–old getting her birthday present.

“Thank you, I didn’t know you’d be here,” I stepped closer and he stepped back.

Stopping in my tracks and flushing now with embarrassment I broke our gaze.

“I should go,” he turned on his heel and walked away.