The Mating Rules
Chapter 23

Finally, my day has come, it’s been just over a week since my claiming, and today is a training day. That cheating b***h has been paired with me for the first time since she gave me that black eye and I am eager for a rematch. I stretch my legs as I watch her from underneath my eyelashes, Sicily Wyatt, daughter of one of the warriors and if rumours are true, a regular in my mate’s bed before I called to him.

She’s standing apart from me, talking under her breath to her friend as they both send me dirty looks. Keep going ladies, all you are doing is fuelling the fire, I think to myself.

‘OK, pair off’ Dorian orders loudly as we all move toward our partners and replace some space to be able to spar.

‘Lee’ Sicily sneers, running her gaze over my training gear.

‘Sicily’ I retort as I pull a hairband off my wrist and tie up my hair, I don’t want it in my face while I kick her a*s.

‘I’m so glad your eye healed, I felt terrible’ the warrior sighs toward me as I inwardly roll my eyes. Yeah, let’s see how bad you feel in ten minutes.

‘Yeah, well, one of the upsides of being a Beta’s daughter’ I reply with a fake sweet smile, ‘we heal so much quicker than other wolves.’ I give a pointed look at the girl’s arm that still shows the shadow of a bruise from last nights training.

‘I’ll try to be more careful this time’ Sicily replies, her voice syrupy sweet enough to give me tooth ache, ‘we’d hate for the Alpha to think he has a weak she wolf for a mate.’

I smile widely back at her, ‘oh I totally agree’ I chirp, ‘I need to make sure that everyone knows I’m the future Luna.’

I feel a wave of satisfaction roll through me at the anger that flickers across my opponent’s face, that’s right b***h, remember who you are talking to, Caden is mine! Well, right now he is. I shake that horrible thought from my mind, no focusing on that sh*t show right now, this moment is for returning that black eye and then some.

‘And begin!’ Dorian roars from somewhere behind me, my vision narrows, the only thing I’m aware of is the she wolf in front of me and taking her down.

We slowly circle each other, neither of us in any hurry to make the first move. I’m solely focused on Sicily’s movements, watching for any tell that she’s about to strike. I grin to myself as her fingers flex after a few minutes, she’s starting to get annoyed, wants me to strike first. Not a chance, you can come to me.

Suddenly, Sicily lunges forward, claws extending as she aims for my face. I easily dodge to the side, stepping out of her way as she slides past me on the wet grass.

Turning to face her again, I smile tauntingly, still holding back, wanting to annoy her. ‘That was really close’ I offer with a wink, ‘you almost caught the air beside me.’

The she wolf scowls, straightening up and circling with me again, her eyes trained on me. I flick out the claws on my left hand, smirking as she stiffens, readying herself, but I still don’t strike at her.

‘Are you going to spar or what?’ Sicily growls finally, her gaze snapping to mine.

‘Just waiting on you’ I reply easily, ‘I figure it’s only fair that I give you a chance to win.’

‘Please, you were the one walking away with a black eye last time’ the she wolf snarls.

I fake shock, ‘you said it was an accident’ I remark, ‘are you saying it wasn’t, that you purposefully took a cheap shot? Surely not Sicily, you wouldn’t need to lower yourself to those kind of tactics.’

Yup, that does it, the she wolf across from me sees red and launches herself at me, claws aimed at my chest this time as I spin quickly out of the way and s***h my left hand across her back, slicing through the exposed flesh as she howls.

‘Ladies we are sparring!’ Dorian shouts, ‘try and keep the b***d shed to a minimum!’

I ignore him, jabbing my claws into Sicily’s side as deeply as I can, secretly hoping that I hit bone.

Sicily squirms away from me and I enjoy the sound of my claws leaving her body, she straightens up, pressing a hand to her side as she glowers at me.

‘Oops’ I say, placing my right hand to my lips with wide innocent eyes, ‘sorry, it was an accident.’

I can feel the other warriors crowding around us, Dorian somewhere behind them, no doubt trying to break through to us.

‘You are such a b***h’ the she wolf growls, ‘how you ended up mated to both Caden and Hadley I’ll never know. They both deserve someone better, but as you have no mark yet, maybe they are also thinking the Goddess made a mistake.’ She smiles viciously, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they are both trying to figure out how to reject you so they can get a real she wolf in their bed.’

I just smile at her words, and I can see my lack of reaction unnerves her, ‘just because I don’t spread my legs for any willing wolf doesn’t mean I’m not wanted’ I reply. ‘In fact, you will replace that my mates both prefer the fact I haven’t been handed around the pack like a used tissue. Do you really think when you replace your mate, he’s going to be bragging to everyone how his mate has f*cked half the pack? I’d be less worried about my rejection and more focused on your own.’

I tilt my head, smoothing a concerned look over my face, ‘wait, aren’t you twenty three?’ I add in a fake shocked whisper, ‘only two more years of visiting the forest before the pack offers you up as a bargaining chip to some wrinkly old wolf whose mate died and needs a regular c*m bucket.’ I continue to study her as I continue, ‘but then again, you’ve been training for that position since you were seventeen so maybe I shouldn’t worry for you.’

As per the Claiming rules, any females who do not replace their mate by their twenty fifth birthday, will be pulled from the claimings completely. Instead they will be used as bargaining chips in treaties with other packs, offerings to bind the two packs together in peace.

There were many warriors across the world, who have lost their mates or been unable to replace their Goddess gifted other, and were happy to make a commitment to an unclaimed she wolf. Only an Alpha wolf was exempt from treaty deals, Alpha females were never bargained with, and some spent every full moon at pack after pack, trying to replace their fated mate.

Sicily’s anger snaps, she throws herself at me, I dodge but she’s prepared for the move and lands in a crouch, sweeping her foot around to take out my legs, forcing me onto all fours. She moves quickly, covering my body with her own, trying to get me to the ground as I roll, throwing her off.

The pair of us both climb to our feet, breathing heavily, the games over, it’s time to take her down.

‘I’m going to rip your heart out’ Sicily promises, glaring at me.

‘Cool’ I reply, ‘then you can finally see what it’s like to be loved by Caden.’

The she wolf growls loudly, shifting into her brown wolf, Skarla taking over as she shifts into her own mahogany wolf. Skarla towers over Jasmine, Sicily’s wolf, and I can feel the other wolf’s nervousness at being forced by her human to fight with a Beta.

‘Jasmine doesn’t want this Skarla’ I murmur to my wolf.

‘I know’ my wolf replies, ‘but her human needs a lesson and unfortunately Jasmine is going to have to learn it for her. I promise I won’t kill her though’ she adds as an afterthought.

I nod, letting Skarla take the reins, she’s a Beta wolf, she won’t stand for a lower rank showing her disrespect, making her out to be weak. She’ll be mindful of the other wolf’s reluctance but she won’t let her walk away.

Skarla doesn’t hesitate, she rears up on her hind legs, pushing Jasmine to the ground with her paws, her claws just deep enough to hold her as she bites into the brown wolf’s neck.

Jasmine whimpers, her ears flat against her head but Sicily must be ordering her as she rolls over, using her feet to kick Skarla away and getting back up. Snarling, Jasmine, lunges for my wolf, her teeth missing Skarla’s neck but her claws catching the skin down her flank as my Beta wolf dances out of the way.

Skarla growls angrily, baring her teeth, she’s pissed now, the warrior got a strike on her and she doesn’t like it.

‘Skarla’ I warn, ‘you said you wouldn’t kill her.’

My wolf’s growls rumbles around us and I see Jasmine shiver, a few of the she wolves around us baring their neck instinctively, but I don’t have time to figure out why, I’m trying to keep Skarla in check as she springs forward, landing on top of the other wolf, her teeth digging into Jasmine’s back, b***d filling our mouth.

The brown wolf tries to roll over, but Skarla is ready for her, moving with her, releasing her hold only to clamp down on her stomach, her claws digging into the sensitive skin as Jasmine howls loudly, trying to get away.

Skarla deepens her hold, dragging her claws across the other wolf’s stomach, leaving deep red ribbons in her wake.

Underneath us, Jasmine bares her neck, whimpering as my wolf rips over and over, tearing flesh from her opponent’s body, her teeth moving to the brown wolf’s leg and clamping down, snapping the bone with ease.

‘Skarla! She submits!’ I yell, trying to take control of my furious wolf, ‘stop! Let Jasmine go!’

A warning growl beside us finally forces Skarla to relent, backing away as a huge black wolf glares between us and the bleeding wolf on the ground.

‘What the hell happened?’ came Caden’s voice through the mind link to all of us.

‘They were sparring and then Sicily shifted, Jamie-Lee did the same and they both started tearing into each other’ one of the she wolves in the crowd offered tentatively.

Cobalt’s amber eyes landed on Skarla, the wolf silently talking to her before turning back to the wolf on the floor who seemed to have lost consciousness and had shifted back to her human form.

‘Take her to the clinic’ Caden ordered sternly before looking back at me through his wolf’s eyes, ‘follow me Leeway’ he sighs, as I nod, Skarla happy to follow her mate as he leads the way toward the forest where we have spare clothes.

Even though I know I’m in for a bollocking, I can’t help giggling at Caden’s desire to stop people seeing me naked, weeks ago, I would have shifted happily in front of everyone, now it seems I have to hide in the bushes like a human.