Chapter 33
Sienna
Sunlight was pouring into the car windows when she opened her eyes. It was her first clue that she’d slept too long. As Sienna sat up and looked around, she realized it was still relatively early. At home, she’d have to be up extra early to make breakfast for Jenna and the rest of the family, but she didn’t have to do that here, so it was okay that she’d slept in a little.
Besides, Jenna really wanted her to go to the dance later so that she could make fun of her and embarrass her in front of Kaden and everyone else. So She may as well take advantage and spend some time to herself.
The best way to do that was to go for a run. Sienna got out of the car and headed to the back of the residence. She’d be more careful about where she put her clothes this time since they weren’t even hers, and the last thing she needed was for Kaden to see her walking around naked the way she’d spotted him
The thought gave her pause. The man certainly had left an impression on her with those tight biceps and perfectly sculpted thighs.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sienna quickly undressed, put her clothes in what she hoped would be a safe place, and took off into the woods, shifting mid–run.
li felt good to have the wind in her face and the smell of freedom in her lungs. As she sprinted along, exploring a different part of the forest this time than she had the other day, she was tempted to just keep going, to pick a direction and set off, never looking back. What would it be like to just run as far as she could until she collapsed, out of breath and energy! The thought was invigorating.
Yet, as she started to get tired, she found herself turning back around and beading toward the house–not because she wanted to but because she was compelled to. Falling down from exhaustion in the middle of a strange territory probably wasn’t the safest idea she’d ever had, and she’d let Joel down if he knew all of that training had been for naught because she’d done something stupid and ended up dead. She’d never had anyone care about her before. While she wasn’t always completely sure he counted her as a friend, it was the closest thing she’d ever had to one
Except for maybe Luna Hannah. Were they friends! Maybe so. She owed it to Kaden’s kind grandmother to come back too.
Her lungs were burning by the time she reached the place where she’d left Hannah’s clothing, but it was well worth it, especially when she saw no one had messed with them. She got dressed and decided to go through a few of the punching and kicking routines Joel had taught her. The clothes weren’t quite what she would normally wear when she was working out, but it worked. By the time she’d gone through the routine three or four times she had worked up quite a sweat
“That’s really good, but if you lean in with your shoulder a bit more on that hook, you’ll get more p
more power from your hips”
The sound of Beta Alec’s voice jarred her. She immediately dropped her head until she remembered how many times he’d told her that wasn’t necessary. She looked him in the eyes as he approached, a smile on his face.
“I guess I should’ve known you could fight after the way you handled Sylvia in the ballroom”
Sienna shrugged. “I’ve been trying to keep it a secret, but I guess I just failed miserably”
Beta Alec laughed. “Nah, your secret’s safe with me. But if you wanna come to the gym, we’ve got a lot of great equipment there.
“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Sienna said, waving her hands in front of her face while walking backward. “That’s really not necessary.”
gym that’s reserved for Kaden and me. I can make sure no one else knows
“Why not? Are you afraid other people will see you? We have a small gym you’re there. Also, I can loan you some clothes that’ll make it easier.”
Sienna looked down at what she was wearing–the same clothes that Hannah had loaned her yesterday. She could definitely use a different outfit if she was going to keep training, and it seemed like Beta Alec could give her some tips that Joel hub’t already told her about. “Okay,” she said, timidly “If you’re sure there’s no chance of anyone seeing me
“I’ll make sure of that,” Beta Alec said. “Come on!
Sienna walked along with him through the woods so that they would be out of view of anyone else who was up and about. It wasn’t like her to want To comverse with someone, or to even have anyone to talk to, but she felt like Alec was quickly becoming a friend. “What were you doing in the woods, anyway?” she asked
“Oh, I was having a chat with our of the Omegas. I just wanted to make sure security was tight for this evening. I know Kaden’s been distracted”
Not sure what to make of that, she decided to ignore the part about Kafen. “It seems like you guys have some great warriors.”
“Olu peal joban’s the best l’c like he’s everywhere. Man, I don’t know why his old pack let him go.
“Let him go?” Sarnna dedn’t understand what he was talking about. “Hasn’t he always been a part of your pack!
“No, he joined us a few years back. I ran, it was long enough ago that I don’t remember a time when wasn’t arousal, but he asked to becouse a member of the pack back when Kaiden’s dad was still the Alpha. It’s always kind of tricky deciding to take on a new person without knowing why
hey’re a lone wolf, but it was a good decision. He’s amazing”
1/2
Chapter 33
They’d made it to the building where the gym was located and cut up behind the building to go in through a back door. Sienna could hear other people working out in a different part of the gymn, but there was no one in the small room they had just walked into,
“Let me get you some more appropriate clothes” Alec said, stepping inside a closet for a moment. Sienna took the opportunity to check out the equipment and was amazed at how many state–of–the–art machines they had in such a small room.
o check on the
“Here you go.” He handed her a T–shirt and some shorts that were going to be way too big, but at least they had a drawstring. “I’ll go i folks in the gym while you change”
“Thanks,” Sienna said, watching him disappear. She gave him a few seconds and quickly changed. It took him a little longer than she expected, so she went ahead and put on some gloves and started hitting the punching bag. As she punched, her mind wandered back to that John person he’d been talking about. If he showed up at this tribe when Alec was a little kid, that would’ve been a few years after her dad left the tribe. John was a pretty common name. Sull, was it possible that the lone wolf he spoke of was her dad?
Alec knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts. “Come in. Sienna said.
“Hey! You’re really killing it!” Alec came over and held the bag for her, and Sienna was able to really lay into it, combining her kicks with punches. Alec gave her some helpful tips as well, things Joel had never said before. They moved on to some other training, including using a few of the machines, until Sienna checked the time and said, “Oh, shoot! I should probably get back to the house and check on Jenna.”
“Oh, okay” Alec seemed disappointed. “Thut’s fine. Yeah, you should probably get back. You can just keep those clothes.”
Sienna looked down at what she was wearing. The shorts were so loose that she could barely keep them up with the drawstring, and the shirt practically reached her knees. Still, it was nice of him. “Thanks, Alec.” She tossed Hannah’s clothing over her arm so she could put it back on later.
“Sure,” he said. looking at her a little awkwardly. Sienna wasn’t sure what was going on. She took a few steps toward the door, and he followed. “Do you want me to walk you back!”
“No, that’s okay. I can make it,” she said. “But I appreciate it?
“Yeah, oh, okay” Again, he seemed to be crowding her a bit, and he was acting weird. She couldn’t remember him ever seeming so out of sorts. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah. Hey, are you going to the dance?”
“Yes,” Sienna said, forgetting about the fact that she was going to look like a clown.
“Cool. Maybe we could dance if you want.”
Now, Sienna felt awkward. “Maybe,” she said, forcing a smile, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be there.”
“Right. Okay. Well, you know. If you get a chance.
“Thanks, Alec”
He smiled at her, and she ducked out the door, not quite sure what was happening. Alec was being strange, but she didn’t have time to think about it. She needed to figure out a way to rinse the sweaty smell off of her before she got back to Jenna’s room. She’d want to know what she’d been up to, and Sienna wasn’t planning on telling anyone else she’d been training.
In the back of the house, she saw a garden hose and decided that would have to do. She’d taken enough cold showers in the past that she was used to it. Pulling the hose out into the woods as far as it would go, she rushed back, turned it on, and hurried behind the trees to strip down to her underwear and rinse off really quickly, hopeful that no one would see her. She glanced around and didn’t see anyone, but she had a strange feeling
that she wasn’t alone.
