**Erick's POV**
I dropped Rhian off with Susan and was promptly shooed away. They had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it and she didn't need me being a distraction to Rhian. I barely managed to sneak in a kiss goodbye.
I pulled up to the packhouse and walked inside and found Doc and David chatting over a cup of coffee. We went into the dining hall and a buffet-style breakfast was set up for everyone before training began. After grabbing our food, we sat down at one of the long tables.
"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" David asked in between bites.
"I've got to be honest, I am a little fearful that you all may be a little disappointed if you find out I am not who you expect me to be. As far as the mating ceremony, I am more anxious. Something in me can't wait to claim Rhian and let the world know. I know being raised as a human it seems insane, completely illogical moving this quickly. I also don't care, Rhian is everything to me and I can't imagine ever being without her."
"Ha, you've got it bad alright. You get used to it. It definitely seems unconventional to outsiders, but the Moon Goddess knows what she's doing, and you and Rhian are made for each other."
"What about you, David? Do you have a mate?" I inquired.
My words must have struck a nerve. He hung his head.
Doc interjected while placing a comforting hand on David's shoulder. "We lost David's mate in a rogue attack a little over ten years ago."
My heart ached for him, I couldn't imagine surviving losing Rhian and I had only known she was my mate for a few days. "I... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Here I am blabbering on and on about Rhian." I took a deep breath at a loss for the right words. "I'm sorry."
I could see the tears welling up in his eyes, no wonder he was always so stoic. "You didn't know." He stood up and excused himself. "I have some stuff to get ready before training. I'll see you in there."
We watched him walk out of the dining hall. I turned to Doc, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I didn't mean to upset him."
This time Doc put his hand on my shoulder, "It's OK, he's not angry with you. It is one downfall to our mate bonds. Sometimes a wound is so great no amount of time can get rid of the pain. It is when he decided to go into law enforcement.
Honestly, I think what bothers him most is she was torn up so badly we couldn't even recover all of her. To make matters worse we never caught the rogue that attacked her."
"So that's it, he will spend the rest of his life alone?"
"Unfortunately, occasionally, the Moon Goddess will bless us with second chance mates, but I have never actually seen it happen. However, I have never known someone as young as David when he lost his mate.
Typically, you know how close you already feel to Rhian. When you are marked, that bond is even stronger. When or if your mate is ever attacked, you will feel it. Oftentimes, couples will die or survive together because the other is drawn to the attack.
David was attending to pack business out of state for his father's beta. He wasn't supposed to go but he filled in at the last minute when the beta became ill. The other pack he was with said he suddenly howled and collapsed. They had to bring him back nearly comatose. It took him a month to come out of the shock.
I think the hardest part of it all was she was pregnant with twins. In one fell swoop, David lost his wife and future pups. He has since refused to take part in pack leadership as his birthright designates him. He says he would rather enforce the laws and protect the pack than lead it."
"I can't even begin to comprehend the pain and loss he must feel."
"I pray you never have to." Heartache spread on his face. "I suppose it's time to head to the gym. Are you ready?"
"Ready or not, I need to train, so let's go."
We entered a large open gym. Large mats were unrolled across most of the floor. There were a lot of people there, more than I had anticipated. I silently prayed I wouldn't fully embarrass myself.
A large burly man headed up to the front. Doc whispered, "That's Alec, he is in charge of training the entire pack." He was shorter than I was but looked like he had never skipped a day in the gym with a massive barrel chest and arms. I couldn't imagine fitting in anything other than a tank top. "We're going to start with hand-to-hand sparring. Let's partner up and get started."
I looked in Doc's direction and he chuckled at me, "We are trying to get you accustomed to a fight. I think it would be better if you paired up with someone a little more at your speed." He looked around and his eyes locked on one of the bigger guys off in the corner. "Joel, would you mind partnering up with Erick here?"
"Sure thing, Uncle."
"Uncle?" I questioned. "So is this David's brother, or do you have more brothers? I feel like I really need to get to know the other pack members better."
"I actually have six siblings. Samuel was the oldest, then Joseph, twins Rachel and Leah, myself, and the baby Eli. Rachel's husband, Jacob, serves as the pack beta and Joel is their son. Typically, the higher-ranking wolves tend to be larger in stature than regular pack members. I think that makes him a good size match for you."
"Nice to meet you, Joel, I am Erick." I reached out my hand to shake his and, instead, he caught me off guard by pulling my arm and flipping me onto my back. I didn't enjoy being embarrassed and resolved to not let it happen again.
"First lesson, during training always be on your guard!" He reached forward to help me up.
I hopped up, ignoring his hand, and stood in a readied stance.
"You're a quick learner, I would have dropped you again." He ribbed.
I had some experience hitting a boxing bag from previous workouts but I had never actually sparred with an opponent. He was fast, after landing on my back a few more times. I started to get a rhythm going. Despite his speed, I was faster.
We had set back up and were circling waiting for someone to make the first move. He fainted forward but this was just to bait me into leaning forward and getting off balance. I fell for it once and ended up on the ground.
"You've been paying attention. I suppose I no longer have to go easy on you?"
He was smug and I got an odd feeling about him. "By all means give it everything you've got."
He sneered back at me and we continued to circle. This time I fainted forward. He didn't take the bait, but it distracted him long enough that he didn't see my kick sweep under his legs, bringing him to the mat. I quickly took advantage of him being disoriented and pounced on him, grabbing his arms and pinning them down at his sides.
He struggled under my grip. I saw his eyes flash dark and felt his claw come out across my thigh. I jumped up and hopped back as Alec came in between us. "Looks like we may need to take a break over here." Glaring at Joel before looking back at me, "Our wolves are not to come out during hand-to-hand combat."
He continued talking to me, "I am impressed, my name is Alec. I don't think I have seen you around here?" He reached his hand out, but given what just happened with Joel, I hesitated.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Erick, I just joined the pack recently." He didn't put his hand down until I shook it. Unlike Joel, I remained on my feet when I did.
"You've got some skills. It's not every day I see someone best Joel. Do you fight as well in wolf form?"
I didn't know how to answer. Suspicion would rise if I said I had never actually fought in my wolf form.
Doc interjected on my behalf, "Perhaps it might be more productive if he showed you?"
"Fantastic idea! Our gym rules dictate wolf fights should never inflict severe wounds that would take longer than a few days to heal. Ready?" Without waiting for my answer, he slipped off his shorts and shifted. Similar to his human form, Alec had a large wolf. His dark fur was almost black and he had piercing blue eyes.
A crowd began to surround us. "Let's go, new guy, show us what you got!" I knew there was no way to avoid this and I really did need the practice. Silence fell over the crowd when I shifted. My wolf was much larger than Alec's and no one expected it.
Alright, Robin, do your thing! He was ecstatic to take control and I had to remind him this was supposed to be a friendly spar. I was surprisingly agile despite my size, but so was Alec.
I lost track of him a few times as he would outmaneuver me. Similar to Joel, I watched and became accustomed to his lunges and swipes. Robin was able to recognize his direction as he made them and anticipated his moves. I was no longer losing track of him and it looked like a well-performed tango. The push and pull mesmerized our audience.
In a flashy movement, I saw Alec over my head and attempting to land on my back. It was like I was watching myself as Robin reacted swiftly, catching him in the air and pinning him down on his back. A stunned hush fell over the crowd.
I felt Alec shift below my hand and I followed suit. A few guys threw shorts at us and Alec stood up silently, his eyes never breaking contact with my own. Trying to break the tension, I awkwardly chuckled and said, "Great match, I thought you had me."
I still couldn't read his expression and the deafening silence was becoming uncomfortable. His face finally broke and he burst out in laughter.
"You know it is not often I am thrown around like a rag doll. That was seriously impressive. We need to talk. I want to know who taught you how to read a fight. It was like you anticipated my moves before I even made them. Also, you are one huge fellow. You must have Alpha blood running through you."
"I do what I can," I was trying to reveal as little information about my history without sounding like a complete jerk. "I think my mom mentioned her grandfather being an alpha. I'm not sure she died when I was young. I grew up with my father's Uncle."
"It has to be true! All I know is you are definitely going to need to train more often. We have some young ones that could benefit from your techniques."
"I think I can handle that. I had a lot of fun."
We chatted a few minutes longer and it was hard not to notice the dirty looks Joel kept shooting me. Man, he must be a sore loser. He was seriously bothered over me pinning him. I tried to push it out of my mind. I had a lot more important things to worry about today.
Doc and I decided to grab some lunch before running the list of errands Susan had sent him during training. I wanted to ask him about Joel but wasn't sure how he would feel about me questioning his nephew's intentions.
"Goddess, this wife of mine is going to try and run us ragged! We are likely going to have to go to every grocery store in a fifty-mile radius to pick up all this food. I don't know how she is going to manage to cook all of this."
Amused, I offered some advice, " You know Doc, I may not be married yet, but, I hear a saying to live by is: happy wife, happy life. No use questioning it, let's just get started on the list."
"Young man, there may just be hope for you and your mate yet! Those are definitely wise words. Hop in I'll drive!"