August's POV-
I was still talking to Lucas while he introduced me to some of the guys that he was training when I smelt that ashy pine scent again. I looked over expecting to see Emerald, but instead it was that same boy again.
'Why is he covered in her scent?' Zeb asked and this time I didn't bother telling him to shutup. I wanted to know why too.
His eyes met mine and he smirked before walking back over to his bag and picking up a water bottle. I'm going to work that kid until he bleeds.
"Keith come over and meet Alpha August." Lucas called and the boy hesitated before walking our way.
"We met already." I said while keeping my eyes hardened at his, that is if he had the balls to actually look at me in the eyes.
"Alpha August is going to be running today's training." Lucas explained and Keith didn't hide the shock in hide now wide eyes.
"Great." Keith said in a sarcastic tone.
I can't believe Emerald is attractive to this guy. What is it about him that she likes? He's been nothing but rude since I've met him and he's just too..
'Weak.' Zeb continued for me.
Way too weak. Someone like her needs someone who can handle that sassy mouth and fiery touch. Someone who understands her completely in every way and be able to protect her. To know when she's upset and needs time to cool off and to know when she's holding back and trying to hide her emotions.
He doesn't make the cut in my eyes.
"Got any rice by chance?" I asked Lucas.
He cocked an eyebrow up at me obviously confused by my question.
"Rice?.. uh yeah maybe in the nutrition room. People are always stocking the pantries in there. Be right back." He said and left leaving me alone with the group of six.
"I suggest stretching before we get started." I said and all of them dispersed to go back to their mats.
I started to walk back to the front of the room when I heard the sound of the doors being pushed open and a wave of smoky ash clouded the room. I turned around to find Emerald walking in and I'm ashamed to say I didn't look at her eyes at first glance.
I was too busy staring at the black sports bra she was wearing that looked much to small for her. Her breasts were practically spilling out the top and her toned stomach was on full display as well. She wore short black running shorts and her curls were pulled up into a high ponytail. She had a few loose curls hanging around her face. When my eyes did go up to her eyes she was staring right back at me with one dark brown and one bright green.
"You're not starting without me are you?" She asked in a fake hurt tone.
"Where are the rest of your clothes?"
She rolled her eyes at me and put both hands on her hips.
"This is what the kids are wearing these days gramps." She said to me and I could do nothing but look back at her and run my hands through my hair.
Suddenly Lucas walked back in before I could argue further and in one of his hands was a small bag of what I guessed to be rice.
"Here you go Alpha." He said and handed me the bag.
"What's that for?" Emerald asked and cocked her head to the side.
I smiled when seeing her do it and took another step closer to her.
"Nothing that little girls like you need to worry about now go stretch with the others." I said to her dropping my voice lower because she seems to enjoy that.
"Yes Alpha."
'Make her say it again.' Zeb commanded, but I quickly shook his thoughts away when she walked past me and grabbed another mat that was rolled up in one corner.
She brought it out and unrolled it near the front and I could see just how many of young boys who were looking her way when she went to bend over to stretch. I could feel that awful rage in my chest and bubbling at the back of my throat. I wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose or not, but either way I wouldn't be able to handle seeing all these males staring at her.
I walked to the front of the room and when I came to the mirror wall I flicked my eyes to see Emerald already looking at my reflection. I turned around and faced the small group that were all sitting now and stretching their legs.
"We will be doing push-ups to start off with. When you do push ups with me you will be on your knuckles, you will stay on my count, you will not stop and rest until I say, and you will keep your head up and eyes ahead."
I opened up the bag of rice and scooped a handful up and started to pour two small piles at the front of each mat except for Emerlad's. When I came back to the front most of everyone looked confused at me.
"You will keep your knuckles planted on the rice. You will not lift them off the ground, you will not slow the group down by being off count, and you will keep going until I say otherwise is that clear?" I asked making eye contact with the the brown headed boy sitting near the back of the group.
"Yes Alpha!" They responded in unison including that Keith kid.
"Get in position!" I said loudly.
"Wait, what about my rice?" I heard her raspy voice ask.
I looked down at her and smiled before crouching lower to her level.
"No rice for you. Wouldn't want to mark up those delicate hands of yours now would we?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes at me before leaning forward and snatching the bag of rice from my hand.
She poured two small piles of rice in front of her mat like the others before looking back at me and holding the bag back out. I could feel my eye want to twitch from how stubborn she was acting.
"These boys are being trained to be soldiers Emerald. There's no need for you to do that." I said and I could see green in her eyes flicker slightly brighter.
"Maybe I'm training to be a soldier too."
"And what would you need to do that for?" I asked no longer hiding the annoyance in my tone.
"You never know when you're going to be thrown into a war August. Better to be prepared then to sit back and rely on wishful thinking."
I stared back into her wild eyes and I knew in my gut she was talking about Scout. I had always been worried that she would grow up obsessed with wanting revenge just like I had. I wasn't sure if that was the case still, but I couldn't exactly blame her if she did.
"Fair enough." I said and stood up from beside her.
I walked to the front of the room again and took another handful of the rice before setting the bag down and pouring two small piles by my feet. I pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the side before getting down in push up position with my knuckles pressed down firmly into the hard rice.
I picked my head up to see everyone matching my stance including Emerald. She wasn't looking at me though and stayed staring ahead at the mirror like I had instructed.
"Down!"
Everyone went down at the same time as me.
"Up!"
Everyone went back up.
"Down!"
We all repeated this until I started to notice the discomfort showing in most of the boys faces. Everyone's knuckles were red and any time I yelled for them to rise up some of them would let out grunts from pain or sharp breaths trying to hold back how badly it felt to push more weight into the rice.
It was like shards of glass at this point and soon the rice would be cutting deep enough into the skin to draw blood.
"Down!"
I didn't even try and keep count. I didn't plan on stopping until someone gave in. Until someone taps out we are going to keep doing this. I was hoping Keith would be the one to fold first.
Emerald was the only one who refused to show any type of pain in her face. She kept it blank. Emotionless. That same void mask she wears when she doesn't want anyone to know what's going on inside. I knew her knuckles were probably hurting, but she was too stubborn to let on about it.
"Up!"
Ten minutes rolled into twenty and then that rolled into thirty and it wasn't until we had hit a full hour that one of the boys with shaggy blonde hair finally let his knees hit the floor.
"Stop!" I said and everyone held their stance with their knuckles still in place.
Most of their arms were shaking from being exhausted and a couple had small pools of blood seeping around their knuckles on the floor. I let my knees hit the floor and removed my knuckles from the rice.
They had sores and ripped skin open and most of the rice was pressed deeply into my skin. No blood though and that's only because I have years of tough skin from doing strenuous training and labor.
I stood up and everyone still stayed in their positions on the floor.
"Hydrate and wrap your knuckles if you need to." I said and a couple boys collapsed to the floor from being so tired and almost all of them groaned in relief.
I went straight to Emerald's mat. She was now sitting Indian style and was examining her knuckles carefully. I crouched back down to her level and smiled at her.
"Let me have a look." I said and grabbed both her hands for me to see.
Her once perfect soft skin was now tainted by large red sores and open flesh. I carefully removed each piece of rice from her skin.
"I shouldn't have let you done that." I said more to myself then to her.
"I'm not a child August I can handle a little pain."
I looked at her sternly before grabbing her hands tighter and bringing them back to me. I leaned my head down and never broke eye contact when I kissed both of her knuckles.
"I know you can handle pain, but that doesn't mean I want you to ever have to endure it."
She stared back at me and again put on her poker face that masked any emotion she might've been feeling. I was still holding her hands and started to lightly rub my thumbs over the red marks on her knuckles.
My fingers were on her palms and I could feel them start to heat up. I could feel her trying to slip her hands away from me again, but I didn't let go. I didn't care if she burned me and I wanted her to know that.
My fingertips were basically holding a hot iron skillet at this point, but I only squeezed her hands tightly once before finally letting them go. She balled her fists up and placed them in her lap before looking away from me and at the pile of red stained rice that sat in front of her mat.
"Well that was very refreshing thank you Alpha I'm glad we did this." Lucas said when he walked up to us.
I kept my eyes on her even when I stood up from the ground.
"Yeah, I enjoyed it too thanks." I said and forced myself to look away from her and at him instead.
"Next time have them kneel on the rice and tell them to hold a bucket of water over their heads. Really brings a whole new meaning to leg day." I added and this made him chuckle.
"It was nice meeting you Alpha. Tell Helen I said that I miss her and I'm thinking of her." He said and I nodded my head before shaking Lucas's hand again.
I turned back to look at Emerald, but she was no longer sitting on her mat. I looked around to see her letting one of the boys wrap her knuckles for her. He was talking lowly to her and she would let out a giggle or a smirk at him. My blood was boiling hot.
I started making my way towards them and before he could reach for her other hand I stepped in between them.
"Can I do that for you?" I asked her and ignoring the guy standing behind me.
She looked up at me and that small little light in her green eye glowed just for a second at me.
"Only if I can wrap yours."