by Laura Taylor
“You’ve what?” Anna demanded, glaring at Baron as they stood in the middle of the foyer.
“We’ve recruited a new female,” he told her blandly. “A young woman called Skip. She’s sixteen-”
“How dare you! I am alpha of this Den,” Anna snarled angrily, and Baron was grateful he’d had the foresight to ask Heron to take Skip for a long walk around the estate. There was no way she needed to be around to witness this. “You can’t simply recruit new members without even letting me know!”
“But you can run off to Italy for six weeks at a time, with no regard for how the Den is running without you?” Baron pointed out in irritation. God, how he would love to get the woman booted out of her role as alpha. But the problem with that plan was that there were no other women in the Den currently willing or able to step into her place. So if anyone actually petitioned for a leadership change, and won, that meant the Council would have to send in a replacement, a high ranking female from another Den, and the current agreement among their own members was that the unrest that would cause would be worse than putting up with a sub-standard alpha. Everyone was aware of the tension Anna was causing, except for Anna herself.
“It’s Italy, not the goddamned moon,” Anna shouted. “I’m a phone call away!”
“And you didn’t once phone us to ask how things were going in the entire six weeks you were away.” Baron’s tone was cool, almost bored. This was not an argument he cared about in the slightest. He’d long since given up trying to get Anna to care more about the Den, and was now resigned to simply chugging along as well as he could by himself, merely sidestepping any problems Anna tried to cause by sticking her nose in.
But Anna was not taking his dismissive tone well. “I won’t allow it,” she declared suddenly, ignoring the crowd that was gathering around them, drawn by Anna’s angry shouts. “As alpha, I have the right of veto. And I refuse to let any new recruit join the Den without me being involved.”
That got Baron’s attention. But not in the way Anna might have hoped. Though it had been only two days since Skip had joined them, almost everyone in the Den had taken a shine to her. Silas, Kwan and Aaron were particularly fond of her, taking her under their wing as a little sister. Caroline would fight for her right to stay on principle, due to the serious lack of females in the Den. Simon would argue that they needed her – her hacking skills would be invaluable in future years. And Baron knew that he had held this Den together for long enough that, if push came to shove, every single person would fall in behind him, rather than Anna, no matter how unappealing the decisions he might have to make.
“If you exercise your right of veto to have Skip removed,” Baron said slowly, advancing towards the woman, “then I will open a petition for a leadership challenge.”
“The Council won’t allow it,” Anna said, but the expression on her face said she was well aware that they would. “You have no other females willing to stand as alpha.”
“The Council doesn’t determine who is alpha in any given Den,” Baron pointed out. “The Den decides. And the lack of anyone to replace you doesn’t mean the Council wouldn’t have to listen to a vote of no confidence. So look carefully at the faces around you, and think about whether they’ll really follow you, when you’re trying to evict someone that they’ve all come to care about.”
This wasn’t the way he would have liked to have done this. He’d anticipated that Anna would be upset about not being consulted about a new recruit, but, aside from the fact that he didn’t really give a shit what she thought, he’d been prepared to walk her through it. Concede to her security concerns. Introduce her to Skip and suggest she take a little time to get to know her. But as it was, with her threat to veto the girl, Anna had just backed herself into a corner that even Baron couldn’t help her get out of. His ultimate concern was with the welfare of the whole Den. And in the long run, the Den would benefit from Skip’s presence, despite the difficulties they might face in helping her adjust.
Anna seemed to realise she had lost this fight. She glanced around, her mouth opening and closing as she sought a way out that would allow her to save face. But after her bold declaration that she would evict Skip without even meeting her, even she realised she had nowhere to turn.
“So what’s it to be?” Baron prompted, when Anna said nothing.
She glanced nervously around the room again. “Fine,” she said eventually, after an awkward pause. “She can stay.” She picked up her travel bag. “I’ll be in my room, freshening up.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
October 26th
Caroline was in the Den’s gym, giving the punching bag a solid pummelling. Her self-imposed training regime was rigorous: weights, cardio, swimming, and martial arts, as well as running and agility training in wolf form. There was also weapons training, guns, knives and even sword practice, though the latter was more for fitness and agility rather than any real need to know how to use the weapon. It was standard protocol for every member of the Den to spend a minimum of ten hours a week in some form of training, but it wasn’t unusual for Caroline to put in double that amount of time, and today, she was working on her boxing skills, as well as working off a little frustration, each punch a satisfying thud that helped keep her temper in check.
She stepped back for a moment, breathing hard, sweat dripping from her face, and then she heard a small scuffle from the back of the gym. She spun around, eyes sweeping the room for the intruder that she hadn’t heard arrive, until her gaze settled on Skip, lurking near the door, watching her.
“Hey,” she said, immediately relaxing her defensive posture. “Something I can do for you?”
Skip shook her head, edging towards the door. “No. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Caroline scrambled for something to say that would call her back. She’d taken a firm liking to the girl, seeing in her a reflection of her own troubled childhood, though Caroline considered herself fortunate when comparing their respective pasts. She’d been abused by her father and brother, physically and verbally, but thankfully, neither of them had ever tried anything sexual. But even so, she could easily empathise with Skip’s wary caution about the world. “Do you want to have a go?” she offered quickly, indicating the punching bag. The ongoing question of how to teach Skip fighting skills was still unanswered, but Caroline figured there couldn’t be any harm in letting her hit the bag a few times.
Skip snorted, then shook her head meekly. “Me? No. I don’t know how to hit things.”
“Well… I could teach you,” Caroline offered. When Skip had first arrived, she’d been looking forward to being involved in the girl’s training, but with Heron handling her school work and Nia taking care of her psychological wellbeing, there had seemed little for Caroline to do.
Skip hesitated at that. She eyed the punching bag with a look of faint curiosity. “Really?”
“Sure,” Caroline said. “Come over here.” She stripped off her boxing gloves and wiped her face on a towel. Skip came closer, a shy smile on her face. “You’ve never hit anything before?” Skip shook her head. “It’s not so hard. First you need to get your stance right. Feet apart, one foot in front of the other. Maintaining your balance is crucial. And then you need to get your fist right. Put your hand out,” she instructed, holding out her own hand, palm upwards. Skip copied her, her hand tiny compared to Caroline’s. “Now curl your fingers in,” she said, demonstrating, “and then tuck your thumb over the top. Now, when you throw a punch, it’s really important to keep your wrist straight. You want to make a straight line from the last knuckle of your little finger, right through to your elbow. If you bend your wrist up or down, you can sprain it pretty badly.” Skip followed her instructions with care, then stepped up to the punching bag when Caroline waved her forward.
“Now pick a point you want to hit, make sure you keep your wrist straight, and…” Caroline flung out a punch, landing the blow with a thud that made the punching bag swing on its hooks. “Now you try i
t.”
Skip did, a tiny hit that glanced off and didn’t make the bag move at all. “I suck at this,” she said dismally, far too ready to admit defeat. But Caroline was having none of it.
“No, no, just try it again. Tighten you abdominal muscles a little… now step in a bit closer. My arms are longer than yours. And don’t aim for the point you’re looking at. Imagine you’re trying to hit something six inches behind it.”
Skip did… and let out a startled cry of joy when her tiny fist connected with a thud, making the punching bag swing back a few inches.
“See?” said Caroline, a grin on her face at the girl’s success. “Not so hard, after all. Now, let’s try the same thing with your left hand…”
November 10th
Silas watched the sparring match going on on the back lawn with a smile on his face. Well, for him, it was a smile. For anyone else, it would have been little more than a tightening at the corner of the mouth. After the tense discussion in the library, the issue of Skip’s training had swiftly and unexpectedly resolved itself. Caroline wasn’t anywhere near experienced enough to handle the entire task herself, but given Skip’s apparent enthusiasm for training with the woman, the solution was simple. Silas was to oversee her training sessions, evaluating Skip’s progress, while Caroline handled the physical side of the sessions. After their first impromptu lesson in the gym, which had resulted in Skip lying on the floor in a giggling heap after missing a kick aimed at the punching bag and falling flat on her arse, she’d decided that combat training was a hilarious game, and was more than eager to pit her skills against Caroline, unafraid of the fight despite Caroline’s greater height and weight.
With Caroline on the scene, there was also the added benefit that Silas could demonstrate any given move using Caroline as his ‘victim’, neatly sidestepping the issue of even pretending to throw a punch Skip’s way. The girl was a fast learner, paying close attention to each new move, despite her playful attitude towards the whole thing.
But as he watched the lesson continue, a semi-contact sparring match, complete with padded vest and arm pads for Skip, his keen eye alerted him to a dozen errors in Skip’s technique… which, on further consideration, were a direct reflection of Caroline’s weaknesses. He sighed, the faint hint of a smile fading. While Baron seemed to be of the opinion that any training was better than none, Silas was taking the whole thing rather more seriously. For all their good intentions about protecting Skip, it was a fair call to say that one day she’d be front and centre in a fight with the Noturatii, and they weren’t doing her any favours by taking it easy on her at this early stage, when bad habits she picked up now could cost her her life later down the track.
Once the session came to an end, Skip heading off into the house for a well earned shower, Silas called Caroline over. “A word?” he asked grimly, leading her away from the other onlookers, knowing Caroline wasn’t going to like what he had to say, and wanting to spare her the humiliation of being dressed down publicly.
“What is it?” The pair of them had never got along particularly well – not surprising for two people who generally didn’t get along with anyone – but where Skip’s training was concerned, they’d both put aside their differences to try and give her the best teaching possible.
“You and me,” Silas said without preamble. “We’re going to do some extra training.”
“Why?” Caroline looked offended – no surprises there.
“Because your fighting technique is not doing Skip any good.” He wasn’t trying to offend her – if anything, he was making an effort to be tactful, but his lack of practice at diplomacy was sadly evident. “You fight like a fucking bulldozer,” Silas went on, cutting off the inevitable argument. “You’re a tall woman, and a strong woman, and that’s the way you fight. Skip has neither of those advantages. So if she’s ever going to best a bigger, stronger opponent, she needs to use speed and technique to her advantage. And with all due respect, those are things you could certainly work at improving.” No, definitely not the most tactful critique ever.
But to his surprise, Caroline didn’t snarl back at him, didn’t call him a bastard or punch him in the face or any of the other more volatile responses he might have expected. She glanced back at where Skip was disappearing into the house, and seemed to consider the idea seriously. “Fine,” she said finally. “I’m not going to turn down something that helps me improve.”
Silas shrugged, then led her off to a more secluded part of the lawn. He turned to face her, bowing respectfully to begin the lesson.
“New rules,” Silas told her. “In light of Skip’s physical limitations, you’re not allowed to hit me anywhere above here.” He held a hand up at the level of his solar plexus. “You’re not allowed to physically throw me to the ground. And you’re not allowed to use any holds or grabs that required physical strength to maintain.”
“That’s fucking stupid!” Caroline spat at him.
“And that is Skip’s reality,” Silas reminded her. “She’s short, she’s small, and she lacks any real degree of upper body strength. And yes, we can certainly work on that for her, but she’s never going to be able to hit above her weight like you can.”
Caroline scowled, but made no further protest.
“We’ll begin with taekwondo,” Silas said, falling into a defensive stance. “Your first task: attack me, assume that both of us are unarmed, and you win the fight when you succeed in kicking me in the balls.” He wasn’t wearing a cup, so he had no intention of making it easy for her.
Caroline grinned, a sardonic look full of glee. “It would be a pleasure,” she replied, adopting her own fighting stance.
“Begin.”
December 22nd
Six weeks passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Skip settled into the estate easily, getting to know everyone and forming opinions on who she liked to spend time with, and who she would rather avoid. Simon rapidly became one of her favourite people, no doubt due to the long hours he spent with her poring over various computer programs. The women on the estate became her confidants, with Heron stepping eagerly in as a mother-figure, a role that had been sorely missing from Skip’s life for far too long. Baron slowly earned her trust, treating her with unwavering kindness and respect, while she maintained a wary distrust of some of the other men – Mark, Luke and Alistair in particular. While the young men were disappointed with the distance she maintained from them, they respected her boundaries, and never imposed on her time or space. But Kwan and Aaron had become her new playmates, the three of them spending long afternoons roaming the forest or playing video games in the television lounge. Skip had been deprived of real friends for a long time, and seemed more than eager to make up for it now.
For their part, the two boys took an instant liking to her, treating her as the younger sister they had never had. She had the pair of them wrapped around her little finger, and there was nothing they could deny her, whether it was shy requests for another teddy bear, or mischievous demands that she be allowed to choose her character first in the video games. So when, on a quiet afternoon, Skip cheerfully invited the two of them to go for a walk up the hill, they both eagerly agreed.
Winter was well underway, and they were all dressed warmly as they took their usual route up the hill through the trees, heading for the top of the hill where they could get a view of the surrounding estates and where Skip loved to stand with the wind in her face. Aaron had shifted, Skip uniformly delighted whenever anyone took on their wolf form, and her lack of fear of the large animals had reassured Baron and Heron that the decision to bring her here had been a good one.
“Hey,” Kwan said suddenly, after they’d spent some time at the top of the hill and were on their way back down. “Do you want to try climbing a tree?”
Skip paused, looking up warily at the tall pine he’d stopped beneath. “I don’t know,” she said, slightly breathless. “How do you… Isn’t that too high?”
Aaron shifted back into hu
man form and grinned at Kwan. “Not if you know how,” he said with a smirk. “Do you want to learn?”
Skip stared up at the tree, a look of consternation on her face. “Are we allowed?” she asked uncertainly. In the past weeks, she’d asked the question again and again, and Kwan had learned not to be surprised at her hesitation. After his own strict upbringing, nothing so traumatic as Skip’s, but confined by rules and regulations nonetheless, he’d been surprised at the level of freedom he’d been allowed when he’d first joined the Den, and could relate to Skip’s surprise at the things she was allowed to do.
“Of course,” Aaron said, sounding confused. “Have you really never-?”
Kwan nudged him sharply, and Aaron immediately shut up. “Yes, we’re allowed,” Kwan said instead. “But you need to be careful. We don’t want you hurting yourself.”
“But it’s way cool,” Aaron added, not minding the interruption. He had the best of intentions where Skip was concerned, but occasionally said things that came across as a little tactless. And he was aware enough of his own shortcomings to not mind when Kwan pulled him into line.
Skip stared up at the tree some more. “But it’s not…” she said, and then stopped.
Kwan waited, then when she didn’t continue, prompted her, “It’s not what?”
“It’s not… dignified.”
Kwan didn’t know what to make of that one. He glanced at Aaron, who shrugged. “What do you mean, it’s not dignified?” he asked finally, hoping the question didn’t upset Skip. He, like everyone on the estate, knew the bare bones of Skip’s past and the reasons behind her occasionally out-of-place behaviour, but if he was honest about it, he didn’t really understand what she’d been through.