Three Alphas, Fated To One, Played By One, But Mated To One-Chapter 77: First Followers
Valerie’s POV
That first step into the training grounds was the hardest.
However, I could tell that the women were determined to get stronger. And I, as Valerie had just taken in the first fierce supporters.
I just didn’t know it yet.
"What do we do?" Lina asked nervously.
"Start stretching," I said. "Your bodies need to open up after being idle for so long."
For a few minutes, the only sound in the training ground was the quiet movement of steps as bodies warmed up.
I watched them carefully and realized that they were just as rusty as me.
Maybe because their training when they were young wasn’t as intense as mine, so, it wasn’t surprising that some were even rustier than me.
"What made you come today?" I asked while observing them.
I was also busy training and decided to make conversation to create a distraction from the aches and pains.
Mira spike first.
She looked more decisive than the other two.
"You said the other day that our lives shouldn’t stop just because we found mates."
Her voice was quiet but firm.
"And we think that what you said made sense. So, we decided to start picking up the pieces."
Tessa nodded in agreement immediately.
"That’s true. But my mate wasn’t happy when I mentioned it," she admitted.
"But he’s not the one living inside my body." She added, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
It seems that even their wolves have intervened.
After all, no creature wants to be locked in a cage for a lifetime. And living the life they had been living isn’t different from locking their wolves in a cage.
"That must have been an interesting conversation." I said, to which she laughed softly.
"He yelled a lot." Well, that didn’t surprise me.
Many people in the Night claw pack seem to like showing off their strength or status to oppress others. And I am sure that the mates who oppose their other half from progressing would be the same.
"But I still came." She added with a relieved smile.
That kind of determination was exactly what I wanted in people who could follow me.
"Alright," I said, picking up another training staff and tossing it toward Mira.
She caught it clumsily.
I demonstrated a basic defensive stance.
I am sure every wolf, even those who have never trained know it, but I needed to refresh their memories.
"Feet shoulder-width apart."
The three copied me and I was a little startled, wondering when I had become a coach without even knowing.
"Good. Now raise the staff like this." I continued to demonstrate the movements.
Their movements were awkward, but they followed my instructions carefully.
"Training isn’t about strength," I continued.
"Especially in the beginning. It is about discipline."
I stepped closer and adjusted Lina’s grip.
"If your stance is wrong, even the strongest warrior will fall."
They practiced the position continuously and repeatedly adjusted their stance and movement.
Soon, I noticed that their arms had started trembling.
"Don’t drop it."
I warned seriously.
Everyone held onto the staff as if it was their lifeline even though I could tell that they wanted to let go.
I wanted to estimate how determined they are. If they give up at the slightest setback, then there is no need for me to offend their mates.
The three women exchanged glances, and none of them lowered their staff.
After several more minutes, Mira suddenly laughed.
It was a kind of relieved laughter, which confused me because she should have been crying from the fatigue.
"What?" I looked straight at her and asked.
"This actually feels good." She replied with a smile.
"I forgot what it felt like to train." She added, to which Tessa nodded eagerly.
Lina added quietly, "It makes me feel like myself again."
I realized at that moment that what I had given these women wasn’t encouragement but a second chance.
And I am glad they appreciated it.
Unfortunately, peace never lasted long in the Night Claw pack.
More footsteps approached the training ground.
There was one set of footsteps that stood out from the rest because from the walking style, I could already tell that the owner was approaching aggressively.
I didn’t need to turn around to identify the owner of the footsteps.
Boris.
"You see?" his voice boomed angrily. "I told you."
I turned slowly and found five warriors standing beside him.
It was time for training to start. I had come to train too early and now, more people had woken up.
The expressions of everyone ranged from annoyed to furious.
"This is exactly what I was talking about!" Boris continued loudly.
"You’re turning our mates against us!"
The accusations came without warning. No greetings or a heads-up.
The three women beside me stiffened and I could almost smell the fear creeping in on them once again.
I stepped forward slightly, standing between the women and the warriors.
"Good morning, Boris."
My calm greeting only made him angrier but it also caught the others off guard.
They hadn’t expected me to be so calm after they had shown such an aggressive side.
"Stop pretending this is normal!" Boris said angrily.
"Training is normal." I pretended not to understand his underlying meaning.
"Not for mated women!"
"Why not?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
I wanted to hear how they could justify their claims, but I had given the brute too much credit.
"Because....."
He suddenly stopped talking, looking confused.
Probably realizing he didn’t actually have a logical answer.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for his answer.
"Are you going to tell me that it’s the pack’s tradition?" I asked as if taunting him.
Who would have thought that he would agree.
"Yes."
Boris replied immediately.
"Then maybe the tradition is wrong."
Murmurs erupted among the warriors.
Boris looked ready to explode.
"You’re encouraging disobedience!"
"No."
I shook my head slowly.
"I’m encouraging strength."
He sneered.
"Women don’t need strength. We can protect them."
Before I could respond, a new voice spoke behind him.
"I disagree."
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.
