Alpha Tristan

The day after the pack event, we were back to business as usual.

"It's time to spar. Pick a mat and a partner."

Training was going well and the teens all paired up before stationing themselves by a mat. I gave them the green light and they all began to spar as I watched on. Combat in human form was something they were quickly getting the hang of.

Josh, one of the most skilled fighters in the group, paired up with Mîlo, and they were grappling as I looked on. They both had good technique and kept watching each other to see when they could get the upper hand.

Mîlo lost his balance for a few seconds and Josh took the opportunity to slam him into the mat. I clapped my hands and turned my gaze to the other pairs. Within ten minutes, all the pairs, fifteen of them, had a victor and I stood in front of them with a smile on my face.

"Alright, guys. Get ready to shift and go outside."

They cheered and made their way outside. I noticed the disappointed expressions on the faces of those who remained. My Luna instincts kicked in and I smiled warmly.

"I'm still proud of every single one of you." Their eyes lit up at that and I continued, deciding to let them in a bit more. "I was at your stage once. Alpha Tristan was training me and he would win our sparring sessions all the time until one day I won."

I could sense him before he even spoke. "I would like to say I let her win but your Luna is one of the best fighters I've ever known." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "I should know. I did train her."

Elsa spoke up with a soft smile. "We know that. Is training over for us, Luna?"

I shook my head. "I was going to get you to watch those in wolf form and pick up on what they could improve. But…" I lifted my hand and slotted my fingers through Tristan's.

"You're going to spar again in front of me but one at a time so I can give you proper feedback." Tristan answered and squeezed my hand. They sounded delighted that they would get another chance to prove themselves and I smiled wider, knowing that no one's feelings had been hurt.

As they paired up again, I turned around to face my mate. I peered up at him as I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Aren't you meant to be studying?"

His deep blues eyes stared into mine as he cracked a small smile. "I've been working all morning. I'm on my break and I wanted to see you." He lowered his face into my neck and he inhaled against my skin deeply. The tip of his nose pressed against my pulse that began to race at his close proximity.

I slid my hands to the front of his body and gripped his jacket lightly as I smiled softly. "I'm never going to complain about that." He pulled back to smile at me. "I missed you."

His large hand cupped the side of my face and he pressed his lips to my cheek softly. "I missed you too, αγάπη μου. Come back to the gym once you're finished. I'll wait for you here."

I nodded and leaned up to give him a goodbye kiss. "Okay. See you later."

—————

After another successful training session in wolf form, I returned back to the gym. It was empty and I knew he had let the young pack members go too. He had taken off his jacket and he was bench pressing almost three times my body weight.

One thing Tristan consistently did was keep up his appearance. He kept fit and healthy and worked out five times a week. I always joined him on his runs especially because Greenland was a beautiful territory and finding hidden routes in wolf form was the best thing ever.

I pulled my jacket off and watched him work out. He was a sight for sore eyes and he smirked at me as he blew out a breath and pushed the weights upwards and back into its place.

"Come here, baby. Let me lift you."

I chuckled. "I'm definitely not the same as a weighted pole."

He stood up and lifted it so the bench was clear. "You hardly weigh anything to me and I've lifted you up so many times before." He laid back down on the bench. "Come on. It'll be fun."

I took a chance and approached him. I faced away from him and slowly leaned back before he lifted me by placing his hands on my back and t.h.i.g.hs. I kept my body straight and tried not to laugh as he began bench pressing me. I had to make sure I didn't move because like he said, I hardly weighed anything to him at all and he was certainly lifting me faster than he did his other weights.

"I think I'm getting a bit light-headed, Tristan." I smiled before he slowly lowered me onto my feet. I tried to turn around but he quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me onto his l.a.p.

I laughed as he spoke into the crook of my neck. "Not so fast." His lips curved upwards into a smile against my skin and I curved my hands around his forearms.

I placed my feet firm on the ground and leaned my head against his. We stayed still until I didn't feel lightheaded and I lifted a hand up to slide against his cheek. "That was surprisingly fun." His gaze met mine and like always, his smile was charming. I felt lightheaded again but for a completely different reason.

"Do you want to lift me?" he joked, grinning wolfishly.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "If you want me to show you affection, you don't have to ask." I leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss to his forehead before kissing his lips softly. In our relationship, affection came easy to us. It was far cry from the beginning of our relationship where we were hesitant to touch each other and I couldn't even admire him while he was awake.

The kiss was sweet and slow and when we pulled back, I unwrapped his arms from my body and stood up. In his eyes was clear longing and subconsciously, he leaned forward to seek another kiss. I noticed every single thing about Tristan and there was never a day where he didn't make me feel wanted and the most beautiful woman in the world.

To him, I was the face that could launch a thousand sh.i.p.s. Kara of the Underworld had a different ring to it.

"I can see the cogs turning in your head. What's on your mind, αγάπη?" he questioned, placing his palms on the bench on either side of his body. "Is it to do with what you mind-linked me about earlier?"

He jogged my memory. When the training group and I were making our way from the training field to the indoor gym, we had passed one of the graveyards in our territory. It wasn't the one Tristan's parents were buried in, the war graveyard, but it had reminded me about what I saw when I visited their graves with Tristan.

My half-brother's grave. His parents' death anniversary wasn't the day to ask about him and I would've forgotten all about it had it not been for earlier.

I bit my bottom lip softly. "I wanted to talk to you about something. But it's a really heavy question."

Tristan became serious and slowly sat up straight. "Okay. What is it?"

I didn't think I wanted to claim him as my family because I didn't know who he was as a person and whether or not he supported my biological father's actions. So I cautiously said his name. "How did you kill Niklaas?"

I took a seat next to him and gripped the side of the bench as I waited for him to answer. He sighed and turned his head to look at me.

"He died the day I challenged his father to a fight to the death. I didn't know him very well for obvious reasons but he acted like he knew me. Of course, it was the way his father saw me, and because of that, I was his number one enemy." Tristan wet his bottom lip and continued to speak. "Every night during the war, I would go out to find those who died—so I could bury them. I was the alpha at this point so I could feel every single death."

The atmosphere changed quickly and the air seemed heavy. I couldn't imagine feeling that kind of pain. Tristan and I were tethered to our pack in such a deep way that if any of them died, we would physically feel the connection sever.

"One night, I could feel someone dying and I rushed out with Christian to find them. He had only been my beta for three weeks and a half but he was ready to follow me anywhere and had my back. We found Jørgen almost dead and…Niklaas was standing over him. He had beaten Jørgen up, to the point that he was an inch from death just to lure me out. I quickly got Niklaas away from him and Christian helped him as I fought. I shifted to get the upper hand once I got fed up of going in circles, and went for the jugular. He fell back off the mountain before I could maim him but the fall was bad and he died when he hit the ground."

I didn't know whether I was a horrible person for not feeling anything as Tristan said that. The Carews had caused so much pain and turmoil, and even though I had the same blood flowing in my veins, I couldn't feel more disconnected from them. I hated them as much as Tristan did.

"How old was Niklaas?"

Tristan thought back to the war ten years ago. "He was about 16. Almost the same age you were."

I stared at the mat for a few moments as I took it in. Then, I glanced at Tristan who seemed to be in a more sullen mood. I slid my hand on top of his and he turned it over to link our fingers. We didn't say anything further and he lifted his other hand to c.a.r.e.s.s my cheek. He leaned over and slanted his lips over mine.

It was quiet in the gym and I kissed his emotions away. "I will always be on your side, in your corner, Tristan," I whispered against his lips in case he even thought of thinking that I felt some type of way about it all. "It's you. It is always you."

He smiled and kissed me again, for longer this time. It was comforting and he told a story that his words could tell but not quite do justice. His actions always seemed to tell me what he couldn't find the words to say.

No one had ever supported him the way I supported him. And for that, to him, it would always be me too.