“Did you sleep with her?” Roman’s voice slithered into my mind. Had he forgotten that Jane could also hear our mental conversations?
They both stared, waiting for the answer.
“Yes. But it was a long, long time ago. I was a young wolf without a mate.”
I could see the hurt in her eyes.
“Jane, please, she does not mean anything to me. She is only a part of my history.”
“And history tends to repeat itself,” she mumbled.
“Do you honestly believe that?” I asked, while holding her by the hips. “You are my mate and my child lives inside of you. I would sacrifice the world to be with you.”
“Landon…”
“Cynthia was nothing more than an attempt to scratch an itch. But you’re the missing piece that has finally made me whole.”
She rested her head on my chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so jealous. It’s just, the thought of you with someone else… I don’t know, it sort of ate me up inside.”
“I know.” I kissed the top of her head. “It’s only natural and I do not blame you for feeling that way, so long as you also come to realize that we are your lifelong mates and that we would never exchange your love for that of a different woman.”
She nodded.
“Good. Now, before we pay Cynthia a visit, there was something I wanted to do today.”
“Me?” She responded cheekily.
I laughed. “Yes. Always yes. But that wasn’t what I had in mind, surprisingly enough.”
“What then?”
“Roman has been teaching you the art of running and that is all well and good, because it’ll allow you to escape quite a few tricky situations but running isn’t always an option. Sometimes, when your back is up against a wall, all you can do is fight and I want you to be prepared when that moment comes. Because if we aren’t around then it will be your job to protect the baby.”
She gulped. “You mean, in case the enemy pack decides to attack us.”
“I do not want to scare you but it is within the realm of possibilities. We are doing our best to keep you protected but it is physically impossible for us to watch your wellbeing every minute of every day.” I paused to ensure that she was alright. Yes, there was a certain element of fear in her eyes but it hadn’t spilled over to her expression. “I would just feel more comfortable if you were capable of defending yourself.”
“Right,” she said, without a single ounce of hesitation. “If it means keeping the baby safe, then I am more than eager to learn.”
“Be careful,” was all that Roman said, before he walked away, leaving me in charge of her training.
“It is best if we take this outside,” I directed.
***
While Jane was fast, she wasn’t very coordinated.
“Whoa, there,” I eased her into my arms to prevent her from falling. “You need to be more careful about where you are placing your feet.”
“Tell me again why I have to fight in my human form? Aren’t I weaker this way?”
“Because we can’t go shifting into our wolf forms in the human world. The humans, on a general level, are not open-minded enough to accept the existence of our kind. And even if they did — they would answer with annihilation.”
“I think you’re being a little overdramatic —”
I interrupted her with a jab, catching her off guard. In an ideal situation, she would have been quick enough to block my attack but instead, she took the entire brunt of it and stumbled back, colliding with a nearby tree.
“Hey! That wasn’t fair!”