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Hardin's eyes are guilty as he stands from his desk. "Kali, about earlier-"

"Dom's here." I blankly state, cutting him off before he can bother to give me a bunch of words to ease his guilt, while refusing to let me in.

"Kali." Hardin's tone is soft, he stares at me like it's paining him to have this wedge between us. A wedge he put in place.

"I have to help Jackson train, I'll see you at dinner." I tell him, sighing quietly.

Without waiting for a response, I head out of his office and leave Dom to go inside. Given Hardin's recent attitude towards rogues, and danger, and being on a overprotective-high, I doubt that he'll be happy about Dom's concern.

Entering the training room, I pull my hoodie off and toss it on the bench, my shoes following quickly along with my socks.

"I do love a good show." Jackson whistles from across the room, half leaning on his bō.

"Tell me that when you're begging me for mercy." I retort with a chuckle, snatching my bō from the wall and walking into the centre of the training mats.

"Talk a lot of game." Jackson says, joining me confidently.

I shrug my shoulder, spinning the bō effortlessly around my hand so fast that it becomes a blur, I begin to circle Jackson.

"Hit me." I state calmly.

Jackson raises his eyebrow. "What?"

"You heard me." I tell him.

"I'm not going to hit you-"

"Then you're wasting my time, Jackson. If you want to learn, you need to trust that I know what I'm doing." My tone is sharp.

"I do, I just don't want to hurt you." Jackson's voice is low with concern.

Part of me finds it amusing, that he actually believes he's advanced enough to harm me in any way. I try not to let it show.

"If Hardin was training you instead of me, you wouldn't be worrying about that." I couldn't help but scoff. Why is everyone treating me differently?

"I'm not denying your claim as Alpha in the slightest, and I'm not saying I'd even manage to hurt you, but as my friend I'm allowed to not want to cause you harm." Jackson gives me a pointed stare.

For a moment I find myself silent, considering that perhaps he's right, and perhaps I'm a little quick to judge his reasons.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jackson offers softly.

I shake my head a little, and lightly smack my bō against Jackson's. He flinched a little in surprise, rubbing his chest dramatically where his bō had hit him.

"Alright, I get you." Jackson smirks with newfound confidence, adjusting his posture slightly.

"Right hand, balance it the hollow of your right foot." I tell Jackson, showing him where to place the staff against his foot.

"Now open your hand, stare down your opponent and you're going to kick the bō up." I move slowly so he understands completely.

"Step forwards, I'm going to take the bō stance so leg forwards, back leg straight and block." I explain as I show him the move.

Jackson is quick to copy, eager to learn.

"Good, this time I'll be offence." I tell him, stepping back.

We take our previous stance, and I make sure his posture is correct before running through the single move again. Jackson is a little fast to step, leading to a falter in movement.

"We're just going slow, don't worry about me hitting you." I muse, returning to my previous position.

Jackson nods, and we repeat the move again, over and over until he perfects the step and block. Then we move on to the next part, repeating the first step before teaching him the second.

"Block up, and block down." I teach.

"Then we're both going to rock back for power, and hit together-" We move slowly as I talk, our staffs clashing lightly mid air as we step forwards again.

"Bam, right in the middle, right here. That's good placement." I praise, noticing his hands are facing down in staff grip.

"Now, I'm the aggressor, you're the defender. So once we hit, I'm going to lean back and thrust, you're going to step all the way back in cat stance and block inside." I tell him.

"Right leg forward, right hand low." I say, ensuring his placement is good before continuing.

Again, we repeat from the beginning, kicking up our staffs, catching them and as I advance, Jackson blocks. High and low, before we step away from each other to gain the space for power, and moving back in as we swing. Our bō's clash mid air, and as taught I lean back and bring my staff thrusting up towards him, Jackson takes a large step back quickly, just about managing to block me.

"You'll do a spin and retreat. So left hand, other hand across the chest." I show him what I mean as I talk, placing my left arm over my chest and keeping my palm straight, almost like it's in line with the staff.

"Pinky up, under and turn, pinky up." I slowly spin move the bō as I teach him, showing him as best as I can.

Jackson copies me, slowly turning his staff and bringing it under his arm, up and over, turning it slowly and bringing it under and up.

"Pinky up, it's kind of like number eight." I say, using my hand to help guide his own, bringing his arm further out and the staff a little higher.

"That's it...good, pinky up." I praise, smiling a little as he goes a little faster.

"Ok, from the beginning." I order.

*

By the time Jackson and I leave the training room, it's past dinner, and Jackson is as sweaty as a pig.

"Do you know a lot of Kung fu?" Jackson wonders curiously as we walk down the hallway.

"No, the Elders had this guy train me twice a week, to help me find balance within." I admit.

As expected, Jackson immediately chuckles. "Isn't that what therapy is for?"

"It's different, therapy helps me pick apart my emotions and thoughts, Kung fu helps me balance them." I explain, giving him a shoulder shove as I grin.

"Have you been doing much of it since you got back?" Jackson asks me, almost like he's worried. Is everyone in this pack just waiting for me to snap again?

"Not as much as I should." I admit with a heavy sigh.

"Because you're training me?" He wonders.

"No, I've just been distracted with other things." I assure him with a smile.

"Maybe you should consider putting yourself first, that's what helped you before." Jackson wraps his sweaty arm over my shoulders, half leaning his body on me.

"You sound like my therapist." I muse.

"Doctor Jackson." He draws a line in the air with his hand, sighing wistfully.

"So hot man." I imitate a guys voice, puffing my chest out to look the part.

He snorts with laughter, shoving me away from him as we chuckle. Mimicking each other like children, we head to the kitchen for food, still pushing each other and laughing.

"Who's the beauty Queen?" Jackson whispers in my ear, sniggering as he grabs water from the fridge I've currently got my head stuck inside.

"Who?" I frown, confused as to what he's talking about.

As I turn my head, I see a hand gently grabbing a male bicep, a very familiar bicep. In a split second of pure aggression, my vision turns red. Forgetting entirely about the fridge, I sweep Jackson aside, along with any other wolf standing in my way as I storm across the kitchen.

"Hi! We've met, your name is Katy, right?" The girl immediately beams a smile, her hand no longer touching Hardin.

I'm not crazy, she was grabbing his bicep. Right?

"Wrong." My tone is as icy as my blood red glare.

"Kali, she's our guest." Hardin tells me in that tone that says I don't have a say.

Is he fucking serious right now?

"Your guest." I correct menacingly.

The fact that he's invited her here, into our home, without even mentioning it to me is beyond infuriating. Like I need, or even want to play second to some high maintenance ex, that so clearly still has a thing for MY mate.

"I'll just give you both a minute." Lorelei's voice is soft, her eyes never leaving Hardin until she turns away.

I glare darkly at her back, the urge to sink my claws into that perfect flesh almost overwhelming.

"I know how it looks-"

"Then why is she still here?" I seethe through gritted teeth, turning my anger on him.

Hardin's grey eyes grow dark, his towering form making me feel small. I hated that he's fine with having her around, more so because I know how she feels about him still.

"Her father sent her to help train the wolves, she knows how to fight even if she's never been in battle." Hardin responds in a hushed voice.

How can he be so calm?

My eyebrows shoot up, and I felt my skin burn. "She is not training any wolves, Hardin-"

"Lorelei learnt everything from her father, she has knowledge and technique that we could use." Hardin cuts me off, disapproving of my demand.

"First you treat me like a Luna, which is humiliating enough. And now you bring in a woman that you used to have feelings for, and you expect me to sit back and let it happen?" I hiss, my temper flaring.

"I wasn't expecting her for a few days, I was going to tell you." Is all he has to say.

I felt his anger towards me, towards my attitude. That hurt me more, because he actually wants her here, and my opinion doesn't matter to him.

"Don't come to bed tonight." I state sharply, meaning every word.

Hardin's grey eyes widen slightly in surprise, before narrowing into slits.

"Don't tell me what to do." He warns angrily.

I step closer, toe to toe as I strain my neck looking up at him. My expression menacingly, and unyielding.

"What are you going to do?" I challenge icily, my wolf snarling right along with me.