Unwanted Fates | Book Two ✔️

Twenty | Practice

"Wakey, wakey."

Sylvie started awake, her bleary eyes slowly focusing on the grinning face of Rosie crouched at her side.

She looked around, expecting Kian, but he was nowhere in sight. A sharp jolt of panic hit when Rosie said. "He left when I got here. Said something about wards around the cabins."

Signing with relief, she sat and brushed the foliage from her hair. The ground wasn't the cleanest bed, and she had no idea how she slept so easily. For once, Sylvie felt refreshed. "What time is it?"

"Exactly nine-o-two. You told me not to wake you before nine, so...."

She paused, blinking innocently, and Sylvie laughed softly. "You're right. I did say that. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Come for breakfast?"

Her stomach rumbled in response, and Rosie chuckled. "C'mon. It's a picnic by the lake. Take what you want, and I'll find us somewhere to sit."

All the instructions made Sylvie's head spin as she stood and wobbled past the now-dying fire, the red embers crackling softly.

Along the border where forest dirt met lake sediment, a long table stood, covered in an array of breakfast items. A steaming pot filled with what smelled like rolled oats sat in the middle, surrounded by smaller bowls of fruit, while the outer edges had platers with mini sandwiches and assorted meats.

Sylvie grabbed a small paper plate and stacked it with fruits and sandwiches, smiling warmly at the nearby shifters and shuffled over to where Rosie sat.

"You aren't gonna eat?"

"No. I already ate. Most of us have, but Rowan said not to wake you."

Sylvie's face flushed with embarrassment. "You should've woken me. I don't want to stick out as some clueless intruder."

"You aren't. And besides, we could never go against a direct order from our Alpha. It's not in our nature; not good manners either, even for mates. 'A mated pair should show a unified front,' is what my mother used to say. No undermining of each other." 

With a rueful smile, she continued. "None of us would judge you anyhow. Except maybe Claudine." Rosies's voice lowered conspiratorially. "She always hoped Rowan would choose her to be his partner, and I think it was gonna happen, but Rowan found you, and the rest is history, right?"

Jealousy spiked in Sylvie's heart as she swallowed a grape. "Were they... a couple? Did they- you know-"

"Uh, no, I don't think they did. But they were close." Rosie flushed bright red and turned her body away. "Don't worry about her, though. She wouldn't do anything. I think."

Sylvie sighed and sat in silence as she ate. Not another woman to 'compete' with. She never wanted to be in this situation anyway, so maybe if she talked to Claudine, she wouldn't be stuck in another Lazuli situation.

Rosie stood and offered her hand as she finished up, pulling Sylvie to her feet. "Okay, what first? Do you want to do archery or hand-to-hand?"

"Shouldn't I change first?"

Rosie looked her up and down, sniffing lightly. "You smell nice- a little bit like lake water, but mostly nice."

Shrugging, Sylvie put her paper plate in the black rubbish bag beside the table and followed Rosie back towards the cabins. "Hand-to-hand combat could be a good start." 

Sylvie hadn't practised her Muay Thai skills since the Evergreen court and was itching to get back into it. She smiled at Rosie's excited nod and followed her past the main house down a parallel path that weaved for a few minutes, then opened into a patch of dirt.