Chapter 171: Challenge Accepted

"One of the highest. You are forgetting the medics and the elders and the traders and..."

"We get your point, Cat." Dren said with an eyeroll.

Sophia tried not to smile. "So you want me to ask Orion, to teach you all just so you can pass this test?"

Dren clasped his hands together dramatically. "Exactly! You understand us."

Sophia snorted, unable to stop the laugh that bubbled out. "I do but there’s only one issue."

"What is it?"

"None of you have even asked Orion to teach you guys so your are going to have to ask him yourselves." She told them.

There was a collective gasp. "Ask him?!"

Sophia tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Yes. Ask him. You’ve got mouths, don’t you?"

One of the boys hissed under his breath, "You say that like it’s easy."

"But it is. And the issue here is that you guys are scared he will reject you when you haven’t even tried." She said.

"Sophia...we can’t ask him." Dren hissed out.

"Of course you can. You just walk up to him and ask him."

"Ask who what?" Orion asked as he approached them.

The group froze with wide eyes like they had just been caught stealing.

Sophia turned and there he was. Orion stood a few feet away beside Garron, the instructor, who towered like a carved oak tree. Both men wore the same look: curiosity mixed with mild suspicion.

Sophia blinked. "Oh, perfect timing."

Orion arched a brow. "For what?"

"They have something to ask you." She said gesturing towrds the group of trainees.

Immediately she said it, all the trainees shook their heads violently.

"I don’t," Dren said quickly.

"Me neither," said another.

"I was just stretching," someone added unconvincingly.

Orion released an irritated sound as a frown took over his face.

"Don’t lie to me." He growled out.

He sounded irritated as he flexes his arms and discreetly rubbed at his ears. She knew he hated lies but this was an extreme behavior right?

The trainees looked down at their feet as he spoke.

"Sorry," they muttered out.

He shook his head then released a sigh. "What did you guys want to ask me?" He asked them softly, the harsh voice gone like it wasn’t there in the first place.

The trainees were quiet.

"Come on, ask." Sophia told them tilting her head towards Orion.

The other trainees who had come for their run now gathered around, interested in what was going on.

But Dren and his group remained quiet.

Sophia raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward them. "Don’t be shy. You were all so chatty a minute ago."

Still nothing.

Finally, she sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. They want you to train them."

That broke the silence like thunder.

"What?!" Dren yelped. "No, no..."

Orion glared at him and he stopped talking.

"Is what she’s saying the truth?" Orion asked them.

The group nodded hesitantly, shoulders shrinking under his gaze.

Orion sighed. "You all have Garron. He’s the best instructor you could ever ask for so why ask to train with me?"

"Because you are the best fighter in the pack." Cat called out.

"I don’t know who started to coin this term and name me the best fighter. There are other remarkable fighters and warriors in the pack. We have Daniel..."

"...he taught last year and even the year before that." Garron supplied.

"What about Caspian?" Orion asked him.

"He’s not as strong as he used to be especially with his bad back." Garron supplied.

"Mary..."

"She teaches when she has the chance but she’s busy with smithing." Garron supplied.

"Gregory..."

"Also teaches when he has the chance to do so but has more work since he’s taken over for Brynhild and he’s not in the compound right now."

"Tobias..."

"Is only good with a bow and arrow and is hardly at the pack compound."

"Ronan..."

"Is hardly serious when he’s training them."

Orion’s lips twitched as Sophia’s did also. It seemed Garron had a reply for each person Orion named and it seemed he took wanted Orion to teach the trainees but Orion wasn’t giving up.

"How about we just call back Daniel then? And Tobias is in the pack right now." Orion told him.

"Orion, you are the only fighter who is yet to teach these trainees." Garron countered, his tone teasing but respectful. "The trainees have their placement test coming up. Normally, Brynhild would be helping with their final drills, but she’s on bed rest. They need to learn from someone notable too." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

As if sensing opportunity, the trainees seized their moment.

"Please, alpha Orion!" one of them blurted. "Even just for half a day!"

"An hour!" another begged. "We just want to learn from you!"

A third chimed in desperately, "If it’s even just one move you show us."

"Please." The trainees begged.

Orion stared at them, his patience visibly thinning as they slowly began to close in around him like excited pups.

He wasn’t annoyed they were asking him. He was more annoyed because he had imagined this would be just him and Sophia. Why didn’t they ask him a while before? Why now?

He was already having a field imagination with the things he was going to do to Sophia when they started training. And now, these ones spoiled his plans.

He spared a look at Sophia who smiled wickedly like she could read his mind. It was like she already knew that he had plans for when it would be just the two of them.

Her gaze held a challenge. As if daring him. It was like she was asking him to take on the challenge. To see if he would be able to control himself even while training these ones.

And he wasn’t one to back out of a challenge. He was going to show Sophia that he could train them all and also perhaps keep his hands to himself...perhaps.

Challenge accepted.

He smirked at her. She really had no idea what she was signing up for.