Cristian hoped Michelle knew he would never betray her, but just the fact that he needed to worry about it was a problem.
Cristian was an Alpha, in charge of a pack, but he also had a duty to take care of his mate. After more than a decade together, Cristian wondered if he was taking Michelle for granted. When did that start?
Did his thoughtless actions cause more harm than a misunderstanding between Keith and Arya?
He needed to step up big time.
Cristian took Michelle's hand and lifted it to kiss the back of her palm.
He looked at the woman by his side who was always calm and gentle, enduring the storms with him and helping in any way she could. Michelle never complained, not when they were facing rogues, or shortage of money, or when they were dangerously close to appearing like he was favoring another female.
Cristian hoped Michelle will give him a chance to prove that his loyalty to her was unshaken, but first, he needed to deal with one thing.
"You want me to allow your mate to get scot-free?" Cristian asked Arya. "That's not how things work."
Cristian narrowed his eyes at Keith and moved his aching jaw left-right. "You attacked an Alpha. That can't go unpunished."
Keith lowered his head. He messed up, he knew he did, but thanks to that, Arya jumped into the fray, and things ended the way they did, and… he had no regrets.
"I will accept whatever punishment you think it's appropriate, Alpha Cristian," Keith said.
"I want you to train my warriors."
Keith looked at Cristian in confusion. "Is that it?"
"I can also throw you into a dungeon if you prefer, but if I do that, you will just eat my food. By training my warriors, I get something in return."
Keith blinked while wondering if it was that easy. "This should be discussed with my Alpha and Luna. I am my Luna's head guard, and I can't just leave."
"I'm sure we can agree on dates when my safety is not in danger," Talia said. "Alpha Cristian said that you need to train his warriors. There was no mention of a location or duration." She glanced at Damon. "What do you think?"
Damon rubbed his chin, pretending to be conflicted. "They could come to the Dark Howlers pack for lessons. The Spring Leaf pack won't suffer a loss if they send us units to train with our warriors under Keith's supervision. Our warriors could always use moving punching bags."
Cristian's eyes flashed in outrage. "Don't come crying when punching bags give your warriors a beating."
Damon stifled a laugh. "When hit hard enough, a bag will sway. It's not difficult to dodge that."
Cristian glared at Damon, and they got locked in an unreasonable staring contest.
Keith was not willing to stand there forever. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Thank you for your generosity, Alpha Cristian. I accept your punishment."
Cristian lifted his chin. "Generosity? If I hear you are slacking, I will throw you into the dungeon."
Keith bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from smiling. That was not a punishment. It was an acknowledgment of his ability as a warrior. Keith was happy it happened for Arya to see.
With the punishment formalities out of the way, Keith and Arya returned to her room.
Betty came with a doctor and one more nurse, and Keith stood on the side while they got busy around Arya.
They checked her vitals and removed bandages, putting fresh ones on a few spots that still didn't heal completely. She also got an ultrasound and an x-ray to confirm things on the inside were healing well.
Arya wanted to shower and tidy up, but the doctor told her to wait at least one more day.
"Your healing rate is close to miraculous," the doctor said. "Consider yourself lucky that you found your mate when you did, and that he was willing to spend time here so you can heal faster. However, considering the state you were brought in, we want to keep you here until we are sure there won't be any complications. At this rate, you can leave tomorrow if you promise to take it easy."
Arya didn't give up on the showering idea. She tugged Betty's arm to get closer and whispered, "My mate is right there. He will think I'm a stinker."
Betty stifled a laugh. "Let me see what I can do."
Keith ended up waiting in the hallway while Betty gave Arya a sponge bath.
Keith was glad that Damon, Talia, Cristian, and Michelle didn't come with them to the pack hospital, because their presence would make things uncomfortable. However, after the doctor and nurses left, Keith was alone in the room with Arya (and two other patients on the other side of the privacy curtain), unsure of what to do.
He observed her lying there, her skin covered in bruises that were fading, and his heart ached while thinking about how she got those.
Arya scooted to the edge and patted the bed on her right. "Will you join me?"
"Is that OK?"
She rolled her eyes. "Didn't you sleep beside me while I was out?"
Keith raised his hands defensively. "I did it only because nurses told me it will help with your healing." He was not a creep who sneaks into beds of unconscious women, alright?
Arya pointed at the bandage on her left forearm. "I am still hurt, and I need healing. Your proximity will speed up the process, so…" Arya's voice trailed, and her eyes darted to the space she freed for him.
Keith felt awkward about this, but he still moved to the bed and settled by her side.
He stared into her eyes while thinking how all this was sudden, contradictory, and he wondered if all mated couples go through this. Actually, mated couples just go with the flow and start copulating right away, which leads to marking, but considering their situation, that was not an option.
Could he just jump on her and go at it? It's not that Keith didn't have one-night stands, and he slept more than once with women he barely knew, but this was his mate. No matter how attracted he was to Arya, she was still a stranger, and Keith needed an icebreaker.
"Tell me about you."
"What do you want to know?"
Keith shrugged. "I heard you are a general."
"WAS a general," she corrected him.
"Tell me about it."
Arya told him how she started as a warrior and that thanks to Alpha Cristian backing her, people took her seriously. She spoke about the high-risk mission she completed without casualties that gave her the first chance to rise through the ranks and how she knew that people were looking down on her as a general because she was so young and a female. "If Alpha Cristian didn't stand up for me, it wouldn't happen, no matter how hard I worked or how good my results were…"
Keith felt a pang of jealousy whenever she mentioned Cristian's name, but the fact that she used his title made things a bit better. He could see that she was proud of her achievements, and she had every reason to be.
