Chapter 6
2138 Words
Chapter 6
“Aww! You had the Luna’s sandwich for lunch?” Poseidon groaned, his voice heavy with pure envy.
The moment he had walked through the front door from work carrying takeout for dinner, Candy had wasted absolutely no time. She immediately gloated about getting to enjoy Allie’s infamous creation earlier that afternoon.
“We all did,” Candy smiled menacingly, thoroughly enjoying his misery.
Poseidon paused, setting the takeout bags on the counter. “Who’s we?”
“Arden, Sarah, me, and the Beta,” Candy replied, counting them off on her fingers.
“Damn, y'all are so lucky!”
“Oh, what are you talking about? It’s not like you went hungry today,” Candy retorted, leaning against the counter and tilting her head as she took a deep breath. “I can literally smell the chicken sandwich, fries, and chocolate cake you had for lunch.”
Poseidon stared at her, completely baffled. He was still in absolute awe of his mate’s supernatural ability to decipher exactly what he had eaten, even hours after the fact. “How do you even do that?”
“It's a specialized skill I’ve developed over the years,” Candy responded proudly, tapping the side of her nose. “Trust me, my parents could never hide a single snack from me growing up.”
“Duly noted, baby. Note to self: never attempt to hide food or lie about what I’ve eaten,” Poseidon said, holding up his hands in surrender as Candy gave him a playful wink. He smiled, pulling her close. “So, what else did you do today?”
“Worked, ate a legendary lunch, and mingled with Sarah and Arden for a bit,” Candy recounted, leaning back against his chest. “Then I went back to work to finish out the day, came home, and immediately took a shower because, fun fact, I got puked on by one of the kids. After that, I just read a book until you got home.”
“You got puked on?” Poseidon wrinkled his nose, a look of comical distaste crossing his features.
“Yeah.”
“Gross.”
“Yup,” Candy popped the 'p', entirely unfazed. “Occupational hazard.”
Poseidon chuckled, shifting the conversation as he began unpacking the dinner containers. “So, what did you ladies talk about during lunch?”
“Not much. But apparently, Arden is capable of using her inner fire to give heat therapy massages.”
Poseidon paused, a container of food halfway to the counter. “She can?”
“Yeah. She gave one to Sarah earlier today to help ease some of that residual pain she’s still dealing with. According to Sarah, it worked absolute wonders.”
“Nice,” Poseidon smiled, genuine relief for Sarah in his eyes. He looked back at Candy, tilting his head. “Why didn’t you get one? Lord knows you work hard enough.”
“Because I don’t need one,” Candy said, leaning against the counter and looking up at him. “I’m a werewolf, Percy. I heal fast, and my muscles bounce back on their own just like yours. Sarah’s human; she doesn't have that luxury. I’m not going to crowd around and rain on Sarah’s parade just because our new friend can do something extraordinary.”
Poseidon set the last container of food down on the counter before turning and pulling Candy gently into his arms, wrapping his hands securely around her waist. "Why are you so perfect?" he asked, looking down at her with genuine adoration.
"I'm not," Candy murmured, a soft smile playing on her lips as she rested her hands against his chest.
"You are," Poseidon insisted softly, kissing the top of her head. "Anyone else would have instantly jumped in line for one of those massages, despite being able to heal rapidly. But you... You're just not like that. You're selfless, Candy. You think about the people you love in a way most people don't."
“That doesn’t make me perfect, Percy. That makes me considerate,” Candy smiled, melting into his embrace and leaning her forehead against his chest.
“Maybe,” Poseidon murmured, resting his chin on her head and tightening his arms around her just a little bit more. “But true consideration is a trait a lot of people seem to lack these days. To me, it makes you perfect.”
“Okay, Mr. Sappy Pants, let’s eat,” Candy chuckled, looking up at him and giving him her best, most persuasive puppy-dog eyes.
“Yes, my love,” Poseidon replied with a laugh. He pressed a quick kiss to her nose before moving over to the cabinets to grab plates so they could share their meal.
After dinner, Poseidon headed upstairs to shower and change into a comfortable pair of black sweatpants. He joined Candy back down on the couch, where they spent the rest of the evening unwinding in front of a movie.
As the night wore on, Candy’s eyelids grew heavy, and she eventually drifted off to sleep, curled up while holding onto Poseidon’s leg—her absolute favorite napping spot. Poseidon didn’t have the heart to wake her or disturb her comfort, even when the clock ticked well past one in the morning. Deciding the bed could wait, he leaned back against the cushions, pulled a blanket over them both, and let himself fall asleep on the couch for the remainder of the night.
The next day proceeded as usual. Poseidon and Candy headed down to the training grounds for the pack's morning session, but they were pleasantly surprised to find Arden standing alongside Warlord at the edge of the field.
“Hey! You’re joining us today?” Candy asked excitedly, jogging up to them.
“She’s just scoping things out first,” Warlord replied on Arden’s behalf, his tone protective but firm. “She wants to start training, but after seeing what the guards put her through back at the Fairy Kingdom, I told her she might not be able to keep up with our pace just yet. She’s going to watch today, get the lay of the land, and see what she's getting into before committing to anything.”
“He thinks I’m fragile,” Arden whispered loudly, throwing a playful wink at Candy that made the other woman chuckle.
Warlord turned to Arden, a look of utmost, genuine concern for her well-being softening his sharp features. “I’m just looking out for you, babe. I can’t have you fainting from sheer exhaustion on your very first day, or running for the hills the second you see just how grueling the pack’s training program can get.”
“I think I’ll be alright,” Arden retorted, crossing her arms with a confident tilt of her chin.
“Actually, Arden, he’s right,” Candy countered, stepping in to defend Warlord.
Arden gaped at her new friend in complete shock, betrayed by her fellow woman. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on the side of reality,” Candy chuckled, though her expression turned serious. “Look, I’m a wolf, and I naturally have incredible stamina because my old pack trained relentlessly. But when I did the morning training here for the first time? I was completely bedridden for a whole day before my wolf could even begin to heal the muscle tears.”
Arden furrowed her brows in confusion. “Why? I thought you guys healed almost instantly?”
“Sure, we do—as long as our wolves aren’t completely depleted of energy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our animals train just as hard as our human bodies do,” Candy explained, shaking her head and visibly shuddering at the memory. “On my first day, my wolf nearly passed out from exhaustion during the pack run.”
“Run? What run?” Arden’s head snapped toward Warlord, her eyes narrowing. “You didn’t say anything about a run!”
“Yes, I did,” Warlord responded smoothly, entirely unfazed by her glare.
“You told me there was a run in human form, not an animal sprint through the desert!” Arden shot back, gesturing wildly.
“Well, I don’t think the wolf run would even apply to you, Arden. You’re not a werewolf,” Poseidon chimed in reasonably, offering a reassuring smile as he stepped up beside Candy.
“How long is the run?” Arden asked, trying desperately to maintain a shred of her previous confidence, but a sudden crack of weariness in her voice completely betrayed her.
“Ten miles,” Candy answered casually.
Arden’s eyes widened in sheer horror. “Ten... Ten miles?!”
“Yeah. Five miles in human form, and then immediately shifting into wolf form to sprint the remaining five,” Poseidon broke down the breakdown.
“I have to sprint ten miles?” Arden gasped, clutching her chest.
“Well, no. In human form, it’s mostly just a steady, disciplined jog—though, if you really wanted to sprint it, nobody is going to stop you,” Poseidon chuckled. “The wolf half of the run is a full sprint, though, because it's designed to push our wolves' stamina to the absolute limit.”
“And that’s not even the best part,” Candy interjected, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
Arden looked between them, terrified. “There’s more?”
“The ten-mile run comes after three intense rounds of sparring,” Poseidon explained, his tone teasing but entirely serious. “Which happens after the actual strength conditioning workout, which, of course, comes right after the morning warmup.”
Arden looked at Warlord, hoping that he would tell her that they were joking, but his expression told her otherwise. She blinked rapidly in horror, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.
“ATTENTION!” Lucas’s booming voice cut through the chatter across the training grounds, signaling that the morning training was officially in session. “Good morning, everyone!”
“Good morning, Lucas!” the pack echoed back in a unified, disciplined shout.
“Before we get started on today’s routine, I have a few quick announcements,” Lucas said, scanning the crowd. “First and foremost, let’s give Sam a warm round of applause and welcome her back to morning training!”
He pointed toward Sam, who was standing confidently in the ranks. While a chorus of polite cheers and clapping erupted, Arden couldn't help but notice a strange shift in energy. A collective wave of dread seemed to wash over the crowd, and several wolves visibly hung their heads in despair. Sam, entirely aware of the reaction, crossed her arms and flashed a smug, knowing grin.
Arden leaned in closer to Candy, whispering under her breath. “Why is everyone looking like they’re heading to an execution?”
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” Candy whispered back, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
“Secondly,” Lucas continued, drawing everyone's attention back to the front. “I’d like to welcome our newest pack member to her very first morning session. Arden, show everyone where you are.”
Lucas instructed with an encouraging nod. Arden raised her hand high, and the pack offered her a genuine, enthusiastic round of applause.
“Now, since it is your first day, Arden, we absolutely do not expect you to finish everything on time or at full intensity,” Lucas added, his tone supportive. “For now, just do whatever you can manage. We’ll make whatever modifications you need until your stamina builds up and you're able to keep up with the rest of the pack. Sound good?”
Arden let out a small breath of relief and nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Alright! Warm-up! Let’s go!” Lucas shouted, clapping his hands together. Instantly, everyone spread out across the sprawling desert field behind the packhouse and got right to work.
“Come on, Arden, we can do the warm-up together,” Candy offered with an encouraging smile, steering Arden toward a slightly quieter corner of the field away from the center of the crowd.
Arden braced herself. “Alright, what exactly is it?”
“Fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups, one hundred high knees, and a hundred squats.”
Arden blinked, momentarily surprised. “That’s it?”
“That’s just the warm-up, Arden,” Candy warned, dropping down into her first set of push-ups with flawless form. “Just wait until the actual training begins. By the end of the morning, you’ll be wishing the warm-up was all you had to do today.”
Arden let out a heavy sigh of resignation, shaking out her arms before joining her new friend on the ground to begin.
- Writer
