Finding Shadow BOOK ONE
Chemistry

She could sense Shadow's eyes boring into her, but Isabella chose to ignore the pull. Something was happening as Camille escorted her through the training pack members, an awareness of sorts, and all of a sudden Mazlyn had joined her, looking through Isabella's eyes, as a feeling of excitement started to unfurl in the pit of her stomach.

When Camille finally stopped, it was in front of a huge ring, and a pretty Asian woman smiled at her as Camille introduced Isabella to the females leaning on the ropes.

Giselle was the Asian lady's name and Isabella quickly discovered that she was also a Beta wolf and the female wolf's trainer. Giselle was a gently spoken woman, with lovely olive skin and dark expressive eyes. Her calm demeanor instantly put Bella's wolf at ease.

The biggest surprise though, was when a fireball of blonde hair and tanned skin hurled herself over the ropes towards Isabella, grabbing her in a maniacal hug, screaming and gushing as she touched any part of Isabella's face that she could. When she had calmed herself down, Isabella learned that her surprise hugger was none other than Lucy Wheeler, the greased monkey bars prankster.

Another piece of the puzzle in Bella's mind clicked into place as she remembered Lucy's role in her childhood, how Shadow had managed to bring them closer, and eventually how Lucy had become her only female friend.

Lucy reluctantly disengaged herself when Camille came over and tapped her on the shoulder, motioning for Isabella to follow her to a small area cleared of grass, with a circle burnt into the ground.

"This is the close combat circle," Camille explained with a glee that seemed a bit misplaced given the situation, "I know you don't have much experience, so I thought we'd start off slowly, with an area that only allows for a small combination of moves, kind of like fighting in a tunnel I guess."

Isabella didn't miss the smirk flash across Camille's features, the first warning flags registering in her brain as Camille added, "Don't be afraid to throw some hard punches. I can take it; this is a chance to show me what you've got."

That sounded like a challenge, and as Isabella removed her t-shirt, stripping down to a crop top and shorts, before tying up her hair and taking off her shoes, she couldn't help but notice the glint in her friend's eyes as Camille took up a basic defensive stance, waiting for Isabella to enter the circle, which would signal the start to the match.

"What are you doing?" Shadow's Alpha voice screamed in her head, and Camille winced a little at the aggressiveness of it, but she wouldn't be deterred.

"Relax, Alpha, we will both stay in human form; Giselle has agreed to supervise, and Isabella asked to be trained this morning, or would you rather one of the other, inexperienced females, or perhaps one of the males train with her instead?"

Camille knew she had him when the jealous feeling transmitted itself through the mind link with Shadow quickly replying, "NO! You train her but be careful. She's still recovering."

If it were possible to send an eye roll through the mind, Camille would be doing that as she assured the worried Alpha she would be careful with his precious mate, crossing her fingers as she did.

Camille had waited far too long for this chance at humiliating Isabella and proving that she was a far more superior wolf, and not even Shadow would take that away from her today.

"Damn..."

Shadow felt his mouth water, and his shorts grow tighter as Bella stripped down to her training gear, "I am whipped, and I love it."

His delectable mate had a six-pack that most woman would never achieve. Her creamy lightly tanned skin covered a lean fighters body, with sexy curves and enough in the chest area to cup in his hands..as she lifted her arms to tie up her beautiful hair, Shadow's keen sight moved to her neck, where his father's parting gift stood out against the pale skin there.

In his eyes, it only made her more beautiful, she had the scars of a warrior now, letting everyone know just how fierce his little wolf was, and it wasn't only his shorts that swelled with pride.

As if a light bulb suddenly switched on in his mind, the Alpha noticed that the grounds had become unusually quiet. looking around him, Shadow felt a wave of fury threaten to overtake him. Every unmated male had tents in their shorts, jaws wide open, and they were staring at HIS MATE!

"Get your filthy minds out of the gutter and back to your training!"

Immediately the buzz of training started again, red faces apparent as they all bared their necks to their Alpha.

Satisfied, he turned his eyes back to the circle, where Isabella was just about to enter.

SMASH!

Isabella barely had time to enter the circle before Camille shifted from a defensive stance, quickly jabbing at Isabella's nose, causing her eyes to water. "Oops, sorry, did I hit a little too hard for you?" Camille said with a grin.

"Not at all." Isabella managed, trying to find a rhythm as the woman opposite her seemed to coil in on herself like a snake.

CRACK!

Isabella's ears rung as Camille connected with a roundhouse, shaking her brain and making her vision hazy for a second.

There was an angry growl from across the grounds, but knowing he would see her, Bella raised a hand, silently telling Shadow she would deal with this. Maybe training was different in Howling warriors than what she remembered from watching her father as a child.

A headache had begun to form in the back of Isabella's brain, and Mazlyn came forward again, looking through her eyes at the woman daring to challenge her.

Camille could see when Isabella's wolf came out to play, her lavender eyes turned a deep purple, almost black, as a growl of displeasure left her lips. 'Come on, sister wolf' she taunted 'come at me then.'

The headache intensified, and as Isabella circled her opponent within the tight confines of the boundary, a buzzing sound started to override her other senses OOF!!

A punch to the gut followed by another hit to the head came next, almost knocking Isabella out of the circle, and Camille laughed, "Come on, Izzy, surely you can remember some basic training? Our Omega's are better than you are, and you call yourself a Beta?"

By now, some of the other wolves had stopped what they were doing, sensing that something more than training was going down in the circle. Their Beta was taunting the smaller female, but still within the circle rules, so Giselle couldn't intervene.

Again Shadow made a signal to end things, and again Isabella raised her hands, stopping him.

A small trickle of blood made its way from her nose down to her lips, dripping from the cut Camille made with her opening punch, but Isabella wasn't worried.

Something was happening to her.

Thinking victory was within her grasp, Camille launched herself, intending to kick Bella's chin, forcing her head to snap back, but was met with thin air instead and hit the ground hard.

Spinning around, Camille was rewarded with two-finger gouging at her eye cavities. Screaming wildly, she struck out with her fists, only to be blocked and counterattacked again, this time with a harsh boot to the kneecaps, sending Camille to the ground.

Livid with fury at the turn of events, the pack Beta forced herself to her feet once more. Her vision was affected by Isabella's intrusive fingers, but Bella was moving like a well-oiled machine, leaping into the air and placing a well-timed knee to Camille's temple, hearing a satisfying cracking sound like a reward for her efforts. Camille managed to release the catch on a hidden dagger she always kept on her person and thought to lunge at her younger sister, intending to puncture her stomach with the small blade, and it may have turned things in her favor, if at the last minute when she had already committed, a freak gust of wind hadn't knocked her off balance, instead, as 'fate' would have it, she barrelled straight into Isabella's hard right hook, knocking her out cold.

Isabella heard the roar of the pack as Lucy ran over to her, exclaiming, "Oh my goddess Izzy, how'd you learn to fight like that!?" And soon she was swamped with praise from well-intentioned wolves. There was only one face she wanted to see right now though, and as Camille was carried off, still unconscious, to be checked by Doc Packard, and the crowd began to thin, there he stood.

Isabella walked slowly up to where he was waiting, watching as Shadow mentally checked her for injuries. When he was satisfied, he blessed her with his cheeky little grin, "Not so helpless after all."

He teased, but Isabella didn't respond. Instead, she closed the distance, hearing his deep intake of breath as she placed her hands on his cheeks, relishing the tingles coursing through her.

With a trembling smile, she searched his eyes, and then she asked,

"Can I keep you?"

Before touching her lips to his, and with a muffled groan Shadow crushed her to him, deepening the kiss, as his heart beat to the rhythm of the mate bond coiling around them. As Camille was lifted past him, hidden by his spell, Valenar conjured another gust of wind, blowing more dirt into her face, and smiled as he watched the soul mates reconnect.

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