The dark-haired girl was wearing a dress similar to what she had been wearing before, as she walked into his room. It was a simple, rough cut, dress that came down to just above her knees. It was a soft blue, almost grey color that seemed to match her mood. She wore a scowl on her face and he knew that she was definitely upset about something. She was carrying a steaming bowl and a basket.
William slid the knife back into its sheath. He tucked the blade under the furs of his bed.
The girl placed the bowl down and dutifully set up the meal tray over Williams legs. William backed up to sit on the bed so the girl could work. She placed the steaming bowl in front of him. William looked at her dark brown eyes. “What is your name?”
The girl paused for a heart’s breathe and bent over to continue working. “I’m the daughter of an Elder.” She stopped and looked up at William. “My name’s Amanda.”
“That’s a very nice name.”
“Save it. I’m not some stupid girl that you can charm your way into my pants. I’m not looking for you or anyone else to sweep me off my feet. I’m not here to get to know you. I’m not here because I want to be, I was made to come here.” She sighed and finished placing William’s meal in front of him. She almost slammed the bowl down on the tray. The contents of the bowl sloshed around and came dangerously close to spilling over the side.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to say thank you.”
Amanda stood up and glared at him. “You can take your thanks and shove it. I don’t need your thanks or your pity, ok?” She whipped around and stormed out of William’s room.
What the hell did I ever do to you? “Thank you, Amanda, hope you feel better.” He muttered under his breath as he took a deep calming breath and focused on his meal. The soup was thicker than it had been before. It was more of a stew than a soup. The thick broth was filled with large chunks of meat and good vegetables. Green beans and carrots that were still crisp and the chunks of veal were tender and flavorful. He chewed slowly so as to savor the entire bowl. The bowl of food was gone all too quickly and soon the bread and butter from the basket was gone as well. He ate his chocolate dessert and cleaned up after himself. When everything was placed back into the basket, and he had folded the tray and put it back behind the dresser he walked around his room. It had been a long time since he had done any real exercise. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled.
He allowed his body to tip forward and fall toward the ground. He caught himself with his arms. In spite of that he almost slammed into the ground as his arms almost gave way under his weight. With some difficulty he managed to recover and began to do pushups. His arms pumped and his breathing became rhythmic with the motion of his body. He exhaled as his arms pressed his body up in the air. As he let his body fall, he inhaled. He continued this rhythm, not resting, till his arms gave out from under him, fifty-eight, not bad but nowhere near his best.
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He flipped himself over and began to do a hybrid crunch, sit up, exercise he had learned a long time ago. Soon after he started his abs were burning comfortably and he continued to work his stomach muscles. He crunched his body in on itself and worked those muscles that he hadn’t used in a while. When he couldn’t hold his proper form anymore, he stopped and rested. His body had developed a coat of sweat that would evaporate with the air. He had completed a count of eighty-five of the exercise, which was also ok. Again, he had been able to do more so he would need to work on those as well.
He walked over to the wall and slid down till his legs were at a perfect ninety-degree angle and he held himself up against the wall. He started his silent count. His legs protested almost immediately, and he wasn’t able to hold the exercise for long. He collapsed down on the floor after a count of eleven. His legs would need to be whipped back into shape. He stood up and began doing lunges. He was only able to do a handful before he was no longer able to support his weight.
He walked around his room getting some feeling and blood flow back into his legs. When he was ready, he spread his legs about shoulder width apart. He lowered his body till his legs bent at close to ninety-degree angles. He raised himself up and continued the exercise. He was able to do several more than he thought he would be able to but the strength in his legs gave out much too soon for him to be happy. He growled in frustration and stalked around the room. His legs were tired and unsteady as he made his way around the room. He couldn’t stay mad for very long and soon he was laughing at his own ineptitude.
For some reason William’s mind came to rest on Aceso and he sobered almost immediately. The thought of his alpha and the fact that he hadn’t been able to see her since they came to the werewolf city made him a little concerned for her. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. The Elders had said something about her serving out her punishment for taking him into Tasha’s forest. He wondered if she was alright.
He paced around the room. He found himself in front of the dresser and he pounded his fist down on the solid wooden top making a base drum sound.
“Whatever the dresser said I’m sure it didn’t mean it.”
He whipped around toward the sound of the voice. Standing in his open entryway was Jacob. The Elder wore a black turtleneck underneath a charcoal grey suit jacket. This outfit was much more casual than the suit he had worn when William first met him in the tower.
“What are you doing here, Elder?”
Jacob let himself into the room. He placed one hand into his pants pocket. “Well, I came to see how you were doing. Are you telling me you’ve had no other visitors besides me these past few days?”
William shook his head. “Well, Ares has, and he explained he was going to be my teacher. Is that right?”
Jacob considered the question. He nodded his head. “Yes, we have placed you under Ares’ care and he will instruct you in everything you need to know about being a shape shifter.” He paused and looked around the room. “Have you had the chance to meet anyone else?”