We were all dripping sweat after thirty minutes, and all we had done was clear out the basement of those dusty boxes. My pulse was pounding in my ears, and I heaved some deep breaths as I paced in circles, waiting for my heart to slow.

“Alright ladies, nice work. Take ten and rehydrate,” Noah called out to the group of seven, including me.

It was a smaller group than I anticipated, and it worried me. How many of the wolves were then going to be leaving? I was waiting for the whispers to start, for fingers to be pointed in my direction, even though it had not technically been my idea. But I was the catalyst, and sometimes people needed someone to blame. And since the other option was to blame the Blood Moon pack, which no one would dare do, that left me.

“Holy shit,” Asa panted once she approached. She bent forward and braced her hands on her knees, taking gulping breaths.

“You need to stand straight and walk it off,” I encouraged her, not quite as breathless as I had been a minute ago. Asa did as I said, although she wasn’t happy about it. I could tell she was ready to collapse. “This was just the warm-up.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” she cursed, pushing back the strands from her tight braid that had come loose around her face. “Can I change my mind?”

I managed a weak chuckle. “Absolutely not! Don’t leave me here all by myself.”

“I’d much rather be learning how to wrap a wound with the other one right now,” she said.

“What?”

Asa just nodded. “Yeah, definitely preferable to this torture.”

Before I could ask her any questions, she wandered off to get some water. I stared after her, my brain trying to work through what she could have possibly been referring to.

I was so absorbed in my own head that I didn’t notice Noah approach me form behind until he spoke. “Not too shabby for such a group of misfits.” His voice was pitched low, so only I could hear. I visibly jumped in surprise, and he chuckled. “Seems like we need to work on some awareness skills, huh?”

I turned to face him. The bastard hadn’t even broken a sweat, even though he had carried just as many—if not more—boxes than the rest of us had managed.

“Why did Asa tell me she’d rather be learning how to bind wounds with ‘the other one’?” is all I asked. Noah’s eyes narrowed, just a little.

“Don’t you go telling me that you’d rather be doing the same when it was you who told me that you wanted to learn how to fight.”

I crossed my arms defiantly. I was still feeling very defensive, and a little bit offensive towards Noah. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since I blew up on him yesterday, and I wasn’t sure where he stood on things between us. “That’s not what I’m saying. All I’m wondering is why Asa would say that.”

“Because my brother is helping to train those who don’t want to fight how to do first aid.”

My brain was reeling at that information. “Whose idea was that?” I wondered.

“His.” Noah shrugged one shoulder. “He asked our father about it last night, and we all thought it a better idea than sending them away. Although that still is a choice, if any wolf wants it.”

“But now there’s a third option,” I clarified. Noah nodded. “How come I didn’t hear about it before now?”

“Can’t answer that for you.” Noah started walking away towards the water station. “There were sign-up sheets in the dining hall this morning.”

I was going to have to thank Jonah as soon as I saw him next. Not that I should care what the other wolves said about me, but it was much less likely that I’d get shit on for the situation now. It eased the anxiety that had slowly begun constricting my chest. I’d always been a people-pleaser. Well, for most of the wolves until most recently. Bryce and Adam could go to hell for all I cared.

Asa brought me a cup of water, which I took gratefully, taking small sips so I wouldn’t just throw it back up.

“I just have to say it,” Asa started, “that you’ll be lucky with either brother you end up with.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” I disagreed. Asa raised an eyebrow at me, and I sighed. I turned so my back faced the water station in the hopes that no one would be able to overhear me. “Fine. I sort of…let Noah have a piece of my mind yesterday. He was being a complete asshole about a…situation I asked for help with, and I didn’t like his solution.”

“What’d he do?” Asa’s dark brown eyes were wide, darting over to where Noah stood and back to me.

“I…he…” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. But I basically told him he was no better than Maddock and he needs to be better if he’s going to be alpha.”

“That…wow, Eliza. Everyone thinks he’s…”

“Some hot-shot wolf who’s going to help fix everything,” I finished for her.

“Well, yeah, basically.”

I turned my head, spotting Noah smiling down at one of the other wolves, who blushed in return. My fists clenched. Apparently he couldn’t even be bothered to give me a chance to really get to know him. But to be fair, I felt as if I knew him enough to write him off. If I had to make my decision today, I would pick Jonah.

That realization sent a shiver down my spine, the hair on my arms and the back of my neck standing up.

But our ten minutes respite was up, because Noah clapped twice, loudly, to get our attention.

“Alright ladies,” he announced to us. “Time to get back to work.”

A collective groan rose up. It was going to be a long morning.