Pack, page 22
part #3 of Five Fangs Series
"My turn, now," said a voice I recognized. "I've met both of you before."
"Reuben Ford! Luna, he's Alpha Wyatt's gamma!" Thoreau crowed. "He bought me ice cream a couple of days ago!"
"Oh, that was so nice of him," I said.
"Yes, it was." Thoreau nodded his head rapidly. "His wolf, Larch, knows Spring. They gabbed like crazy while I ate my ice cream."
"It's good to see you again," I told Reuben, studying his face as I shook his hand.
He looked a lot healthier and happier than the last time I saw him, although I still saw shadows in his black eyes. He was just as scary as the others - tall and muscular with a bunch of tattoos, even one on his throat! - but Mom had trusted the guy to babysit Wesley and the heathens, and Tyler wouldn't have hung out with him if he were bad or mean.
That left the last gamma, who was easily the scariest. Even if I hadn't already learned the others' names, I would have known his just by the dead look in the aquamarine eyes that wouldn't meet mine.
And by the way Emerson tensed and Wyatt watched us.
"Landry Benson, Alpha Ash's gamma. My wolf's Oak," he said quickly and quietly, as if just wanting it over with.
I could relate to that.
He didn't hold out his hand. Neither did I, and I was sure we were both okay with that. I got the impression that he would respect me, and even obey me, as his luna, but that was all. He didn't like me, didn't want to like me, and had no intention of ever finding something about me to like.
Kill him with kindness, Lark advised.
Well, I didn't plan to be unkind to him, I said.
You kind to everyone. It your default setting.
Thank you, I told her, even though I knew she was laughing at me.
"It's nice to meet you, Landry. I appreciate you working with me today."
He nodded sharply once, and that was that.
"All right, Wyatt, shoo." I flapped my hand at him and pointed across the room to where Angelo was stretching. "Go do your thing so we can do ours."
"As you wish, cutie." He dropped a kiss on my cheek. "I'm right over there, okay? Say the word and I'll be here in a heartbeat."
"I know." I smiled up at him, gracing him with the dimples that he loved. "Thank you."
Pecking my lips, he swatted my bum, then ran away before I could retaliate.
Only cowards run away, I linked him with a scowl.
And wise men make tactical retreats, he replied, and I could hear his giggles all the way over here.
25: Self-Defense
Posy
"Luna, have a seat." Rio gestured to the edge of the thick mat.
I sat next to Thoreau with Emerson standing behind us, and the gammas arranged themselves on the mat, too.
"First, let's start with an explanation of why we react the way we do to threats." Adam sat criss-cross applesauce with his hands palm up on his knees. "Once your brain is triggered by a conditioned psychological fear, your body goes into flight-or-fight mode. It's very difficult to change your specific physiological reaction, since it's an automatic stress response."
Glancing at Thoreau, I knew he didn't understand anymore than I did what the gamma was talking about. Nick must have picked up our confusion because he rolled his eyes and cut Adam off.
"We ain't in a science class at school, dude," he laughed.
"What? I'm just explaining so they understand—"
"Understand? Do those blank faces look like they understand?"
Thoreau leaned closer to me.
"Is this what school is like?" he asked.
Making a face, I shrugged.
"Every time you got hurt in the past, your brain remembered it," Landry said, taking me by surprise. He didn't look at me at all, just kept his eyes on Thoreau. "When your brain thinks your body is going to get hurt like that again, it makes you react. Some people flee, or run away, and others fight. When you freeze, your brain can't decide which one to do and you're stuck."
"Nicely put, Lan," Reuben said. "With that being said, luna, Reau, we can show you how to flee and how to fight, but you still might freeze in a real situation. Hopefully, a lot of practice will help you not to, but nobody can predict how you'll react until you're in a bad situation."
"Makes sense," I agreed.
After weeks of my mates' love and support, I felt more confident than I ever had in my life. In the past, I froze every time Kendall Briggs beat me. Now, though, I hoped I was strong enough to do more than that. I didn't want to fight or hurt anyone, but I wanted to know how to keep myself safe.
"One thing we want you both to remember is that you need to do everything you can to protect yourself and get away," Rio chimed in next. "That means you have to overcome your fear of hurting the other person."
"That's going to be hard to do," I murmured, then bit my bottom lip.
"We'll only be practicing," he said with a little shrug, "not hurting each other for real. Now, sometimes, you might feel threatened even if there's no real danger, so we're going to start with some basics that don't involve physical contact. That way, if you misread the situation, you won't hurt yourself or the other person."
"All right," Thoreau and I said at the same time, which made us both giggle.
"But still, if you even feel uncomfortable, do something rather than nothing," Nick said. "Your gut instinct is usually right, and your wolf can sense if it's a real threat. Besides, being alive and safe is more important than having a red face because you were wrong and created drama for no reason."
"I don't have a wolf inside me," Thoreau told them with a pout, then turned to his big brother. "Bubba, can Spring come here? He might learn some things, too."
"They know you don't, honey," Emerson said, "and yes. I'll see if someone can drop him off."
Thoreau clapped his hands, and I smiled at his innocent happiness.
"Should we wait for Spring?" Adam asked, but Emerson shook his head.
"Okay, then," Nick started, "number one is be smart. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't let yourself get cornered. Know where the exits are. Stay around others instead of wandering off by yourself. And if you're uncomfortable, walk away or link one of the pack to join you."
I nodded. I did a lot of that already. Made sure I knew how to get out of a room and watched strange men's hands to make sure they didn't come flying toward my face.
"Number two is run," Rio said. "Try not to panic and run blindly, though. Head for a place where you know there will be people. Last thing you want is to end up trapped in an empty classroom. There's always someone in the main office, and the cafeteria is used as a study hall outside of breakfast and lunch."
"Finally, number three is scream," Reuben told us. "It startles your attacker, maybe even enough to scare him off. Plus, it lets everyone in the area know something's wrong. I know you both can link anyone, but screaming alerts humans, too, and most of them have good hearts and would help you."
"Can you remember those, Reau?" I asked him.
"Smart, run, scream."
"Good job!" I praised him.
"Give me head pats. Bubba gives me good job head pats."
"Oh, my bad." Biting back a smile, I reached up and patted his soft curls.
"Give me a good boy kiss, too."
"And who gives you those?" My brain was having trouble imagining Angelo or Leo pecking his forehead or cheek.
"I will let you be first." The way he blinked at me reminded me of Sid, Granite, and Topaz when they wanted belly rubs.
"If you do a good job until the end of the lessons, I'll give you a good boy kiss," I promised.
He jumped up and ran a lap around the entire center while the gammas chuckled at him and Emerson rolled his eyes. When he came back around, he plopped next to me, panting and red-cheeked.
"Now that good boy kisses have been sorted," Reuben smirked, "let's start with how to escape simple holds. I'll explain it, then act it out with one of the other gammas. After that, you can each try it. As I explain, I'm just going to say 'he' because statistics show males attack other people far more often than females, okay?"
"Okay," Thoreau said, and I nodded.
"So, first hold is a common one. If he grabs you by the wrist, don't try to jerk your arm back. That isn't ever going to work because your hand is bigger than the circle he's created around your wrist. You'll just pull him with you. What you do is turn your hand until your thumb lines up with his, then bend your elbow really fast at an angle. That works almost every time."
He had Rio stand in front of him and demonstrated what he'd just explained in super slow motion so we could see, then they repeated it at normal speed.
"Reau, do you want to try with me first?" Adam asked.
"Sure! Watch me, luna!" He leapt to his feet and met Adam in the middle of the mat. "You grab me or me grab you?"
"Whichever you want to try."
"Me grab you first, then the other way."
The two of them worked through the move a couple of times at slow speed and then twice more at normal speed. Thoreau's pretty stone-colored eyes widened each time it worked, making me chuckle. When they finished, they both sat down in their places again, but only after Thoreau had gone around and fist-bumped or high-fived all of the gammas and Emerson and I had patted the top of his head.
"Now, luna, who would you like to try this with?" Rio asked.
Swallowing hard, I pointed to Reuben only because he was more familiar to me than the others. I got to my feet and joined him on the mat, making sure to keep three feet between us.
"How about you try to grab and hold me first?" he offered with a kind smile.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and slowly reached out to wrap my fingers around his wrist. It was so thick, my index finger and thumb didn't meet.
"Now I'm going to rotate my hand. Watch," he said and lined up his thumb with mine. "I'm going to bend my elbow, and it's going to pull my wrist out of your grip. Try hard to hold on to me, okay?"
I nodded and squeezed as tightly as I could, but his wrist easily pulled out of the weak spot made by my not-touching fingers.
"See how easy it is? Are you okay to try it? If so, it means I'm going to hold your wrist in my hand."
My eyes flew up to his as my lungs started to strain.
"Or not." He held up both hands. "You don't have to. You can have one of your mates try it with you later. Or even Reau."
"I'll try it," I said despite my rising heart rate.
"You don't have to, luna," he assured me quietly.
How much about my past had my mates shared with the gammas? I knew they'd told the betas some of it, and I'd confided a bit in a few others - Mom, Mama, and Peri - but I wondered if these guys knew what my stepfather had done to me. Was that why they were being so careful around me?
My thoughts must have slipped into the mate bond because Wyatt linked me.
We only told them that you and Reau both came from abusive homes where you were locked up and away from everyone. They had to know, Posy, so they didn't say something dumb or trigger you accidentally.
I understand, I told him, and I did.
"I want to," I said. "I want to be brave."
"You sure?" Reuben gave me one last chance to say no.
"Yes. Just, um, please let me go if I ask you to," I said in a shaky voice, "and, ah, move slowly."
"Of course, luna."
You're strong. You're strong. You're strong, I chanted to myself.
Keeping my eyes on his, I raised my arm and held it out to him. I knew I was trembling and everyone could see it, but there was nothing I could do about it.
"I'm going to hold your wrist now," he said, and I liked how he told me what he was going to do before he did it.
I nodded to let him know it was okay. Watching him closely, I saw his much bigger, stronger hand inch toward mine until his long fingers carefully and gently curled around my wrist.
At the touch of his skin on mine, I whimpered almost soundlessly, just a breath of distress really, and felt everyone around me tense.
You're okay, cutie, Wyatt linked me immediately. He would never, ever hurt you.
Breathe, luna bunny, Emerson murmured. I'm right here, little sister.
"Luna, don't be scared!" Thoreau called out. "Gamma Rube is nice. He bought me ice cream!"
Despite my distress, a tiny giggle slipped out. I didn't know how Reuben buying Thoreau ice cream was supposed to make me not scared, but at least it eased some of my nerves.
"Are you ready to try to break free?" Reuben asked.
He kept his fingers loose around my wrist, so loose that I probably could just slip my hand out of the circle of his fingers without needing to do the move he was teaching us.
"Tighten your hold so I can practice properly," I said.
Nodding, he did, not enough to make me panic, but enough that I'd have to use the move to escape. Turning my hand like he had, I got our thumbs aligned, then bent my elbow and jerked my hand to the side and out of his hold.
"You did it!" he chirped with a grin.
"Yay, luna!" Thoreau cheered. "Do you want good job pats?"
"No, thanks. I'm good," I murmured, my cheeks hot. "Let's try again, Reuben, but faster, please."
We did and, although my heart and lungs were running a little harder than normal, I managed to break out of his grip at normal speed two times before I stepped back.
"I got it now. Thank you."
"You did great, luna," he praised me, and my face heated up again.
Nodding once, I went back and sat next to Thoreau, and it was like everyone in the room took a big breath for the first time since I stood up. Thoreau bundled me up in a hug, bouncing us up and down as he giggled with glee, and I smiled as he patted my head.
"I'm going to need to go drinking after this," Nick muttered and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead.
"You and me both," Rio said out of the side of his mouth.
After we explained to Thoreau that they weren't thirsty and didn't need him to go refill their water bottles, Nick got up and stood in the center of the mat.
"This next technique is for when you get grabbed from behind," he said. "You have three options. Punch or grab his balls, kick your heel into his knee, or grab his pinky finger and bend it the wrong way. That last one doesn't sound like much, but it's painful as hell and should distract him enough for you to scream and run."
I went through the three options in my head, picturing each one and wondering if I could manage any of them.
"Reau, want to go first again?" Nick asked.
"Yep-yep! Watch me, luna!"
I giggled, sensing that was going to be his line every time now.
Thoreau and Nick moved into position in front of us, and Nick slowly put his arms around Thoreau's upper body.
"Which do you want to try to target? Groin, knee—"
Gamma Nick's sudden yelp made me jump, and I couldn't understand why he was rolling around on the mat while Thoreau stood over him with a puzzled look.
"Did I do it wrong, Gamma Nick?"
Frowning, I looked at the other gammas. Reuben and Rio were smirking and Adam grimacing. Landry's face was as blank as it had been since I met him.
"Wait. What happened?" I asked.
"Reau! You have to pretend!" Emerson scolded. "You can't do it for real! You hurt him."
"Oh, I am so sorry!" Thoreau dropped to his knees next to the curled-up gamma and patted his head and shoulders fretfully. "Gamma Nick, are you okay? Do you need cuddles?"
"He needs an ice pack," Rio snickered.
"I will get one!" Thoreau hopped up and took off.
"Did Reau hit him in the—"
"Yep!" Reuben interrupted me with a laugh. "Just like Nick told him to."
"His wolf will heal him in a minute," Adam said with a wince, "but damn! He got him good."
When Thoreau came back with an ice pack, he helped Nick to the edge of the mat, but Nick shooed him away when he went to put the ice pack where he'd punched the gamma. For some reason, the moment made me think of Topaz, Granite, and Sid's obsession with each other's boy parts, and I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back a grin.
26: Surprise Attack
Posy
Rio was brave enough to volunteer to trying again with Thoreau, so the two squared up in the middle of the mat. This time, Thoreau was the attacker, and Rio demonstrated how to escape the hold, which was a little difficult because Thoreau was eight inches shorter than Rio.
"Okay, time to switch," Rio announced. "I'll grab you this time, Reau, but remember: Don't really hit me in the balls. I need them for later tonight."
"What are you doing with them later tonight?" Thoreau cocked his head to the side and blinked up at Rio.
Reuben burst out laughing, Adam's face turned pink, and even Landry smirked.
"Ask your housemate Leo what he does with his at night when he and Poppy go to bed. He can tell you all about it."
"Rio! He's only fifteen!" Emerson growled, and Rio jumped.
"Just kidding, Reau." Rio cleared his throat. "I think you're good with that attack, anyway. Try to kick my knee - just pretending, remember - or bend back my little finger."
"I will try both," Thoreau said with a nod. "I will pretend and not hurt you."
He was as good as his word and performed both escapes at slow speed, then normal speed. I clapped for him, then patted his head again when he came over to sit down again.
"Luna, your turn. Would you feel more comfortable trying this with Emerson?" Rio asked. "It's okay if you do. We understand. It's a much more vulnerable position, and you may want someone you trust more than five guys you just met."
"Show her how to block being picked up first," Landry grumbled before I could answer.
"Right! Good idea, Lan," he admitted. "Luna, because you're so small, a guy will most likely just grab you and take off. You have to stop him from getting you off your feet because once he has you over his shoulder, it's game over. There's no getting out of that for someone your size. Not on your own or unless you have a weapon."
