Stronger

Simon POV:

“He’ll go for your weaknesses, any area that he can find to squeak in he’ll use it,” I explained

to the alpha.

Grayson looked over the map of his land and evaluated where his weaknesses were, and to be honest from my point of view there were very few. With Towers in the front to protect him from where he didn’t have mountains guarding his sides. But the mountains were far enough

out there to be any true protection.

We agreed that he should put outposts out there and motion sensors with heat signatures. The issue was there was wildlife everywhere so I got put together a computer program that went through the photos captured and sorted out if any were humans.

He didn’t seem to appreciate the idea of leaving this to a computer. He was a very traditional man and that much was obvious. He didn’t want to leave this to chance. I tried explaining my programming wasn’t chance but he didn’t seem convinced.

I was surprised he’d asked me to assist him on this but when he explained that he wanted someone who had spent time with Marcus to help show his faults it was quite clever. I had to admit that I should have expected as much from Annette’s husband she was clever and I couldn’t imagine her to be with a dumb meathead.

It made me chuckle thinking of Marcus imagining he was in the same league as these two.

“Thank you for allowing me to help I know I’m probably a security risk to you,” I commented.

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Anna said that you were faltering in your loyalty from the start, that makes me trust you,” he explained.

I shuffled from side to side of course she knew from the start like I said she was clever, I still wanted to prove myself, show that I could help, how I could use my intelligence for more

than just evil.

We decided to put the outposts up around higher points so they had better vantage and we

installed the motion sensors.

you know you should try going to the gym nobody’s going to protect you when they’re all fighting for their lives,” Grayson told me one day.

The gym had never been a place I’d wanted to be, full of meatheads and mouth breathers.

Entirely different from myself, I had avoided it like the plague. What can I say? Grown–ups

still fear their childhood bullies and the place of all their torment.

“I I know things were run differently in your old pack, but here we lean on each other,” Matt

chimed in.

‘I don’t need help,” I scoffed and instantly regretted it trying not to insult my new pack

members

‘I could break you like a twig, you need a lot of help,” Matt laughed and even with only one

arm he could break me like a twig.

So little by little, I started training first just running. Apparently, it was a horrifying sight, Annette teased me but started running alongside me. The amount of protein these people ate did start filling me up and Grace Pl

ordered me not to touch vegetables until I gained

more weight.

Soon enough I was in the ring and I was learning moves. Grayson was right it was different here. We didn’t fall behind and here they helped you learn. I Admired them. I suppose this was the same way in the classroom.

Eventually, I found myself sitting with a group of rouges every day training with them, bulking up and the idea of entering the training house didn’t seem so daunting.

I still knew there were some people who didn’t want me around who didn’t trust me. I would look over my shoulder as I practiced my sparring and I’d catch her eye. Shaking her head at me. She still could break me like a twig.

I didn’t know what to do to try and gain her respect but I knew Elizabeth held an important position within the pack and life would be hard without her approval. I didn’t want my sister

to face any more repercussions because of me.

I tried to come up to her and say something nice, but she just walked away from me. Her eyes

lingered on me with that same evaluating expression.

I asked Annette what it would take and she simply stated that only time would put me in Elizabeth’s good graces. That Elizebeth didn’t that easily and due to past events she has grown even more uncertain of those around her.

I knew who her husband was the doctor we had been conversing with. He hadn’t liked how infatuated Hrqyyson was with Annette and didn’t trust it bring ruin upon their pack so he gave out some information to Marcus hoping it would take care of the problem. What he hadn’t expected was the continual partnership and to eventually die for his treason.

If I remember correctly Elizebeth watched her husband die. Poor woman. I decided to leave

well enough alone so long as she didn’t make it her mission to disrupt my life I would force her to be my acquaintance.

I was thankful Grayson had forced me to train it was only a matter of time before we found

ourselves on the battlefield again. I wouldn’t be spared this time. Marcus would raise this place to the ground in order to get Annette back. I had only been here so long, and the d only been here so long, and the thought of that lit a fire in me.

This place with its kind people, it’s hidden beauty in its small valley. I’d come to find it as home, and I wanted to protect it. So I trained and perfected the program to detect movement in the outskirts of our land. I helped Grayson and Matt shore up the defenses more and run

scenarios for attack.

I became a part of the community and was surprised at how little effort it took I was placed among those at the head table at the pavilion and people didn’t sneer at me, not openly

anyway.

4

We still had a lot to conquer, Deacon terrified me to my very core he was a man of precision and he would come for us. Grayson had drilled his warriors into fighting machines. We had doubled our resources when it came to weapons and ammunition and armor. But they never played the fair game. I still felt that uneasy feeling in my stomach like this could all go so quickly.

I felt dread thinking of it I didn’t want to see it happen, I wanted to protect this place. Even with what muscle I’d earned. to help them save this from the monsters that we had escaped. For myself and for my sister. Hopefully what we had done was enough.