MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

45. VALERIA: TRAINING THE KIDS

"I need all of you to pay attention," I called as I clapped my hands.

Devon had ordered all the children to be escorted to the square. Parents and caretakers lingered close by. I ignored the glares and looks of distaste coming from a few of them. They weren't happy to be here with a woman they refused to accept as their Alpha Female. They didn't want me anywhere near their children. If it didn't concern the safety of the children, I wouldn't have been so adamant about this.

The children continued to chat with each other despite me trying to catch their attention. I sighed and glanced around. Devon and David were in a meeting. I knew that if I had asked, they both would be here with me, but I needed to do this on my own. Wrin stood off to the side along with another man I've never met before.

I raised my hand and placed my forefinger and thumb into my mouth and whistled. I winced along with them. It hurt my ears but it worked because they instantly fell silent. All attention was focused on me. I slowly blew out a breath and took a step forward.

"Listen up," I called. "I need you to work with me please."

"We don't want our children involved in this war," someone called out. "We don't want them to learn how to fight."

"It's not about what you want," I yelled over the rise of voices. "It's about what your children want. It's about their safety." I waited until everybody fell silent. "If you're not interested in learning to fight then you can leave."

I waited for them to leave, but to my surprise and those of the parents, none of the children ran off. They stood staring up at me with excited eyes. I smiled at them. At least I was doing something right. I clasped my hands together in front of my body and took a deep breath which I slowly blew out.

"Okay, I need you to divide into groups according to your age." I pointed to the left. "Teenagers that side, young ones on the other."

I glanced over at Wrin as the kids started to move. He was smiling at me. I returned the smile. My eyes darted around the kids scrambling the find their age group. Longing filled me but I pushed it away. One day I'll have a family of my own. I wasn't ready—we weren't ready just yet. I was a teenager myself. Funny how our age difference never bothered me or them. I bit my lip as a thought struck. Was it bothering them but they just weren't saying anything?

"We're done, Luna."

I snapped back to reality. My smile widened when I saw that they were all standing neatly in a row. Where do I go from here? I haven't planned things past this. A brush against my arm made me turn towards it. Wrin stepped closer and bent slightly until his lips were close to mine.

"I'll train the boys, ages eleven and up. My friend's sister over there will take the girls. I've talked to a few other trainers. All the age groups have a trainer apart from the young ones."

My eyes darted over to them. They were a small group, about fifteen girls and boys. I knew the basics of fighting to teach them something. "I'll train them."

"Are you sure?" Wrin asked softly.

I nodded. "I know the basics, and I'm sure I could handle them."

"I wish you luck then." He smirked.

He turned to the front. After a few minutes, the groups were introduced to their trainers. We worked out a schedule that would work for everybody. The teenagers would be training in the afternoon since school would be starting up again on Wednesday. After that was sorted I led the group I'd be training towards the training building.

I was aware of the caretakers and mothers following closely behind. The training room was empty, something Wrin must have organized when we were making our way here. Big mats covered the whole floor. The equipment had been moved to the far corner of the room, out of the children's reach. It had been transformed into a safe place for the kids within minutes—something I hadn't thought about.