The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 27

Zoey

I stared at myself in the mirror as I tied my hair up in a ponytail. What on earth had gotten into me? One kind comment from Van had turned me into a giggly flirt. Athletically pleasing? Zoey... so bad! And to think that just a couple hours ago we were arguing about me sleeping in the bed with him...

I shook my head and turned away from the mirror. Van would be expecting me on the back patio in a minute, and I refused to be late. It hadn't taken me the 10 minutes to change clothes, but I'd been thinking to myself for a few minutes. Any longer would make me late.

My wolf mumbled to herself as I jogged down the hall and stairs. She'd been strangely quiet during the conversation with Van. I'd expected her to turn belly up and wriggle like a puppy at his attention, but she seemed almost indifferent.

What's up with you? I asked her. I thought you wanted him to be nicer to us.

I did. I do, she answered. I just didn't think that it would involve an archery lesson. It's not exactly romantic.

I don't think he's trying to be romantic, I countered. He's just being friendly. We need to be friends before anything else.

She let out a little hmf sound but said nothing more. I'd wait to see how she responded to the actual archery lesson before pressing her further. Maybe she'd lighten up when we'd spent the time with Van.

He was already waiting when I got the patio. As he was talking to Snuff, I didn't feel too bad. I stepped outside and slowly closed the door behind me, taking care to make as little noise as possible.

Van turned his head a bit, seeming to pick up on my arrival.

"That sounds good, Snuff. Let me know if anything changes."

Snuff nodded and turned towards the house. I sidestepped away from the door and gave him a little nod. The corner of his mouth ticked upwards just a smidge, and he nodded back as he headed inside.

"Zoey."

I gawked for a second. Snuff actually acknowledged me! All kinds of mysteries today...

"You ready?"

I snapped out of my gawking and focused on the task at hand. Van stood at the edge of the patio, an elegant-looking bow in hand and a full quiver strung across his chest.

"Yes," I announced, pulling my shoulders back. "Ready."

Van did a quick glance over my person—no doubt checking if my outfit was archery ready—and nodded towards the woods. "Let's go. It's a bit of a hike to the archery range."

We clearly defined 'hike' differently, unless he was underestimating my physical fitness and thinking the wooded path would be more difficult for me than it actually was. The distance could possibly qualify as a 'hike,' but it wasn't steep or treacherous for walking. From what Stitch told me, the range had been built for short- and long-distance practice. As such, it needed to be a fair distance away from walking paths, frequent patrol routes, and anything else that would bring non-archers nearby. So far, they had no accidents.

I followed him across the lawn and into the woods. "Is that your bow?"

He glanced down at the curved piece in his hand. "One of them, yes. This is more of my practice bow now, as the pull isn't as hard."

"It looks well taken care of," I noted, admiring the gleam of the dark wood.

"Have a look yourself." He held out the bow for me to take, never slowing his pace.