NOT A TYRANT

Chapter 31 | Never Back Down Again

"ALLEZ, ALLEZ! I DON'T WANT ANY BITCHING!"
[GO, GO!]

Heavy bare feet slammed against the dirty earth, throwing themselves into gross mud and crawling through it. They avoided vines hanging from old wooden poles.

The muscular, pale she-wolf stomped through the dirt in big black boots. She'd clap her hands, "LET'S GO, LET'S GO!" She'd hurry them.

A lean she-wolf tripped and slammed her face into the mud. She was visibly winded from the fall- taking a second to take her face out of the dirt. Running up, a man grabbed her under her armpits and lifted her to her feet. He'd mutter words of encouragement that flustered her.
The two continued the course. The muscular Alpha-female, nodding her head, rested her hands on her hips. What made this different from military training was the push toward teamwork. If your teammates are struggling- help them. 

Wolf packs aren't built alone.

"GOOD JOB!" She'd howl, "REMEMBER OUR TEAM BUILDING LESSONS!"

A muscular man reached a wall the wolves were climbing over. He gritted his teeth- struggling with his inferior height. 

Another man, not as muscular but taller, patted his shoulder and knelt against the wall. The shorter man stepped on his shoulders and vaulted himself over the wall. The taller male was easily able to scale it by himself.

If you told Riot eight years ago that she would be an alpha female training hundreds of werewolves and commanding an entire pack- she would've called you stupid and crazy.

But she was actually able to do it.

She commanded a room with ease, and more females than ever were training to become warriors after seeing their absolute unit of an alpha. Riot wouldn't describe herself as a feminist, but she definitely attracted a lot of them. She was more of a woman who expressed herself through raw anger.
Alongside being an alpha female, she's become well-known as a politician alongside Cronus in the human world. She'll have to work on speeches and all that useless shit- but Cronus promised to help her. English isn't even her first language.

As she rose in position and proved herself, Riot began to notice Cronus' unmoving attention toward her attitude and muscular aptitude.

Sometimes, he'll grope her muscles like an excited teenage girl. Cronus was muscular, too, but he touched her like he'd never felt muscle before. It always got worse when they were in bed trying to get to sleep.

Cronus seemed to get off to her being, what Lucifer called a 'Girl-boss.' One day, that man will die from her hand.

Every werewolf reached the end of the course. She'd loudly clap, "THAT'S IT!" The woman howled, nearby bushes ruffling from her commanding aura. "GO SHOVE SHIT DOWN YOUR THROAT! YOU'RE DONE FOR TODAY!"

Sighs of relief coursed through the crowd of wolves, some rubbing their stomachs at the thought of eating.

This was the second month of training. She did it alongside Lucifer, Cronus, Marcus, and numerous graduate warriors. River found it all too intimidating and preferred to teach younger children about werewolf history and teamwork. She's an adorable woman.
River teaches outside of Ichythology, so it's only on weekends and Wednesdays. Sometimes, Riot would visit her classes and watch the children struggle to be as polite as possible to their alpha female. It was... a little cute.

She'd ruffle her hair- lumbering toward a spot under a tree. It was fresh spring, so it was a nice temperature, and the grass was a brilliant green.

Riot dug into the bag she set there prior and pulled out a big turkey sandwich. Apparently, it's the best time of the year to hunt turkey, so Cronus put fresh turkey meat in her sandwich. She wasn't much of a cook.

The she-wolf ate the sandwich like a starving woman, chugging a water bottle alongside.

A shadow made her violently flinch- ready to throw hands at any moment.

The woman widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows when her younger sister was the one to sit down next to her. "River?" She questioned through a full mouth, tilting her head. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

River smiled softly at her sister's impolite attitude, but something about her expression was distant. "Hi, Grande sœur."
[Hi, big sister.]

Those words were music to her ears.

The platinum-haired, plump woman reached into her purse and pulled out an opened letter. Riot peered at it grimly, pursing her lips as her sister offered it to her.

She'd lick her fingers, finishing her sandwich, before taking the letter.

Fortunately, it was in French. But that had its unfortunate meanings.

Mes filles, River Rapid Roi et Athena Louise Roi.
[My daughters, River Rapid Roi and Athena Louise Roi.]

She winced at the sight of her ugly middle name.

Cela me fait mal au cœur d'être ignoré par mes adorables filles...
[It hurts my heart to be ignored by my lovely daughters...]

Malgré mes supplications polies, aucun d'entre vous n'est arrivé à ma porte. Je pleure comme une mère brisée et solitaire.
[Despite my polite pleading, neither of you have arrived at my door. I weep as a broken, lonely mother.]

Les mauvaises filles subissent les conséquences de leurs actes, et la mère ne tolère pas les mauvaises filles. Les choses que tu as gagnées sans mère à tes côtés seront récoltées, récupérées et jetées par mes propres mains.
[Bad girls suffer the consequences of their actions, and mother does not tolerate bad girls. The things you have gained without mother by your side will be reaped, salvaged, and thrown away by my very hands.]

A bientôt, Votre mère Signey Sang Roi.
[See you soon, Your mother Signey Sang Roi.]

"Fucks sake..." Riot muttered, gripping the letter roughly. "Is she out of her mind?"

She wanted to scoff and rip the letter apart, just like the old one, but she knew mother couldn't be taken lightly. The fact she said 'see you soon' made her shiver. From what she knew about her- they'll definitely see her sooner than they'd like.

River tapped her sister's arm- curved eyebrows and pouting lip making her heart clench. "Athena..." She whispered, "I'm... I'm scared."

She didn't care that she used her dead name. River's the only person that gets a pass.

"You just got your life together, Athena." She'd whimper, "I- I don't want you to lose that."

She just got her mate back, a place to live, and a job. River knew more than anyone that those were everything she ever wanted.

Riot scooted toward her and pulled her into her arms. She pressed a firm kiss against her forehead. "I will never lose it." She said.

"Not again."