The concession he reached was a means of preventing Brianna from taking Logan onto the course.
Access was restricted to individuals aged 13 and older, accompanied by stringent regulations and comprehensive supervision, not limited to one or two trainers per child. He did not wish for Logan to ascend it at this age. Despite being an alpha child with a partially manifested wolf.
The climbing wall reached a height of 20 meters, featuring an abseil descent at the rear, along with climbing ropes and net climbs; this course was designed with fully developed wolves in consideration. There were no safety nets present; a fall from that height could result in severe injury or fatality for a child.
Informing Nolan that he was to remove his shoes and shirt constituted a victory for him as well. Aiden could now sense Layla through his mark, despite not having seen her yet. He believed she would witness him without a shirt. He was a muscular, well-defined individual, possessing broader shoulders and a greater height than Nolan, presenting an imposing figure. He could appear quite formidable if he so desired.
Ryder aimed to demonstrate his physical fitness, muscularity, and strength. He recognised it was somewhat vain, yet the majority of wolves were robust and muscular. Most female wolves favoured that, and the more muscular they were, the more they tended to appreciate it. He hoped she was not dissimilar. She had resided here for the majority of her life, yet remained a she-wolf, coexisting solely with Layla within her consciousness, without any transformation.
Ryder desired Brianna to perceive him as steadfast and robust, an individual upon whom she could depend for protection and care. He fully intended to excel in this course and surpass Nolan significantly.
Aiden was also eager to demonstrate his speed and strength to his Mate. They had outperformed him in the endurance run, but he would demonstrate to her that he was the fastest and strongest within the pack.
Both he and Aiden were elated to hear Brand address him as “Dad.”“Enkindled his heart and imbued his wolf with pride.” He could not suppress the smile that adorned his face at that singular word. However, it was evident that Brianna was responsible for everything. The subsequent sentence, “No wolf assistance,” elicited laughter from Nolan, who immediately erupted in amusement.
This pitted only the humans against one another; the woman he believed was merely attempting to irritate him was, in fact, deliberately seeking to ensure his defeat. She suggested that he might not always attain his desires. This may have been her method of accomplishing that. Nolan regarded it as exceedingly entertaining.
Was utterly astonished and nearly halted when Brand applauded Nolan. Was that also her responsibility? He was unaware. However, he was determined not to lose now. It significantly heightened his resolve; he refused to be defeated by his Gamma while his Mate and Son observed. Absolutely not; he was the Alpha and he would triumph in this race.
As the sprinklers activated and drenched them within seconds, both he and Nolan paused their ascent of the rock wall to observe the occurrence, only to witness Brianna tipping an imaginary hat in their direction.
Nolan chuckled as he resumed his ascent.
“She is jesting with you,” he remarked with a smile at Ryder.
“What?”“It resembled a form of manipulation, he contemplated.
“I am issuing a challenge to you.” It is probably her method of engaging with you; simply indulge her, as she appeared entertained earlier during the journey here.” He ascended onto the summit of the rock wall. “This occurred immediately after you claimed to possess the record.”
“Thus, she does not believe that I do.”
Nolan laughed directly at him, stating, “No, she does not,” before descending the abseil. Ryder pursued.
Upon encountering the subsequent obstacle, he contemplated that notion. She was swift while in Toronto. “She believes she possesses it,” Ryder remarked as they descended into the muddy pit of the final army crawl beneath the bamboo rods, the concluding segment of the course.
“I presume so.”
“Do you believe it is feasible?””
“Entirely, one cannot ascertain how frequently she was on this course without supervision!” Over which 11 years? It may have occurred daily, as far as we are aware. An effective method for releasing frustration and anger. I am known to come here when irritable and operate it with all the sprinklers activated as well.
Ryder was aware of that regarding the man. Disliked that Nolan maintained his speed while conversing effortlessly. Nolan conducted the agility training course. Ryder concentrated on instructing his warriors in hand-to-hand combat and wolf fighting. Speculated whether Nolan was somewhat restraining himself; Ryder utilised this apparatus every third day, whereas Nolan engaged with it daily. He instructed the juniors on its proper use and subsequently assessed the top warriors, providing them with a formidable challenge that Ryder was confident he could meet.
Ryder successfully crawled out first, albeit with difficulty, and was on his feet a mere second before Nolan.
Despite Nolan’s laughter during the latter portion of the army crawl, he could discern both Stella and Logan applauding him and had remarked, thoroughly entertained, about being the boys’ preferred choice. He remained entertained despite his loss.
He forcefully pushed the man back into the mud as soon as he regained his footing, for his own amusement and remarks regarding Logan’s preference for him. Ryder was considerably annoyed. Although he felt neither anger nor distress towards him, he was genuinely pleased to witness Logan’s enthusiasm while in the pack. He was also aware that Logan had formed a connection with Nolan.
He could not suppress a smile at Nolan as he pursued both Stella and Logan, feinting at them with his muddy hands outstretched. Ryder had previously observed him perform this with Enzo’s puppies. He exhibited an innate affinity for the puppies. Ryder was not particularly surprised that the man had swiftly established a connection with Logan.
The boys experienced their first genuine interaction with wolves, devoid of any aggression. Nolan had never lost his temper or displayed annoyance around Logan, to Ryder’s knowledge.
The man likely never even scowled at the boy; he understood his actions and appeared to have effortlessly earned Logan’s trust.
He could hear his son laughing as the three of them engaged in a mud-throwing contest, while Stella and Logan climbed over Nolan to restrain him and smear mud in his hair, referring to him as Uncle Nolan.
That was novel.
His gaze shifted to Brianna, as though she possessed the answer to his unvoiced inquiry; she merely shrugged and replied, “Stella’s Mate.”
“Aunt Stella,” Ryder remarked, recalling that this is how the boy refers to her, “So Uncle Nolan.”
Brianna nodded affirmatively. He observed that it did not appear to affect him in the slightest.
“You consent to this.”
