Page 23 of Sovereign Oaths

“That’s boring.” She dropped her chin to the counter. “I want a mission.”

I already used up that favor when I asked Rod to give Em something to do. I was worried she was going to pull the drywall apart if she didn’t find activities to keep her mind busy, but that was a one-off. We couldn’t risk her being seen by any of Dias’s or Brazzi’s men.

I began chopping up the carrots. “Fresh out, I’m afraid. Ask Derek to train.”

“He’s too easy to beat.”

I chuckled. “Cruz should be home soon.”

“I’m not used to free time.” She sighed and traced the veins in the granite.

Obviously. After two days off, she declared she’d done everything there was to do in the apartment at least three times. Marco had run to the store to buy her books, puzzles, and video games, but that only entertained her for another day. Even with the impromptu mission, she wasn’t satisfied.

Now, nothing held her interest for longer than an hour. I was ready to call Rod and beg him to put us back in the field.

“You never just chilled at home?”

Her eyes met mine. “No. Growing up, it was training and school. Then once I graduated, it was training and missions.”

“Every day?”

“Yeah. If I didn’t have an assignment, I spent the whole day in the gym or running outside if the weather was nice.”

“How old were you when you started?”

We’d been late to the Velez build-a-soldier program. Emilia’s brows raised before she answered what was probably a basic question for those raised in the Pack.

“Everyone starts training at five. At least the kids at headquarters do. It’s just a part of school. I got more into it than most of the other girls. By the time I was ten, I was either training or doing homework when I was done with class.”

“And you were okay with that?”

She didn’t answer immediately but continued moving her finger in distracted curves along the counter. “I didn’t know any different. From what I saw, I could either train or breed. I hated the lives my mom and sisters had. I couldn’t imagine surviving a single day in their shoes, so I chose to train.”

“What if there was a third option?” This was dangerous territory. Playing the what-if game typically didn’t lead to happiness.

“Like what?”

“Like finding what you’re passionate about and pursuing it.”

She smirked. “That’s not possible. Not in the Pack.”

“What about outside of our world? With the rest of the shifters.”

She slowly sat up. “If I could do anything?”

I nodded.

“I’m not sure what I’d be good at. I’m okay at coaching, but I wouldn’t want to do it more than a few hours a week. I’m not very good at math or science. Being a healer was never an option. I did well enough in most of my classes at school, but I didn’t love anything,” she said, staring at a point over my shoulder. “Geography was my favorite class back in elementary school. I’d like to see more of the world, try different things, and maybe find that thing I’m good at.”

“One day, we’ll explore the world together.”

She scoffed. “Sure.”

The front door slammed. I flipped the chicken in the pan, and Cruz walked in with a long black garment bag over his shoulder.

“What’s that?”

“A gift,” he grumbled.

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