Chapter 29: Maintaining Order

Ashleigh removed the device that Caleb had placed on her temple, the forest fell away and all that was left was the man who mourned his friends below.

“What is this?” she asked, admiring the device in her hand.

“It’s a neural link,” Caleb answered, removing it gently from her hand. “Something we developed to create a more realistic experience to learn from.”

“All your wolves use this for training?” she asked.

“Eventually,” Caleb nodded, “they are only used during specific battle simulations. General training and obstacle courses do not need the immersive experience. But for battle tactics and strategy lessons we found it was best to be thorough.”

Ashleigh looked back at the wolf below, a medic was helping him to stand and leading him away now.

“What made you think to use it for this?” she pointed her chin toward the man below.

Caleb looked back at her before he spoke.

“Actually,” he smiled, “they were originally developed for this.”

“What?” Ashleigh asked, baffled.

He let out a light chuckle.

“It’s based on a program for human soldiers,” he began. “The ones that struggle with PTSD.”

A question was written in her eyes without the need for her to ask. Caleb found himself wondering how much of the human world she knew.

“PTSD is a disorder of the mind. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It can happen to anyone that has experienced a traumatic event in their life,” he answered, “the studies this device was made for were on those who had seen battle.

They returned to a world of peace that they didn’t understand anymore. It was designed to help them see the things that were stuck in their minds, the pain, the suffering. To make it real enough to talk about and begin to work through it.”

“Human soldiers?” Ashleigh asked even more confused than she was a moment before.

“Yes,” Caleb answered.

Ashleigh wasn’t sure how to respond to this, her pack used human technology of course. Cell phones, the internet, entertainment. But human interaction was limited to absolute necessity, even the shows and movies they had access to were monitored.

“We adapted it to our needs, but we saw great potential in keeping its original function,” Caleb stated, turning the device in his hands. “We use it in these simulations as well as for general psychological evaluations and treatments.”

“That sounds…amazing,” Ashleigh replied.

She was sure her father would disagree, but she remembered her struggles with losing pack members in battle with rogues. It was something she had not been prepared for, as much as her father had told her about it, it wasn’t the same as experiencing it.

“We take great pride in the things we have done to keep our wolves safe.”

Ashleigh looked around the training field once more, this place amazed her. These advanced tactics, the planning, and forethought. It was no wonder the wolves of Summer were known to have the strongest military. With tools like these, how could anyone compete?

“You could help a lot more than that,” she whispered to herself.

Caleb heard her.

“Did you say something?” he asked, giving her a chance to speak honestly.

“No,” she replied immediately, sighing softly.

‘It’s not his fault,’ she thought to herself, ‘even if he was willing to share, would father even accept it? If Winter had all of this, would we be willing to share?’

“Alpha,” a voice from behind interrupted them.

Ashleigh turned to see a young man wearing one of the medic uniforms she had seen before. He walked directly to Caleb, saluted him, then handed him a tablet. Caleb scrolled past several screens.

“Looks good, send the report to the squad leader, I want to see his notes on the entire simulation, including the injuries,” Caleb said as he handed the tablet back to the man.

“Yes, Alpha,” the man answered as he turned to leave.

“Also,” Caleb called after, the man turned back, “let them know that we will be touring medical in the next ten minutes.”

The man turned his eyes to Ashleigh, she saw the look, one she had seen several times since she arrived in Summer.

“Both of you, Alpha?” he asked, attempting to keep his tone neutral.

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Ashleigh smiled. His attempt had failed, she heard the underlying question. ‘Is she coming’.

“We, by definition, would imply both of us,” Caleb stated, his voice cold. “Should I let your supervisor know you will need time in your schedule to review a basic grammar course?”

The man bowed his head.

“That is not necessary, I will let them know, my Alpha.”

He scurried away.

“That wasn’t necessary.” Ashleigh smiled, feeling grateful, but guilty. She remembered the way he had come to her aid at her birthday party. It was a bad habit she needed him to break.

“It was,” he replied.

“No, it wasn't,” Ashleigh shook her head. “I don’t need you to protect me, I tol—”

“You are a representative of your pack, and a guest,” Caleb interrupted, turning his cold eyes on her, “as such, my wolves will show you respect. Even

more important than that, they will show me respect. I was not ‘protecting’ you; I was maintaining order.”

“I see,” she replied, awkwardly. “I misunderstood. My apologies.”

“Unnecessary.” He scoffed as he turned to leave.

‘Idiot,’ she thought to herself, ‘you were getting along, don’t make things awkward again.’

“Are you coming?” he called back when she didn’t move from her place.

“Right behind you!” she shouted as she ran after him.

***

“Oh my…” Alice whispered, watching with fascination as the treant came to life. “You don’t see that every day.”

She watched quietly from her place in the observation post as the battle played out.

“Saw that coming,” she laughed to herself as the leader was tossed like a ragdoll, letting out another chuckle as his body was used to knock out one of his team members.

“Oh? What’s this?” she asked as she noticed someone else watching the simulation take place.

Across the field, in another observation post, she saw Ashleigh, beside her stood Alpha Caleb. Alice smiled to herself, watching them closely she almost forgot about the battle below. Until the field began to clear.

“Shoot!” she hissed as everything fell away. She had wanted to take pictures of the treant before it was gone, and how the field changed.

Her eyes were drawn back to Ashleigh just in time to catch something else worth her attention, lifting her watch to the window she snapped a picture.

“Oh, y’all are just too kind,” she smiled to herself.

The door behind her opened, quickly she locked her watch.

“You’re not supposed to be in here!” the man who entered shouted at her.

Alice quickly turned with a bright smile.

“I tell you; this place is so big! I was supposed to meet Beta Galen at the training grounds for a tour of the borders, here I am but I got turned around, didn’t see him anywhere.” She laughed awkwardly, playing the role of a clueless idiot, flashing him a sweet smile as a bonus.

“The training grounds are rather large for outsiders,” he smiled back. “I will take you back to the gates personally.”

“If it’s not too much of a bother, I would be very grateful.” Alice blushed.

The man cleared his throat asking her to follow him. He was true to his word, he walked her to the gates of the training grounds. Telling her to stay put while he made a call to Galen.

When he stepped away leaving her alone once more, she took a quick look at the picture she had captured.

Ashleigh looked up at Caleb, and he down at her, as his hand rested at the side of her face.

It had only been a moment, a split second. Alice could see from her vantage that the moment had not even been intimate.. But any image timed perfectly and shown to the right audience, told its own story.

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