Alpha Gray by C.J. Primer
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gray
I’ve been avoiding Fallon again. It seems like she’s avoiding me, too, and I wish it didn’t bother me so much. I feel like I finally have my wolf back in check and I’m throwing myself into training to keep me preoccupied. Although, I can’t help but notice that Fallon’s been doing great this week. She’s definitely going to be ranking up and I’m proud of her for being a good little soldier. I know it isn’t easy for her to take direction.
Halfway through the week, it’s time for war games, which is so damn exciting. Weekly war games are the highlight of training camp for me. We split the trainees up into two teams and basically go out to the woods and rumble. It’s like a super intense version of capture the flag, but with a lot more physical contact.
Theo was on patrol last night, so it’s just Brock, Reid, Jax, and me. Brock has been giving me the cold shoulder since I dislocated Olly’s, so I’m quick to pair up with Reid to captain one of the teams, leaving Jax and Brock together to captain the other. Reid and I have a lot in common- out of the five of us alphas who run the squad, we’re the only two who also have our own packs to run. Brock’s going to be running his own pack in the fall, but he doesn’t yet know what it’s like to juggle both responsibilities. It can be a lot.
Us alphas have a lot of pent up aggression, and a lot of alphas blow off steam by hooking up with random females. I don’t know why I’m being chastised for it. I keep trying to tell myself that’s all I was doing with Fallon, though my wolf has never displayed a need to claim a female like this. Like I said, it’s probably for the best that we’re steering clear of one another for now.
We do a schoolyard pick for teams. I’m not surprised when Brock fields Fallon for his team, since he thinks I’m basically on the verge of losing my shit when I get too close to the girl. Once the teams are decided, we direct the trainees to put on mesh scrimmage tanks over their tops in either black or gold, depending on their team. The tanks have Velcro patches on the shoulders, which the recruits will have to pull off of one another to take their opponents out of the game.
I cup my hands around my mouth to call out to the recruits. “Gold team, follow me!” I turn and jog to Reid and the two of us head to the gate. I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know that the recruits are following- I can hear the drum of their feet on the ground as they jog behind us through the gate and into the forest.
Reid and I lead the way out to our team’s ‘bunker’- which is basically just a small wooden platform in the forest. The platform only fits a few people, but its main purpose is to house our team’s flag. The other team has an identical platform not far from this one where they’ll post up to defend their flag. War games are all about strategy and teamwork, and from the looks on the recruits’ faces, they’re all eager to get started.
“Alright, gold team,” Reid begins, clapping his hands and rubbing his palms together. “You ready to win this thing or what?”
The trainees start whooping and cheering with excitement, bouncing on the balls of their feet and clapping each other on the backs.
Reid grins, tossing me a sideways glance before turning his attention back to our team of recruits. “Okay, first things first. We’re going to need a strategy. Any suggestions?”
A few hands immediately shoot up, and I’m impressed by how hungry these kids are to step up and lead. This is exactly why we do training activities like this- to see who can take initiative and who is more comfortable sitting on the sidelines. Squad members aren’t wallflowers.
Reid points to one of the recruits, who I recognize as Connor, a guy from his own pack. “Whatcha got?” he asks.
Connor clears his throat. “We should probably split into offense and defense,” he suggests.
Smart kid. That’s always the first play for an exercise like this.
Reid nods in approval. “Absolutely. Offense with me, and defense with Gray,” he instructs, and the recruits scramble to split themselves up. About ten of them come my way and I lead them closer to the bunker so Reid and I aren’t talking over one another.
“Okay, defense, what’s our strategy?” I ask, folding my arms and resting back against the wood structure of the bunker.
The recruits just stare at me for a moment, blinking, and then a bigger guy steps forward. I recognize him as Davis, a friend of Fallon’s.
“I think we should do a layered defense,” Davis suggests, and I raise an eyebrow in response. Another smart kid. I’ve been underestimating these recruits for sure.
“You know, keep a couple of us around the flag, and then fan out around the bunker,” he explains. “Keep ourselves hidden so they think they’ve got a straight shot to the flag, and then we can take them out.”
I nod. “Excellent.” I glance to the other recruits. “Are we all in agreement, or does anyone else have a suggestion?”
They exchange looks, but nobody else speaks up.
“Alright,” I say, pushing off of the wooden structure, grinning. “Let’s do this.”
Fallon
The horn sounds signaling the start of war games, and I take off into the forest as fast as my feet will carry me. I’m on offense, and my adrenaline is pumping as I dodge fallen limbs and rocks as I make my way closer to the boundary line separating the two teams’ territories. We went over a group strategy, but I’ve got one of my own planned- I’m going to find some thick brush where I can remain hidden and take out the gold squad right as they cross the boundary, then press forward, stay hidden, and repeat. The best offense is a good defense, after all.
I’m so keyed up for this exercise. Most of our training has been spent sparring, which is fine, but simulating a real battle? That’s what I came here for. I don’t want singular takedowns; I want a fully developed battle plan like the squad faces in the real world when threats come to our borders. This is where I can show the alphas that I’m meant to be on the squad.
The boundary line is marked with spray paint in the dirt and I spot a grove of trees not far from it. It’s perfect. I slow to a jog, approaching the tangle of trees and reach out for one of the trunks, swinging my body around it so I’m perched inside the grouping and shielded by a circle of tree trunks and shrubbery. Panting, I sink into a crouch, train my eyes on the boundary line, and wait.
It doesn’t take long for me to see a flash of movement across the forest- two guys in gold mesh vests jog toward the boundary, looking around cautiously. Damn. I hadn’t planned for them to advance in pairs, and I’m not sure I can get the jump on both of them. As they move closer, I hold my breath, waiting and considering.
I hear feet pounding the earth behind me and turn to see Judd running up, heading toward them. He’s on my team. The two guys in gold exchange glances, grin, and advance forward. It looks like they’ll collide with Judd right about where I’m hiding, and I brace myself on one of the tree trunks to spring to action when they do.
Judd’s a skilled fighter and his movements aren’t easy to track. The two guys can’t anticipate which one he’s going for before he strikes, which leaves me an opening. Just as Judd barrels one of them over, I launch myself out of the trees. The other guy’s focused on Judd and he doesn’t even see me coming at him from the side before I deliver a right hook to his jaw. He stumbles, which gives me an opportunity to tackle him to the ground, pinning one of his shoulders with an elbow. I grin as I rip off one of the patches on his vest.
“Thanks!” I chirp, stuffing it in my pocket as I rise to my feet over him. We’ve all got two patches, and the rules of the game are that we’re on a one-minute freeze when the first one’s removed and we’re out when the second one’s gone. This guy’s gotta lay here for a minute before he can get back up and advance, which gives me plenty of time to make a break for it.
I glance over at Judd just as he’s ripping a patch off of the other guy’s vest. That guy put up quite a fight- Judd’s got a gash in his eyebrow and blood trailing down his face. He waves the patch at me, grins, then takes off into enemy territory.
I run, too, though I’m sticking close to the perimeter and looking for another hiding spot. I find one, then lie in wait for another gold vest. It doesn’t take long to spot a couple more of my opponents jogging through the forest. I’m a little annoyed that they’re all traveling in pairs- maybe I should’ve stuck with Judd.
As they draw closer, I realize that it’s Vienna and Hannah. I’m practically giddy with excitement- this is gonna be fun.
I let them pass me before I slink out of my hiding place in the brush, coming up on them from behind. Vienna’s smaller, so I go after Hannah first, leaping on her back. I take her by such surprise that she goes down immediately- hard. I press a knee into her back as I lean over her upper body, reaching for her shoulder patches. She writhes underneath me and I can’t quite get ahold of one of them before Vienna throws herself onto me, clinging to my back and trying to pull me off of Hannah.
The three of us struggle in the dirt for several minutes and Vienna comes really close to taking one of my patches, but I somehow manage to throw her off of me. In that moment, I lose my grip on Hannah and she rolls out from under me. She scoots on her butt and kicks out her feet, sending dirt flying in my face and eyes. Though I’m momentarily blinded, I somehow manage to grab one of her ankles, pulling her back toward me. I’m on top of her again in an instant and she claws at my arms as I go for her patch. Her fingernails are digging into me, but I can’t even register pain through the flood of adrenaline as I tear one of her patches from her vest.
I blow out a breath, rolling off of Hannah just in time to see Vienna launch herself at me. I kick out a leg, deflecting her body and knocking her off balance. When she hits the dirt, I’m on her right away, and I swear she just lets me take her patch. Chicken.
“Thanks ladies!” I tease, shoving the patches into my pocket and waving. The two of them scowl as they sit in the dirt, waiting out their one-minute reprieve.
I take off again. I keep advancing toward the gold team’s bunker and my strategy is totally paying off. I pass Judd on the way- he’s lost a patch and he’s waiting to get back in the game. I stick out my tongue as I jog by, motioning to my two in-tact patches. It’s cocky, but it’s playful, and he just grins as he watches me pass.
I’ve got the bunker in my sights when Davis gets the jump on me. I spot some thick brush and decide it’s going to be my next hiding place, but he’s already there lying in wait. I’m pissed when he manages to take one of my patches- because out of everyone, I know how this guy fights. I should’ve better anticipated his tactics, and it’s a silly mistake that lets him get the better of me.
“Time out, princess,” Davis teases as he waves my patch in front of me and I resist the urge to kick him in the nuts.
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, dropping down onto my butt in the dirt. I pull my knees to my chest, glancing up at Davis. “You better take off, or when my time’s up, you can kiss one of those patches goodbye,” I tease.
Davis smirks, then jogs off.
While I’m on my little penalty break for getting a patch pulled, I take stock of my surroundings. I’m about fifty yards from the gold team’s bunker and it looks like they’ve got two people there protecting the flag. There are basically two paths to get there- one that’s wide open, and one that has a lot of thick brush. If Davis was hiding here, they probably have more defense hiding in the cover of the brush. The clear path’s the riskiest since they’ll all see me coming, but it’s also the most direct. And I’m fast.
I want to be the one to get this flag so bad. I want the victory for my team and the glory for myself. I want to show those alphas that they were wrong about me, and I should’ve been ranked in first.
