Alpha Gray by C.J. Primer
CHAPTER FORTY
Fallon
“Circle up!” Theo calls out, his hands cupped around his mouth.
We’ve been out on the field training under the hot summer sun and we’re all sweaty and tired. This morning was endurance training, while this afternoon we’ve been doing some sparring with our partners. I’ve been partnered with Shay all week, which would’ve been fun if I wasn’t in such a rut.
Today’s session has been much better, though- I don’t know what changed, but I’m back, baby. I’ve been landing every offensive move, dodging every advance on defense. I just hope it’s not too little, too late.
Saturday afternoon’s training session is always stressful because it’s the last one before weekly cuts are posted. There are thirty of us left, so more than half of us will be going home at some point before training camp ends. Since I’ve had such an off week, I’m even more anxious for the cut list to be posted- I’m dreading seeing my name on it.
I jog to the center of the arena where the other recruits are beginning to gather around Theo, Gray, Brock, Reid, and Jax. All five of them typically run the afternoon sessions on Saturdays- probably so they can make final decisions about cuts together afterwards.
“Alright, recruits,” Theo says, clapping his hands together once we’re all huddled in front of him. “We’re more than halfway through training at this point, so we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. From now on, we’ll end Saturday sessions with one-on-ones.”
Reid steps forward beside Theo, chiming in. “Think of these as your last chance to impress us. Give em’ everything you’ve got, because it could be the difference between staying for another week or going home.”
The other recruits and I nod, almost robotically. After four weeks at training camp, we’re becoming good little soldiers.
“We need five groups of six!” Brock barks. “Line up, and you’ll rotate to the next group to your right after each match. These will be quick, and you’ll each get a chance to take on each of us.” He claps his hands together. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
It’s a little chaotic as we all break off and start jogging in different directions, forming neat lines across the practice field. Boyd’s heading up one of the lines and I’m behind him, waiting to see which alpha we’ll be taking on first.
“Aw, man…” I sigh when I see Brock heading toward our line. All of the alphas are tough, but I’ve seemed to have the most trouble getting the jump on Brock during one-on-ones. He’s incredibly perceptive- he always anticipates my offensive maneuvers like he’s reading my damn mind.
Boyd leans back toward me, dropping his voice to a low murmur. “Stay out of your head, don’t overthink it. Try that takedown we were working on last night.”
“I never nailed that move!” I whine through gritted teeth.
“You can do it. Just trust yourself.” Boyd glances at me over his shoulder. “You’ve had a rough week, you need to nail these. Show them why you belong here, babe.” He tosses me a wink as he jogs forward to take his position across from Brock.
I hear a snort and whip my head around to see Hannah standing in line behind me, a hip cocked out and her arms folded, snickering.
“Something funny?” I ask, arching a brow.
“Yeah, that you think you belong here,” she sneers. “Hope you’ve got your bags packed.”
My wolf surges forward, but I shove her back down. I won’t let Hannah provoke me again, no matter how fucking irritating she is. As Boyd and Brock begin to spar, I turn around to face her, remaining calm, cool, and collected.
“Look, I don’t know why you’ve got such a big fucking problem with me, but I’d appreciate if you kept your nasty ass comments to yourself,” I say coldly. “I’ll stay out of your way, you stay out of mine.”
Hannah rolls her eyes, a cruel smile on her lips. “As far as I’m concerned, as long as you’re still here, you’re in my way.”
My wolf claws at my insides, my skin tingling from the urge to shift. She wants to sink her fangs into Hannah’s flesh again, teach her a lesson. It takes a great deal of effort for me to push her down and remain calm.
“Whatever, Hannah,” I sigh.
“Fallon!”
Crap.
I spin around to see Brock staring at me, his arms folded across his chest.
“Are you here to chat or to train?”
Ugh. I wasn’t even paying attention to Boyd’s one-on-one with Brock, didn’t see that it had ended.
“Sorry, sir,” I say, jogging out to take my spot across from him.
As I do, I hear Hannah call out “Good luck!” mockingly.
Fucking bitch.
I stop when I’m in position, bouncing back and forth on the balls of my feet and trying to focus my thoughts. Hannah’s just trying to get into my head, and I can’t let her succeed. I take a deep breath, concentrating on the specifics of the takedown that Casey taught us last night- right, then left, then sweep.
Brock lowers down into a crouch, signaling he’s ready for me with a tick of his head.
You can do this, Fallon.
I spring forward, straight at Brock, using my speed to my advantage. I won’t juke until I’m right up on him, or he’ll be able to tell where I’m going with this. I want him to think that I’m going to attack him head-on.
At the last second, I juke right. He moves with me, but then I go left. He’s fast, but I’m faster. I duck, sweep out with my leg- and it fucking works! I take Brock’s feet out from under him and he goes lumbering down. He tries to reach out, take me down with him, but I manage to hop out of the way at the last second, his fingertips skimming my calf.
Brock lets out an ‘umph’ as he hits the ground, but he doesn’t stay there- he’s back on up on feet quickly, brushing off his shorts.
I feel like I’m on top of the world right now. It worked! I tried that move over and over last night and I couldn’t get it right. I can’t believe I finally did, right when I really needed it.
“Again, sir?” I pant, moving to retake my starting position.
Brock gives a quick shake of his head. “That’ll do. Keep it moving, recruit.”
I jog past him and my face splits into a wide grin as I make my way to the back of the next line to take my place behind Boyd again. As I approach, he sticks out a hand and I high-five him.
“That was awesome!” he says, his grin matching mine.
“Thanks!”
“What did Hannah say to you?” He tilts his head questioningly.
I stare at the ground, shuffling my feet in the dirt. “Nothing. She’s just trying to get in my head.”
“Don’t let her.”
“I won’t,” I mutter, looking up just in time to see Hannah land flat on her ass in front of Brock. Serves her right.
Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything to me when she takes her place in line behind me again. Jax is the next alpha that I go up against, and I decide to try the same move against him since it worked so well with Brock. I don’t take Jax all the way down, but I get him off balance enough to land a couple solid blows and manage to fend off his defensive maneuvers.
Man, I’m on fire today! When I take on Reid next, I’m much more confident, totally in my groove. I don’t manage to take him down, either, but I definitely give him a run for his money, dodging his punches and catching him off guard a few times with my own moves. My match with Reid goes on longer than the others, but after he calls it, I feel good about my performance.
Theo’s probably the easiest of the alphas for me to take on. The guy’s a hothead that always reacts in the moment- his moves are less tight and coordinated compared to the others. As long as I hit him with the element of surprise, I can get the jump on him. The takedown works, but as soon as he’s on his feet, he points at me to get back in position, go again. I try a different approach the second time, which throws him off, but he doesn’t go down. He lands one blow on me- right in my abdomen, and it hurts like a bitch- but in the end, I manage to outmaneuver him.
As I make my way to the last line, I’m high on the adrenaline coursing through my veins, feeling like a goddamn superhero. Gray’s the last alpha for me to take on, and I bounce back and forth on the balls of my feet as I wait in line, trying to stay focused. It’s difficult to do so when he looks so damn sexy in his cutoff t-shirt and gym shorts, though. A thin sheen of sweat clings to his deliciously tanned skin as he waves Boyd forward to take him on next.
I watch as Boyd takes his place opposite Gray, holding my breath as he springs forward for his attack. For a second, it looks like Boyd is going to get the jump on him, but Gray darts left, sticking out an arm and clotheslining Boyd before throwing him to the ground like a ragdoll.
Boyd hits the dirt- hard- sputtering for air. Jesus, Gray didn’t even give him a fucking chance. He stands over Boyd menacingly, waiting a tad too long before offering a hand to help him up. Boyd curses under his breath as he takes it, fumbling to find his footing and pull himself up.
I’m annoyed, because I don’t think it was any accident that Gray was so rough on Boyd. Damn male egos.
I’m up next, and Gray beckons me forward, the hint of a smirk on his lips as I take my position. I keep repeating ‘right, left, sweep’ in my head, bouncing as I watch him sink into a defensive crouch.
I sprint toward him. Again, I wait until the last second, then juke right. Then left. Even though he keeps up with me, I still go for the sweep. He sees it coming, tries to dodge it, but I hook my foot around one of his ankles. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m falling.
It looks like he’s going to fall on top of me, but he throws his body sideways, hitting the dirt first. We land on the ground and the momentum rolls us over a couple of times- but when we stop, Gray’s beneath me and I’m lying on top of him. I press my palms against his chest to push myself up, sliding my knees forward on either side of his hips, straddling him. I swear I feel his dick twitch against my pussy. Seems he likes this position.
I stare down at Gray, his golden-flecked eyes meeting mine. My wolf practically purrs. I’m probably staring for a second too long before I snap back to reality, climbing off of him and turning away, brushing off my shorts. I feel my cheeks heat in a blush as I glance around, hoping that nobody else noticed that sexually charged moment between us.
If only I could be so lucky. My eyes land on Hannah and she’s just fucking glaring at me, shooting daggers through me with her eyes. What the hell is her deal? I’ve never had someone dislike me so intensely before. Is she into Gray or something?
I’m so sick of Hannah’s nasty attitude. I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t stop myself- I flash her a big smile, jogging forward.
“Good luck!” I chirp as I pass her.
I know the girl’s out to get me and I should steer clear. I shouldn’t engage, shouldn’t try to provoke her. But I’m tired of just staying quiet, walking on eggshells around her and taking her shit. I shouldn’t snipe at her, but as I see her eyes darken in response, her face twist into a scowl, damn, if it doesn’t feel good.
