15. Mai

Istood at the edge of the training field, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. I'd seen the guy, Ethan, and Ivan glare at Ryan on and off for half an hour now. My wolf was not happy. It didn't feel safe here. She wanted to bound over there and rip Ethan's head off for daring to look at our mate that way. She was always the more bloodthirsty of us. I knew she was overreacting, but there was too much mistrust between us and the Pack here.

The Bridgetown wolves were practicing their one-on-one fighting in human form, moving in calculated patterns, like pieces on a chessboard. Ivan and Danni were calling the shots. They were good, I'd give them that. But the atmosphere was thick with something I couldn't put my finger on—like walking into a room where your name's just been spoken in a hushed tone.

The scent of sweat and dirt filled the air. The sound of feet pounding against the earth reverberated through my bones.

Ivan's gaze flicked to me, a quick scan up and down. Assessing. Danni caught his glance and turned her eyes my way, too.

"Care to join us, Mai?" Danni grinned, a mix of challenge and curiosity.

I hesitated.

Everyone had stopped. Their eyes were on me, waiting to see what I'd do.

Screw it. If I wanted to be an Alpha, I had to be a fighter, not a wallflower. I uncrossed my arms, and with a last glance toward the sky—as if asking for an ounce of favor from the Goddess—I stepped into the field.

As soon as I moved, I felt Ryan by my side.

How the hell did he move so fast?

"Not thinking of having all the fun without me, are you?"

I glanced at him, then shrugged. "You can join in if you think you're tough enough."

Every step toward the center of that makeshift arena felt like a declaration. We were in it now, no turning back.

The ground was uneven under my feet, pointing to the countless training sessions that they had held here. They all watched us, and I could almost taste their collective breath of anticipation.

Ivan and Danni stood at the center, a soft sheen of sweat on both of their faces.

"This should be interesting," Ryan murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Fun," I replied. "It's going to be fun."

I wasn't kidding. I needed to blow off some steam, and this was the perfect way for me to let loose.

Ivan finally broke the silence. "You sure you're both up for this?" Ivan's eyes shifted from me to Ryan as if sizing us up, measuring our worth in a single glance.

I met his gaze and smirked. "That sounds like you're backing out. Don't tell me you're scared, Ivan," I said, glancing at Ryan for a brief second. His eyes met mine, a spark of agreement flickering between us. We had to prove our worth to this Pack. Show them we could handle ourselves, that we didn't need their Pack to risk their lives to protect us.

For a heartbeat, the world stilled. Then Ivan nodded, and it was like a dam breaking. The tension inside me vanished, replaced by a wave of adrenaline. It was go time.

Ivan gestured to a young wolf standing off to the side. She looked to be in her late teens, her eyes bright with a mix of eagerness and youthful bravado. Her physique was lean and muscular, but it had that youthful softness to it that suggested there was potential to develop even more. She was still a warrior in the making. "How about a little one-on-one, Jalal?"

The werewolf stepped forward, her chest puffing up ever so slightly. Her eyes flicked toward Danni, as if her approval was the prize she sought even more than beating me.

My nerves flared up, electric and edgy. I had to shine, but not too bright—I couldn't afford to look like a threat. It was a fine line to walk.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan watching. I could see the coiled tension in his posture. Him holding back and not jumping in to fight for me was killing him. I reached out, placing my hand on his chest. "I have to do this. You can't fight every battle for me."

"I know," he grunted, clearly not happy.

It was the best I was going to get.

The moment Ivan gave the signal, Jalal came at me. I met her charge with a smile, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through my veins. My wolf growled in excitement, egging me on to take her down. I snapped my arms up in a defensive stance, but she was too predictable. She threw a punch that I easily dodged, then followed up with a kick that never made it past my thigh. I could see the frustration in her eyes as she realized she wasn't going to take me down easily. I countered with a few quick jabs and an uppercut that sent her stumbling backward. She recovered quickly, though, lunging back at me.

I took a step back, using her momentum against her, and sent her flying with a well-timed sweep at her legs.

Jalal hit the ground with a thud, looking up at me in surprise. Ivan's eyebrows shot up; Danni's lips twitched into a reluctant smile. They exchanged a glance, and I knew I had their attention now. Round one, and I'd left my mark. The walls between us had cracks now, even if they were just hairline fractures. I held out my hand to help Jalal up, but she pushed it away and got back on her feet by herself. She didn't look too happy about losing to an outsider.

"That was good," I said, nodding at her. "You're getting there."

Jalal grunted. "You got lucky."

I shrugged. "Maybe. You wanna go again?"

"I think it's my turn," a voice said off to the side. I glanced that way and saw Ethan, the hulking werewolf who had been staring daggers at Ryan, walking toward me. Tucker was following, skipping behind him.

I grinned. This was more like it. Ethan was someone I could really go to town on. Ethan stopped a foot from me and looked me up and down with a sneer on his face. He didn't think much of little old me, and I was going to enjoy showing him otherwise.

"Time for you to work out with a real werewolf," he said with a knowing glint in his eyes.