The Calling

Chapter 7 - The Calling

Athena POV

After a short but quiet night of sleep and a fast-paced morning, I was finally able to sit down and breathe. I knew after lunch I would be training with Alpha Erik. Yet, my mind kept flashing back to last night. How much I wanted to touch him and test how far I could go. The thought of all of it caused my cheeks to flush the lightest shade of pink. I craved the sensation his touch gave me. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to have his touch. Something was pulling me to him.

"Earth to Athena.. where'd you go?" Greta asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, just the lack of sleep is catching up to me." I lied. "I can't wait to be done this night shift. I know I pissed him off, but he could have just tortured me instead of having me clean up the whole packhouse. It's honestly disgusting. I'll never look at the other wolves the same." I said, pretending to shiver at the thought.

"Yeah, that's pretty disgusting. I've heard he's done a lot worse. So consider yourself lucky." Greta laughed.

"He's also the best warrior in the pack and in his family, so training with him is going to be intense. I feel sorry for you. It's even crazier how he became Alpha." Greta's voice was full of excitement as she spoke.

"What do you mean how he became Alpha?" I asked, "I thought you were born into it or married into it."

"Yeah, you usually are, but only the firstborn is Alpha usually ... but not Alpha Erik. He is the youngest of three siblings. His brother Phillip is the oldest and was supposed to be Alpha. One of the pack members told me that the White Wolf in the family is always the Alpha and usually the firstborn who possesses it. But for some reason, Phillips wolf wasn't white, which caused so much confusion. So they waited until the second born, Cassie, could shift, and it wasn't her either. So Finally, when Alpha Erik could shift, they were shocked to see that he possessed the White wolf." Greta's eyes lit up as she told me the story. She was one who always loved tales and drama.

"That must have been hard on his brother. To be trained his whole life as an Alpha only to have it taken from him." I said softly

"Yeah, apparently, they have been against each other ever since. Especially when Phillips's mate ended up being Alpha Erik's girlfriend, she turned eighteen before him, and everyone thought they would-be mates, but they were wrong." For some reason, the mention of him being with someone else irritated me. I shook the thought from my head as I continued to listen to Greta.

"Sad really to think that even though they're family, they probably harbour so much hate towards each other, both taking what the other wanted." Greta shook her head. "He still hasn't found his mate either. He's twenty-three, and he hasn't had any luck. So it makes sense that he's so ruthless. I couldn't imagine not having Tom." Her voice grew quiet before she smiled again.

"I hope you find your mate as soon as you can too. Waiting that long is enough to drive any of us mad." She laughed

"Yeah, me too. The faster I can get out of the packhouse and far away from Alpha Erik's wrath, the better." I laughed

We chatted for a bit longer and then headed in for lunch. After lunch, We headed into the change rooms of the gym. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about last night. Knowing he still hadn't mated and how much pain he must have felt losing the one he thought was destined to be his. His loss made me think of my father and how he found his mate but lost her. No one deserves a fate so cruel. I closed my locker and put on a black sports bra and spandex shorts. I tossed my scarlet hair in a ponytail and followed Greta out to the gym. It looked so different in the daytime. The light shined through the windows making the white walls even brighter than before.

I heard someone clear their throat, and my attention was drawn to the front of the gym. There stood our Alpha the way the light hit him showed off his form perfectly. His emerald green eyes sparkled in the light. His muscle shirt was filled by his broad chest, his shirt hugging perfectly against his abs. My eyes trailed down his body to his shorts. They hugged his legs perfectly. My face started to turn red as I returned to his face seeing him staring right at me. His eyes were slightly darker as a smirk appeared on his face for a second before turning cold again. I immediately looked down, hiding my face wishing my hair was down to cover my flushed cheeks.

"We will be splitting up into partners today. Working on our adaptability. Switching partners every half hour." Alpha Erik said, his voice full of power. "Remember to focus on your weaknesses, become aware of them and correct them. You are to help each pack member grow stronger. We never favour one move or side. We must be able to protect ourselves and show no weaknesses to our enemies. "Eriks voice sharp as he spoke

"Beta Drake will be walking around to help with anything you need. I will be sparing with one member of the pack today." Erik's voice shifted, sounding more sly. I could feel his eyes on me. I slowly looked up to meet his gaze.

"Athena, you will be my partner today." My stomach dropped as soon as he said it. I knew it was coming, but I thought he might change his mind. Beta Drake had a huge smile on his face as he looked at me. The other pack members moved aside so I could walk towards him. Their eyes were weary as they watched me approach my death sentence.

"You're all to begin; your thirty minutes starts now," Erik ordered. Everyone bowed their heads and partnered up. Starting their training, not even giving Alpha Erik and me a second glance.

"Did you train in your other pack?" Erik asked, snapping me away from the thoughts.

"Did we train? What kind of she-wolf does he think we are." Phoenix snapped

"Hush, Phoenix, I need to focus. I want to walk away from this," I growled at her.

"Of course I trained, after my father.." I stopped myself before continuing. "I trained once I was moved to the packhouse," I said, my voice coming out sharp as I tried to hold back the anger that flashed through me. Before this, I never realized how angry I felt about my father's death. He died fighting against Alpha Erik's pack.

"Perfect, then we don't need to go over anything. Let's begin." His voice was coming out softer than before. A slight hint of happiness formed as he spoke. He took his shirt off and got into position.

"Well, hello there." Phoenix squealed as her excitement flooded my mind. Then, before I could even react, I felt a fist connect with my stomach, throwing me to the ground. I let out a sharp grunt as I slammed into the mat.

"God damn it, Phoenix, keep your thoughts to yourself, please. I'm already having a hard time focusing as is." I snapped

"Well, I mean, come on. How fair is it that we have to stare at that while we fight." Phoenix said, her voice full of excitement. I glared at her in response. "Fine, I'll focus. Let's kick his ass, or at least die trying." She laughed. I rolled my eyes at her as I got back up, putting all my focus onto Alpha Erik.

"Thought you said you trained," Erik said, his voice full of amusement.

"Lucky shot," I grunted as I let the pain from his hit pass. His cockiness pissed me off.

He went forward, trying to hit me again. I dodged his fist. I Spun around quickly, delivering a hard kick to his side. It barely fazed him.

"You're a fast one, but I won't let that happen again." He laughed

"Are we going to talk all day, or are you going to fight." I snapped. Shock flashed through me as I didn't mean to come off that hard. My anger got the best of me. His eyes darkened as he looked at me. I just signed my death wish.

"Very well." He said before swinging at me again. I dodged his next blow but didn't anticipate his leg as it swung up and hit me in the back, sending me flying forward. I let out another grunt as I slowly stood up.

We continued to fight, I would get the odd hit, but he was fast for his size and exceptionally skilled. He definitely earned his title as Alpha. I had hardly noticed the gym was empty, with only a few members staying behind to watch us continue. For a brief second, I looked away; he connected his fist with my side. I fell forward, my face hitting the ground. The taste of blood hit my tongue. I stood up, wiping the blood from my nose, turning around to meet his gaze. I was so mad he got me again. I had to get another blow in, one that counted. His eyes scanned my face; a flash of worry crossed his eyes as he looked at the blood. I ran towards him he threw another punch. I ducked and slid on my back between his legs. Before he had a chance to turn around and react, I kicked the back of his knee in, causing him to lose his balance. Just as I went to connect my fist to the side of his face, his hands shot up, grabbing my arms. He threw me over his shoulder onto the ground and pinned me down.

"I think we're done for today, Sweetheart." He said, his voice soft and a victorious smile on his face. The way he spoke to me sent shivers down my spine, and his smile made my heart skip. I wasn't angry anymore, just existing in his presence. Then, someone cleared their throat, snapping us both from each other's gaze. Only to have Beta Drakes stupid smirk greeting us as we looked up.

"That was one hell of a show. Can't wait to see what you do tomorrow." Beta Drake said, his voice full of amusement. "It's seven. You guys missed dinner. I had the cooks put some aside for you both. I figured it was going to be a long night."

"It's seven," I said frantically. "Crap, I have to get ready for my shift," I said, almost falling over as I stood up. I felt Alpha Erik's hands grab my hips to steady me. The same tingling feeling shot through my body, causing me to jump. I looked over at Alpha Erik to see he had unwrapped his hands, so his skin was touching mine.

"You are excused from your duties tonight. After a fight like that, you need to eat and get your rest." Alpha Erik spoke, his voice soft but cautious as he looked at me, letting go of my hips.

"Thank you, Alpha," I said as I bowed my head to him. I looked up to see Beta Drake watching us with a smile on his face as he watched how close Alpha Erik stood to me—causing my face to flush.

"Go have a shower, and I will meet you in the dining room." Alpha Erik instructed as he stepped back from me.

"You're going to have dinner with me, don't you have more important things to do," I asked. My eyes widened as I realized what I had said. I could hear Drake stifle a laugh.

"Nothing is more important than gaining our strength after a fight. That's the best fight I've had in a while. You definitely have some skill." He said a small smile on his face.

"Th...thank you, Alpha." I stuttered as I tried to collect my thoughts. My face was extremely red at this point. I put my head down and ran to the change room to shower.

"I wonder if he will join us," Phoenix smirked as she spoke.

"You are a serious perv." I laughed as I turned on the shower. I stripped off my clothes and let the hot water hit my body. My muscles instantly relaxing as the water soothed their aches.

"He's so gorgeous it's hard not to be. There's just something about him." Phoenix said dreamily.

"You got that right. Those sparks he causes when he touches us make it almost impossible to concentrate." I said, "No one has ever done that before. Do you think that's because my birthday is soon?  That may be every unmated male's touch will feel like that." I asked, my voice full of wonder as I rinsed out my hair and turned off the shower.

"I hope not, but we could always try touching someone else and see if it happens with them." I nodded in agreement to Phoenix.

I walked to my locker and grabbed a change of clothes. A blush crossing my cheeks as I thought about last night and not having a change of clothes. I slid on a red tank top and a pair of ripped jeans. I looked at my face in the mirror. The swelling was gone, and just small red marks remained. One of the bonuses to being a werewolf was how fast we healed. Once I could fully transition into my wolf form, I would heal much faster and be so much stronger. I turned to the door and walked out towards the house. Once inside, I headed to the dining room. My stomach was in knots, knowing I had to see Alpha Erik again.

***