GRAY
The busses start filing into the squad complex a little after 9 a.m. and I’m already on edge. I’m always a little tense on the first day of training camp when the new recruits arrive- the complex sits on my pack’s land, and as alpha, my pack is my top priority. Inviting a bunch of other wolves into our territory every year- even if they’re from packs aligned with ours- carries inherent risks. The training program for the squad has been incredibly successful for the past few years, but you never know when you’re going to get a bad egg. I’m always prepared to vet every new recruit.
Years ago, when my pack aligned with the others to form the six-pack, I was quick to volunteer to head up the security squad. It was my brainchild. I know firsthand how dangerous the shadow pack really is, so I was eager to develop thorough and sophisticated security safeguards against them.
I was barely eighteen when the shadow pack came for mine. We fought back, but only half of us were lucky enough to make it out alive. My parents were killed in the battle, making me the new alpha long before I was ready. I gathered the survivors and we went on the run before the shadow pack could return to finish us off. A month later, we linked up with another pack, which ultimately led to the six-pack alliance. Our numbers were so thin, I honestly don’t know what we would’ve done if it wasn’t for the six-pack.
While I wasn’t ready to become alpha at 18, I adapted quickly and soon discovered that I’m damn good at it. I started the security squad, the recruiting and training program, and oversee the whole thing while juggling my duties as alpha to my growing pack. It has been five years since we started, and the squad now runs like a finely tuned machine. I’m like a proud papa.
The squad complex sits on my pack’s land, though it’s off in the woods about a half mile from the edge of our little town. The complex is huge, made up of an indoor training center, an outdoor arena and track, an IT hub with all the latest tech for our geek squad, offices, and barracks for the squad and recruits. The whole six-pack contributed to clear the land and build it up within a matter of months. For such a quick job, the place is seriously impressive.
The recruits are starting to file off the buses and take it all in, the dull roar of their conversations stealing the silence of the forest. We’ve got 49 recruits this year- the most we’ve ever had. The largest contribution is from the Summervale pack, and we also managed to snag another kid from there for our IT unit. From what I hear, the kid’s somewhat of a hacker genius- the geek squad is eager to have them join.
“Your crew is stacked this year,” I comment to my buddy Theo as I watch the kids from Summervale file off their bus.
Theo stretches his arms out in front of him, cracking his knuckles. “Guess we know how to grow em’,” he replies with a smirk.
Theo’s the eldest son of Alpha Anders, the head of the Summervale pack. He’s in line to replace his father as alpha one day, but Anders has no plans of relinquishing control any time soon. He told Theo that he’s still waiting for him to mature- which makes sense, because the guy’s a total hothead. Even so, Theo knows when to get down to business. He was my right-hand man in getting the squad up and running and he’s been living at the complex ever since. He’s all alpha- honestly, he’s kind of a dick sometimes- but we get along really well. He’s probably my closest friend.
All five of us who run the squad are pretty tight, considering we’re all alpha types. Theo, Jax, Brock, Reid, and I are all in our early twenties and we’re fitness junkies with short fuses. Putting all of us in the same room sounds like a recipe for disaster, but somehow we’ve made it work. We’re all practically brothers now.
I’m still casually watching the recruits get off the buses when I first see her. Even from a distance, I can tell she’s a total knockout. Long blonde ponytail, perfectly tanned skin, and legs for days. She got off the Summervale bus, and I’m about to ask Theo who she is when another girl steps off behind her and I do a double-take.
Am I seeing double?
It seems like a crime for one female to be that attractive, but twins? Sometimes God really does give with both hands.
The ponytailed twin is athletic looking, like she knows her way around a gym. I can see her toned thigh muscles working under her yoga pants as she walks and my wolf practically howls. I can barely tear my eyes away from her for a moment to check out the other twin with the hipster glasses, who seems a bit out of place at training camp. She’s wearing jeans, for pete’s sake.
“What’s the story with the twins?” I murmur quietly to Theo. He’s watching them too, practically drooling.
“They were just kids the last time I saw them. They really grew up. Damn.” Theo continues watching them appreciatively.
I shake my head in an attempt to banish my thoughts. The shadow pack has been on the move lately and the last thing I need right now is to be distracted by a female. Even one that looks like that ponytailed blonde. I bet she’d look so fucking sweet on her knees with that ponytail wrapped around my hand.
I turn away and clap a hand on Theo’s shoulder, leaning in. “Down, boy. We’ve got a job to do.”
Theo rolls his eyes and shoves me. “Doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun this summer.” He smirks.
I give him a stern look, then swivel to face the buses again, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Hustle up, recruits!” I call, and chuckle to myself as they start scrambling to grab their bags and head over.
I raise my arms and point over toward the barracks. “Drop your bags over there and gather ‘round,” I holler, and I watch in amusement as the throng of new trainees practically trip over each other in their rush to deposit their belongings. I fold my arms across my chest.
“This is gonna be fun,” Theo mumbles, laughing to himself.
I nod, grinning. “Always is.”
FALLONI’m a little winded from dragging my suitcase across the grass to the barracks, but I’m hustling to stay at the front of the pack. These guys have been watching us from the minute we stepped off the busses, assessing whether we have what it takes to make the squad. I’m sure as hell going to make sure they know I do.Though she’s struggling to keep up, Brooke’s right on my heels. She doesn’t have anything to prove- she’s already in- but her anxiety has her sticking close. We stop where the other trainees have gathered and I get my first look at the guys who run the place- and holy hell. I think I stop breathing for a second. The five guys standing in front of us are fucking gorgeous.Every one of them is absolutely shredded, from their corded forearms crossed at their chests to their abs stretching the front of their black t-shirts. I thought that Davis was built, but these guys are ripped. Not only that, but every one of
FALLONMy legs are shaky as I climb into my bunk that night. After Gray’s punishment run, Theo put us through circuit training and Brock had us alternating planks and squats until some of the trainees actually collapsed. I’ve been training for years, but I now realize that nothing could have adequately prepared me for the squad’s summer training camp. And this was only day one.When they finally released us for the day, I caught a quick shower and went to the dining hall to grab a bite. Thank God for Davis and Boyd, because I guess none of the other recruits are speaking to me. The 20-lap punishment has made me enemy number one.I spotted Brooke across the dining hall, sitting with a group of people who I can only assume are the IT team. She looked like she was settling in comfortably, so I just tossed her a wave and didn’t interrupt. I’m still kicking myself over the ruckus I caused earlier, and she’s the only one I want to tal
GRAY“Pair off!” I call out, and the trainees on the field start scrambling. It’s another early morning of training, and I’m eager to see what these recruits can do. “Spread out. We’re going to do a little bit of sparring today.”The trainees follow my command, breaking off into groups of two and distancing themselves from one another. Theo steps up on my right side.“Let’s see what you’ve got!” he says, clapping his hands together. The recruits just stand there for a minute, looking around at one another. Theo claps his hands again. “One of you attack while the other defends. Hand to hand combat, let’s go!”Without wasting another moment, the pairs begin to circle one another. I start walking through to observe, careful to avoid any stray kicks or flailing limbs as the trainees spar. Some of them are better than expected- they take down their opponent quickly. Others look like they barely have a clue how to fight.&n
FALLONGray’s a prick. I knew this summer was going to be tough, but I thought that the training would be the grueling part, not dealing with the asshole alpha running the place. He proved today that he definitely has it out for me. If I was smart, I would try to behave, get in his good graces. But I’ve never claimed that I’m smart.At the end of our training today, we were directed to a posting of a schedule for patrols. They’re throwing us right in; we’ve been assigned to rotations for night patrols of the six-pack’s borders. Patrols are run in pairs, so they’ve assigned pairs of recruits to each pair of squad members running the patrols each night. I’ve been paired up with a trainee named Vienna, and we get to shadow Brock and Casey. Our first patrol is tonight.After I rush through dinner, I grab a quick shower, change, and head down to the field to meet my group for patrol. It’s dusk, and the training arena has taken on an eerie glow in the fading
GRAYBrock’s walking into the barracks as I’m walking out, and I almost run right into him.“How was patrol?” I ask as I dodge out of his way.Brock runs a hand through his long wavy hair, leaning against the doorframe. “Quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary.”I nod. He looks whooped- and I’m reminded how glad I am that I don’t have to run night patrols often. I only jump in when the threat levels are high, because my wolf gets all worked up in response and won’t let me sleep anyways.“How’d the recruits do?”Brock smirks, like he knows why I asked the question. Sure, I knew Fallon was assigned to patrol with him, but that’s not why I’m asking. I mean, not the only reason. I have to keep tabs on all of the trainees.“They were fine.” Brock’s always short and to the point.I nod again, then clap him on the shoulder and head out through the doors to the arena. I don’t want t
FALLONI waited until everyone else went to lunch before I snuck away to take a shower. I just wanted a little bit of alone time.No dice. As soon as I open the door to the locker room, I see him. That fucking prick, Gray, standing beside the bench in a towel and looking like a sex god. Seeing him shirtless for the first time, he doesn’t look how I expected. He looks better.Small beads of water still cling to the broad muscles of his chest and his six-pack abs. The towel hanging from his waist dips down below his Adonis belt, the v-shape beckoning. Shit, is my mouth hanging open? I snap it closed, then take a step into the locker room, the door swinging closed behind me.I’m hoping that Gray didn’t catch my appreciative reaction to seeing his body, but a little smirk crosses his lips that tells me otherwise. I’m immediately irritated that I’ve just unintentionally inflated his ego further.“Well, well,”
GRAYI have to stay away from her. Fallon is a distraction, and I can’t afford any distractions right now. Not when we know the shadow pack is on the move. The next day, Brock and Jax are back in the mix so I decide to sit out one-on-ones and observe. It sucks. I’ve got a lot of pent-up frustration that I need to get out, but I don’t want to wind up in a one-on-one with Fallon. I’ve got to actively avoid her. I somehow manage to do it for the next few days, working off my energy by shifting and running in the evenings after I take care of my pack business.Theo has picked up on the fact that I’m acting a little strange lately. I tell him it’s nothing, but he knows I’m lying.“At least come have a beer with us,” Theo urges. He’s standing in the doorway of my room in the squad barracks, leaning against the doorframe.It’s the end of the week, and both the squad and the recruits have Sunday’s off from training. A lot of
FALLON“I can’t believe they’re actually giving us a day off!” Vienna squeals, rifling through the little closet at the end of her bunk. “How about this one?” she asks, pulling out a skimpy red dress on a hanger and holding it up in front of her.I nod my head in approval. “Definitely that one.”Vienna grins from ear to ear, trotting by me to head into the locker room to change.When we heard that we’d have the day off tomorrow, all of the recruits were ecstatic. We’ve been training hard all week, so we’ve definitely earned a reprieve. Vienna invited Boyd, Davis, and I to come out with her and her friend Hannah. Apparently Hannah is from Goldenleaf, the town near the squad complex, and said that the squad usually goes out to a bar there on Saturday nights to let loose.I guess good news travels fast, because Brooke showed up in the recruit’s barracks soon after, asking if I was going out. I’m so excited t