FALLON
I’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 them is tattooed and heart-stoppingly handsome. Most wolf shifters are attractive, but these guys look like goddamn movie stars.
Get it together, Fallon.
The tallest guy stands in the center, and he steps forward to address us, clapping his hands together. The breeze rustles his tousled dark hair, and I swear I can smell him from here. He smells good. “Listen up, recruits,” he starts, his deep voice reverberating off the aluminum walls enclosing the squad complex. “Now you may have come here with your friends, but this isn’t summer camp.”
The command in his tone has me a little weak in the knees.
“This is going to be the hardest summer of your lives, and if you can make it through, you just might make the squad,” he continues. “If you don’t think you have what it takes, now’s your last chance to turn back.”
I try to remind myself that I’m here for a purpose- to train- but my wolf is swooning and I can’t think about anything other than climbing this guy like a tree.
I dart a glance over to Brooke, and I can tell she’s thinking the same thing. I clap my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh, but it slips through.
The guy’s eyes go straight to me, narrowing, and I immediately know that I fucked up.
“Is something funny, recruit?” he asks, folding his arms across his chest. Tribal tattoos run the length of his bulky forearms.
Shit.
I let another nervous giggle slip, then press my lips together and shake my head.
He takes a step toward me.
The group of other trainees standing in front of me part to let him through, until he’s standing right in front of me.
I suck in a breath, and I swear my heart stops. All of those years of training, and I blow it within the first two minutes? Nice going, Fallon.
The guy peers down at me with his dark brown eyes and I feel like his gaze is slicing right through me. “What’s your name, recruit?” he growls.
I swallow hard and forget my own name for a second, until I feel Brooke slyly nudge me.
“Fallon,” I choke out, then regain some of my composure and straighten. “Fallon Eastwick.” It comes out smooth and confident the second time.
The guy just stares me down for what feels like forever before he parts his lips to speak again. He’s trying to intimidate me, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to cower. That’s not what fighters do.
“Well, Fallon, did something I say amuse you?” His heavy gaze is still intense.
I shake my head, crossing my arms to match his stance. “No.”
“No what?”
“I didn’t catch your name.” As soon as I say it, I regret it. It’s like the smart-ass response slipped out before I could even think. I know he was expecting me to say ‘no sir’, like I was responding to a sergeant, but of course I just couldn’t bite back the sarcasm.
Some of the recruits gasp, and there are a few titters of laughter from the crowd.
The guy doesn’t react, though his eyes flicker gold. He arches a brow, then turns on a heel, stalking back over to the other guys. He stops and turns back to the trainees, and I’m gritting my teeth, waiting for him to tell me to leave. I totally blew it.
“I’m Alpha Gray,” the guy announces loudly, “and this is Jax, Brock, Reid, and Theo.” He gestures to each of the men around him as he names them off.
I suddenly recognize Theo- he’s part of my pack. He looks just like his dad, Alpha Anders. My dad’s close with our alpha. Maybe that’ll save my skin.
Gray continues. “But all of you may address us as ‘sir’.”
I want to roll my eyes so badly, but I bite my lip to stop myself from reacting.
“Got it?” he asks, and the other trainees around me start mumbling ‘yes sir’.
Gray looks right at me, and I force myself to mouth the words.
“Good,” Gray snaps, folding his arms across his broad chest again. “Now your friend Fallon here has shown me that you all may need a little lesson in discipline.”
Shit. I knew I wasn’t going to get off that easy. I hold my breath.
“So I think we should all start with twenty laps around the track.”
I hear a chorus of groans and feel the sting of eyes on me. My face flushes hot.
Great. Five minutes in, and all of the other trainees already hate me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flicker of movement as Brooke’s hand shoots up. I whip around to stare at her- about to ask her what the hell she’s doing- when she pipes up.
“Um, sir?” she asks, her voice small.
Gray looks to her questioningly, and Brooke steps forward, clearing her throat and pushing her glasses up her nose.
“I’m actually here for the IT unit, not training camp.”
Gray nods, gesturing for Brooke to come closer. “Jax,” he calls over his shoulder, and a blonde guy moves to join him. “Why don’t you take…”
“Brooke,” she supplies.
Gray nods again. “Why don’t you take Brooke over to the IT hub so she can get started.”
“Sure thing,” Jax replies, smiling warmly at Brooke. “Come on.” Jax turns and waves for Brooke to follow, and she trots after him.
Once they’re a couple of paces away, Gray turns back to the trainees, scanning the crowd. “What are you waiting for?” he asks.
Almost in unison, we all break off into a jog toward the track. Several of the other recruits are scowling at me as they pass, and inside, I’m kicking myself.
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
GRAYI agreed to come for one beer, and somehow that turned into five. Or was it six? I’ve got a nice little buzz, so I’m not sure on the count. I don’t know why I ever agree to coming out for one when I know it’ll lead to staying out all night, but I’m relaxed for the first time all week. I guess Theo knew I needed this.I’m heading out of the bathroom when I see her walking toward me, looking like a goddamn smokeshow. Fallon. She’s all dressed up in a little skin-tight skirt and tank top, and seeing her like this makes my blood rush right to my dick.She’s looking down, so she doesn’t even see me stop and stick my arm out, pressing my palm to the wall to block her path. I know I said I’d avoid her, but I’m a little buzzed and she looks so damn good, I can’t help myself. She looks up at the last minute, surprise playing on her face as she skids to a stop right before clotheslining herself on my outstretched arm.I l