Chapter 3

KALEN

‘No matter where you go, you are representing Dark Moon,’ Dad had said multiple times. ‘Act and react as an Alpha. Remain collected and calm, but don’t let people walk over you.’

Dad always gave me great pearls of wisdom. They became mantras that helped me get through times when I wanted to just slap a bitch or realign someone’s nose.

Did I have anger issues? No. Calm was my general state of being. I just had a low tolerance meter for bullshit. Case in point – right now.

We were changing for Training Ops. It was a class that was geared towards those who were seeking to become warriors and Enforcers, but anyone could take it. This class was mandatory for leadership though because we had to be the best of the best for our packs. Ensuring that they remained safe and secure was of the utmost importance.

There were petty bitches snickering and talking about Sera. She was the sweetest person you would ever meet. She never talked down to anyone or made them feel like shit.

“It makes me wonder if they realize that sphinxes, which you are, are often lethal assassins because of your poison and defensive abilities,” I mused loud enough for the bitches to hear.

The sphinx species was very real. They originated from Egypt and was created by the Goddess Bastet to be protectors. Their species had been on the run for a long time because they were hunted for their abilities. However, Uncle Dante and Aunt Ziyah, from the Shadow Falls pack, were able to track them down and bring them back to their pack, offering them safety.

I smirked as the petty bitches bailed out of the locker room. People really should be more careful about whom they chose to fuck with because they might be in over their heads.  

Sera laced her arm with mine and giggled. I could feel her gratitude as she pushed the emotion out towards me, silently communicating.

The teacher blew his whistle, signaling for all of us to line up.

“Today, we will be assessing your skill and separating you into appropriate groups based on your ability.”

I watched as he paired people together. He was here last year, so he knew some pairings that would work the best together.

My grin was internalized when he paired me off with David Paulson. He was an Alpha heir as well but was cocky as hell, believing that he was the best thing since sliced bread. He was the one who led the petition last year.

The look in Mr. Hall’s eyes clued me into this pairing was deliberate. Who was I to argue his choice?

I made sure to stretch while he was running his mouth to his minions. He was adamant that he would wipe the floor with me. Nah. That would not be me on the floor when this was over and done with.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tap out before I bruise your body and ego?” he taunted me.

I did not respond, opting to ignore his words instead. I dropped my body into the starting stance and waited for him to come charging in like bull inside of a china shop.  

Game on…

The thing about David was that he never took enough time to analyze his opponents because he believed that his skill surpassed everyone else’s. However, it did not. Only idiots charged without analyzing their opponents first unless there was no other option.

He rushed at me, throwing his fist in an arc, clearly aiming for my face. I waited for that smug smirk of his to crawl onto his face before I reacted. His fist was inches away when I dropped down underneath it. I did not wait for him to react to his miss, opting to throw my head into his abdomen with enough force that he flew backwards.

A growl left his lips when his ass landed on the floor. It took everything in me not to laugh at the shock and anger on his face. That was not to say that I was holding back my internal laughter. Nika was right there with me.

He shot up and came at me again, throwing three jabs at me, but missing each time all because of perfectly timed bob and weaves. It was enough to piss him off that much more. He was reacting in anger as his moves became desperate.

A move that I had just mastered last week worked beautifully with him. I grabbed onto his wrist as he threw a punch at me, pulling him forward just enough for him to lose his balance. That brought him down low enough to where he took a flying knee to his jugular. He was not expecting it at all and could not counter it even if his life depended on it.

David crashed against the floor, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. His head snapped towards me, and his eyes were blackened with fury. A snarl was hurled my way. Oh no. I was shaking in my gym shoes.

He stood up and took a few steps backwards before handing the reins over to his wolf. His wolf despised me just as much as he did, but I did not give two shits. He was not the biggest Alpha wolf around at all. Nika would tower above him if she shifted, but she just laid back to watch the show.

Our wolves would not always be around when it came to a fight. One thing that we were taught in our pack was how to fight against a wolf while in human form and win.

“Aww. Aren’t you the most adorable wolfy,” I cooed.

I did not have to look around the gym to know that everyone was now watching. Our teacher knew what I was capable of, so he would never interfere unless he saw me in danger.

The wolf let out another snarl and leapt at me. I turned at the last second, causing him to slide right by me. Goddess, please help his pack learn to fight if this was how they all did right now.

I waited until he turned around and came back at me. He lowered his shoulders, unknowingly giving me the opening that I needed. Pushing off from the floor, my body did a very partial wave-shift, just to ensure that he was not able to catch me with his teeth as I flew over him.

I springboarded on the floor, turned, and flung myself onto his back. My elbow came down in between the middle of his shoulder blades at the same time that my foot dug into the juncture between his joints. The pressure of both forced him to topple downwards. It did not matter how much he tried to move because he was pinned.

“That was extremely impressive,” Mr. Hall said as he came over. “You can go ahead and let him up now.”

I looked over at him and saw that there was a smirk firmly planted on Mr. Hall’s face.

The moment that the wolf was able to move again, he shot to his feet. I could damn near feel his anger, but he had nobody to blame but himself. I just stared blankly and started to walk over to where my water bottle was.

I felt the shift of energy in the air and already knew what he was about to do. Just because I turned my back on him did not mean I was unaware of his presence. Sera opened her mouth to warn me, but I already knew that he was lunging at me.

My aura rushed out as I spun around and slammed it into him. It was like he hit a brick wall, and his wolf body was flung against the bleachers. A loud snap rang out as something in his body broke. A loud whine filled the air.

“I would like to say I’m surprised that you would try to attack someone whose back is turned, but I’m not. Maybe you should work on being a more honorable Alpha before you’re handed your title. If you don’t want me to hand you your ass in training then fight to get better instead of taking cheap shots,” I said, shrugging my shoulder and turning away from him.

Mr. Hall demanded David to shift back and threw some shorts at him, telling him that he would be staying after class to talk.

Zion caught my eye and had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

‘That right there is why you fucking rock, cousin. Can’t wait to share this with Mom and Dad.’

I returned his grin and grabbed my water bottle. Sera came over and asked me to teach her the wolf takedown move sometime.

Someone’s eyes were burning a hole in my back. I moved so that I could covertly figure out who the stalker was. My eyes met his once again. They were filled with intrigue, but I was not certain what intrigued him. Was it my fighting, my aura, or something else?

There was one question that I felt compelled to find the answer to was. Who was Maddox Stark?