Chapter 42: Temptations
Alexa
"Alright, guys, let’s take a ten-minute break," the instructor announced, his voice cutting through the sounds of exertion. "Then you’ll pair up for the next session."
The words brought welcome relief. Alexa sighed and gratefully dropped to the cool, polished floor of the gym, her muscles trembling from the workout. She was currently training with the she-wolves, and they showed no mercy. The intensity fascinated her, though as her friend Tiffany had explained earlier, Alpha Bradley insisted that everyone - regardless of rank - learn to defend themselves in times of trouble. It was a philosophy Alexa had come to respect, even if it left her exhausted.
Speaking of Tiffany, she appeared with two cold bottles of water. Alexa accepted hers gratefully, her fingers fumbling slightly with the cap. She twisted it off and took several long gulps, the liquid soothing her parched throat. After wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, she leaned back on her palms, trying to catch her breath.
"Who knew the new guy actually knows a thing or two?" Tiffany drawled, amusement lacing her voice as she glanced toward their new co-instructor.
Alexa followed her gaze, and heat immediately rose to her cheeks as she took in Samuel. Sweat glistened on his biceps and the back of his neck as he demonstrated a blocking technique to another group of trainees, his movements fluid and confident. She was grateful that her face was already flushed from exertion, hiding her reaction. She’d never considered herself a perv before, but all she could think about was licking those salty droplets off his skin, tasting him, exploring every inch of that toned body. Taking another swig of water, she hoped the coolness would ease the raging fire he was stoking in her blood.
"I’m not sure what you mean," Alexa lied, her voice a little breathless and unconvincing even to her own ears. "Since this is my first time really training in a group. But I do believe he knows what he’s doing."
Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Alexa peeked at the whole reason she had begged her grandmother to let her join these intensive training sessions. She’d heard that after Beta Sam went a few rounds with Samuel, the Beta had basically adopted him and made him an unofficial part of the training team. In the past few weeks, they had chatted a bit - small talk, really, nothing substantial - but her own crippling shyness and Sammy’s reluctance to disrupt his friend’s peaceful existence had kept them from doing anything more. The frustration of it gnawed at her.
Alexa wasn’t immune to the way Sammy looked at her - a hungry, intense gaze that made her feel like she was the only person in the room, like he could see straight through to her soul. But she was clueless about how to bridge the gap between them, how to turn those heated glances into something real.
It didn’t help that he was an omega, so he didn’t have a wolf’s instincts to guide him. And hers was weak, leaving her to rely heavily on intel she gathered from online werewolf forums - advice that was about as reliable as asking a fox for directions.
A high-pitched giggle shattered her thoughts. Alexa looked up, and what she saw made her wolf, usually a quiet presence in the back of her mind, snarl with fury. Samuel was rubbing the calf of one of the other omegas, a pretty, petite she-wolf with blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail. The girl was giggling and complaining of a leg cramp, her voice dripping with false sweetness that set Alexa’s teeth on edge. Her sports top was held together by a zipper in the front, and Alexa was damned sure it had been zipped much higher when they started training. The way it was now, if she breathed in too deeply, it would fly open, offering a blatant invitation.
Seeing Samuel’s hand massaging the other female’s leg, his gaze seemingly enjoying the view, caused a low growl to rumble in Alexa’s chest. The sound surprised her - it was primal, possessive, unlike anything she’d felt before.
Tiffany looked at her, eyes widening in surprise. Alexa was surprised too, her heart racing with the intensity of the emotion. It was the first time in a long time that her wolf was so present, so possessive, so ready to fight for what she wanted.
Just as Tiffany opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, the whistle blew, signaling them to resume training.
Alexa
Alexa knew she should just let it go, should be the bigger person and walk away. But her wolf was having none of it, clawing at her control with unprecedented ferocity. Before she could think it through, before rational thought could intervene, she was standing in front of the ’giggle gal,’ her voice steady as she asked to be her sparring partner.
The young she-wolf, whose name was Mindy, agreed with a smug look on her face. She clearly thought she had easy prey, probably already imagining how she’d get even more attention from the hot new instructor after an easy win. Alexa could practically read her vapid thoughts, and she knew this was someone she needed to take down - hard.
They observed the instructor’s lesson, watching the demonstration of a counter-throw with focused attention. Then they found an empty spot on the mat and began circling each other, the air between them crackling with tension.
Mindy sized up her opponent, a dismissive glance raking over Alexa’s smaller frame. She thought this would be a piece of cake, an easy victory to show off her skills. Meanwhile, Alexa was starting to get a headache from her wolf pacing back and forth in her mind, demanding to be let loose. Deciding to trust her instincts, she took a back seat and let her wolf come forward.
It had been a while since she allowed her wolf to take control - months, maybe longer - and most of the time it was only in ’do or die’ situations. As they circled each other, Alexa noticed her hearing and vision becoming sharper, the sounds of the gym sharpening into a cacophony of individual movements and breaths. Colors seemed brighter, movements slower and more predictable. When her opponent lunged with a sloppy, telegraphed attack, Alexa’s body moved on pure instinct, dodging it in the nick of time.
She realized Mindy wanted to be the aggressor, to dominate and intimidate. So her wolf, using the techniques that had just been taught, put herself in a defensive stance, patient and calculating. Alexa avoided being caught, her movements fluid and precise, and when an opening presented itself, she moved. In a blur of motion, she grabbed her attacker’s outstretched arm, spun her around with practiced ease, and pinned her to the mat, her knee planted firmly in the small of her back. The move was textbook perfect.
She was unaware that many of the others had stopped training to watch, drawn by the unexpected display of skill.
Leaning down, her lips brushing the other girl’s ear, Alexa whispered, her voice a low, dangerous rasp that surprised even herself. "That omega is mine. If you know what’s good for you, stay away from him."
With one more warning growl that rumbled from deep in her chest, she released the poor girl from her hold. Alexa was given back control, and the sudden shift left her disoriented. She blinked, taking in the shocked faces staring back at her - wide eyes, dropped jaws, whispered conversations. Not one for being the center of attention, she quickly grabbed her towel and bolted from the gym, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
Samuel
Alexa was so busy chiding herself, her mind a whirlwind of ’what-did-I-just-do’ and ’everyone-thinks-I’m-crazy,’ that she didn’t know someone was right behind her until a hand shot out, pulling her into one of the empty storage rooms off the main corridor.
It all happened so fast that it was the definitive click of the door being locked that finally shook her from her stupor. Spinning on her heels, adrenaline surging through her veins, she was about to retort - a sharp "What the hell?" on her lips - when she saw that it was none other than Samuel.
Alexa’s racing heart calmed down for a split second, relief washing over her. Then it sped up again, hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, when he took a slow, deliberate step toward her. It didn’t help that his scent was quickly filling the small, enclosed space - a clean, masculine smell of sweat, soap, and something uniquely him that made her head spin. The combination was intoxicating, causing her wolf to stir restlessly, to push at the edges of her control with renewed vigor.
This is bad, really bad. If she didn’t get out of there, there was no telling what kind of craziness she would do. All she could think about was sinking her teeth into the corded muscle of his neck, claiming him as hers in the most primal way possible, marking him so everyone would know he was taken. Her wolf was urging her to do just that, whispering temptations in her mind.
Shaking her head to dislodge the X-rated thoughts that were flooding her brain, she raised her hands, palms out, to stop Samuel from getting closer. "Sammy, we can’t..."
But the determined look in his eyes - dark, intense, hungry - told her that it was pointless. He kept stepping toward her with purpose, and Alexa kept stepping back until her back hit the cold concrete wall, and she had nowhere else to go. She was trapped, cornered, and part of her thrilled at the realization. She still kept her hands up as if to physically ward off her lustful thoughts, yet Samuel walked right up until they were resting flat against his firm, solid chest.
The contact was electric. Alexa felt a jolt, a tingling warmth that ran through her arms, down her spine, and straight to her core - a sudden, throbbing ache that made her gasp. Her fingers curled involuntarily against his chest, feeling his heart pounding as hard as hers. And with that touch, that connection, her wolf took over.