“Alpha, you’re not coming?” Vanessa asked. Her tits were falling out of her white sports bra again. She leaned onto one foot, sticking out her hip.
My wolf growled inside of me, wanting me to bare my teeth at her. She was too close to him, too damn close. I didn’t like it.
Roman gazed down at me with hard eyes, then he looked at Vanessa—lips curling into a smirk. “Let’s run together. The three of us.”
I clenched my jaw, turning toward the foggy forest. “No.”
Roman grabbed my hand—his skin on mine making me feel some sort of way. Not taking no for an answer, he dragged me to the running path. I yanked my hand away and rubbed it softly. I didn’t have time to be distracted by him. I needed to focus.
Vanessa stood on the other side of him, dragging her yellow nails across his bare shoulder. I took off through the woods, Roman hot on my heels and Vanessa surprisingly keeping up.
I wouldn’t be surprised if sheaccidentallytripped over a vine andaccidentallysprained her ankle, just to get more of his attention.
She started yakking about how she planned to work really, really hard this week because she had been dreaming of being the strongest warrior wolf in this pack. Like she didn’t bully me in middle school for wanting the same thing. She wouldn’t be able to last a single practice if they amped up the intensity for her like they had done with me.
Roman gave her his full attention, smiling and staring and even flirting with her. I growled under my breath, leaping over a vine and ducking under a tree branch.
I pushed myself harder, faster, farther away from them. Not wanting to even hear a sentence more of their conversation. Her voice was so shrill, so utterly shrill.
Everyone was already stretching when we reached the practice area. I pressed my lips together, breathing heavily out of my nose, and walked straight to Derek. “If I hear another word out of her mouth, I swear I will cut my ears off.”
Derek eyed Vanessa and Roman as they finally made their way to the practice area. She gazed at me, fingers brushing against his forearm. What was her problem?
“Is someone jealous?” Derek asked, pulling his knee to his chest to stretch.
I crossed my arms. “Jealous of her?” I asked, watching her talk to some other warrior wolves. At least she wasn’t hanging off of Roman’s arm anymore. “No, she’s just annoying.”
He rested his forearm on my shoulder and tugged on a strand of my hair. “Mmmhmm, that’s what they all say.”
“You know, sometimes I hate you,” I said. Derek gave me a cheeky grin, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
Roman cleared his throat. “Get into partners. One warrior wolf with one trainee.” He gazed at me for a quick moment, and I thought he would walk over and partner with me. But then he turned toward Vanessa.
I stifled a growl, not wanting to seem jealous. Because I wasn’t. No. I wasn’t jealous over the most annoying try-hard here.
She grabbed his waist, her hands clasping behind his back, trying to take him down. Her breasts pressed into his chest, rubbing on him like she was his.
I hated her.
My wolf was jumping around inside of me, begging me to let her free so she could do whatever she wanted to her. I controlled my innate urges, gazing at Cayden from across the field.
I walked over to him, determined not to let Vanessa or Roman get in the way of what I had studied last night in the bath. No letting Cayden push me around like he did yesterday. I would put up a fight.
He barreled toward me, arms curling around my knees to try to take me down. I looped my arms under his, turned him onto his back, and slammed him onto the ground, his head nearly bouncing off of the dirt. He rolled onto my stomach and dug his fingernails into the dirt, struggling to push my bodyweight off of him.
“Damn,” he said. “I expected you to go easy on me like you did yesterday.” He winked and rolled me over onto my back.
I held a strong wrestling base, all of my strength, and escaped his hold. Before he could throw me onto the ground again, I stood all the way up and shook my head. “I’m prepared today.”
He headed in for another attack, this time a punch-jab-hook combo. I ducked under each one, avoiding contact. He grabbed my wrist, trying to break my stance, but I continued to resist him.
Sure, I hated getting ragged on while everyone got it easy. But, if someone was going to go hard on me, then I wanted it to be Cayden. After Roman, he was the second strongest warrior in this pack. If I could fight him, I could fight anyone else here.
We wrestled for the next half-hour, not even stopping when everyone else rested. Maybe it was the way his lips were so close to my neck or the way his body was grinding against mine with each move, but I caught Roman glaring at us during practice. Each time he looked over, he was angrier.
When Roman announced that we would end in two minutes, I faked Cayden out,pretending to go in for another takedown, but throwing him over my hip instead. He landed on the ground with a thud and smiled up at me. “There’s that warrior that Roman always talks about.”
I arched a brow and helped him up. Roman talked about me—about my warrior abilities? Since when? What did he say?
