"Alright. Orion is at the finish line. I suspect he'll be pacing the woods near the cabin. Get through this course and hometo him, then we're done for the day. I'll collect notes from my enforcers, and make adjustments, and we'll go again tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" So soon?
"And we'll keep doing it until you can shift confidently."
One of his enforcers strides across the field toward us. Though leaner than my mates, with every step closer, I can feel his intense alpha energy. I've grown used to Grayson and Orion's presence—maybe it's because they're my mates, but I feel warm and safe with them.
But this stranger's energy radiates the same predatory intensity as all those men on the road. I suck in a shallow breath. Grayson registers my discomfort, but before he can say anything, the man approaches.
And he does something unexpected. He pauses directly in front of me and bows, tilting his head slightly, baring his neck, like I've seen less dominant wolves do around Orion and Grayson. A gesture of submission.
"Omega," he says reverently. He smells of rosemary. Earthy and a little sweet. His voice is soft, and with his fists planted behind his back, he steps away and looks up, nodding once more. "Mona. I'm Eli. Grayson's third. Head enforcer. We are honored to have you join our clan. Thank you for your gift. We will not let you down."
My mouth drops open. Grayson is smirking, and he flicks my shoulder, like I'm supposed to say something.
They owe us respect. They are lucky to have us and duty-bound to pay homage,Beep explains.
I hope she can feel me rolling my eyes.No one else has done this, I point out.
You have not formally met any other enforcers or alphas. Only betas. They show their reverence in other ways.
I clear my throat and stick out my hand. And like when I met Hilde and Doc, he takes mine in both of his, closes his eyes andtakes a deep inhale. I nearly pull away, glancing at Grayson who surely would have a problem with another man touching me like this.
But instead, he seems to approve. Not smiling, not frowning, just observing. Like he expected this.
I feel like a battery with the way Eli's eyes light up. He smiles wide and his intense alpha energy bursts out of him.
"N-nice to meet you," I mumble.
"My mate, Kellen, has been wanting to meet you as well. He's an enforcer on the course today. When he heard our omega needed help, he was the first to volunteer."
"How many people did you tell?" I growl at Grayson.
He smirks and lifts a shoulder. "Things like this aren't secret." Then he turns to Eli. "Are we ready?"
Eli nods, spine erect, then turns on his heel to march back through the field. He disappears along the forest line a few minutes later.
"If all the wolves out there are like him, I'm fucked."
"You think he'll be able to scare you into shifting?" Grayson scratches his chin, like this is amusing to him.
"I know how strong you are," I say, not in praise, but in fact. "And Orion. But I'm not scared of you. Him—" I point toward where Eli disappeared. "Him I could be scared of."
"Silent Peak is among the largest clans in the world. There are maybe two or three bigger. Two in South America, one in the Arctic. Eli is the third strongest wolf in our clan, which means he's one of the strongest wolves in the world. There's a reason he's my third. He'ssupposedto be scary."
"Isn't this overkill?" I whine.
"No. You need strength and speed. That's why we're here."
"But you're going to try and scare it out of me. What if it doesn't work? I mean, I know I won't actually get hurt. It could backfire."
"Who says you won't actually get hurt?"
I expect a teasing smile. He's completely serious. "What the fuck?"
He shrugs. Fucking alpha. "How else will you improve?"
"So it's not okay for Andrea and Stance to kick the shit out of me, butthisis okay?"
