Becoming Alpha

What the hell. Donovan Murry was totally hitting on Meredith.



“Right. I best be off. You ladies enjoy your lunch.” He gave us another of his smiles, crystal eyes twinkling.



Meredith punched my shoulder when he left. “Holy shit. Did that just happen?”



I fanned myself. “It totally did.”



“He’s so hot. And can’t you just feel that power. God.”



I laughed. “He is kind of potent. And while we’re on the subject, I met Sebastian Braun too. Same deal with him.”



Shannon pushed back from the table. “I’ll leave you to your gossiping.”



I couldn’t win with her. It was much easier to not try.



“Don’t worry about her. She’s just jealous. Of both of us,” Meredith said. The bell rang. “This isn’t getting you out of spilling. Tonight. You will tell me everything. Especially about Donovan. Or face the consequences.”



“I think I’ve had enough consequences for one lifetime.” I giggled when she shoved me. “Tonight. I promise. When not so many people are around.”



“Deal.”



***



I should’ve known it was going to be a bad martial arts class when I walked into the gym and saw Dastien instead of Mr. Dawson. Everyone was already sparring. I guessed the attack made everyone a little on edge.



Chris waved me over. We started our normal stretching routine. I couldn’t help but peek at Dastien. He stood reclined against the far wall watching as I stretched.



He mouthed, “Focus.”



I quickly looked away, turning bright red for sure. I finally got into the fighting stance Chris had taught me, and tried to pretend Dastien wasn’t there.



“Forgetting something?” Chris said.



I glanced at my feet, but they looked right to me. My shoulders seemed right too. “I don’t think so.”



“Gloves?”



My head so wasn’t in gear. I tried not to act awkward, but was failing miserably. Every time I looked at Chris I felt guilty. Dastien watching me only made me feel extra guilty. I had to focus on the job at hand. After last night, I knew I was way behind on a key supernatural skill.



Plus, if I could get through this class, then maybe I could talk to Chris after and tell him he couldn’t kiss me again.



I tucked my gloves in my waistband, and Chris nodded. “Let’s work on flipping.”



“I’m not a gymnast. Forget it. Let’s work on something else. Something more practical, so I don’t have another repeat of last night.”



He laughed. “No. I mean you flip me. Over your back. And this will help you. I promise.”



I stepped away from him. “Now I know you’ve lost your mind. You’re basically a foot taller than me and a ton heavier.”



“If you do it right, that won’t matter.”



I listened to him explain the maneuver. It was a twist and squat with a little momentum behind it, not a feat of strength. Although he told me I could do it that way too. Which earned him an eye roll. I didn’t care what they said about werewolf strength. Chris was bigger than me and there was no way I could lift him.



We went through each step, move by move. I had to grab his wrist and then spin around so that my back was to his front, which would wrench his arm. Then, I would squat a little bit to get my hip under his, and momentum, plus the fact that his arm wanted to stay connected to the rest of his body, would flip him over my shoulder.



Sounded reasonable. If only I could wear my gloves for it. I didn’t need to hear about how he liked the way I fit against his body or how he thought I was sexy. My palms started to sweat. I didn’t dare look in Dastien’s direction. But I could feel him. Pacing. Barely holding his wolf at bay.



“You’re moving too slowly,” Chris said, drawing me back to the problem at hand. “Don’t be afraid of hurting me. I promise I won’t break. And even if I do, I heal quickly.”



“But you’re already hurt.”



He slapped his leg. “This is nothing. Just a scratch.”



“You’re still limping. That’s more than a scratch.”



“Shut up. Just do it.”



I stopped all the worrying and pulled the move. Chris went flying through the air, hit the mats and slid into the wall.



Crap. I needed to learn not to overdo it. I ran over to him. “Are you okay?” I nudged him with my foot. “Chris?” He wasn’t moving. I leaned down to make sure he was still breathing.



“Boo!” he yelled.



I screamed and jumped up. “Damn it, Chris!” I took a deep breath, and kicked his side. “They should really pad these walls. One of these days I’m going to actually hurt you and I’m going to think you’re faking and leave you for dead.”