Page 74 of Alpha Gray

Theo’s probably the easiest of the alphas for me to take on. The guy’s a hothead that always reacts in the moment- his moves are less tight and coordinated compared to the others. As long as I hit him with the element of surprise, I can get the jump on him. The takedown works, but as soon as he’s on his feet, he points at me to get back in position, go again. I try a different approach the second time, which throws him off, but he doesn’t go down. He lands one blow on me- right in my abdomen, and it hurts like a bitch- but in the end, I manage to outmaneuver him.

As I make my way to the last line, I’m high on the adrenaline coursing through my veins, feeling like a goddamn superhero. Gray’s the last alpha for me to take on, and I bounce back and forth on the balls of my feet as I wait in line, trying to stay focused. It’s difficult to do so when he looks so damn sexy in his cutoff t-shirt and gym shorts, though. A thin sheen of sweat clings to his deliciously tanned skin as he waves Boyd forward to take him on next.

I watch as Boyd takes his place opposite Gray, holding my breath as he springs forward for his attack. For a second, it looks like Boyd is going to get the jump on him, but Gray darts left, sticking out an arm and clotheslining Boyd before throwing him to the ground like a ragdoll.

Boyd hits the dirt- hard- sputtering for air. Jesus, Gray didn’t even give him a fucking chance. He stands over Boyd menacingly, waiting a tad too long before offering a hand to help him up. Boyd curses under his breath as he takes it, fumbling to find his footing and pull himself up.

I’m annoyed, because I don’t think it was any accident that Gray was so rough on Boyd. Damn male egos.

I’m up next, and Gray beckons me forward, the hint of a smirk on his lips as I take my position. I keep repeating ‘right, left, sweep’ in my head, bouncing as I watch him sink into a defensive crouch.

I sprint toward him. Again, I wait until the last second, then juke right. Then left. Even though he keeps up with me, I still go for the sweep. He sees it coming, tries to dodge it, but I hook my foot around one of his ankles. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m falling.

It looks like he’s going to fall on top of me, but he throws his body sideways, hitting the dirt first. We land on the ground and the momentum rolls us over a couple of times- but when we stop, Gray’s beneath me and I’m lying on top of him. I press my palms against his chest to push myself up, sliding my knees forward on either side of his hips, straddling him. I swear I feel his dick twitch against my pussy.Seems he likes this position.

I stare down at Gray, his golden-flecked eyes meeting mine. My wolf practically purrs. I’m probably staring for a second too long before I snap back to reality, climbing off of him and turning away, brushing off my shorts. I feel my cheeks heat in a blush as I glance around, hoping that nobody else noticed that sexually charged moment between us.

If only I could be so lucky. My eyes land on Hannah and she’s just fucking glaring at me, shooting daggers through me with her eyes.What the hell is her deal?I’ve never had someone dislike me so intensely before.Is she into Gray or something?

I’m so sick of Hannah’s nasty attitude. I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t stop myself- I flash her a big smile, jogging forward.

“Good luck!” I chirp as I pass her.

I know the girl’s out to get me and I should steer clear. I shouldn’t engage, shouldn’t try to provoke her. But I’m tired of just staying quiet, walking on eggshells around her and taking her shit. I shouldn’t snipe at her, but as I see her eyes darken in response, her face twist into a scowl,damn, if it doesn’t feelgood.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Gray

“So between Brennan and Connor…” Reid trails off, furrowing his brow. He looks up from the paper in front of him, across the table at the rest of us.

We’re in the conference room at the squad complex, seated around the oval table. The five of us have been trying to determine who to cut this week, and honestly, I hate this part. All of the recruits have been working so hard- it kills me to crush someone’s dream.

I wish we could keep them all, but I know how important it is to stack the squad with the best of the best. Especially after the recent scare we had with the rogues. During my time in Denver, we were able to confirm that the rogue they captured was indeed feeding them bad information, which was a relief to all. Even so, it was a necessary wake-up call- while the shadow pack may not yet be a pressing threat, it’s still out there, and it’ll come for us eventually. When it does, we’ll need to be ready to fight.

“If we’re looking at consistency, it’s Connor all day,” Brock grumbles. “If we’re looking at potential, then I think it goes to Brennan.”

He’s right- while Connor has consistently performed well, Brennan outperforms him at times- though he’s hit or miss, depending on the day.

I lean my chair back on two legs, folding my hands over my abdomen. “Let’s keep em’ both for now,” I sigh. “Give them another week, and we’ll cut one next time.”

The others mumble in agreement, and Reid scribbles something on the paper, moving on. “Reilly and Fallon,” he says, looking up at us again.

My heartbeat quickens.

“Fallon struggled this week,” Theo pipes up. “If we’re going off of consistency, then it hasn’t been there for her.”

I dart a glare at Theo. He’s just pissed that Fallon dropped him during one-on-ones today. I had the chance to see it while I was squaring up for another one of my own, and I was so fucking proud of her. It isn’t easy to get the jump on one of us- we’ve got the advantage of years of training.

“She was great today, though,” Brock says. “Knocked me on my ass during one-on-ones.”

Reid nods. “She was solid in the one-on-one with me today, too.”

Atta girl.

I try not to react or show any emotion, but Jax is just watching me, considering. “I vote to keep her.” He leans forward, lacing his fingers together. “And not just because she’s your girl, Gray,” he adds.

I hold up my hands in front of me. “Hey, be objective. I told you guys I’d leave myself out of the conversation when it comes to Fallon.”

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