Page 2 of Alpha Gray

Dad drives us to the town square to catch the bus to training camp and is unusually chatty on the short drive. He tells us how proud he is that we’re joining the squad, and it starts to sink in how much I’m going to miss both of my parents. I can’t dwell on that, though- I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. It’s the first day of the rest of my life.

Alpha Anders came out to the town square to see off the group of recruits from our pack, and Dad breaks off to chat with him while Brooke and I head to join our classmates. There are fifteen of us from our pack that are heading to training camp for the summer and the other recruits are already loading their luggage onto the bus.

“Fallon! Brooke!” I hear a voice call, and Boyd shoots a hand up to wave us over to where he’s standing with Davis beside the bus.

Boyd and Davis are close friends of mine that I’ve trained with on weeknights for the past couple years. Boyd is tall and lean, with shaggy brown hair and suntanned skin. He’s conventionally attractive, with a square jaw and handsome features. I suppose I wouldn’t mind if he wound up being my mate, though it’d definitely be a climb out of the friend zone. I’m pretty sure he’s always had a thing for me- he’s a shameless flirt- but I’ve just never really felt that chemistry between us. Maybe that’s what the mate bond would add.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Boyd coos as we approach, tossing a wink in my direction.

I roll my eyes, chuckling softly. “Hey, Boyd. I see you packed light,” I tease.

“Already loaded up. Here, let me get yours.” Boyd reaches out for the handle of my suitcase before I can protest, pulling it toward the bus.

“I can take yours, Brooke,” Davis offers, moving toward her.

For a dude who wants to be a fighter, Davis is one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. I never thought he had the temperament for the security squad, but he’s actually really impressive when it comes to sparring. He’s not as tall as Boyd, but he’s really bulked up over the past year. As he carries Brooke’s suitcase toward the bus, the toned muscles under his t-shirt ripple with his movements. Davis has sandy blonde hair and green eyes, and like Boyd, he’s conventionally attractive- but unlike Boyd, I really hope he doesn’t wind up being my mate. He’s way too sweet; I’d walk all over him.

Alpha Anders says a few words to send us off, basically reminding us that our actions while we’re away will reflect back on him and the whole pack, and the next thing I know I’m waving to my dad through the window of the bus as it pulls out of the town square.

“It’s only for a couple weeks,” Brooke says, more for herself than to me.

“You’re not really coming back for the full moon run, are you?” I ask, shifting in my seat to face my sister.

Brooke shrugs, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I mean, it’ll be nice to see Mom and Dad…”

“But do you really want a mate? Already?” I scoff, shaking my head. “Don’t let Mom pressure you…”

“I’m not,” Brooke interrupts. She folds her arms across her chest indignantly. “I’m just going to miss them, is all. And you know how my wolf is, she has to run on the full moon.”

“Whatever you say,” I reply, skepticism dripping from my tone.

It’s Brooke’s turn to roll her eyes now. “We can decide later,” she says, effectively dropping the topic of conversation.

I know Brooke won’t go back home for the full moon run if I don’t want to come with her, but I also know that if she really wants to, I’ll come, too. We may not have a lot in common anymore, but we still do everything together. She’s my best friend. There isn’t anyone in the world I trust more than Brooke.

“So what do you think it’s going to be like?” Boyd asks, throwing his arm over the seat in front of us and craning his head in our direction. Davis is sitting next to him and quickly follows suit, peering back at me and Brooke.

I shrug. “People say it’s hell, but I can’t imagine anyone else is more prepared than we are.”

I’m trying to play it cool to mask my building apprehension about training camp. We’ve been training so hard all year, but now is when it will really count. What if I’m not good enough? What if I get cut? I try to push those thoughts out of my head as quickly as they enter, but they linger.

“I’m just glad we all get to do this together,” Davis offers, flashing his bright smile. It immediately puts me at ease.

“Let’s see if you’re still saying that after I take you down during practice,” I laugh, nudging his arm with my fist.

“Oooh, she’s got you there!” Boyd laughs, punching Davis’ arm playfully. He makes a face, rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

I turn to Brooke, who’s staring out the window as we drive the winding road through the forest. I can see her face in the window, but I can’t quite read her expression. Nervous? Sad? I reach out for her hand, giving it a little squeeze. It’s our secret ‘are you okay?’ signal.

Brooke turns to face me, offering a small smile, though I can tell she’s forcing it. She squeezes my hand back to tell me she’s fine, but something seems off.

“What’s up?” I ask, and the boys pick up on my hushed voice as a cue to turn around, sink back into their seats, and give us a little privacy.

Brooke shakes her head. “Nothing.”

I raise my eyebrows, urging her with my eyes to spill it.

She sighs. “I just… it’s going to be weird being away from home. Away from you. That’s all.”

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