Page 6 of Alpha Gray

And this was only day one.

When they finally released us for the day, I caught a quick shower and went to the dining hall to grab a bite. Thank god for Davis and Boyd, because I guess none of the other recruits are speaking to me. The twenty-lap punishment has made me enemy number one among the trainees.

I spotted Brooke across the dining hall sitting with a group of people who I can only assume are the IT team. She looked like she was settling in comfortably, so I just tossed her a wave and didn’t interrupt. I’m still kicking myself over the ruckus I caused earlier, and she’s the only one I want to talk to right now. Being across the room from her felt like I was miles away.

The dorms are set up like an orphanage- just a huge room with rows of bunk beds. I took a top bunk, above Davis. Boyd’s on the top bunk across from me, and it’s a comfort to be flanked by my two friends. They’re like a protective shield; even though everybody here seems to hate me, they’ll have to get through them to mess with me.

I pull the sheets and scratchy blanket up to my chest, sighing as I stare at the ceiling. It’s dark, but as a shifter, I’ve got great night vision. My muscles are screaming and I’m completely exhausted, but I can’t stop my mind from racing.

Beside me, I hear Boyd climb into his bunk.

“You just had to pull aFallontoday, huh?” he whispers, chuckling.

Though I know he’s teasing, his words sting a little bit. I’ve already beat myself up enough over this. I don’t want to cry, so I work up a snarky response instead.

“I just couldn’t help myself,” I breathe, snickering a little. “I’ve always hated rules.”

I roll my body in Boyd’s direction, blinking to see his face in the dark. He’s already turned toward me, propped up on an elbow with his head resting on his hand.

“I hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure that’s what this summer’s all about,” he smirks.

I heave a sigh. “Let’s just hope me and my bad attitude can survive.”

Boyd chuckles and I prop myself up on an elbow to mirror his position.

“Seriously, Boyd, what am I gonna do?” I whisper. “That guy hates me.”

He shakes his head. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It was only the first day. He’ll forget. Besides, nobody could hate you, Fallon.”

Boyd stares at me through the dark, a little too longingly.

Wait a minute- is he flirting?My ‘yuck’ meter starts going off.

“Maybe.” I roll back over, staring at the ceiling again. “Thanks for being such a good friend.”

Boyd doesn’t respond. He’s probably a little sore from being knocked back into the friend zone.

I stare at the ceiling for a long time, replaying the day’s events in my head over and over again. I go from being regretful, to sad, to mad.

Gray’s an asshole. How can someone so hot be such a dick? It’s probably because he knows he’s hot. I know I should just swallow my pride and fall in line, but something inside of me wants to fight his authority.

Maybe it’s because we’re from different packs. He may be an alpha, but he’s notmyalpha.

CHAPTER FIVE

Gray

“Pair off!” I call out, and the trainees on the field start scrambling. It’s another early morning of training, and I’m eager to see what these recruits can do. “Spread out. We’re going to do a little bit of sparring today.”

The trainees follow my command, breaking off into groups of two and distancing themselves from one another. Theo steps up on my right side.

“Let’s see what you’ve got!” he says, clapping his hands together.

The recruits just stand there for a minute, looking around at one another.

Theo claps his hands again. “One of you attack while the other defends. Hand to hand combat, let’s go!”

Without wasting another moment, the pairs begin to circle one another. I start walking through to observe, careful to avoid any stray kicks or flailing limbs as the trainees spar. Some of them are better than expected- they take down their opponent quickly. Others look like they barely have a clue how to fight.

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