Page 77 of Alpha Gray

He narrows his eyes, a teasing smile dancing across his lips. “Your friends?”

I drop my gaze, kicking at a pebble in the dirt. “Well yeah. We need all the help we can get. Me especially, these days.”

“You’re doing great, baby.” His voice is low, gravelly. It stirs my wolf, and when I look up at him again, I’m sure she’s showing herself in my irises.

When our eyes connect, my heartbeat quickens and heat pools between my legs. His gaze is so intense, my mind flashing back to when he was staring at me with that same intensity, hovering over me in his bed, ready to ravage my body.

I swallow hard, licking my lips. “So… I won’t see you all weekend?”

He gives a slight shake of his head. His eyes trail down my body, then back up to my face, his nostrils flaring.

Fuck. Is my body giving me away right now?

I nod, darting my gaze away again. “No worries. Pack comes first.”

He drops his voice so low that it’s barely audible. “Don’t worry, baby. On Monday I’ll make you come, too.”

My eyes fly back up to meet his and his steely gaze slices through me, my pussy practically throbbing in anticipation at his suggestion. He rakes his stare over my body again and I swear I forget to breathe for a few seconds.

“We’ll see,” I murmur coyly, the corner of my mouth curling up into a slight smirk.

Gray looks past me, his smile fading. “Your friends are staring. Better get back.”

I cast a glance over my shoulder, and he’s right- all four of them are looking over at us.

“Right. Monday, then,” I say, turning on a heel. I retreat, swinging my hips as I strut back over to my friends.

Can’t. Fucking.Wait.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Fallon

It scares me a little bit how quickly my world has started to revolve around Gray. The weekend feels dull without him. My friends and I hit the bar in Goldenleaf on Saturday night, but he isn’t at his usual table in the corner with the other alphas. I still drink and dance and have fun with my friends, but the night is decidedly less exciting without the prospect of ending it with him. What I wouldn’t give for a repeat of last Saturday.

Sundays are our day off, and I spend mine with Brooke. After being together basically every day for eighteen years, it feels strange to have to resort to weekly catch-ups to stay current on the events in on each other’s lives. I feign interest in her IT mumbo-jumbo, while she pretends to care about the new defensive maneuvers I’ve learned. If we were strangers, we’d have nothing in common- but she’s my twin, my closest friend and confidant. It feels so good just to be with her, talk to her.

By the time Monday morning rolls around, I’m feeling great. I’m refreshed, I’m back on top of my game, I’m looking forward to tonight, and nothing can bring me down. That is, until I see the rankings.

In a surprise twist, the whiteboard isn’t turned to display the partner list this week when we jog out onto the field, but the rankings. I’m hoping that my performance during one-on-ones has pushed me somewhere toward the middle, but as I draw closer and frantically scan the list for my name, my heart sinks.

I’m not at the top, where I want to be, and I’m not in the middle, where I expect to be. There are 25 of us left, and my name is way down at the bottom, written next to the number 21. It’s so humiliating that I might as well be ranked in dead last.

“Everyone get a good look?” Jax asks, grasping one side of the giant whiteboard.

I’m waiting for him to flip it because I don’t want to look at it anymore. How could I have fallen so far? I know I had a rough week, but21? Reflected in the number on the whiteboard, I can see my dream of making the squad slipping away. I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t make it- I don’t have a plan B. I’ve pinned everything on the belief that I’d be in, devote my life to being a warrior for the six-pack.

I look around for Gray, seeking some form of comfort- but he’s not on the field this morning- only Jax, Theo, and Brock. I feel a lump form in my throat, feel the sharp sting of tears behind my eyes.

Sensing my distress, Boyd slips an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. His warmth soothes me and my tears recede. “Don’t worry about it,” he whispers, peering down into my eyes. “We’ve still got two weeks left. Plenty of time to make it up.”

“Yeah,” I croak. I try to force a smile, but the rankings are a major wake-up call. Based upon where I’m sitting, there’s a huge risk of being cut next week. I can’t- I won’t- let that happen.

The hinge on the whiteboard creaks as Jax flips it over, and I’m immediately puzzled at what’s written on the other side.

All of our names are listed, but we aren’t paired up- instead, they’re scrawled on the board in two columns. A dull murmur rises amongst the crowd as the other recruits take notice of the departure from the norm.

“This week is all about teamwork,” Brock states matter-of-factly, tucking his long hair behind his ears and folding his huge arms across his chest. “Instead of pairs, you’ll be working in teams all week.”

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