Page 91 of Alpha Gray

I look around wildly, my eyes quickly finding Shay’s in the crowd of recruits. The two of us are pretty evenly matched and we’ve been paired before- and since we’ve been practicing together in the evenings, we’re each familiar with the other’s fighting style. That’ll totally give us an edge because we can work together to showcase one another’s best skills.

Shay gives me a little nod of her head, confirming that she’s on the same page. Then we all break away, jogging toward the track to start our laps. I totally zone out while I run, giving my mind a much-needed reprieve from my constant circular thoughts- but when I square up against Shay afterwards, ready to spar, they all come flooding back.

I can’t focus, can’t land a punch or kick worth a damn. I feel like Shay’s taking it easy on me, but I look like a goddamn amateur out here today. The practice field is usually where I’m most comfortable, but today I feel completely out of my element, totally out of control. My head’s a mess.

“What’s going on with you today?” Shay finally asks through clenched teeth after she’s taken me down to the ground again. She pops back up, offering me a hand.

I grasp onto Shay’s arm, rising to my feet and brushing off my shorts. “I don’t know, I’m just off,” I mutter. It’s a fucking lie- I know exactly what’s going on, I can’t get out of my own damn head.

“Fallon.”

My heart skips a beat as I hear Gray’s voice say my name, my breath catching in my throat as I whip around to see him approaching. I open my mouth to acknowledge him, but no sound comes out.

“You’re ducking too early on that takedown,” he says, stepping up beside me. “You’ve gotta take a beat, wait for the advance.”

I fold my arms, risking a sideways glance at Gray.Fuck, his piercing gaze could take me to my knees.

“Yeah,” I breathe, darting my eyes away. “I know.”

I can feel Gray’s gaze linger on me as I stare down at the dirt.

“Just trying to help,” he says quietly, and damnit if I don’t feel a pang of guilt for being so short with him. “Make sure you’re squaring your hips when you go for that three-two jab.”

Gray sidesteps behind me, wrapping the fingers of one hand around my left hip and sliding his others along the small of my back to rest on my right, giving my hips a little jerk to demonstrate. “Like this.”

His touch is electric, sending a jolt of current through me. It feels good, but I shrink away from him, jumping forward.

“Got it. Thanks,” I mumble. I glance back at Gray over my shoulder and I swear he looks wounded.

“Yeah, alright,” he sighs, stabbing his fingers through his hair. “Carry on.”

Though he turns and strides a few paces away, I can still feel him watching me. Shay crouches down, signaling that she’s ready for me to advance, and when I launch myself toward her again I make the same stupid mistakes, the same clumsy blunders. I’m back on my ass in the dirt in three seconds flat.

Gray

By Monday’s afternoon session, I know something’s really off with Fallon. I haven’t ever seen her perform this poorly in daily exercises- it’s like she’s forgotten everything she’s learned over the past five weeks. Her careless mistakes keep getting her injured, too, which agitates my wolf to no end. He’s been rattling my cage for hours, his urge to help her, soothe her, overriding all common sense.

Whatever’s going on with her, I have a bad feeling that it has something to do with me because she freezes up whenever I get close. So, I’ve been trying to maintain my distance, watch her from afar while my wolf howls in discontentment.

By the time Brock calls for the afternoon session to end, my anxiety is in overdrive. I immediately make my way over to where Fallon’s sitting in the dirt after being knocked on her ass for the hundredth time today. Her eyes fly wide as I crouch down next to her, reaching for her wrist. She sprained it pretty badly this afternoon, so I’ll use that as my cover for getting up in her space.

“How’s the wrist?” I ask, taking it in one hand and trailing my fingertips along the curve of the bone. I can feel the heat of sparks along her skin at my contact.

“Fine,” Fallon grumbles. She looks up at me, her eyes so wide, so blue.

“Can we talk?”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, just glances around nervously.

“Where?” she hisses.

I look around, too. The practice field is still filled with people and the complex is crawling with even more.

“The forest?” I suggest.

Fallon just gives a little nod, pulling her wrist out of my grasp.

“I’ll find you,” I whisper as I straighten, rising back up to my feet.

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