Page 98 of Alpha Gray

I swallow hard, offering a wry smile. “We’ve got this.” I turn to give Connor a fist-bump, then give fist-bumps all around.

“Well we’ve done all we can,” Shay sighs. “It’s in fate’s hands, now.”

“Yep,” Connor agrees. He scrubs a hand over his face, yawning. “You guys ready to head back?”

Boyd nods, dropping his arms from Shay’s and my shoulders and heading for the door. Connor and Shay start to follow him while Davis pauses to wait for Casey. I hang back, too- because even though I’ve been shoving this whole fated mates thing in the back of my brain for the better part of a week, I still can’t let it go completely.

“You can go ahead, we’ll catch up,” Davis says to me, tilting his head toward the others.

I bring my hands together in front of my chest, wringing them. “Actually, I wanted to ask you guys about something,” I say, glancing over Davis’ shoulder as Casey approaches.

“What’s up?” Casey asks as she slides in next to Davis. He immediately snakes an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. Despite their differences in size, the two of them fit together like puzzle pieces.

I suck in a breath, gnawing on my bottom lip. “What was it like between you two… I mean, before the full moon confirmed the mate bond?”

Davis tilts his head curiously, while the corners of Casey’s lips tip up into a little knowing smile.

“We’d never really interacted before then,” Casey says, shrugging. She tilts her body toward Davis, placing a palm on his chest and looking up at him. “Right babe?”

“Yeah,” Davis breathes, reaching up to brush some dirt out of his hair with his fingers as he gazes down at Casey. “I mean, I saw you around the complex once or twice…” he looks up at me, continuing. “I was attracted to her, I mean, who wouldn’t be… but we never actually spoke, not until that night.”

“And then it was total fireworks,” Casey adds, waggling her eyebrows.

Davis grins down at Casey, then glances up to me again. “Why do you ask?”

I shrug, trying to come off as nonchalant. “Just curious, I guess, with the full moon coming up and all. Just wondered if there was some kind of tip-off to the mate bond or if fate just throws curveballs.”

Casey smiles, her eyes filled with so much kindness. She likely overheard me talking about Gray when we used to run patrols together, so I’ll bet she knows more about my motive than she’s letting on. “I think if we’d gotten to know each other before the run, we would’ve known. Fate doesn’t make mistakes, it put us together for a reason.”

Davis nods in agreement, tucking Casey tighter to his side. “I’ll be the first to admit that I had doubts, Case knows that. But it only took a day or two for me to realize how the two of us together, it just makes sense.”

“And then when we sealed the bond those feelings were multiplied,” Casey adds. “Times a thousand, it was crazy.”

My eyes flutter down to spot where Casey’s neck meets her shoulder, where a small white scar displays Davis’ mark. Fate may assign the mate bond, but the recipients have to seal it by marking one another before the next full moon or the bond dissolves away. I suppose its fate’s way of giving you an out- but with how strong the fated mate bond seems to be, I doubt many could reject it.

It’s too much to hope that Gray and I could actually be fated, right? I shouldn’t even allow myself to entertain that thought. Still, there’s this little glimmer of hope lingering deep within my heart that everything will just work out and we’ll go riding off into the sunset together. I’m such a cynic about the whole thing that the little shred of hope rarely sees the light of day, but…what if?

I’m lost in thought when Casey speaks up again. “Are you thinking of staying here for the run on Sunday?” she asks.

“Huh?” I shake my head, like I’m scattering my thoughts away. “Yeah, maybe. Not sure yet.”

She gives me a little smile. “You should. You never know what could happen.”

I force a soft chuckle.That’s exactly what I’m worried about.

The three of us head out of the arena to where Boyd, Connor, and Shay are still waiting for us on the practice field. They didn’t need to hang back and wait, but the little act of solidarity is a comfort, nonetheless. We’re quiet as we make our way back to the barracks, and I doubt any of us will get much sleep tonight.

~

The final trials that the alphas assign on Saturday afternoon throw all of us recruits for a loop. For the first time, we aren’t going up against one another or the alphas- instead, they’re pitting each of us against several existing security squad members. It’s a true equalizer, because we’ve never matched up against them before- a totally clean slate. We’ll have to think on our feet, react in the moment, and fight off maneuvers we’ve possibly never seen before. It’s exciting, but also intimidating as hell.

I swear I forget to breathe as Brock explains the setup- we’re each taking on four squad members, individually but in quick succession, and for the last two spars we’re to use our wolves. And everyone will be watching the whole thing.No pressure.

They randomly draw names to see who goes first, and Boyd’s the lucky contender to be pulled. We all step back, forming a big circle on the practice field around Boyd and his four opponents. We’re each taking on different squad fighters in these trials, so there are probably a hundred people on the practice field today, a hundred sets of eyes on Boyd as he squares up in his final test to prove his worth to the squad.

Jax blows a whistle and the first squad member takes off in a dead sprint toward Boyd. It catches him a little off guard, like he wasn’t yet fully prepared- but he quickly steadies himself, springing forward to meet his opponent halfway. I cringe as their bodies crash into one another, limbs thrashing, each trying to get the upper hand. It all happens so fast- suddenly they’re on the ground, rolling around, and I’m not sure which of them executed the takedown. Boyd lands a few good jabs on the guy before he manages to scurry away, and then they’re both on their feet again, kicking and punching and trying to best one another.

I hear Jax whistle again, and I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I don’t have time to contemplate who won the first round, though, because the next squad fighter advances toward Boyd, a blonde girl. She’s small and fast, giving him a run for his money- by the time the whistle sounds for the next opponent, Boyd’s panting hard, already exhausted.

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