Page 99 of Alpha Gray

There’s no time to rest, though- Boyd’s next opponent shucks his clothes in an instant, the air shimmering around him with his shift. Boyd scrambles to pull down his shorts, but the other guy’s already advancing- so Boyd calls his wolf forward, ripping through his t-shirt in a blur of dark fur. It gives him just enough time to plant his paws on the ground before the other guy pounces, rolling him over. The other wolf’s jaws snap at Boyd’s neck, but he wriggles out from underneath him, baring his teeth and launching toward the guy again. I wince as they make contact, flinch when the other guy sinks his teeth into Boyd’s side and his wolf whines. Then, just as quickly as it began, it ends- another whistle, and Boyd’s final opponent shifts, tearing across the field toward him in wolf form.

By the time it’s all over, my heart is racing. The roar of the crowd is deafening with everyone screaming and cheering. My face is hot, I can feel my pulse in my ears. The scariest part is that I don’t even know if Boyd did well- he put up a hell of a fight, but I don’t know what criteria these guys are looking at for our final trials. Boyd shifts back and slides his shorts on, grinning at the crowd despite the fact that he’s sporting several deep gashes on his arms, legs, and abdomen, dark red blood oozing from his battle wounds.

I feel like I’m going to be sick.

The next recruit they call forward is Carter, and though I keep my eyes trained on the practice field to watch his matchups, I’m staring blankly, my body numb. I’m trying to get myself into the right headspace but I’m a jumble of nerves.

The last thing I expect is for my name to be called next. I was hoping I’d have more time to center myself, mentally prepare- but this is it, my last shot, the one for all the marbles.

I swallow hard, my throat feeling like sandpaper as I stride forward onto the practice field. My feet are heavy as I walk, like they’re anchored to the ground, while my head feels like it’s floating away.

You can do this, Fallon.

I glance around at the throngs of people all around me, my eyes pulled to meet someone else’s- those dark, intense eyes that I can never seem to escape. Gray gives me a little nod of encouragement, stoking the fire that’s slowly starting in my chest.

I can do this.

I glance across the field at my first opponent- a stocky guy named Miles. I narrow my eyes, bending my knees slightly, grinding the ball of my foot into the dirt. When the whistle sounds, it barely registers in my mind- my body springs forward almost involuntary, tearing across the field in Miles’ direction.

My speed has always been my greatest advantage, and I use it to increase the force of my impact when I collide with Miles, landing an impressive right hook before ducking to roll him over me. I expect him to go down like a sack of potatoes, but he catches himself, pushing off and wheeling around. He tries to land a few blows on me, but I dodge and weave, quick on my feet as I move around him, trying to tire him out so I can get a few more jabs in. It fucking works, and I feel like I’m emerging as the clear victor of our matchup by the time Jax whistles for it to end and the next one to commence.

Shana is my next opponent, and I don’t have time to catch my breath before she flies across the field and she’s on me. We’re similar in height, body build, and even fighting style- the alphas really knew what they were doing when they picked her for my matchup. She blocks every blow I try to land, jumps out of the way at the last second before I can execute a takedown. Shana then manages to beat me at my own game, using her speed to trip me up, and before I know it, I’m tumbling to the ground with her on top of me. Time seems to move in slow motion as we wrestle in the dirt, Shana’s knee pressing into my abdomen as I writhe to dodge her punches.

Then it’s over- another whistle, and it’s time to shift. I stumble to my feet, regaining my bearings as I shuck my clothes as quickly as possible and call my wolf forward, my body breaking out in familiar tingles as it rearranges itself and I land on four paws. Jake is already barreling toward me, his big silver wolf covering the distance before I can blink.

My wolf’s ready. I relinquish most of my control to her, trusting her, and she doesn’t disappoint. Jake takes a leap to attack and I swish around, kicking out my back legs to fend him off. I get him right in the ribs, sending him crashing to the dirt- before he can get back up, I’m on him, snapping my jaws, going for the scruff of his neck. I bite down, just hard enough to taste the metallic tinge of blood before I release, giving him a chance to get back to his feet, try again.

I shouldn’t have, because he gets the jump on me with his second assault, my wolf crying out as I come down hard on my shoulder. The pain is blinding, but I continue on, through the next whistle and onto my final matchup. Darcy’s white wolf comes barreling toward me, and I’m exhausted, panting, but ready. I try to fend her off, but she’s so quick, so precise. I yelp as her fangs draw blood, then sink my teeth into her to return the favor, a blur of limbs and fur and frenzy.

I’ve given over so much control to my wolf that it takes me a moment to realize when it’s all over. I dig myself out of the recesses of my mind, pushing back to the surface, the air shimmering as my wolf recedes. My whole body is screaming in pain, shaking with adrenaline as I scramble to my shorts and sports bra and tug them back on. The crowd around me is cheering, but it’s almost drowned out by the high-pitched whistling in my ears, courtesy of taking a solid blow or two to the head.

I glance down, surveying the damage- there’s smears of blood on my hands and belly and legs, but no major wounds, nothing that won’t heal quickly. Then I straighten, steadying my breathing as I look around. My eyes find Gray’s again and he’s wearing the biggest smile- with the way he’s beaming at me, it’s impossible to hold back one of my own. I grin, walking tall as I head off the field to take my spot as a spectator again on the sidelines.

Boyd threads through the crowd to come up beside me, clapping me on the shoulder. I wince at the impact on my injured shoulder, but the pain only lasts for a moment- the heady high of the adrenaline I’m still riding overtakes it and I whip around to look at Boyd, giggling like a little kid.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Boyd exclaims, eyes wide and a big ol’ grin on his face.

“You were, too!” I say, still giddy, throwing my arms around him in a hug. “We did it!”

Brock announces the next contender and I pull away from Boyd, watching as Bex takes the field.

My heart’s still beating so fast. Out of everything we’ve been through at training camp, all of the exercises and drills that they’ve come up with to test us, this final trial was by far the most brutal. I gave it everything I had. I’m not sure if was enough, but I’m damn proud of my effort.

All I can do now is watch, wait, and hope it was enough.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Gray

“Will you shut the fuck up and focus?” Brock snaps, pounding his fist on the table.

We’ve been shut in this stuffy conference room for the better part of an hour, combing through the details of every recruit’s last trial, agonizing over our final selections for the squad. The conversation about Bex started to go off the rails when Jax commented on her massive rack, then took a nosedive when Theo started in on what he’d do if he had the opportunity to take her home for a night.

Brock, Reid and I are all used to their antics by now, but we’re stressed, we’re exhausted, and more than anything, we’re ready to get the hell out of this room. Now isn’t the time for the Jax and Theo roadshow.

“Jeez, man, lighten up,” Theo grumbles, shooting Brock a sideways glance.

Brock lets out an exasperated sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I just want to get this over with.”

---