Page 43 of The Beta's Blind Date

Their worry is needless, though. I am the sole focus of his glare, the sole reason for his wrath.

Dawson blows his whistle, and everyone on the field begins their fights. Some pairs finish in mere seconds, while others last longer.

Troy gets me into a chokehold, but I stomp on his instep and elbow him in his diaphragm, knocking the wind from him and forcing him to loosen his hold. I twist myself out of his grip and knee him in the groin, but before I can make contact, he knocks me to the ground with his shoulder in my midsection.

I guess I misjudged the level of his breathlessness. Or he’s better at faking than I remember.

My back hits the grass with a thud, and my breath leaves my body in a cloud of warm, foggy air in the almost freezing temperatures. I gasp and close my eyes, clenching my teeth against the pain in my ribs and my head from the impact.

I’m about to push Troy off me—I still have some strength left—but before I can, he’s tossed aside, a growl echoing over the entire training field.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dominic roars.

I sit up, ready to defend Troy, to tell Dominic I was the one who asked him to be my partner. But Dominic’s eyes are on me, not Troy.

“I’m training,” I say, standing up and brushing my leggings off.

Everyone stops their sparring, and all eyes turn to us. To me.

“You’re done.”

“Like hell I am,” I say. “I’m just getting started. And I’m allowed to join this training session two times a week.”

“You just proved you’re not ready to be training with this group,” Dominic says, crossing his arms. “He had you pinned in no time at all.”

I throw my arms up in the air. “He’s the top-ranked warrior! And I wasn’t pinned. I hadn’t tapped out yet! I was about to roll us over, but you overstepped and didn’t let us finish!”

“It doesn’t matter, Taryn. I say you’re done, so you’re done. I’ll see you at your correct training. Later.”

“I’m not leaving. The rules say I am allowed at this training twice a week, and I am within my rights to be here.”

He growls again, his eyes narrow, and he inhales through his nose. His alpha aura, which had only been leaking from him before, was now being pushed out with deliberate intent and focused on me. I clench my teeth and bare my neck to him, but I don’t lower my eyes.

He can have my submission but not my respect. Not right now.

“Taryn,” he says, his voice low and laced with his alpha command. “I forbid you from training with the warriors.”

Tears prick my eyes as he turns and stalks away, back towards Dawson and Conor, but I don’t let them fall. I swallow and blink them back and form fists with my hands, drawing myself up to my full height and squaring my shoulders.

I have to do this now, in front of everybody, in front of witnesses, or it won’t be valid. It’s the only reason I didn’t do it yesterday when I ran into him in the hallway after having tea with his mom.

“Alpha Dominic Rivers!” He turns and stares at me, his chest heaving and his hands in fists too, mirroring me. “I, Taryn Mackenzie Campbell, demand you follow the laws set forth by our ancestors and allow me to take part in an official pack warrior challenge!”

Chapter 15

TARYN

Thesilencethatsettlesover the pack grounds after my declaration is heavy and pressing. Everyone on the training field freezes, their eyes locked on us, their breath held, their bodies frozen as they wait for him to react.

“Excuse me?” Dominic asks, taking a step towards me again, blinking and shaking his head. “What did you say?”

“You heard me,” I say.

He scoffs and storms back over to me, his gray eyes flashing. “You can’t do that. You can’t make demands like that.”

“I can, actually. I am well within my rights to demand a warrior challenge.”

“Says who?”

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