Page 3 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
“Luna’s orders.”
Chapter 2 - Conall
The Silverlake Valley gym was open twenty-four hours, and I was glad for that. At two in the morning, I needed to blow off some steam—I always had steam to blow off these days. I glanced at the two alphas that pounded the treadmills next to me. Fenrys, in his gray hoodie, his eyes narrowed, directed ahead, and ran without his breath, even laboring. He upped his speed twice, and increased his incline.
Next to him, Aidan punched his speed up, matching Fenrys. The two locked eyes. Aidan increased his again, Fenrys did the same. Except he increased the incline again, and Aidan increased his own.
I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t we get a ruler while we’re at it?” I muttered. Aidan snorted.
“He won’t agree to that,” the alpha from Oak Hill said smugly. “He knows he’ll lose.”
“Yeah?” Fenrys challenged.
“Sure. Ask Dakota. She hasallthe experience of just how much I’d win if we started measuring.”
His eyes flicked down, and then he pinched his index finger and thumb together. I noticed that they didn’t even miss a step on the treadmill.
“How about youbothmeet me at the punching bag,” I said. “And you’ll both have your asses handed to you.”
Aidan snorted. “Don’t be stupid. You can fight Jason.”
“No,” I snarled. I adjusted my treadmill up to theirs. I could be capable of matching the alphas. I didn’t only have to compete against another beta. The three of us sprinted competitively to the point where I didn’t even think we wereworking out anymore. Aidan’s hair was pulled up into a knot at the back of his head, his hoodie half zipped up, exposing his chest underneath. All hard-packed muscles.
I hated being fucking smaller than them. I ran for ten minutes, matching pace with them. Whenever I thought about slowing down, I pictured my brother and his angry glare across the Inferno Lounge and then at our pack’s home, fixed on me, every inch of hatred aimed at me. I pictured Sasha walking away.Hot hands finding my chest, fingers walking up my skin, ghosting the waistband of my jeans. Her mouth was hot on mine, my name pouring from her lips.A wrenched parting of our bodies.‘Leave, Conall’.
I tripped on the treadmill, lost to my own thoughts.
Aidan chuckled. “Still trying to keep up with us, buddy? Maybe if you work hard enough, you can be the alpha of your own pack!” He said it excitedly, condescending as hell.
“Fuck you,” I snarled and got my pacing back.
“Don’t antagonize him,” Fenrys snapped. “I’m serious, Aidan. Our packs are… working together, somewhat. They don’t need to see an example from you and think it’s okay to start petty arguments or fights.”
“I’ll bust your ass again, Aidan,” I warned. “You may have shaken hands with Fenrys, but I’ll still go at you like I did in the woods the day you dumped Dak—”
“Say her name,” Aidan spat, slamming his treadmill to a stop. I hopped off mine, meeting him face-to-face, annoyed at his inches over me. Fenrys sighed, switching off his machine too. “Idareyou to put my mate’s name in your mouth, beta.”
“Aidan,” Fenrys said sharply. Aidan dismissed him with ignorance, not taking his attention off me. I smiled slowly. I’dbeen itching for a fight ever since my brother had come back into my life and ignored me rather than fighting it out with me properly.
“You want to hit me, Aidan?” I taunted. “Go on. I’ll fight you right now.”
“Don’t push me, Conall.”
I shoved his shoulders back, smirking. “Oh, no. Looks like I did.”
“You never did grow out of that cocky mouth—”
“Stop,” Fenrys shouted. The other men in the gym halted, glancing our way and then back to their own machines. “Conall, stop picking a fight. Aidan, shut up.”
“Listen to your alpha like a good beta, Conall,” Aidan said.
“Do you speak to your own second like that, you condescending piece of sh—”
Fenrys bodily forced himself between us, shoving us back. “We cannot keep doing this every week. You want to hit the gym together? Fine. But take it out in the ring if you’re going to do it anywhere. Stop making a mockery of our packs trying to work together.” His voice dropped into a growl. “What’s the combined goal?”
He eyed me, then Aidan. God, this was idiotic. “Taking down Kato’s pack.”
“Yes, good. If you want to act like elementary kids picking fights in the yard, then I’ll talk to you both like one.”
