6

FALLON

Gray’s a prick. I knew this summer was going to be tough, but I thought that the training would be the grueling part, not dealing with the asshole alpha running the place. He proved today that he definitely has it out for me. If I was smart, I would try to behave, get in his good graces. But I’ve never claimed that I’m smart.

At the end of our training today, we were directed to a posting of a schedule for patrols. They’re throwing us right in; we’ve been assigned to rotations for night patrols of the six-pack’s borders. Patrols are run in pairs, so they’ve assigned pairs of recruits to each pair of squad members running the patrols each night. I’ve been paired up with a trainee named Vienna, and we get to shadow Brock and Casey. Our first patrol is tonight.

After I rush through dinner, I grab a quick shower, change, and head down to the field to meet my group for patrol. It’s dusk, and the training arena has taken on an eerie glow in the fading light. I spot Brock right away and make my way over to him, where he’s standing with two females.

Brock’s one of the five guys that runs the training camp. He looks like a young Jason Momoa, with long brown hair, tanned skin, and tattoos all over his chiseled chest and arms. He’s really nice to look at, but he’s tough. He pushed us to the brink yesterday with planks and squats, and his no-nonsense demeanor is all business. The two women with him are chatting, but he’s just standing there silently.

I recognize one of the women as another trainee, and I’m surprised when she sticks her hand out toward me as I approach. Cautiously, I take it.

“Vienna,” she introduces herself, shaking my hand and grinning. Vienna’s shorter than me, though a lot of girls are. She’s beautiful- exotic looking, with black hair, creamy tan skin, and dark brown eyes. She looks strong but voluptuous, with curves in all the right places.

“Fallon,” I breathe, venturing a smile.

The woman beside Vienna steps forward, offering me her hand to shake next.

“Casey,” she offers, and I’m immediately struck by how muscular her arms are. She’s tall, too, but she’s got a lot more bulk on her than I do. Her auburn hair is pulled back into two braids and a smattering of freckles dots her nose.

“Nice to meet you,” I reply, tossing her a smile. “How long have you been on the squad?”

Casey grins. “Oh, I was in your shoes two years ago,” she says, glancing over at Brock. “Don’t let this guy intimidate you, he’s a big softy.”

Brock shoots Casey a scowl, then his expression softens into a smirk as he punches her arm playfully. “Don’t blow my cover here, Case. We’ve gotta keep these guys scared.”

The two of them laugh, and I’m already feeling better about this patrol arrangement. It’ll be good to get to know Brock and Casey a little better and learn more about life in the squad. Vienna and I exchange glances, and I can tell she feels the same way.

“Well, we should probably head out,” Casey says, and Brock gives a curt nod. The two of them start toward the gate and Vienna and I follow eagerly on their heels. We leave the squad complex and steal into the forest, ambling along at an agreeable pace.

“Everyone does patrol every third night,” Casey explains as the four of us walk down a forest path. “We’re all in pairs and you usually run patrol with the same partner. I’ve been with Brock for the past year, but I’ll inherit one of you newbies at the end of the summer when Brock becomes alpha of his pack.”

I cast a glance in Brock’s direction, but he’s focused on the path ahead. I hadn’t realized that he was an alpha, but I should’ve guessed. I wonder which pack he’s poised to take over.

“Though I think he’ll miss me more than I’ll miss him,” Casey continues, elbowing Brock playfully. He tosses her a smirk but doesn’t say anything. He’s a man of few words.  

“Which pack?” Vienna pipes up.

“Riverton,” Brock supplies.

“Oh!” Vienna seems excited. “That’s my pack! Alpha Rowe must be your dad, then?”

“Yep.”

There’s a pause, but Brock doesn’t elaborate.

“I didn’t know he was stepping down. That’s exciting for you, though!” Vienna’s a little too chipper, and Brock looks annoyed.

I clear my throat to speak in an effort to break the tension. “Will you be leaving the squad, then?” I ask.

Brock shakes his head. “Nah. I can do both. Gray and Reid do. I just won’t be taking patrols.”

I suppose that makes sense. Alphas have a lot of duties to their packs, so they wouldn’t be available to be on patrol all through the night. I don’t know what their daily tasks require, but I know that Alpha Anders spends a lot of time in his office because my dad is always visiting him there. I wonder how Gray keeps up with running both the squad and his pack.

No, I don’t. I don’t care what Gray does. Fucking prick.

The trees are thinning in front of us, and I can tell that there’s a clearing ahead. I haven’t ever been out to this area of the six-pack territory, so I’m still trying to get my bearings. I wish I was in wolf form; my wolf’s a great navigator. My human side, not so much.

“Alright, kids,” Casey sings out, hopping off the path. “Time to shift.” She spins around, pulling her tank top off over her head.

As shifters, we’re accustomed to nudity. If we shift while we’re clothed, we’ll rip right through them. I ruined my favorite shirt that way, once. All four of us dip off the path to turn away from each other and shed our clothes. I toe my tennis shoes off first, then shimmy out of my shorts. Once I’ve removed my t-shirt and sports bra, I quickly call my wolf forward.

My vision goes shimmery and I feel the familiar surge of energy as my bones snap and rearrange, and in a few seconds I’m down on all fours, shaking out my fur. When I first learned to shift, the transformation was painful. Now, it’s second nature. I barely feel a thing. I glance down at the soft earth under my tan paws, stretch, then circle back to the path.

A beautiful black wolf slinks out of the brush across from me. She’s small, and I immediately recognize her as Vienna. I look over to see Casey’s wolf, recognizing her by her auburn fur; the same color as her hair. Brock’s wolf is the last to return to the path, and he’s huge. Definitely an alpha.

While we’re in wolf form, we can communicate with other wolves in our pack through a mind link. I’m a little taken aback when Brock’s voice slips into my head, saying ‘follow me’.

I have so many questions. How can I hear him if we’re not in the same pack? Is it because he’s an alpha? Vienna looks a little dazed too, and as we start off, Casey seems to pick up on it and fills us in.

‘You’ve never linked with a wolf outside your pack before, have you?’ she laughs through the mind link.

I test it. ‘No. How…?’

‘The whole six-pack is linked. I didn’t figure it out either, until I joined the squad. Pretty cool, huh?’ Casey’s wolf nips at mine playfully.

‘Enough chit-chat’, Brock quips. All business. ‘The border’s coming up, let’s fan out.’

We follow his command, breaking off from one another to spread out in the dense forest. My wolf navigates the rocky terrain effortlessly, slinking between trees and over fallen branches. With how frustrated I’ve been, she’s been pent up and dying for a run. I get lost in the feeling of the earth under my paws and the cool night breeze in my fur for a few minutes before I remember that I’m out here for a purpose; border patrol. I focus my senses, scanning the treeline and the clearing beyond, watching for any movement and listening for any potential dangers.

The hours on patrol pass slowly as I pace the territory’s border. Every twenty minutes or so, Brock checks in through the mind link and we each confirm with an ‘all clear’. I thought border patrol would be exciting, but it’s actually rather… boring.

After what feels like an eternity, Brock gives the command for us to circle up and head back. We return to the path where we shed our clothes, shift back, and dress quietly. In my human form, I’m even more exhausted- the full day of training and staying out all night while on patrol have worn me down. The four of us start walking the path back to the squad complex just as the first slivers of pale daylight peek through the trees.

We’re all silent on our trek back, and when we reach the gate, Brock turns to Vienna and me.

“When you run patrol, you’ll be excused from the morning session afterward so you can rest up,” he says, his voice gravelly from lack of sleep.

Vienna and I just nod like zombies.

“You did well tonight, recruits,” Brock says, then turns away and heads toward the squad’s barracks.

I feel my lips curl into a grin in response- I’m pretty sure those are the first words of encouragement I’ve received since I stepped foot onto the squad complex, and they made the entire sleepless night worth it.

I’m slowly getting the hang of things, and it’s not so bad. I can totally do this.