Chapter 3: Badass Bianca

Alpha Ian’s POV

Control.

That was the one thing I cherished the most. I expect it from every soldier under my command. And I demand it of myself in the absolute, and yet, with a few select words from Francesca, I was completely unhinged. I eyed the punching bag before me as if it were the source of all my problems, taking the time to properly secure the wrappings around my fingers. I assumed a menacing stance and started throwing punches with all my might. I was like a man possessed, growling low in my throat as my fists pummeled the poor bag. I felt pent-up, and restless, as though my wolf was caught in a trap and was about to chew his leg off just to escape.

Do not project your issues onto me

“Very clever, Cassius,” I quipped in response to my wolf.

I’m just saying as your wolf, I am zen about the situation

“You are zen about the way that arrogant girl talked to us?”

Well, her insults were directed at you, not me

“She didn’t insult me, not really,” I protested, trying to defend my honor. A ridiculous feat considering I was talking to my wolf. There was nobody who knew me better than Cassius.

Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night

I ignored him and went back to furiously punching the swinging bag. After about thirty minutes of this, I was drenched in sweat, my breathing coming in short quick gasps. I slumped on the floor in the farthest corner of the training hall and leaned back against the wall. It felt cool to the touch and it was comforting somehow.

Everything with Francesca had taken me by storm. I couldn’t have seen it a mile coming. When Jessica told me her daughter was a bit difficult, I didn’t take her seriously. Surely, she couldn’t be that bad, not with a mother like Jessica. She wouldn’t tolerate insolence.

Seeing Francesca for the first time had been a shock to my system. She had all of her mother’s beauty and none of her coldness. Her eyes blazed with a fire that spoke of passion and defiance. She was never going to just roll over and do as she was told. Still, I didn’t expect the hostility she directed toward me. I didn’t react well to it. In retrospect now, that much was obvious. Having her admit downright that she didn’t like me had rankled.

Everything had gone downhill from there. I didn’t think things through after that. I squeezed my eyes shut as I recalled what it had felt like to have my hand wrapped around her neck, feeling her pulse point leap against my fingers. She had looked so beguiling, rosy-tinted lips parted in shock, sapphire blue eyes flashing with barely contained rage. Adrenaline had raced through my system. I had forgotten myself for a second, forgotten who she was, and I was saying things that never should have left my mouth. I was mortified just reliving the memory.

Yeah, you should be mortified.

“Shut up, Cassius,” I admonished.

I guess I shouldn’t point out how visceral your reaction was when she called you Daddy

“For the sake of the Moon Goddess, just leave me alone,” I said with a sigh. I was exhausted and drained. I didn’t have it in me to deny his words, not when they were the truth. Something had stirred within me when she called me that. I had been this close to choking the life out of her. I did recover quickly though, regained control, and showed her who was in charge. The rest of the day had been less stressful.

By nightfall, I had recovered my bearings and the initiation ceremony was a resounding success. I had caught glimpses of Francesca cuddled up with a boy about her age. I hoped that was her boyfriend and if that was the case, I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he kept her occupied. It should be a distraction enough to make her forget all about being a pain in the ass. The girl spelled trouble. It was written all over her. I had enough to contend with. I could do without that kind of chaos in my life.

I willed myself to get up and made my way to the master bedroom. After taking a quick shower to refresh my mind and body, I slid into bed beside my fiancé. I looked over at the sleeping form of Jessica. Her face looked so peaceful in slumber, nothing like the battle-ready woman I knew and admired. Choosing her to be my Luna had been wise and strategic. She was strong and capable. I did not doubt that she would be able to weather the storm with me. I couldn’t lose sight of that.

***

Francesca’s POV

I was dressed for battle. Well, figuratively. I was clad in camouflage pants and a sleeveless shirt, hands sheathed in leather gloves. I was ready for my first training session in the Crescent Sangria Pack. We were out in the open, under a canopy of tall trees that shielded the harsh rays of the sun from us. We were all dressed similarly, in clothes that we could move around easily. My hair was tied up in a ponytail and I tugged on it slightly to check that the grip was secure. Patrick was talking to a brunette who was petite and had an infectious laugh. The boy doesn’t waste any time, does he? We’d barely arrived and he was already turning on the charm. I beckoned him with a finger and he jogged over to me.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“She’s Bianca,” Patrick said. “She’s pretty, isn’t she? And so easy to talk to!”

“You never change, do you?”

“Now, that wouldn’t be fun, would it?” He said, grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re disgusting,” I said, shaking my head, and then we burst into laughter.

A few men and women walked into the clearing and a hush fell over our group. I recognized two of the newcomers as the Alpha twins, Michael and Gabriel. They were my mother’s right-hand men and have been responsible for my training and all the other young wolves in our pack from a young age. The other two were strangers. The woman was tall, her shoulder-length hair was dyed purple and she had a mean-looking scar across her right cheek. The man she was conversing with was a Beta Wolf. He held an uncanny resemblance to Alpha Ian. It was obvious they were related in some way.

I wondered where Alpha Ian was himself. Was he not going to take part in our training? Did I go through all that mental preparation for nothing? I didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved. My feelings were never that simple when it came to that Alpha.

The Beta stepped forward and he commanded our attention before uttering a single word. He had this calm and welcoming aura about him. It was something that probably pulled people in like a magnet. His stunning looks had to be the icing on the cake. He was dressed in black, his chestnut hair was long and wavy and his lips were stretched in a warm smile. I already liked him. I’ve always thought Betas were superior to Alphas anyway.

“For those of you who have no idea who I am, my name is Dominic. I’m Alpha Ian’s younger brother and second-in-command,” he said, his voice ringing out clear and firm. It came to me then. He was the one who whistled last night during the initiation ceremony.

“Usually, Alpha Ian is here during our training sessions but he is otherwise occupied today,” Dominic said. “So it’s just going to be the four of us.”

“We are starting with hand-to-hand combat,” Dominic bellowed. “I need all of you to pair up now. Face your opponent and assume an attacking stance. We will walk around observing your skills. Once you defeat your opponent, you switch up to the next person.”

I faced Patrick and raised my curled fists. We both assumed an attacking stance. Our playfulness was gone. We were no longer best friends, at least not for the duration of this fight. We were enemies and we were out for blood.

I attacked first as I always did. Patrick anticipated it and because of that, he was able to quickly dodge it. He had quick reflexes and amazing instincts. He was a wolf after all. Also, we’ve been sparring all our lives. All around me, sounds of fists colliding with skin could be heard. There was a lot of grunting and growling. The air was charged with hostility.

My next blow landed on Patrick’s ribs but he quickly retaliated by hitting my left shoulder. It hurt like a bitch but my fast healing kicked in almost instantly. We continued to trade blows, escaping serious hits more often than not because of our superhuman speed. My strategy was to tire him out. Once his guard was down, I would go in for the kill. For that, I had to let myself get hit a couple of times. Sometimes, you just have to make that sacrifice.

Patrick was so invested in pummeling me to death he was doing much to protect himself. Moving with the speed of light, I knee-kicked him in the groin and he doubled over. That was the millisecond window I needed to trap him in a headlock. He tried to break free, kicking and trashing but I held on firm, grinning, even though I felt dizzy from all the blows I received. Patrick couldn’t break free. He was strong but I was an Alpha wolf. I tightened my hand around his neck, deliberately weakening him.

“Yield,” I whispered against his face. My breathing was choppy and my heart was beating a mile a minute. Moon Goddess, how I loved this rush!

He continued to struggle, trying to elbow me to get me to release him.

“Yield, lover boy,” I said, tone teasing. “You’ve been defeated already. Or are you worried about what Bianca would think?”

“I yield,” he grunted, tone reluctant.

I released him with a chuckle and bent down for a second, trying to recover for a second before I moved to my next opponent.

“You played dirty you know,” Patrick said.

“I played smart,” I retorted. “The only rule here is to win, Patrick. Wasn’t that the first thing my mother taught us? And Michael and Gabriel drilled into us every day during training.”

“She’s right about that, Patrick,” Michael said out of nowhere.

“When did you even get here?” I said, glancing at him.

“I was nearby, observing. You did well, Francesca,” he said. “Patrick, you should have seen that coming. You were too reckless. You underestimated Francesca, something I told you time and time again not to do. Also, when have you ever emerged victorious in a fight with her by using brute strength? You need to think two steps ahead all the time. Now switch. There’s no time to waste.”

My next opponent was a stranger which made fighting with him challenging. But it was also exciting. He gave me a tough time. He was super quick on his feet and wouldn’t easily fall for any of my tricks. But I ended up defeating him anyway, not without a considerable amount of effort though.

Ironically, the opponent who brought me to my knees was Bianca. She might be petite but the girl could pack a punch. Sparring with her was a humbling experience. I simply couldn’t keep up. Also, we were similar in the way we fought. She would do anything to get the upper hand. I learned that the hard way when she grabbed hold of my hair and pulled with all her might. I let out a scream as the searing pain was unexpected. She tackled me to the ground and sat on top of me.

“Do you yield?” she said, panting hard.

I was quick to nod. “I do. I do.”

She got off me and helped me to my feet. “You’re pretty badass,” I said to her, thoroughly impressed.

“So are you, Francesca.”

“How did you know my name?”

“Patrick told me,” she said, smiling.

“Ah, my insufferable best friend.”

“He’s pretty cute,” Bianca said.

“Oh, is he?” I said, grinning, forgetting all about my defeat. “So you like him already?”

“Oh, not like that. That wouldn’t be possible at all.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m a certified lesbian so cute boys don’t do it for me at all.”

“Oh no, Patrick will be so heartbroken,” I said, feigning sadness.

“You mean that Patrick?” Bianca said, pointing to where Patrick was chatting with a redhead. They were practically glued together and the girl was running her fingers along his bicep not so discreetly.

“I swear he has the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to girls,” I deadpanned, and Bianca burst into laughter. Her laugh truly was infectious. It pulled you right in and I didn’t mind feeling enchanted at all. After all, Bianca wasn’t the only one into girls.