Chapter 12

Xander

A heavy punching bag crashed to the floor, its impact resonating through the room. I moved to the next bag, my fists pounding into it with unbridled force. The gym on this floor of the pack house was typically a space for all pack members, but they had wisely abandoned it the moment they sensed their Alpha’s agitation through the pack’s line. It is obvious that no one should mess with a pissed-off Alpha while training.

The only sound filling the room was the forceful exhale escaping my lungs, so powerful that they disrupted the regular rhythm of my breathing. The sound amplified, reverberating off the walls in sync with the rhythmic thuds of my fists striking the bag.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Steven stood before me, wearing a knowing smile. “Good afternoon, Alpha.”

“What’s so lovely about this afternoon?” I muttered, my irritation evident as I punched the bag again.

He chuckled, the sound light in the tension-laden air. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

“Steven,” I