Pissed him off

"Dammit Amby, do I have to wake you up every morning?" Amara's voice, sharp and insistent, sliced through the thick morning silence like an unwelcome alarm. I barely wanted to open my eyes, the warmth of my bed tempting me to stay buried beneath the covers just a little longer.

I rolled away from the bright, relentless light filtering through the thin curtains and pulled the blanket tighter over my tired frame, desperate to drown out the scintillating sun and the familiar, irritating voice of the redhead Amara. The moment I showed her my kind side, she completely became a problem in my life. Her energy was relentless, the kind that refused to let a girl rest.

The past few days, she had made me regret why I ever let her become my close friend.

"No, just let me sleep in today." My voice was muffled beneath the fabric as my hand lazily emerged from under the blankets, waving her away with weak resistance.

"Come on, it's training again, princess." She snatched the blankets from over my body with a determined tug. She should thank the goddess that last night I had the sense to put on pajamas  all because my heat was finally done.

I gave in with a reluctant sigh and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I knew getting her to leave me be was a losing battle. I shot her a viscous glare, heavy with exhaustion and irritation. But she just smiled, unbothered by my look, her curls bouncing as if daring me to protest.

I began to regret my room being so close to hers.....

After what felt like an eternity, I emerged from the bathroom. Fully clothed in my training gear, I ran my fingers through my damp hair before pulling it back into a tight ponytail to keep it out of my face. The cool air of my room did little to dry the lingering sweat from the night’s restless sleep.

"What are you doing?" I stopped suddenly, catching her sprawled across my personal mattress with my handbag in her hands. I swear, she was starting to piss me off. She was trying to unzip it.

"What are you looking for? Is it in the bag?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"No, it's just cute, I was....."

"Let's go," I cut her off mid-sentence and walked out of the room, not wanting to waste any more time on her distractions.

I didn’t want to get angry so early in the morning.

I slid open the glass doors leading to the training ground and stepped onto the patio porch. The sun was blazing, beating down relentlessly, and the air was thick with pollen and humidity that clung to my skin. The moisture in the air weighed heavily on me, and I hadn’t even begun training yet.

"This is what happens when training is delayed." Amara wiped the forming beads of sweat from her forehead as I followed her across the open field toward the other pack members.

I scanned the field quickly. Most of the faces made me feel a mix of anger and unease. Jamie was standing with her clique, attached to her hip like a shadow. Alpha Xavier, talking calmly with Beta Steven, seemed completely unaffected by my presence.

Ever since he came into my room at night, he hadn’t bothered me again.

I hadn’t bothered him either. I’d been good these past days. Ever since my heat ended, I hadn’t fallen into any trouble.

Foolish people like Beta Steven and some of the omegas had been irritating me constantly, but I’d fought hard to control my anger.

"Come on, let's train over here." Amara pulled me toward the far side of the field, safely away from prying eyes and potential drama.

We spent the free training period teaching each other various moves  from defensive stances to hand-to-hand combat attacks. Her style was aggressive but unrefined; mine, more precise and calculated.

She showed me what she knew, and I showed her what my father had taught me  moves meant to get me out of any tight spot.

Training lasted for what felt like hours until Alpha Xavier finally called an end to the exhausting session. Amara and I chattered animatedly as we walked back toward our rooms to clean off.

I emerged from my bedroom, a towel wrapped tightly around my body to cover myself, my wet hair wrapped up in another towel. I slipped into basic clothes, and then let my damp hair cascade down my back just as Amara entered.

"Did you even knock?" I asked, irritation prickling at my skin.

"Why would I?" she responded, as if my question were absurd. This was her now  getting closer to me every day, and I hated it.

"Whatever." I tossed her my pack of Oreo cookies. Last night’s heat done, I was careful now to keep some normalcy. She flopped down on my bed, breaking a cookie into her mouth, a sly grin spreading over her face.

"Um, may I ask why you look so weird?"

"Tomorrow." She answered with just one word.

"What's wrong with tomorrow?" I asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Let's first go have lunch, I’ll tell you," she said, her red curls bouncing wildly as she flopped up and down on my plush bedding.

"Okay," I shrugged and followed her downstairs to the kitchen.

The kitchen light was bright, sterile almost, but it was the voices inside that made me uneasy as we walked in. I slipped in behind Amara, catching sight of several familiar faces lounging around the room.

The omegas were absent, but Jamie was there.

Jamie, who had always had it out for me. Her dirty glances and sly whispers made me want to laugh — her ignorance was almost comical — but deep down, I hated her.

Her eyebrows knit together tightly when she saw me, eyes narrowing with venomous hatred. She nodded to her group, and they all turned to look my way.

I opened the refrigerator, pretending not to notice the snickers and murmurs behind me. I pulled out a mango, ignoring the poisonous whispers.

"Hi Amby?" A male, probably my age, greeted me with curious eyes. I smiled politely, even as Jamie’s glare seethed from the corner of my eye. Her face grew sour the moment I gave the boy my attention.

"Jamie," clearly disturbed, elbowed the boy in the chest and quickly turned her gaze back to me. Her eyes were deadly daggers sharp and cold enough to kill.

She coughed phony, masking the insult hidden in her voice. I tried to ignore it, but the laughter from her group echoed cruelly around the room.

"Excuse me?" I leaned forward, voice low and dangerous, my eyes locked onto hers.

"You heard me, tramp." She stood abruptly, full of rage and hate. I told myself never to fight again, but the thought of smashing this mango against her skull teased my mind, growing harder to resist.

Amara suddenly stepped forward. I instinctively extended my arm to stop her, but I couldn’t stop the darkening of her eyes — the monster she could become if provoked.

The last thing I needed was to redecorate this kitchen.

"You know what? You’re not even worth it." I said, more to Amara than Jamie, trying to keep the peace.

"Whatever." Jamie smiled like she’d just won something.

I turned away, Amara close behind, her hand on my shoulder as she gently guided me out.

I just wanted to get away. Fast.

But Jamie had other plans.

Suddenly, I was tumbling into a chair. My shock pulled me back to my feet. I barely had time to react before I realized Jamie had pulled her foot back from under the table, a deliberate trap.

The snickers erupted again.

Saying the laughter got under my skin would be an understatement. It burrowed into my thoughts, twisting my mood. Worse, it stirred something darker inside — my inner wolf, the part I’d fought to keep chained.

"Bitch." The word left my lips before I could stop it, my temper flaring.

My fist cocked back, ready to deliver a blow I knew would knock her out cold.

So fixated on hurting her, I completely ignored the person who had just walked in.

A firm hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me just inches from throwing the punch.

"Get the hell off—"

His ocean-blue eyes narrowed at me, his grip tightening.

"Alpha."

"What's going on here?" He scanned the faces before settling on Jamie and me.

"Alpha, thank you for stopping her," Jamie said quickly, leaping from her chair. Her expression shifted from smug to frightened in an instant.

She stumbled to Alpha Xavier’s side, batting her lashes and wrapping an arm around him.

This fake bitch.

"Whatever." I yanked my arm free, carelessly ignoring the need to assure him it was her who’d started it.

"My office, Amby." His voice was stern, no room for argument.

"It's late and I'm tired. I just want to go to bed." I snapped, the last thing I wanted was to be dragged into his office to wait.

"Then go to your room... Now!" The authority in his voice brooked no defiance.

I clenched my fists, furious, ready to drive a fork down his throat.

But I said nothing.

He turned and left, leaving the room heavy with silence and unspoken tension.