4

~Brady~

My alarm goes off at 6, but I didn’t sleep at all; too much was on my mind. I go downstairs to the kitchen to grab coffee and a granola bar before I begin my walk to the gym. I mind link Colton and Grant, my future beta and gamma.

“We have some things to discuss today. Plan on a run to the packhouse after training.”

“Ugh dude stop being such a hard ass. Can’t we take a day off every now and then?” Grant lazily says.

“Sounds like you’ve had a long night. Who was it? Lacey or Deanna?” Colton mocks. Grant is definitely a ladies man. Not saying we don’t all enjoy a good roll in the hay. Grant just indulges the most.

“Neither. I had a strange feeling in the middle of the night. I couldn’t shake it until well after 4. Now this morning Dad is gone. So something is definitely up. Spill the beans, Almighty Alpha.”

That got my attention. Grant never loses a night of sleep. An entire construction site couldn’t keep him awake. And stress? I’m surprised the guy even knows the meaning of the word: he’s the personification of don’t worry, be happy. Something is definitely going on.

“Yeah my dad just got in about half an hour ago. You really gonna make us wait a whole hour to find out what’s going on?”

“Colton see if you can get any info from Uncle Dave. Grant, who was the doctor from White Fang that helped your dad after that rogue attack last year?”

“I don’t know. Johnathan something. Holder maybe? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Hopefully I can tell you the answer to that soon. I’ll be at the gym in five. Don’t be late. We need to set an example.” I close the link and take a long sip of coffee. The air smells different today. Sweeter, like my mom’s flower garden, even though it’s in the middle of February. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but my entire being seems to relax just a little.

Colton arrives five minutes before 7, though Grant comes strolling in with seconds to spare, looking like absolute shit.

“Dude you weren’t kidding. You look like you’ve been hit by a bus.” Colton mindlinks the both of us.

“Haha very funny asshole. I look better than you any day of the week.

“Time to get serious guys. We can talk about how ugly you both are later.” I quip back before turning my attention to the warriors.

Everyone here is either in high school or college. People with their wolves have additional training with my dad after school, but we believe it’s just as important to train our human forms as it is to train our wolves.

“Get in five laps then start with weights. At 7:30 we pair up. Go!” I shout, and everyone is off. Anyone foolish enough not to stretch beforehand, like Grant, is shit out of luck.

After we get individual training done, I announce pairs. Everyone finds their partner, meanwhile my team and I observe and give feedback until it’s time for a break.

Much to my dismay, my fan club fawns over me when I pair up with Colton. He’s weaker than me but just barely. Jaqueline, the most annoying she wolf on the planet, saunters up to me and whispers “good luck, my alpha,” before rejoining her group of girls. She’s convinced when she gets her wolf in two months that we will be mates. I pray the Moon Goddess isn’t that cruel. You hook up with someone one time in a drunken haze, and now they think they own you.

I block out all the negative thoughts and focus on beating Colton. He knows my weaknesses and strengths better than anyone. Grant and Trey, my future head warrior, stand on either side of us, waiting to critique our match.

We’re off, and Colton can feel my distraction, so he goes for a right hook first to try and knock me on my ass. Thankfully I snap out of it just in time and dodge his fist. I use his momentum against him and go for a rib shot. I make contact, but he managed to move just enough that the blow is not as effective as I anticipated. He recovers and swings behind me, ready to attack.

We go at it full force, him hitting me, me hitting him until time is called. We’re both pouring sweat and panting by the time we’re done. We shake hands, and I tell everyone to get back to work.

“Something’s got you distracted, Brady. You good?” Trey notices everything, granted he’s also three years older than us, so he picks up on cues quickly. Thankfully he’s smart enough to wait till everyone has walked off. There’s only about 10 minutes left in training, so it’s not a huge deal if I miss a few spars.

“Yeah. Just got some stuff on my mind. You know anything about some new pack members?” I ask. Dad has started letting Trey take over some of the border controls, but Trey asked to wait until I became alpha to take over full time.

“Damn. Didn’t realize Alpha was letting that be known yet. Yeah they arrived late last night. Sounds like a fugitive situation. From what I gathered the guy’s daughter was in some serious trouble. I didn’t press. Sounded kinda personal. I was just told to keep an eye out for any warriors from White Fang, except for their beta. He’s the one who helped get them out. Not sure what all is going on there.”

“Hmm. Dad didn’t tell me anything yet. I noticed he got in late last night and overheard him talking to Mom. Thanks man. I really owe you one. And don’t worry. I didn’t hear anything from you.”

I see the relief flood over Trey’s face at my last statement. Dad believes in keeping tight lips though I usually get clued in on most things now. Maybe he’ll tell me at dinner tonight.

Regardless, my curiosity is officially piqued. I can’t help but wonder what could possibly be going on in White Fang, and why on earth my dad chose to get involved.