"Morning, princess," Ezra greeted as I walked into the kitchen. I looked up at him and smiled as I
yawned. I took his coffee mug from his hands and quickly sipped from the warm liquid. I handed his
mug to him and pulled my hair behind my ears.
"Morning," I mumbled.
My body was still sore from the day before. The gashes hadn't completely healed yet but they were
fading quickly. I was happy that they were healing so fast.
"You going for a run this morning?" Ezra asked me, sipping on his coffee. I nodded at him and
stretched. My back cracked and I smiled.
Ezra didn't asked about what happened the night before and I was glad. I didn't need him trying to pry
his way into my personal life. I wasn't ready to share that part of myself with anyone. I didn't think I ever
would be.
When the knock on the door came, I bounded towards it. I called goodbye to Ezra. I heard his light
chuckles as I reached the door and pulled it open. I expected to see Kade and Alfie.
Instead, I saw Lila and Brayleigh. Alfie and Kade weren't even out in the yard.
"Hi!" I greeted the two girls. They were both dressed in workout gear and I quickly guessed that they
were going to be running with me.
"Alfie said we could run with you this morning. Kade is being a pussy about his baby scratches and
didn't want to come out," Brayleigh told me quickly. I giggled and rolled my eyes as I stepped out the
house and closed the door.
The girls took me on a different trail. They made me run down one that was closer to the pack infirmary.
It was a narrow trail that only got more narrow as we ran.
The girls shifted into their wolves first. I followed them straight after and caught up to them quickly. Lila
was a blonde wolf, tall and strong. She was bigger than I was, and even bigger than Brayleigh.
Brayleigh's wolf was an ashy grey colour. Her wolf had long legs and a long body, but she wasn't tall. It
was because she wasn't an Alpha.
Alpha wolves were always bigger than the average wolf. It was common sense. The most powerful
were always the biggest.
As we ran, Lila challenged me. She pushed hard and Brayleigh harder. I kept up with Lila who seemed
to be racing. But it was hard. She was quick, but I seemed to be quicker. I found myself running ahead
of Lila soon enough and I could feel her excitement when I passed her.
I felt a pushing at my mind. It was Brayleigh and Lila trying to link with me. They would be able to do
this only whilst I was staying in Takiani.
I let them in, welcoming my friends into my mind.
"You're so fast! How do you do that?" Brayleigh exclaimed loudly. I chuckled and slowed, letting them
catch up again. I wasn't an expert on the forest and I didn't want to get lost.
"I use my legs, and I run, Bray," I replied cockily. Brayleigh nipped at my back feet in response and
Lila's wolf tossed her head to the side.
"There's a stream up here that we can drink from. To the right," Lila told us both quickly. I looked back
to where I was going before I tripped and embarrassed myself. I saw a fork in the path.
The three of us went right. We ran fast until we saw the stream ahead and then we slowed. Panting, we
each walked up to the stream and we drank greedily.
"That was definitely the best run I've had in a while. Usually I come by myself, since Brayleigh is too
lazy to get out of bed normally," Lila said, scolding Brayleigh in the process. I chuckled at this.
"I go for a run every morning. I like to start my day with a clear head," I told them both. I sat, resting
whilst the two girls sniffed around.
"I'm going to be a doctor like my Mum. I can't be bothered going for runs," Brayleigh groaned loudly.
Lila and I both laughed at her before we decided it was time we headed back.
We ran all the way back to the pack, all racing each other. Lila and Brayleigh pushed me hard. They
nipped at my feet every time I slowed or got distracted by my surroundings. I arrived back at the pack
first, Lila and Brayleigh following shortly afterwards.
The three of us collected clothes and then hid behind bushes and shifted back. We walked out the
bushes laughing as we walked over to the sparring rings where people were training.
I spot Kade standing with a few other males and then Alfie not too far away, speaking with another
adult. The girl and I approach them slowly, Brayleigh growing giddy at the sight of her mate.
"Morning, Alison. Sorry I couldn't make it for the run this morning. I have so much on my plate with
events coming up," Alfie greeted me as I walked up to him with the girls. I shrugged and smiled at him.
I didn't mind that he didn't run with my today. I liked running with the girls. They really made it fun and
enjoyable.
"You should've been there! She's a freaking lightning bolt!" Lila claimed, nudging my arm. I rolled my
eyes at her as Alfie widened his eyes at me.
"Oh really?" He questioned me. I nodded at him and glanced sideways at Brayleigh who nodded too.
Alfie looked surprised. Maybe he didn't take notice of how fast I was running the day before. Besides,
we weren't really running fast anyway.
"Hmm, interesting. You think you could use that speed today in the rings? I'm getting you to spar with
one of your pack," Alfie raised an eyebrow at me as he crossed his arms. I shrugged and nodded at
him.
I have to admit, I was unsure. I didn't want to spar with someone from my pack and lose. I was their
Alpha's daughter. It would be embarrassing if I got my butt kicked.
"I can't wait for Leon and Lucas to spar with you. They need to come back sooner!" Lila groaned loudly.
Alfie just laughed and he playfully rolled his eyes at the young Alpha female in front of him.
"You'd drool over her brothers," Brayleigh said to me through a private link that only her and I could
hear. I giggled inwardly and subtly nudged Brayleigh's arm.
"Liam said they'd be back in a few weeks. They might get back just in time to meet Alison, or they
might be too late," Alfie explained, looking at the clipboard he held. He intensely looked over the paper
for a moment before he sighed.
He looked tired, stressed. He'd get pretty worked up with all the kids to train.
"I think I might ask him to come back early. I'm tired of having to cook myself dinner every night," Lila
playfully groaned. Alfie shook his head at her as he motioned for me to follow him.
"I'll see you both later," I said to the girls as I walked away. They both grinned and nodded at me before
turning away themselves.
I caught up to Alfie quickly and he talked as we walked.
"You don't know how to use that Alpha strength of yours," Alfie bluntly told me. He tucked his clipboard
underneath his arm and glanced down at me. I frowned.
What did that mean? I'm an Alpha. Of course I knew how to use my strength.
"Your blood hums, but it's soft. Your blood should be loud. You should be so powerful that people get
choked up when they walk into the same room as you. Your father... he's a very strong wolf. You should
be just like him. You should try to be better," Alfie explained to me. I frowned at him and cocked my
head.
I didn't understand. How could I not be using my Alpha strength? What strength would I be using then?
"Think about Henry. You know where he is from a mile away. His blood is strong and it's loud. Energy
and heat rolls of him like a freaking waterfall. You should be the same. So why aren't you?" Alfie
stopped. He turned to face me. He stared at me with a curious eye.
"I don't understand," I said honestly. There wasn't any point in trying to hide it from Alfie. If I
understood, I wouldn't be having this conversation with him in the first place.
"The Alpha inside you is weak. Your wolf is weak, Alison," Alfie finally concluded. I frowned at him.
My wolf rumbled with anger. She was pissed. My beast had been through a lot. We had both been to
hell and back numerous times.
She wasn't weak. I wasn't weak. I was an Alpha.
"I know you don't want to hear it, but it's the truth, Alison. If we're going to work together, we have to be
honest with each other. So this is me being honest. Your beast is weak and you need to figure out why
so you can change it.
"I know you have great potential, Alison. I felt it when I first met you and I felt it just before when you
came back from your run. You just have to figure out how to unleash your beast," Alfie explained to me.
He stared at me, waiting for me to speak.
But I said nothing.
I was pissed. I wanted to hit him. I was angry that he called me out. But I knew he was right. He was
being honest with me. He was trying to help me.
I sighed heavily and nodded at Alfie. I watched him smile before he looked up. He pointed behind me
and I turned around.
Tyler was standing in the middle of the ring behind me.
"Use your beast. She's there for you. Let her energy fuel you," Alfie said before pushing me into the
ring.
Tyler smirked at me and cracked his knuckles. He was already too cocky. I knew better than anyone
that being cocky will get you hurt. I had had my ass in the dirt enough times to know.
Tyler was a weaker wolf than I was. But if I was really supposedly weak like Alfie said, then he could
beat me. I couldn't let that happen.
Tyler and I stalked each other in the ring. He narrowed his eyes at me, ready to attack.
But I lunged at him first. I nailed him hard in the collar bone and then in the hip. He stumbled to the side
but stopped himself from falling. I sucked in a deep breath and looked to Alfie. He was nodding at me.
Tyler swung at me. I was too late to dodge. He hit me in the jaw and then tried to tackle me to the dirt.
But I'd already jumped out the way. I kicked him down, letting him fall flat onto the dirt. He growled lowly
and I growled back.
This male clearly underestimated us.
Tyler got up and I gave him time to do so. He growled at me again and readied myself to seriously hurt
him. Tyler threw a fake, and I fell for it.
Tyler's fist punched me hard in the nose. I groaned as it began to ache. I felt it begin to bleed and I
wiped the blood with the back of my hand.
I didn't care about the blood anymore. I cared about hurting this male so bad that he cried for his
mother. I couldn't let him embarrass me and best me.
What kind of Alpha would I be if some cocky male beat me?
I feel a pushing sensation in my mind. I let the voice in and realise that it's Alfie.
"Your blood isn't humming. You're an average wolf right now. You're not an Alpha," Alfie said bluntly. I
knew he was trying to get me angry so that I'd step up. But it didn't happen.
I punched Tyler in the jaw. Then, I slammed my elbow into his sternum. He doubled over in pain,
groaning and wheezing. I huffed angrily, my beast wanting a piece of this male's hide. We wanted to
hurt him.
But I couldn't.
I felt a pull over me that told me that I couldn't hurt my pack member this way. It didn't feel right. My
beast and I both knew that he was a lesser wolf. We couldn't take advantage of that, even if I was
apparently weak.
"I can't," I told Alfie. He raised his eyebrows at me. "He's not an Alpha. I feel like I'm taking advantage
of him."
Alfie sighed, but he nodded. I turned and walked out the ring. Alfie motioned for me to walk with him, so
I did. I walked alongside him slowly, crossing my arms tiredly.
"Listen, kiddo, I know about what happened to your mother all those years. I'm sorry about it too. It
never should have happened. But it did. I know that you've been beating yourself up about it ever
since. I spoke with one of your brothers before you came here. He called me and told me," Alfie told
me. I bit my bottom lip as I walked along.
I hated talking about my mother. Nothing good ever came out of it. It just brought back memories that I
didn't want to see. Feelings that I didn't want to feel.
"Your brother said that you became different after her passing. Which I get. I totally understand, Alison.
But it's not okay when it gets to this point. You're an Alpha. People will run you down if you don't start
acting like one. Do you think your mother would be proud of you right now, Alison?" Alfie walked with
his hands behind his back. He didn't look at me, he looked straight ahead.
I winced at his words. They hurt. They hurt bad. I didn't want to answer him, and I didn't want him to be
right. But he was. He was right in so many ways.
"She wouldn't be proud of me," I told him bitterly. I didn't know which bother told Alfie about my mother,
but when I found out which one it was, I was going to kill him!
"You're done for today. But just go back to your cabin and think. Okay? You have to change, because if
you don't, you're not going anywhere far, Alison."
I didn't say anything else. I turned and walked straight back to my cabin. I walked so fast that I almost
tripped over my own feet several times. When I got back into the cabin, I shut the door and rushed
straight to my room where I crawled into bed and cried.
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