Fated to the Promised Alpha

Chapter 4 - Fatal distraction

To say Charlie had a rough sleep was an understatement. Well, it was completely incorrect considering she didn’t sleep a wink. That was, until she finally drifted off as the sun rise peaked through her window, just to be rudely awoken by a dark figure looming over her bed. Her dad's stern unimpressed glare made her body wake in moments but that didn’t stop the lecture on discipline being drilled into her for the next ten minutes. It wasn’t that she had a poor attitude to training, Charlie just didn’t understand why the Red Moon warriors insisted a 7am start was best. At New Moon, they were a lot more relaxed, giving their warriors free time all morning and then training in the afternoon. Not being a morning person, Charlie enjoyed the long lay-ins she was able to have on days she wasn’t meeting Serena for breakfast. She already missed the sleep almost as much as her friend.

When Chris moved out of the Beta role, the same time that Jayden’s father retired from being Alpha, he had requested to be a trainer. He wanted to have an active role within the warriors and Jayden had been more than happy to comply given he was one of the strongest in the pack and well-seasoned in battle. Charlie had never been to a training session run by her dad and her already nervous stomach rolled further. Casually over breakfast, she had asked her father if all of the upper ranks also attended training. According to him, the Alpha and Beta usually skipped but, before Charlie could silently celebrate, Chris added that Jayden would be in attendance today.

Charlie didn’t know what to think. A part of her hoped he was coming to see her, but the more rational side shut that down. Sure, Jayden had said ‘no’ to rejecting her last night, but was that an indefinite 'no'? It could’ve been a 'no' against ruining his party and he would reject her a different day, or a 'no' to releasing her from the mate bond, continuing her torture of watching him with Olivia. Charlie didn’t think Jayden was that cruel, but the mind goes to dark places when it is sleep deprived and alone. She wished they hadn’t been interrupted last night so he could explain what that ‘no’ meant... she wished she hadn’t stopped him from kissing her. Charlie’s body shivered from the memory; the intensity of Jayden’s blue eyes alone was enough to reignite the tingles on her lips. Just a breath closer and they would’ve kissed.

“Charlie? Have you even been listening?” Chris chastised, making her blink away the fantasy beginning to brew in her mind. A sheepish grin she couldn’t stop, gave him her answer and Chris began the lecture all over again, not stopping until the pair made it to the training grounds.

Only three or four wolves had arrived before them and, after a glance around, Charlie was happy to see Jayden wasn’t one of them. Glad to have an excuse to get away from her dad for a moment, she headed to an empty spot and began her stretching routine. Her muscles ached from the harsh workout she inflicted last night but they also rushed with excitement. She had trained hard in the last six months and now was her chance to test her progress whilst showing her dad what she had learned. The flicker shifting technique from New Moon was her favourite new skill, and she couldn't wait to show it off.

A slow trickle of wolves joined the group until it had grown fifty warriors strong. Charlie noticed a large number were missing but was happy that the few she recognised gave her a friendly wave. It wasn’t until her final stretch that Charlie felt eyes on her. She was bent over, reaching for the ground, when a shiver travelled her spine. The heat of someone’s stare prickled along the back of her neck, and she slowly straightened. She knew who it was immediately, but that didn’t stop her giving into the temptation to view the man that had plagued her thought for the last 12 hours.

Blue eyes snapped up from their low position when she turned, and Charlie smirked knowing he had been staring at her ass. He wasn’t the only one she had caught looking, apparently these workout joggers looked good on her. Her cocky grin pulled a grumble from the man but he didn't turn away. Charlie held Jayden’s gaze, feeling the tension of the night before crackle between them. It was unusual for any wolf to maintain eye contact with the Alpha, let alone an unranked wolf, so her challenge was clear. After their interrupted conversation, the ball was firmly in his court and they both knew it. Acknowledging this with a slight nod, Jayden broke eye contact and moved to stand beside Chris.

Line up! Chris called out to the warriors via mindlink, and then added an extra command to Charlie. To the front.

Charlie bit back the groan, knowing it would only land her a forfeit of laps or press ups, and went to stand next to her father. Whether it was a kindness or to purposefully annoy her, and she suspected the latter, Jayden shuffled over to leave a space next to him. With only a flicker of frustration in her expression, Charlie complied, standing inches from the Alpha as Chris addressed the warriors.

“Morning. Today will be slightly different to the normal regime. Many of you already know my daughter Charlotte, but she has been away from the pack for six years and is re-joining the Red Moon warriors today.”

Every eye turned to her, and not all of them were as welcoming as she liked. Straightening her back and etching hard lines into her face that would scare off children, if not adults too, Charlie projected as much power as she could. A female warrior in this pack was a rarity and she refused to let anyone think less of her based on her appearance or gender. Most eyes averted after that but a few lingered, challenging her gaze when she met theirs. The body besides her stiffened and edged closer, but Charlie wasn’t sure if she imagined the Alpha move, as Chris continued.

“As with all new or returning warriors, we will be holding ranked sparring matches over the next week to see where Charlie fits in the group. I will also be accepting any requests to challenge the current ranking.”

Charlie placed her hands on her hips and opened her stance wide. It was a provocative gesture, not sexually but of self confidence. To stand like this in front of an opponent left you open to attack, meaning the person with this stance was either a fool or confident their enemy was weaker. Charlie was no fool. Quietly, she didn’t think the warriors were weak either, but the hostile glances rubbed her the wrong way. Or they would’ve except, her elbow brushed into Jayden when she moved and that stole her focus entirely. Maintaining the offensive position while her arm tingled with glee was difficult, but luckily her poker face held strong.

“I warn you not to underestimate her fighting ability.” Her father must’ve caught the disapproving looks too, but his words only inspired a handful of wolves to snicker. Charlie's eyes daggered into the small group, but it was the deep growl next to her that silenced them. Jayden’s form was tense, and she could feel the anger rolling off him. “Is there anyone you want to start with?”

Chris had turned to her, casting only a single curious glance in the Alpha’s direction. Charlie didn’t bother to move her eyes off the group of wolves who had laughed and allowed a malicious grin to spread across her lips as she answered. “Which ever one of those bastards laughed first.”

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The sun was long up and beating down heavily on the group by the time Chris called for a break. Charlie flopped into the shade of a nearby tree giggling to herself about the morning. She had easily torn through five of the wolves that had snickered and didn't even need to use any of her new techniques. She leaned back, the tree bark scratching against her back as she guzzled a bottle of water.

The five she had taken down had been taken to the infirmary to be patched up, leaving one behind. He was the smallest of the group and no doubt was just following what the others did to stay in their good graces, however that didn’t excuse his actions. If he wanted to act like a sheep, her wolf would enjoy making him feel like one. Her gaze was predatory as she stared at him from across the field and the gulp he took was audible, almost making her laugh. A dark shadow interrupted her eyeline and she waited for the reprimand with a sigh.

“Don’t scare the poor boy.” Her dad grumbled, though the odd sound of amusement laced his words. He grunted and sat down next to her, taking the water she offered him. “What do you think?”

“Those five were very poor. They had strength but didn’t know how to use it. They had no plan of attack and their moves were predictable.” Charlie pursed her lips. “Can I start at the top and work down to achieve my ranking instead? Otherwise, this is going to take all day.”

A chuckle rumbled next to her. “I can’t have you challenging the upper ranks today, but how about Dex? He’s one of our strongest and has trained with you enough over the years to know how you fight. He might pose more of a challenge.”

Charlie hadn’t even notice her best friend’s arrival to the training and grazed over the field to look for him. He hadn’t been around for the warmups and yet was now standing by himself a few meters away. Once again, she admired his ability to melt into his surroundings, even though he was one of the largest guys here. Charlie agreed to her father’s proposal and a few minutes later was standing opposite Dex. He was well known as a high-level warrior, even without a rank, so a few wolves gathered nearby to watch. One being her dad to referee the spar, another being the Alpha.

Jayden had stayed away from her eyeline all morning, so it was a surprise to see him now, but she regretted spotting him. It was like her eyes were drawn to him and Charlie had to keep yanking them back to the opponent in front of her.

“Ok?” Dex grunted, narrowed eyes asking more than if she was ready to start. They hadn’t spoken since she run away from the party the night before, and she knew it wouldn’t be long until he asked for the full story. For now, she gave him a grateful smile to thank him for his concern before slipping her warrior mask back on.

“Yes.” She lifted her fists and settled into her usual stance. “Though, if you want me to feel better, you could accept defeat now.”

A flash of amusement crossed his scarred face, the newer marks reminding Charlie they had some catching up to do, and a tight grin pulled at his lips, a rare gift only she received. “Come.”

The command rocketed through her like a starting gun, and she raced forward, knowing he was stronger, but she was faster. A fist greeted her approach, but before it landed, she pivoted and ducked beneath it. A brief smirk grazed her lips, as she moved tight into his body and in a blink of an eye she shifted. Her wolf form was much larger than when she was on two legs, and it crashed into Dex as it cracked into place, launching him into the air. Charlie just managed to catch the shocked look on her friend’s face when his own wolf appeared in mid-air, allowing him to softly land on four paws.

A murmur of approval tickled the air around her and a thrum of pleasure spread through her body, but there was more where that came from. Dex charged at her, his dark brown wolf bigger and more intimidating than her own, but she bounced on her paws and timed her dart towards him perfectly. The pair were about to collide when another crack echoed in the air and Charie returned to her human form. She easily slid under the larger wolf's pounce, taking him by surprise, and skidded across the partially muddy ground. Just before Dex had cleared her body, Charlie dug her heels into the floor and twisted in the air, snapping back into her wolf form once again. Dex was still close enough to touch and she reached out a clawless paw to knock into his rump, sending the airborne wolf off course and tumbling to the ground.

Charlie landed cleanly on four paws again, feeling a satisfaction fill her chest as she met her father’s surprised smile. Another set of eyes drew her attention. They were fixed unblinking on her body, though they looked right through her wolf as if frozen in a moment in time. It was as the eyes darkened and filled with heat that Charlie realised Jayden had seen her naked body during the flicker shift technique. She was glad to be covered in fur now, to hide the vicious blush the warmed her skin, though she felt like the auburn hair turned ginger in her embarrassment.

Suddenly, a heavy weight crashed into her side, knocking the wind from her lungs, and a second wave of embarrassment hit. Dex had recovered from his fall and caught her off guard, charging her to the floor whilst she made doe eyes at the Alpha. Charlie chastised herself while she struggled under the larger wolf’s crushing weight. It was useless and she gave a low grumble of defeat.

In a second, Dex’s expression flipped from scary enemy to a goofy grin, and he rumbled a victorious laugh at her. Charlie narrowed her eyes, feeling his expression looked slightly too smug for a wolf that took advantage of her distraction, and she lifted her head to nip at his shoulder. A small, surprised yip left her friend, and she turned her snout up at him, as if that would make him regret the poor sportsmanship of their spar. Instead, Dex lifted his paws completely off the ground and flattened her with his full weight before nipping her shoulder in return. The pair barked a laughter, or at least Charlie tried to with her lungs screaming for air, and then jumped to their paws, making sure to nudge into each other to try and trip the other up.

Enough!

A booming voice commanded over mindlink and Charlie saw the wolves around her bow their heads submissively. She darted her gaze to meet the Alpha’s, seeing his blue eyes piercing into her. His face was set and stern, but she could see the tell-tale signs of anger flickering in his jawbone. She put her ears back but held Jayden's glare until it averted to look towards Dex.

Training is over for the day. Go get washed and changed.

Almost immediately the wolves around her accepted the unusual command and turned towards the changing rooms. Charlie gave Jayden one last glance, trying to figure out the emotion playing on his face, but soon turned away when her father adding his own glare to the mix. With a sigh she sidled up besides Dex, heading towards the changing rooms. At the doors they parted ways, leaving Charlie to be the only wolf to enter the girl's changing room. It was a blessing that day and she looked forward to indulging in a long hot shower to soothe her aching muscles. Distracted by the pleasant thought, Charlie didn't feel the hungry eyes on her, nor did she hear the approaching footsteps following her into room.