Submitting to the Alpha

Chapter 6

“Are you coming?” Derek asked, leaning against his Chrysler.

I groaned and tossed my backpack into his backseat, still frustrated from last night. How could Roman leave me so desperate?

“Hello?” Derek said, waving his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Izzy …”

I shook my head, pushing my dirty thoughts to the back of my mind, and clasped Luna Raya’s keychain on to my bag. I had to focus on one thing and one thing only today—winning over the warriors and securing a spot on the team. Although there were more people trying out compared to last year, I wasn’t nervous.

I’d trained thirteen years for this week.

And Roman knew that I was one of the best recruits. After he’d left me last night, he’d messaged me and said that he expected to see me here today.

Vanessa jogged past me and to her car in a small hot-pink sports bra, her boobs nearly bouncing out of it each time she ran, and in a pair of spandex shorts. “You guys are trying out for the warriors?”

“You are?” Derek asked, brow raised.

YouShe smiled widely at me, batting her lashes. “I think I have what it takes.” She opened the driver’s door and waved at us. “See you at Roman’s.”

I rubbed my temples. This would be a long afternoon if she was going. All I could imagine was that she would flirt with Roman the whole time, getting so close to him, running her fingers up his chest, and smirking at me.

“You’re basically naked, Vanessa,” Derek said.

She placed a yellow manicured finger on her lip. “Am I?” She looked down at herself and then shrugged. “Oh well. I’m sure Roman won’t mind.” She winked at me, then jumped in her car, and raced out of the school parking lot.

I clenched my jaw. She didn’t even want to be a warrior. All she wanted was to get on my nerves. That had been her goal ever since middle school.

“If she gets a spot just by rubbing her t**s all over the warriors, I will lose it,” Derek said, his hand clenched into a fist as he turned to me. “But if you do it, I won’t mind.”

“I don’t have to flirt with him to get a spot.”

It was arrogant to say, but it was true. Everyone, including Roman, knew that I had the most potential out of the students trying out. Hell, even Mr. Beck—who thought he was the best warrior to ever live—believed in me.

Derek bumped his shoulder into mine, the sun hitting his brown skin and making it glow. “I’m just kidding.”

Nearly twenty students from my senior class were waiting on the pack house lawn when we arrived. I bounced up and down on my toes and looked over at Vanessa, who was sitting on the ground with her legs spread, stretching.

stretchingDear Moon Goddess.

Dear Moon Goddess.The warrior wolves walked out of the pack house, sizing up the possible new recruits. Some of the women and men had necklaces with pendants shaped like the moon on their chests—a cultural symbol of being mated to someone that they loved. Along with a bite mark on the neck, it was the tradition in our pack and surrounding packs to give someone a necklace. It showed love between one’s wolf side and his or her human side.

I smiled at Kerrie and Henry, two of the best warrior wolves. They were mated to each other, and each had their own personalized necklace. I couldn’t wait until I found my mate, who I knew would be a strong fighter like me. I had been waiting for my mate since I was a girl and used to watch Mom’s necklace sparkle in the moonlight every night. Just two more weeks, and I’d officially be able to find him.

The wolves walked down the stairs and tossed their training gear near the side of the house, and then they stood in front of us. I stared curiously at them while Vanessa smiled seductively.

I took one look at her, leaned my forehead against Derek’s arm, and tried to stifle a laugh at how stupid she looked. It was immature, yes. But I didn’t like her, and she didn’t like me. It had always been senseless, childish drama with her.

If she didn’t try so hard, she could probably get anyone she wanted. She was beautiful—tall, blonde, curvy. I was all for flirting with people and self-empowerment, but this … this was too much.

“Is something funny?”

My eyes widened, and I sucked in a breath. Damn it. Alpha Roman stood in front of me, his gray T-shirt hugging his sculpted frame. He gazed at me with those sinister, golden eyes, those same eyes that had devoured my body last night.

Damn it.“I asked you a question.”

Everyone stared at us, waiting for me to answer him.

“N-no, Alpha,” I said, trying not to inhale his minty scent and turn to mush.

“And you are laughing, why?” He crossed his arms over his chest, flexing his biceps.

I glanced around, trying to come up with something that would get me out of this, but he gripped my chin and forced me to look him in the eye.

His pure dominance made me want to test him. I placed my hands by my sides, balling them into fists so I wouldn’t do something stupid in front of the whole pack. But then, because I couldn’t help myself, I shrugged.

He took a threatening step closer to me. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, you can leave.” He set his lips in a tight line. “I don’t need a pup like you wasting my time.”

The corner of Vanessa’s lips curled. I could just hear her hmmph-ing at me in that snobby way she always did.

hmmph-Roman grasped my chin harder, his fingers digging into my skin. His golden eyes were smirking at me, like I was right where he wanted, like he had pure control over me. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

He released his grip and turned back to the warrior wolves, whispering something to his beta, Cayden. Cayden nodded and looked curiously at me. I let out a breath, fixed my gaze on the kicked-up grass under my feet, and clenched my fists behind my back.

Damn him.

Damn him.“Five-mile run. Human form only.” Roman stared out at the thick green brush. “When you get back here, we will partner up and start the training.”

The warriors led the run through the forest, some peeling away and running faster than the others. I gazed at Derek, itching to sprint past everyone and go at my own pace but not wanting to be disrespectful.

Cayden slowed down until he was running beside us. “Keep up,” he said to me, running faster. “If you can!”

I glanced at Derek and ran after Cayden, weaving in and out of the other warriors, jumping over fallen tree trunks, and pushing myself harder than I ever had. Cayden ran past Roman, and I followed.

My breathing was heavy, my lungs were full, my mind felt so free. I felt like the forest and I were one. Running had always been a way to connect with my wolf. When we had been small, Roman and I would love getting lost in the woods, running for hours, just to get nowhere.

Cayden slowed down when we reached the clearing near the pack house. He peeled off his shirt, his abdomen glistening with sweat, and pointed to me. “You ready?”

I doubled over, placing my hands on my knees and gasping for air. “Don’t we have to wait for—”

He lunged at me, catching me off guard, and slammed me against the dirt. “No. Warriors don’t wait for anyone. They fight when they need to fight.”

Without waiting another second, I hopped back up and crouched in my fighting stance. Well … I guessed we weren’t waiting for them. I circled around Cayden, trying to find an opening to attack. But each time I went in to take him down, he stopped me and threw me to the ground.

As the others walked into the backyard, I watched Cayden’s ear continuously fly back, as if he was listening to them and not paying as close attention to me as he should have. I socked him hard in the stomach with my fist, stepped in toward him, and threw him over my shoulder.

It was the only takedown I had gotten in ten minutes.

Almost immediately, he hopped back up and smirked, turning his attention back to me. We continued to fight for the next fifteen minutes, and he didn’t let up once, pushing me harder than anyone had.

But it seemed like everyone else was getting special treatment. Derek. Melissa from Geometry. Even Vanessa, who was trying hard to fight Roman. He let her work her moves—whether those moves were rubbing herself on him or actually doing some type of takedown.

When I was too preoccupied with her, Cayden threw me down. I lay against the ground for a moment, taking a deep breath and envying how easily everyone else had it.

Roman jumped up from Vanessa’s takedown, helped her up, and looked over at me. My heart raced with anger, jealousy, and a need to prove my worthiness as a warrior to him. I shoved my palms onto the ground and jumped up.

“Come on, Isabella. You’re stronger and smarter than that,” Cayden said to me.

smarterI growled under my breath and stormed at him. After finding an opening, I came at him with everything I had, lifted him off of the ground, and drove him into the dirt. Hard.

When his body collided with the ground, he grunted, “Damn.” He took a deep breath, as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

thatAfter practice, I growled and hurled my sweaty T-shirt at my gym bag. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Stupid. Stupid. StupidNobody went easy on me—not that I’d wanted them to. I just didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing. Because I did know. I had studied and trained for longer than anyone. Yet they had gone harder on me—purposefully.

“Growling will get you nowhere,” Roman said, standing a few feet to my left.

Most of the warriors and recruits had disappeared into the forest to return home for the night.

I pressed my lips together, wanting to do nothing more than to sink into my sheets and release all the tension from today. I tossed my bag over my shoulder and clenched my fist around the strap, turning to him.

Covered in a layer of sweat that made his whole body glisten, arms crossed over his chest, biceps swelling from the sheer amount of pressure put on them from training today, he stared at me with his head tilted to the side and a smirk on those damn plump lips.

“You seemed to be struggling today. Maybe being a warrior isn’t for you.” His golden eyes shimmered under the setting sun.

My nostrils flared. All that talk about being a good girl because good girls got rewarded. I growled lowly. f**k being a good girl for him. I wanted to be bad.

Vanessa, the only other pack member still here, walked to her car. “Bye, Roman! Bye, Izzy!” She rubbed a towel across her breasts, wiping off sweat, and I scrunched my nose. “See you tomorrow.”

Roman nodded, offering her a smile and a small wave. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Who did this man think he was? Why the hell was he going easy on her?

herWhen she pulled out of the driveway, I brushed past him.

He snatched my wrist and pulled me back. “I didn’t dismiss you.”

“I don’t need you to dismiss m—”

He snaked a hand around my throat, squeezing tightly, and shoved me against the side of the house. “What did I tell you about disrespecting me?”

I grasped his hand, my fingers tingling. “I don’t need any reward from you,” I said between clenched teeth.

He pushed me forcefully against the siding, thrusting his hardness against my thigh. Warmth pooled between my legs, and I cursed myself for reacting like this. He moved his hardness further up my leg until it pressed into the front of my leggings. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, my core pulsing.

His lips grazed against my ear. “You don’t seem too sure about that.” He rubbed two fingers into the front of my pants, massaging my clit.

I parted my lips, my head falling back slightly. Don’t give in to him so easily, Isabella.

Don’t give in to him so easily, Isabella.“You’re not even … f*****g … good at this.” I pushed his hand away.

He stared at me, eyes darker than ever, canines emerging under his lips. He gripped my chin and shoved it to the side. His fingers slipped into my panties and thrust into my wet p***y. “Not good at this, huh?”

“Cayden could probably please me better than you could.”

His fingers roughly pounded into my p***y, sending me further and further against the side of the house with each thrust.

“His hand around my throat,” I said.

Roman tightened his grip on my neck.

“His fingers—those long, rough fingers—destroying my tight little pussy.”

Roman entered a third finger into me, and I clenched. His hand traveled down my neck, and he roughly grasped my breast.

Holy …

Holy …I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped his wrist. “His fingers … Moon Goddess, his fingers tugging on my nipples.”

Roman pinched my n****e between two fingers and tugged on it. I rested my forehead against his shoulder, whimpering as my whole body trembled. And when Roman’s canines scraped against the sensitive part of my neck, I couldn’t stop myself from moaning. Wave after wave of ecstasy rolled through me. I had never felt so good.

After a few moments, he shoved me back harshly and stepped away from me, trying to gather himself. Though he was furious, his eyes were tinted the lightest shade of gold, just like the early morning sunrays.

I smoothed out my leggings and took a deep breath, hiking my gym bag higher onto my shoulder. Roman was … he made me feel …

We stood there, staring at each other for the longest moment. No, I had never felt this way before, but nobody had ever made me feel the way Roman did. Being with him was dangerous and oh-so exciting.

He didn’t leave me in the yard alone, like he had at the school. Instead, he glanced down, clenching his hands into fists. “What’s this?” Roman asked, noticing and grasping the keychain on my bag. In an instant of realization, he widened his eyes. “My mom’s keychain? You still have it?” His face contorted into one of strain.

I gave him a shy smile and looked down at it, a feeling of warmth washing over me. “Yes.”

It seemed like it was yesterday when she’d thrust it into my palm, wrapped my small fingers around it, and told me not to tell anyone because this keychain was our little secret.

He curled his lips into a small—a very small—smile and stayed quiet for a long time. “You know that she always loved you.” He looked as if he wanted to say something more about it, but then he shook his head. “Even more than me sometimes.” He chuckled to himself and looked down at his feet. “Always told me to take care of you.”

“Of me?” I asked, brow raised. “Only me?”

“Of everyone, Isabella.”

“But especially me?” I teased.

meHe gazed at me, eyes lighting up. “Especially you.”

After another second of silence and a torn expression crossing his face, he grabbed my hand. “Come on. I want to bring you somewhere.”