She Says When

Chapter Two

Asher

The air reeks of sweat and churned earth, the kind of stink that sticks to your skin and reminds you you’re still kicking. I slam my fist into Torren’s jaw, and the crack of it cuts through the grunts of the training pit. He’s a big bastard, built like a damn mountain, but he hits the dirt hard, spitting blood into the dust.

My knuckles throb, a sharp, clean pain that keeps my head from spinning too far into the fire. Cinderfall wolves don’t break, and I don’t lead softly. If I can’t put my own in the ground, they’ll never follow me when the real fight comes.

“Get up,” I growl, circling him, boots crunching on the gravel. Torren’s eyes flash black as his wolf fights for control. He scrambles to his feet, wiping his lip. Torren lunges, swinging wide, and I duck, hooking his ankle to send him sprawling again. A few members of the guard came to watch the show this morning. I normally don’t fight for an audience but I’m in a mood to kick ass today. I leave the pit, my chest heaving, and head for the locker room. It’s a haze of steam and the sharp tang of iron from the training gear.

I lean against the rough stone wall, shirtless, gulping water from a dented canteen that’s seen too many fights. My muscles burn, but it’s a good burn, like I’ve scorched off some of that nameless itch. Torren’s slumped on a bench nearby, nursing his jaw and muttering about how I “cheat with that damn elbow.” I smirk, tossing the canteen his way. It clatters against his chest.

“Stop whining,” I say. “You’re still breathing. That’s more than most get.”

Kael, my Beta, lounges across from me, sharpening a blade with slow, deliberate strokes. His dark eyes glint with that smug look he gets when he knows I’m on edge. “You going to tell me what got you up at six in the morning? I normally have to pry you out of bed with a woman.” I glance his way then shake my head.

He scoffs. “Ravendale have anything to do with it?”

The name’s like a spark on dry tinder. My jaw tightens, but I keep my voice loose, dangerous. “Maybe. But it’s nothing you need to worry about, yet?” The feud’s older than any of us, carved into our bones by our great-grandfathers’ blood.

They stole something from us, or we stole from them, depending on who you ask. Nobody knows the truth of what happened but that doesn’t seem to stop Aiden and his f*****g pack of mutts trying to out do us at every f*****g turn.

Torren snorts, tossing a towel over his shoulder. “Ravendale’s been too quiet lately. Makes my skin crawl. Bet they’re plotting something.” He glances at me, testing the waters. Mentioning Aiden’s pack is like kicking a hornet’s nest, and everyone here knows it.

“Let ‘em plot,” I say, my voice low, sharp enough to cut. “They step one foot on our land, I’ll bury them in it.” The room stays silent, the weight of my words sinking in. My pack knows I don’t say threats I can’t back up. Kael meets my eyes for a second, then goes back to his blade, but I catch the smirk. He knows I mean it.

I make my way to the pack house and take the stairs up to my office. I’m waiting on some papers from Alpha Tyron, the Alpha of Gladewater. He has lead that Riverdale is up to something and I want to get ahead of it. If war is what he wants then war is what he will f*****g get. I will take all of his women and f**k them until they know only me. I will be the one that comes out on top. He can be my little bottom b***h, like the female dog I'll turn him into.

I barely get sat down before my door swings open and Kael walks in. He slides a report across the table. “Disciplinary issue. One of the young ones, Jaren, got cocky. Chased a rogue too close to the neutral zone. Nearly crossed into Ravendale’s territory.”

I don’t look up. “He still got his head?”

“For now,” Kael says, smirking. “Told him you’d rip it off yourself if he pulls that s**t again.”

“Good.” I mark the spot on the map, smudging the charcoal with my thumb. “Double the patrols on the north end. If anyone’s crossing lines, I want their throat before they take a second step. I can’t afford to start a war before we need to.” My voice is calm, but there’s fire under it.

Cinderfall doesn’t forgive trespassers, and I don’t forgive mistakes. I have to remember he is a kid, only about fifteen. He’s not even old enough to mate yet. But I can’t allow this to go unpunished. “Have him work Omega duties for the rest of the month. Maybe after that he can return to his post and prove he’s f*****g worthy of that title. If this happens again, I’ll take his f*****g head.”

Kael nods and writes down his name on the Omega shift chart. I treat Omegas pretty fairly here but they are the lowest ranking of us all. I’m even f*****g a few of them. A soft knock sounds from the other side of the door and Kael opens it. “I heard the Alpha wanted to see me?” Drevia’s sultry voice echoes throughout the empty room.

“Come in,” I call out and Kael smirks as he steps aside.

Kael is looking for his mate, he just hasn’t been so lucky. Until then, there’s no reason he can’t sample what we have here. “Shut the door, Drevia.” She nods slightly and shuts it. Her face is a flush of pink and her hands tremble. My Alpha aura is affecting her, and with Kael being here too I’m sure it’s very overwhelming.

He runs his fingers over her bare arm and she jumps. Her eyes meet mine in a silent plea to help her, but I want to see where this goes. Kael takes a step into her and wraps his fingers around her throat and she gasps when her back is lightly pushed into the door behind her. “Afraid?” He brings his face close to hers and she tries to deny it, but we can smell the fear emanating off her.

He chuckles lightly and moves away from her. She’s the one I go to when I need to blow off steam. She knows what I want and how I like it and she is more than willing to give me just that. But I've never shared her, not that I'm opposed to doing so, it just has never come up. She clears her throat and smiles lightly at us. “Leave Kael.” He looks at me then laughs.

“Okay, I'm going. But maybe you can warm my bed sometime, yeah?” She nods and she watches him walk out the door.

She walks slowly toward me and comes to sit on my desk, spreading her legs apart to let me see she’s not wearing anything under her see-through clothing. I growl and pull her on my lap. “You’re playing with fire, Drevia.”

“I’ll play as long as you promise to burn me.” she kisses my neck.

I grip her hair and force her to look at me. A sinister smile spreads across my face when I still see the fear in her eyes. “You can’t hide it from me,” I acknowledge it and she swallows nervously.

“Bend over the desk and pull your skirt up, show me what you came to offer.” She slowly gets up and does as I say.

Before I have any time to appreciate it a loud pounding comes from the other side of my door. “Come back later,” I yell, annoyed they are trying to take what little peace I get away.

“It’s Riverdale.”

That has me running to the door. I yank it open and Kael holds out some papers. Kael hesitates, then leans in, his voice dropping low.

“Riverdale could be sending rogue scouts to get intel on our rotations. It’s close enough that it could easily slip through if we aren’t careful.”

I look back over at Drevia and see her still bent over my desk. “Leave.” She quickly gets up and goes to side step me when I reach out and grab her arm. “Come to my room after your shift,” I whisper in her ear and she nods quickly and leaves.

“There will be no mistakes. Double the patrol, any rogue near our land again, bring them to the dungeons and I’ll make them talk.”