The Alphas Hidden Mate

Chapter 4; She...

I woke up the next day and I felt more rested than ever. Even though Crace didn't stay the night, the mate bond still worked its magic. I could guarantee that if Crace had stayed, I would have slept even better. 

Good morning, Princess I heard in my mind. I smiled. Crace. 

Good Morning, my Alpha. I linked back to him. How did you know I was awake?  I asked him. I proceeded to get out of bed and go to my kitchenette to get some cereal.

I could feel you stirring through the bond. When you're asleep, the bond is muted. However, when you're awake, the bond is strong and I can feel it shining. He said back. I frowned, pouring milk into my bowl of cornflakes.

Hmm, interesting. Did you know cornflakes were invented to stop woman from...uh...pleasuring themselves? I told him, digging into my bowl before sitting down on my little sofa. I could feel Crace pause and he seemed taken aback by what I had said. What? He went back to normal after a second.

You are just full of surprises, aren't you? He chuckled in my mind. It was my turn to pause with a spoon halfway to my mouth.

I'm just saying; that's why they were invented. It is why there is no flavour. They are so bland and boring and there is nothing stimulating in them. True story, I swear I said. He chuckled again.

I never doubted you, princess. I was just surprised at the sudden random fact you dropped on me. He explained.

Sorry  I apologised, sheepishly. I felt silly now, he probably didn't care to know about random facts that are irrelevant.

It's fine. I can't wait to see you tonight. I figured because we caught up last night on your birthday, we could have a picnic in the forest for your birthday? He asked me. 

Sounds perfect I replied with. I could feel his joy and it bloomed within me. See you at training? I asked him.

Wouldn't miss it He said. The link broke off then. Our blocks were still down but we severed the line of communication between us. I washed my bowl off and left them to dry. I made my way to the closet and grabbed my usual training gear. I changed, brushed my teeth and put my hair in a plait before heading off. I was ready to work harder than ever and willing to prove my worth. 

When I arrived, everyone was already there warming up. There was still a few minutes until training started so I grabbed a rope and started skipping. I felt Craces' gaze on me the entire time and I tried to keep my focus on counting.

Stop staring. You'll attract attention I linked him. His reply was immediate.

Stop skipping then. You are the one attracting attention with your bouncing 

I rolled my eyes at him. I guess you're going to have to learn to deal with it for the moment. 

You have no idea how difficult it is for me right now, to not take you to the storage cupboard and make you mine. He growled seductively. His sudden claim had me stumble in the rope. He chuckled in my mind.

Crace! I hissed at him. I looked around to make sure no one had noticed then regained my composure. 

I know you want me too. Don't deny it...I can smell your arousal... 

I was aroused, but I'm not an animal....okay, well, maybe I am but still. I have dignity. My n*pples were hard under my sports bra. My breathing was a little erratic and my core had a small flame burning inside it. I'm sure if anything were to happen, that flame would turn into an inferno; raging, merciless and all-consuming. Thankfully, Archer entered the gym and I was able to focus on him instead. 

"Good morning, everyone. Today, we are going to be focusing on offence. You will be paired with a partner and will both take turns being on the defence and offence. Obviously, both of you can't always be on the offence. The pairs are as follows; Lila and Dimitri, Sam and Kayla, Crace and Serena..."He continued on and I looked at Crace. 

Did you tell him?  I asked, panicked. He shook his head.

No, he must have paired us because he thinks we are doing extra training together on the side and that we must work well together. He explained.

What?! That's ridiculous! Why would he think that? I said, confused and stressed. This was not going to end well for either of us. There was no way I could hurt Crace. The mate bond protects us from such things. 

Maybe because that was the lie I told him yesterday when we skipped training He explained, making it seem like I should already know this. I just stared, even more confused. After a few moments though, it did click and I remembered. 

Oh......I said, realising. Crap. So what are we going to do? The mate bond protects us I told him. He pursed his lips. 

For today, we are just going to have to hold back from actually causing harm but still go through the motions. We will work it out later tonight He said, walking over to me. Anika danced a little, doing a little tippy-tappy thing with her front paws as Crace neared.

Calm down I told her. She just continued dancing and hung her tongue out a little. 

I want to meet his wolf She said in my mind. 

Not yet, Anika. Just wait, okay? I said to her. She whimpered a little but still excited for Crace to be so near to us. The moment he was next to me, I felt myself relax. I didn't even realise how tense I was until then. The mate bond just bought me so much peace within me. I felt stronger when he was next to me. 

"We will be practicing the techniques we have been learning the past few weeks as well. Remember the three most important rules when it comes to fighting. Don't turn your back on your opponent until they truly are down for the count. Be smart not stupid; they could have speed or strength, but that means nothing if you can outwit them and use their moves against them. And lastly, never, ever hesitate. Hesitation might be a second but could cost you your life or someone else's life. It doesnt matter if they're your friend, your family or even your mate. An enemy is an enemy and who they were no longer matters. It is who they are now, in that moment, that counts. If they pose a threat to the pack, to you or to anyone else, they must be eliminated." He informed us, pacing in front of us with his hands behind his pack. "The real world saves for no one. Now, ready?" He asked us, coming to a stop and looking at us. We all nodded and said yes. "Okay, start. The mats are all ready for you to use." He said, moving to the far wall of the gym and sat down. He got out a notebook and pen and started prepping. He liked to keep notes of who needed more work and who didn't. It all counted to everything.

I walked to an empty training mat with Crace. He gave me a look to check that I was alright with sparring with him. I nodded subtly. I was not going to skip training just because I was worried of hurting my mate. I just considered it practice for reality. Archer was right. The world saved for no one and one day, I might have to face Crace in a battle and make the difficult decision of ending his life. It all come down to one choice; them or us? The answer was always, always us. So really, there wasn't a choice.

Crace and I started sparring. I was going to take him down. Anika leant down too, accepting the challenge. I sensed her worry but she knew that we were going to hold back so she wasn't too worried. He smirked at me. Oh, I couldn't wait...

1 Hour Later...

I was an excellent fighter, it ran in my blood. However, Crace was an Alpha so it was in his blood too. There was never a moment when one of us had a distinct advantage over the other. We were just too equally matched. We were both tied, having pinned each other down on the mat the same amount of times. 

"Unh" I grunted as I swung at Crace. I landed a blow on him, on the jaw. It wasn't too hard, but it still made an impact and it was gonna bruise. Anika whimpered in my mind. Crace's head swung to the side but he was unfazed. 

"Nice punch." He commented and I went to attack again but he dodged the impact this time. If I wasn't so steady on my feet, I would have faltered. Luckily, I didn't or that would have given him an opening to knock me down. I spun on my heel to face him and scowled. "Try again." He said. I tried a different tactic this time and went to punch him down below and as he immediately went to protect the area, I immediately switched position and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back a little. He stumbled for a second before regaining his footing and smiled at me. I didn't stop there, though. I continued to go to punch to him and then went to knock his feet out below him. He immediately grabbed my leg though and smiled. He held it for a minute and I centered my core strength, gaining balance on one leg.

You're good, princess. He said in my head. I just pursed my lips. Just as good as me. Unfortunately for Archer though, we will be here all day if we don't end this now. He mentioned. I kept my attention on Crace, but he was right. Training was nearly over and we had to end our fighting soon. I narrowed my eyes at him.

What do you propose then? I asked him. He didn't say anything for a moment. He let go of my leg and went into an offence stance. I switched to defence and got ready. He looked into my eyes and I saw the wheels turning.

I propose that after this, I take you back to yours. We get into the shower, get a little dirty before getting clean and then move to your bedroom where I can finally make you mine through body and soul He said, eyes twinkling now. I wouldn't mind doing it though before we shower...I'm sure your sweat tastes just as delicious...He finished and I gasped at his words. I faltered in my stance for one second and he took that opportunity to make a move. In less than a minute, he had me pinned on the mat. I glared at him.

CRACE! You b*stard! You cheated! I said to him

All is fair in love and war, princess He replied with, smiling. He didn't move from our position. He had my hands pinned above my head and a leg positioned between my legs. We were both panting both from training and the arousal between us. Sweat glistened on both of our bodies. Crace had taken his shirt off halfway though, to allow for a more comfortable outfit. His shirt had began to collect sweat too. His eyes had turned dark, his irises dilated from lust and desire. Let's get out of here, yeah? He said. I licked my lips that had suddenly gotten very dry. I nodded and he got off me, offering a hand to help me up. I took it and he hoisted me up, effortlessly. 

"Good job, everyone! I saw some excellent things going on here. Keep practicing at home and I'll see you tomorrow morning" Archer finally said, concluding the session. Everyone dispersed.

I'll leave first and then you follow. I'll be waiting behind the cottage for you, princess. He said, looking at me. I nodded and he left immediately. I pushed back the hair that had fallen out of the pony tail and went to put the mat away. I grabbed my stuff and went to leave, excited for what was about to happen. 

As I was halfway to the door though, I was stopped. "Serena, may I have a moment?" Archer said, catching my attention. I inwardly groaned. This could not be happening. I put on a smile to hide my frustration and turned to face him. If he takes longer than five minutes, I'm going to have to tell him to continue later and leave...I thought. Please don't let that be the case...