Russian Alpha Queen

13

The hot water felt wonderful as it danced across Mila’s skin, soaking into her muscles and waking her up fully. A slight blush crept across her face as she thought about how she fell asleep on Zeno. She hoped that didn’t make him uncomfortable or cause any of the pack members to ask questions about it.

Getting out of her shower, Mila wrapped herself in a blue green towel before using the daily face wash Karine had selected for her. It foamed slightly as she scrubbed her face in small circles, and Mila couldn’t help but giggle at the new feeling. After washing her face, she hopped back in the shower and quickly rinsed the conditioner out of her hair. At first she was confused why Karine had said she’d need to get out and back in, but after fully drying herself and the floor, she could see how light and curly her hair was, and her face immediately felt softer. Karine knew what she was talking about, and it made Mila glad she had someone on her side who knew how to do all the girly stuff.

After applying lotion to her face and putting her dirty clothes in a laundry basket she’d hidden under the sink, Mila let out a small scream upon seeing someone seated on her bed.

“Oh my gods, you scared me,” she wheezed, eyes falling on the blonde girl casually scrolling through her phone. Karine simply laughed at her friend’s mini heart attack before locking her phone and standing from the bed.

“So I tried to get Alexi to tell me what the test is gonna be like, but then he was all like ‘You know I can’t tell you about my Beta stuff Karine’ so I thought I could maybe come ask my homegirl Mila about it.” Karine then should her a wink, causing Mila to let out a laugh as she made her way to her winter closet. It was going to be cold today, Karine had informed her through the mind link as she’d rushed away from the theater room earlier, and she found herself quite glad to be able to wear something besides shorts.

“What do you want to know?”

“Well I guess just what we’re doing or if I should have studied anything. Maybe I should have done some pushups.”

Mila let out another laugh as she slipped on some black leggings and green long sleeve shirt to go with her mint green running shoes. “Expect a lot of running,” was all she said.

“Ugh, I hate cardio,” Karine whined, flopping back on Mila’s bed. Mila shook her head at her friend’s agony before slipping on a fur lined headband for her ears. Having their wolf’s fur right under their skin kept the pack warmer, but summers are short in the region, so warm winter wear was a necessity.

Thinking about the cold, Mila added a black pullover hoodie to her outfit before stepping out of her closet. “We’re testing for stuff besides just physical ability. We’re also looking at leadership ability, ethics, teamwork, stuff like that. Just do your best at it and we’ll see where you shine naturally.”

Mila’s eyes glanced over her friend’s outfit before nodding in approval. Karine had chosen a similar outfit to her own, instead opting to swap the leggings for running pants. “Okay please tell me there’s not a lot of running in our human forms at least.”

Mila just winked at her, checking the time as her friend groaned in dismay. 10:15. If they didn’t get a move on, they’d both be late. Grimacing at the thought of her pack’s opinion of their Alpha being late for the first day of training, she flicked off the light and ushered Karine out of her room.

“Come on, we gotta go.”

The two took their leave, practically running through the halls as they made their way to the large opening at the base of the woods. Most of the adults in the pack were already there, and after the remaining ten minutes were up, Alexi confirmed attendance. Despite Mila’s captivating speech upon confirming her title, she noticed most of the groups were still separated based on their original packs.

Making a quick prayer to the twin gods, she asked that this training help them all bond as one pack before taking her place in front of them. Zeno, Alexi, and Dimitri took their places beside her and the top twelve fighters of the pack stood on either side of the group.

“Thank you all for coming,” Mila began, her voice booming through the field and hushing the few remaining whisperers in the group. “I’ve been informed a lot of you are worried about this test, especially our previous Omegas. I want to put your fears at ease. You won’t be kicked out of the pack for not doing well, and this isn’t some way to find out who should really be Omegas. I’ve heard of all the rumors and I want all of you to know that none of them are accurate. I simply want to know where everyone stands in terms of training so I can build an individual plan for everyone. Please do your best today, as some people will be receiving promotions of sorts after this.”

Whispers flew around the field as most people’s faces fell in relief, while others morphed with determination prompted by the promotion. After giving the pack a few moments to express themselves, Mila raised her hands to the group and they immediately quieted again.

“Before I explain how today’s exam will work, I’d like each of you to take a moment and think of what character trait defines you as a pack member. If you feel you are a guard or fighter, please join the group behind Dimitri. Alexi will take the trackers. Leaders behind me please. If you feel you don’t belong in any of those groups, please line up behind Zeno.”

After a few minutes, most of the pack had placed themselves into groups. The leader group was a little small, and the group of those who felt they didn’t fit into any of those categories was a little bigger than Mila would have liked. She fought to keep her face emotionless as she studied the groups.

“Alright, now each of us group leaders will begin calling names. If one of us calls your name and you are not in what we’ve deemed the correct category, please see us. You’ll have the opportunity to explain which group you feel would be more accurate, and we will explain why we made our decision. We’ll then consider everything and come to an agreement as to where to place you.”

It didnt take long for the higher up members of the squad to announce their predetermined selections, and there weren’t many that had ended up in the wrong group. Everything seemed to be going fine until Mila called upon Lixa, one of the girls from the slumber party the night before.

“Liza McGellen, to the leader group please.” A large growl came from Samson, a male wolf who was irate about being moved from the leader group to the undetermined group. Alexi had warned Mila that he was a jerk who thought too highly of himself just because his grandfather was a Beta or something. He was also part of the group that would torment Omegas, which Mila had mentioned was grounds for ineligibility during the leader meeting.

“This is bullshit! A female wolf can’t keep up with males in a fight, why the f**k would you put her in a leader group?” Samson yelled. His hands balled up at his sides and a growl tore from his throat when Mila simply laughed at him.

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me, your female Alpha who just killed three men in a single afternoon in my human form, that a girl can’t beat a male wolf? No. I warned everyone the other day, this pack is running things differently now and you can either get behind it or die. What’s your choice?”

The field was completely silent as Mila’s booming voice echoed through the field. All eyes were on Samson as they waited to see if he’d submit to their Alpha or forgotten her harsh lesson. His eyes grew wide and he suddenly looked more fish than wolf as he gaped at her. A growl left her lips as he hesitated, and his harsh gulp was heard by the whole pack.

“I ap-pologize Alpha, I’ll get with the program,” he stammered out, almost breaking his neck from how far he bowed his head as he felt his wolf tuck its tail in his mind. He’d been humiliated in front of everyone, but clearly thought better of trying to step to her after the reminder of what had happened to his friends.

“I thought so,” she replied with a wicked smirk. While her goal was to unite the packs as peacefully as possible, it made her wolf purr inside her as she put the jerk in his place.

After everything was settled and the groups were selected, Mila looked around and nodded her head. There was no more than two members of each previous pack per group, so they’d all have to work with people they didn’t know well. Every time she’d had the whole pack together as a group, they all seemed to segregate themselves. It was clear Ivan hadn’t done anything to make them comfortable with each other, so there was no way they were working together as efficiently as they were capable of. Hopefully all the team building exercises the group had decided on would bring them closer together.

A voice echoed in Mila’s head through the mind link, and she excitedly clapped her hands to get the pack’s attention. They’d all been told to get to know the other members of their groups, and from the symphony of laughs and voices filling the air, it seemed they took that to heart. It all died down as they looked at their Alpha expectantly.

“Thank you for your patience everyone. I’ve just been informed that everyone is in position. Trackers, please stand beside your leader as your team enters the woods. Each member of the tracker groups has smelled their totem. At least one other team has the same track to follow as you. It’s up to your leaders to decide if your groups will work together or compete, think wisely.”

“Your goal is to bring your entire group safely to the location of the matching item. Any missing members, you’re disqualified. We’ll be keeping an eye on all of you to see how you do, try your best because there’s a reward for whatever team does the best overall today. Any questions?” Tons of hands went up.

“Any questions besides what the reward is?” Suddenly there were no hands.

“Great! Leaders, you have another five minutes to plan strategy with your group. I have to take my position, so leaders please tattle on one another if someone enters early. I will let you all know when to begin through the mind link. Are you ready?”

She looked ecstatic as she stood before them, and the pack eagerly agreed with her. “Alrighty then, see you on the other side,” she called, turning and running off in her human form, counting the seconds as she ran. 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300.

“Let the games begin!” she cheered through the mind link. Her already large grin grew as the pack howled and made their way towards their targets. Oh were they in for a surprise.