Alpha on the Races: Drive or Die

Fenrir's team bites their nails as Logan's car is caught off-balance and scraped against the wall after contact with Dimitri's car from Phoenix's team. Fortunately, he was able to turn back quickly and save himself and his car so the damage was minor. Elena, who was behind her computer and heard the scraping sound, held her breath. Even though she was new to the team, she was not new to the world of races. And in her opinion, the crash that happened to the number 1 driver can be avoided. "Team meeting!" Elena left her computer to join some of the more important people behind the scenes for another meeting. "We'll go straight into qualifying and the race on Saturday and Sunday. Starting with-" Elena stood up immediately. "Aren't we going to discuss the accident that just happened to one of our drivers?" "Accident? It was just a small mistake. Our car and driver are fine, so there's nothing to discuss." Elena gaped at their team principal's opinion. Their driver surviving stage 3 safely with the wrong tyres was an amazing thing that no other driver could have done. Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Logan was the fastest in SQ1 and SQ2 because he was using type M tyres. And because we want Logan to be the fastest in SQ3 too, we changed the tyres to type S which caused problems. In the end, Logan who was supposed to get P1 for tomorrow's sprint race dropped back to P2 and only got 7 points. Right below Dimitri from Team Phoenix." Everyone reflexively looked at Elena, the junior in their team who dared to speak up. "Okay we do plan to get our drivers to win so we can get on the podium when the season ends, becoming the champion with the most points. But we also have to consider the safety of the drivers. We need to discuss our strategy, which isn't quite right." "Elena." Jaxon, the team principal stood up. "We know you played an important role in this season as well. We also appreciate your courage in analyzing Logan's car in this round. But you must remember that this is only a sprint qualifying, not a real qualifying that will determine the grid position for the race." Elena was disappointed as Jaxon seemed to trivialize the issue. Elena had insisted not because she wanted to look smart but because she cared about the safety of the driver, Logan Vance. "You're right, but the car is still damaged. Small or big damage, it's very inefficient and could be dangerous for the driver for tomorrow's qualifying." "Races is not just about the drivers but about the team! Team chemistry!" The driver they were talking about, Logan, finally walked into the room and everyone fell silent. He was so calm but his aura was cold and intimidating. Logan's eyes scanned the room as he smelled an unfamiliar scent, the attractive one coming from someone. "Why stop? Just go on. I apologize for coming late," he said. Elena looked at Logan with a furrowed brow. "I was trying to make a suggestion because you-" "Actually, I don't really like sprint races because it wastes the energy for the main race on Sunday. So it wasn't because of the tyres or anything. I'm just giving Dimitri a chance to win from me because he always comes in second." Jaxon pounded the table. "So you were on purpose!" He pointed at Logan. "You know, my head almost explodes every time you go down the track!" The others calmed Jaxon down while holding him as Logan chose to leave the room rather than listen to the man's lecture. Actually, such debates were common, especially since Logan was a bit of a brat. But because his performance was always good, the team always tolerated it and didn't go after him. But not with Elena this time. Elena chased after Logan, leaving the meeting. "Wait! I want to talk to you." "Who are you?" asked Logan hoarsely. He finally realized that the scent was coming from Elena which was triggering something primal in him. "Okay you probably don't know me since I'm new here. I'm Elena Ruiz, one of the data analysts. Before joining this team I already had some experience in the races world so I'm not giving advice without basis. I just don't want this team to lose an excellent driver like you like what happened to Team Phoenix a few years ago." Logan unexpectedly stepped forward and sniffed Elena right in front of her face. "What are you doing?" Elena instantly smelled her own clothes because she thought Logan might smell something strange on her. "I put on a lot of perfume and I made sure I smelled good. What you did was rude!" "I just confirmed what I smelled before." In her heart, Elena thought that Logan was a bit of a freak. "Are you okay? I mean mentally, not physically. You're on a team that's much worse than my previous team. They didn't care about your safety and only focused on developing strategies and other things." "In other words, are you saying that you personally care about me?" "I'm not looking for your attention. I really care about all the drivers. To me, they are the most important pawns in the competition." "Pawns? We're not playing chess." Elena snickered in annoyance. " You've done a great job making a strong personal branding in front of the media when in reality you're very different." Logan, who was provoked, did not remain silent. He walked forward until he had Elena pressed against the wall. He rested one hand on the side of Elena's head. "I'm not asking for your opinion. If you still want a career here, it's better to follow what they say." "I have the right to speak up. I'm going to speak out about what I don't think is right." Logan's face came closer which made Elena clutch her shirt. "I hate working with someone who's a nag either." He secretly inhaled Elena's scent deeply because it was so addictive. Logan held Elena's chin so she would look at him. "You're different from the others." Elena brushed Logan's hand away. "Don't think I'm going to fall for your charms like all the other women out there! I'm here to work, not have fun!" As Elena left, Logan inhaled what was left of her scent. He growled as the scent made the wolf inside him rebel, wanting Elena, to the point of making his eyes turn the color of burning fire. "My mate."