Alpha Rising

Chapter Nineteen

Alvira's P.O.V.

For the first time in nearly a month, I found myself back in a training ring. My opponent's most recent attack had sent me tumbling to the dirt, and I rolled before coming to a halt against one of the bounding partitions. "Get him!" The shout came from one of the observers, and I heard a raucous cheer from a few others. A lot of the females here enjoyed watching me fight, apparently. I didn't mind at all. Star Garnet had one of the highest female-to-male warriors ratios compared to any other pack I'd ever encountered.

My focus snapped back to the wolf that was charging me, and I pressed myself down flat and scrambled just out of his reach. I felt a thrill of pride when he yelped and ended up slamming his body into the partition as well. 

I stood slowly on all fours, my chest heaving with every panting breath. There was a dull ache in my limbs as I lurched forward again, a snarl leaving curled lips as my claws and teeth glistened in the fading evening light. With a snap, they closed around the fur of the wolf before me, and I tugged sharply. Perhaps too hard, it would seem. There was a yelp, and a whine that brought me back from my momentary loss of care, and my jaws unclenched while I dove back to circle them from the outer edge of the ring.

My opponent was Trevor. And he was larger than me, but not by much. He was broader, though, with more muscle behind strong shoulders than I had. But I was quicker. I was able to dart in and crouch under his lunge forward and felt the scrape of his claws on my flank. He turned and snapped, nipping my tail between his teeth. I felt the rise of anger from the sidelines and shot a glance over at Nikolai, who stood wringing his hands next to his mother while they both watched the fight go on. 

It had been my idea to dive into the training grounds today. Granted, Nikolai hadn’t been happy about it in the least. But his mother was supportive. She reminded him just how skilled I was, according to the Black Opal trainers. Her insinuation and support made it very clear that I’d need to keep up to date on my abilities if I wanted to hold my own on the task force set to hunting down the rogue beasts in our lands. 

And so here I was, up against Trevor in a sparring match that was half for exercise, half for show. But show or not, the bite was real. And we both seemed to latch onto one another simultaneously. My lips curled back in a snarl, and Trevor turned to lunge once more at my feet. Smart. It was almost enough to trip me up, but a quick dart to the side left his side open for a swipe of my claws. 

With a howl, he stopped short of another lunge and bowed deep. Halting, I returned the gesture of respect and trotted to his side. We both nodded to one another and broke for the changing stations at opposite ends of the ring. Once I was in the tent, I let myself shift back and pulled on the sundress that Nadine had laid out for me. Only then did I re-emerge to the cheers and applause of the group that had gathered to watch the two of us run through the session.

Sheena was off to one side of the ring, standing between her two older brothers with one hand resting on her swollen belly. She looked on with glee, having given me explicit permission to kick her mate’s ass as hard as I wished. Trevor came out from the other changing tent in loose basketball shorts that hung low on his hips, still bare-chested with the long swipe of my claws still visible on his side. 

I gave him a bit of a sheepish shrug of apology, but he met it with a quiet shake of his head and a wink. Nikolai was at my side quickly, leaping over the low wall separating the stands from the dirt and grass fighting pit. He took my hand in his and pressed my knuckles to his lips, whispering congratulations for a job well done. That alone sent a thrill of pride through my system, and I let the low rumble of appreciation sound in the back of my throat. 

Sheena broke off from her brothers with a punch to Avery’s arm and waddled her way over to her mate. Trevor scooped her up in his arms and peppered her face with kisses. “She’s a scrapper,” I heard him say to her, with only a hint of his wounded ego showing through. 

“That I am, buddy,” I called to him with a laugh. “And I’ll be worse than that once I’m back up to my fighting standard.” I felt the gentle hand of Nikolai at my back for just a moment before something else caught my attention. It was a voice that stuck out in the crowd of wolves. But it wasn't just any voice. 

“Two weeks up north, and you’re already stirring up trouble.” The unmistakable timbre of Nell’s sweet voice sounded from behind me, and I spun round to meet her gaze with one of astonishment and relief. It felt like I nearly flew across the field to her side. Joey was smart enough to side-step enough for me to properly tackle my best friend to the ground in a twirling embrace. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming!” I exclaimed, barely letting her stand on her own. I clung to Nell tightly and took in the comforting feeling of having my closest friend at my side again. “The only thing that could make today better would be-”

Another voice cut me off before I could finish. “Your twin?” I heard my brother's telltale chuckle sound even before I fully registered what I was hearing.

My eyes went wide, and I broke from Nell's grasp almost immediately. It took another moment for the realization to click in before the world started turning around me again. “Alban,” I said with a sigh as he dropped his duffel bag into Richie’s arms and bolted for me. 

If seeing Nell had reignited my hope, then feeling the embrace of my mirror piece was tenfold that. “I’ve missed you, Vi,” Alban said to me. "It's not the same without you."

The crowd of people had started to disperse at Trevor’s behest. The Beta wanted to ensure that the other pack members gave some level of respect to us until we could relocate to the main house, which I greatly appreciated. Sheena

I could feel Nikolai bristling behind me. He’d still been bouncing between letting me in and shutting me out completely, and I couldn’t get a handle on him fully. Some nights we were close and talking with one another about our favorite things, learning little bits here and there about one another. But other nights, he was wrought with anxiety and tension. Maybe having these two here would help me get to the bottom of things quicker. Goddess, I hoped so. 

I looked to my mate, almost expecting him to step up and welcome the guests. Instead, it was Irena who spoke up, clearing her throat as Nikolai pushed her wheelchair out into the center of the packed dirt ring. Her gaze fell on me, and I straightened where I stood, flanked by my two biggest supporters. In my mind, I could hear Alban just as giddy as if he were laughing out loud. He was excited, and the way he jittered and bounced on his feet had me feeling like there was something that he wasn’t quite telling me in full. Mmm, I wonder.

“Mister Lundine,” Irena said in that cool and calculated welcoming tone she had. “I take it the ride treated you and your guests well?”

“As hospitable as I could have hoped,” he replied. Alban nodded, finally moving from my side to go and greet the aging former Luna with the respect she deserved. He bowed low and let his lips brush over her knuckles, meeting her eyes with a stare that I could tell had been practiced. The lessons with Dad had been doing him wonders. 

Irena’s lips turned up into a firm smile, and there was something else in her glittering eyes. “Good, very good.” A flick of her hand motioned for Nikolai to push her further towards the house. “I think we should leave you to catch up,” Irena said. “After dinner, we’ll all sit down for a nice chat."

It was a kindness that I greatly appreciated and would be taking full advantage of. "Thank you, Irena," I said to the aging she-wolf with a bow. "It was incredibly thoughtful of you to invite them up here for my sake."

Irena's lips parted as she let out a sweet laugh and shook her head. "My dear," she said. "I didn't arrange this." I looked rather puzzled when she said that and must have come across as quite the dunce. Irena motioned towards Nikolai, who was standing dutifully beside her now, and my heart fluttered. Nikolai had been around when I mentioned to Sheena that I'd missed my brother and best friend, but I didn't think he had been listening. Maybe he really was trying harder than I thought.