Alpha's Stolen Heart

*Ryan POV* “Johnson, for f**k’s sake, try not to stop Cruz’s fist with your face!" I groaned, watching my warriors train. Liam, who was standing next to me, chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry Alpha." Johnson said from the ground. "If you decide to attack, be sure that you know where to hit. Throwing one landing punch is much better than throwing a few that miss." Liam said calmly, stepping to the ring. I'm lucky to have this man as my Gamma. He is not only an exceptional fighter and my best friend, but is also more calm and better at explaining things. I would just go there and slap the warriors until they started to understand. "Both of you, attack me." He nodded at them, getting into a fighting position. Johnson and Cruz exchanged looks and circled my Gamma. Liam's sight was focused on the second one. Johnson jumped on him first, thinking that he was in the clear. Cruz quickly followed, trying to hit Liam in the stomach. My Gamma swiftly avoided both attacks, grabbed Cruz's fist mid air and threw him at a surprised Johnson. Both warriors fell to the ground. I chuckled, amused. "Where did you make a mistake?" Liam asked the two warriors, giving them both a hand and helping them stand up. "Thinking that we may actually do something to you." Cruz sighed, wiping a small blood trail from his busted lip. I laughed again. "They have a point." I winked at Liam and he rolled his eyes. "No. You assumed that I was focused more on Cruz than on Johnson just because my eyes were on him. The moment I set my eyes on Cruz, I knew that you, in your mind-link, decided for Johnson to attack first. And that's your lesson for today." Gamma said, and turned towards the rest of the group. "Divide into three-person groups and mimic what we did. One is getting attacked and two are attackers. Try to practice the surprise factor. I will walk around, correcting your mistakes." The warriors nodded with a "yes, sir" and started to train. Liam walked up to me with a smile. "You had a good idea to include more technical practice into their regiment, not just the usual sparing." I patted his back with appreciation. "Thanks, Alpha." He said, looking at the training warriors. "It's hard getting used to this. Being in charge at all times." I sighed. "You are good at this, trust me. I was in the elite squad not too long ago to remember how it was done. Your father, I mean, the previous Alpha, never really attended these. He made his Gamma oversee everything. The warriors appreciate your training with them." Liam smiled, giving my arm a solid pat. Fuck, I always forget how strong he is. I massaged my arm while he chuckled. "How about you, huh? Feel like sparing today?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a challenge in his eyes. "Nah, not today. Kurt texted that he was waiting for me in my office. Finances won't wait much longer." I groaned. "Ah, yeah. The other glorious part of the Alpha job. Have fun then." He winked and started to walk around fighting warriors, giving orders. I sighed and started to walk towards the pack house, a little envious of Liam. I, too, would prefer to stay and fight. But being Alpha is more than this, unfortunately. I just became an Alpha of the Woods Creak Pack a few months ago and I am still learning how to actually run a pack. For the longest time, I observed my father's rule and I knew it was wrong. I knew I had to become a better Alpha, so I trained a lot. Not only physically, going to Wolf Games every year, but also going to Camps with other young Alphas, making allies and friends there. Which, in itself, wasn't easy. Father made sure to close our pack, he didn't care about allies and it wasn't easy for me to break the circle. Honestly, most packs in Washington state are run like this, unfortunately. No wonder that the first allyship I made was with a Canadian Pack. And not only any pack, but the Panselinos Lake Pack. I was extremely lucky to befriend it's Alpha, Alex Bartram, during the Wolf Games one year. Since then, we've been regularly talking and exchanging information. After I took over from my father, Alex visited me with his new-found Luna. I sighed and stopped in my steps. The visit went well, but… Alex's Luna, Asteria, turned out to be a Goddess, which, in itself, is pretty f*****g unexpected, but, she also is The Moon Goddess's daughter. And as such, she has a gift of premonition and could tell if someone is close to meeting their mate. And, of course, she had one about me. According to her, my mate is closer than I may think. This is the worst time to find a mate. Not only have I never wanted a fated mate, but with the rogues planning something all over the States and me just recently becoming an Alpha, it is the actual worst time to even think about a mate. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I never felt the need to have a mate, I didn't plan to reject her after I found her, I just… never craved it or actively looked for one. Because of my parents, I kind of resented the whole idea. Seeing how miserable my mother was in her relationship with my father, made me indifferent. So I didn't wait for her, like many do, and I had fun in my teenage years. I wasn't a player, but I had s*x here or there, never with my pack members, though. And since I started to go on Camps, after I finished 20, I have completely strayed from any relations with women. I need my head to focus solely on becoming a better Alpha than my father ever was. The good thing is that I have two people who I trust the most as my Beta and Gamma. They've been my closest friends since childhood and were a natural choice when it came to deciding who was going to be my right and left hand. Kurt, my Beta, is 24, just a year younger than me. He may not be the most intimidating wolf in my pack, but he definitely is the smartest one. Luckily for me, he handles all of the bureaucracy side of running the pack and my business, so I don't have to focus so hard on this. Honestly, if it wasn't for his brain, I would be f****d, buried under tons of papers and reports. He has a mate, Trish, who he loves dearly and with passion. They grew up close and since forever hoped to be fated mates. After they both reached 19 it became clear that they in fact are. They marked each other immediately and the next day, Kurt actually proposed. He bought an engagement ring even before his birthday, as Trish had hers a few months before, that's how sure he was. Right now, they are married with a three-year-old son and expecting a second child. Liam, my Gamma is 26. We are extremely similar in our physique. We are both 6’5 with broad shoulders and very muscled bodies. He, apart from me, is the strongest, most skilled wolf in the pack, so when I needed a Gamma who could train, lead and command the warriors, he was the most obvious choice. I trust that under his training, my pack’s warriors will be the best in the state. Liam is still mateless, just like me and seems to have the same sentiment. He is not actively looking for his mate. Or so it looks to me. Liam has a very calm, brooding demeanor, he is not easily excited and keeps mostly to himself. It doesn't collide with being the best of friends to me and Kurt though.