Emily’s POV
The pack members gasped in surprise when they saw me entering with Alex by my side, yet neither of us gave them much attention.
My gaze moved over the gymnasium, noticing that it was much bigger than I remembered.
“You should see the outside,” Alex said proudly. “We have even made the training area bigger.”
I nodded, looking at all the expensive equipment they were using, yet something didn’t add up. I made a mental note to compare the purchase with the equipment on hand and followed Alex out.
My eyes widened seeing the outside; it was nothing like what I expected.
“We have extended the original trail through the forest,” Alex said, going down a few steps. “And added shorter ones for the pups to run and stay fit.”
Alex looked so relaxed and proud while he showed me around.
Most Alphas gave the tours of showing me around to their Beta to handle, yet here we were, Alex, taking time off out of his very busy schedule and showing me around.
“Are the pups still only starting their training at age 10?” I asked.
“No,” Alex said, turning to face me. “I had to change that. Our pups start at age 5.”
“Isn’t that too young?” I asked, getting closer to him.
“I don’t believe so,” Alex said. “The younger they start, the better. Especially with the constant rogue attacks. We can’t be too careful.”
I understood his concern.
“What kind of training do you do with the pups?” I asked.
Lex started at the age of three, learning the basics of hiding and knowing where he needed to go if the pack was under attack.
“We teach them skills to help them survive,” Alex started. “We have different levels of training. The smaller pups mainly play in the yard.”
Alex stopped and pointed to the area he called the yard. There were things like jungle gyms set up with tires and ropes, all in colorful colors of red, green, yellow, and blue. It looked more like a little school playground, except there were no swings to ride on.
I nodded, and we got closer.
“Everything teaches them to balance while they play,” Alex explained. “We are teaching them how to evacuate and where to go. We constantly do pack drills.”
“Until what age do they play here?” I asked, interested in knowing.
“It depends on the pup, but usually at age seven,” he said.
Alex started walking in a different direction.
“What does their training schedule look like?” I asked.
Alex chuckled.
“The pups are trained daily from 3 pm to 5 pm,” he said. “All other pack members train at their scheduled times.”
I nodded in understanding and followed Alex down a path going toward the forest.
“This is where we train the group from 7 to 15 years old,” Alex gestured. “It is very similar to what you just saw, but just on a bigger and more technical scale. We teach the pups combat skills and how to defend themselves.”
There was a training mat centered in the area, and a few pups were sparing, others were climbing ropes, and others were doing the obstacle course.
We moved further down the path, and the sound of water roared close by. We must be close to the waterfall and river.
“It’s part of the senior training,” Alex said, reading my mind.
I was interested to know how the river formed part of his new training schedule.
We walked in silence for the last couple of yards when the senior training area came into view.
“Isn’t that Alpha Cole?” I asked, surprised to see him on the training mat.
“And your father,” Alex said. “I did tell you that all wolves train. I wasn’t joking about what I had said.”
“At what age are they retired from training?” I asked.
“When they have one foot in the grave,” Alex said, seriously.
Was he kidding me?
“Alpha is pulling your leg,” Luke said, getting closer. His blond hair was soaked, and he had a towel thrown over his shoulder. I guess he has just finished training.
“Elder wolves are excused from training when they cannot shift anymore, but they still need to do the basic training on how to evacuate.”
I nodded.
“But a certain Alpha has been skipping training for a while,” Luke said, hinting at Alex.
“Why have you stopped training?” I asked.
“I haven’t,” Alex said. “I just don’t get time to come down here and train with the pack. I have my own daily routine in the gym.”
“So how do we know you are still fit to be an Alpha?” I challenged.
“Pick any wolf here,” Alex said, taking the bait. “And I will show you I am still capable of bringing them down.”
“Challenge accepted,” I said, passing Alex and calling the pack members closer.
“Your Alpha here says he could take any of you,” I announced, and my gaze fell on Alex. “I would like to see that happen. I am hoping to randomly choose someone to spare against your Alpha.”
The pack members nodded, liking the challenge.
“Everyone ready?” I asked, and the group cheered.
I closed my eyes, extended my arm, and started spinning around a couple of times. When I stopped, my finger pointed into the crowd, and I opened my eyes.
“F*ck,” I mentally cursed. I selected my father.
“It seems like Beta John is the lucky one,” Luke announced, getting onto the mat.
My father narrowed his eyes at me, yet he didn’t say anything as he got onto the mat.
Alex got closer as well, took off his shirt and shoes, and threw them on the bench.
“Good luck,” I said to both, and I ran off the training mat.
I found a spot and took a seat, my gaze moving over Alex’s perfectly sculptured, tanned body, and for a second I wished I could run my fingertips over each perfect line and muscle.
Just thinking of it had my underwear soaked, and I got up and moved uncomfortably away, hoping no one would sense my arousal.
Luke called the two contestants closer, and they shook hands.
“Keep this fight clean,” Luke said, looking at Alex. “No use of abilities, and the first one to tap out loses.”
Both nodded in understanding.
Luke gave the signal and stepped away, but before the actual fight started, Alex had found a way to pin my father to the floor.
My father tried every technique he knew to try and get Alex to let go and move away from him.
That was barely a minute; I gasped, surprised.
“Maybe you should put him in his place,” Willow mused. She was in the mood for a little fun.
Before I could refuse, Willow grabbed control, stepped on the mat, and challenged Alex to a duel.
****