AVA
The next morning, the twins insisted on joining Beta Alexander and I at the training ground for our 5am run. Of course since they were on two legs they couldn’t keep up, but we took it in turns carrying them around the forest for a while. Callum loved it when I took him; Noah was nervous at first and thought I was going to crash into a tree, but when he settled, he just wanted to keep going.
I high fived Beta Alexander after our run, chucking a bottle of water over to him which he caught easily. “Hey, Ava?” he shouted.
“Mmm?” I turned to look at him, water bottle still in my hand.
“Think fast.”
He sprinted at me, going straight for my legs.
I rolled out of the way, spinning back to my feet a few metres away from where I started. When he ran for me again, I was ready.
I dropped to the ground and spun, kicking his legs out from underneath him.
He skidded across the floor from the momentum that he had been carrying, scowling at me when he stood. I shrugged. “You always taught me not to start a fight I can’t finish.”
“That I did,” he laughed as we started to circle each other.
“I don’t know if I’m meant to cheer for dad or Ava…” Callum whispered from the bench.
“Me, obviously,” Beta and I said at the same time.
I took advantage of his distraction to dive in close, landing first a hit to his stomach bending him over double, and then one to his kidneys. I had him where I wanted him.
An easy kick to the bottom of his back had him face-down in the mud, giving me plenty of space to pin him to the ground, one knee in between his shoulder blades, his arm twisted behind his back.
In this position he had the choice of either submitting, or dislocating his shoulder.
“Give, Beta.”
“No,” he struggled, trying to knock me off.
“Give!”
He still struggled.
“I know where your sons got their stubbornness from, Beta. Give!” I twisted his arm further, leaving him growling.
“Fine!” He tapped out. I fell to the side laughing, letting go of his arm so he could roll back over. “Impressive, Ava,” his voice was raspy as he fought to catch his breath. “That was easily the fastest you’ve taken me down like that.”
I laughed, massaging my stomach. “I think I pulled a muscle when I flipped around like that. How’s your shoulder?”
“Sore, but okay. Fortunately it’s not dislocated.”
“Would have been if you hadn’t submitted, Beta. You know as well as I do that Artemis wouldn’t take that lying down.”
“I know. Artemis is terrifying when she needs to be.”
I laughed, my eyes closed as I still tried to catch my breath. Hands suddenly appeared on mine, tugging me up to my feet, and the noise beside me said someone was helping Beta Alexander up.
Callum and Oscar pulled up their dad, Theo and Noah pulled me up.
“Breakfast, Beta?”
“Oh yes,” he replied. “Are you joining us, boys?”
“Wouldn’t miss it, dad,” Callum responded.
“Ava?” Beta Alexander called out. “If we shift and run, do you think you could carry two of them?”
I dragged my eyes over the twins, considering their respective sizes. “If we split it so we both take an Alpha and a Beta, we might be okay. They’ll just have to get up close and personal with each other.”
He laughed. “Last one there is a rotten egg!”
I watched him shift and crouch, motioning for Noah and Oscar to jump on his back, immediately sprinting off. “Fine!” I shouted, both out loud and through the link, before repeating his moves.
I sprinted off into the forest, Theo and Callum’s hands tangled in my fur. I growled when I saw Beta Alexander in the distance, just twenty metres or so ahead of me.
“Can we do this, Artemis?”
She nodded, bouncing around in excitement. “Let me do it, let me do it!”
I let her take total control; her pace picking up drastically as we flew through the trees, over roots and under rocks. Theo and Callum were laughing the entire way.
I reached the pack house shortly after to see Alpha Jacob standing outside with new clothes, and Beta Alexander nowhere to be seen.
I let the boys jump off, before shifting back and pulling on the massive t-shirt and shorts from Alpha Jacob. “Is the Beta back yet?” I asked, out of breath.
He shook his head, smiling. “Nicely done, Ava.”
The sound of massive paws behind me stole my attention, and we all turned just in time to see Beta Alexander’s grey wolf darting through the trees with Oscar and Noah in tow.
He was shaking his head as he shifted back. “Ava… how did you do that?” he was out of breath.
“Artemis did it,” I laughed.
He shook his head, mumbling under his breath.
Alpha Jacob threw his arm around my shoulders, walking back into the packhouse with me. “I hear you knocked my Beta on his backside again.”
I nodded, trying not to smirk as Artemis pushed forward. “He started it.”
“I believe that, Artemis.” His voice deepened when Lloyd pushed forward. “One day Artemis, you’ll have to spar with me.”
The room went silent. “Alpha, was that a challenge?” Beta Alexander shouted from behind us. “You should know that our girl Ava never shies away from a challenge.”
“That’s true, Alpha,” I added, one hip cocked. “Are you ready to do this, Lloyd?” Artemis pushed forward again, deepening my voice.
“You’re on, Artemis,” he stuck out his hand to shake, which I gladly did.
Beta Alexander was skipping around happily. “When do you two want to do this?”
“Whenever, Beta,” Artemis snarled.
“Have breakfast first, Artemis,” Alpha Jacob scolded.
“Fine. Meet me at the training field at 11am, Alpha.” I held out one hand again, just waiting for him to take it, unable to stop the smirk playing around my lips.
He shook my hand and when he did, the dining room erupted in cheers.
“Everyone is going to turn up to watch me pin you, Lloyd,” Artemis teased. She was insufferable.
“I’m looking forward to breaking your winning streak, Artemis.”
Alpha Jacob and I pushed our wolves back before making our way towards the tables, gossiping like old friends.
I sat surrounded by the twins; Beta Alexander was sitting on the next table over, his delighted gaze flicking between me and the Alpha, his grin just getting wider.
“Beta!” I called out. “Have you started taking bets yet?”
He laughed, clapping his hands together in glee. “Oh I’m going to do that, the spar of the year, this.” He scrambled to find paper, and immediately, everyone bar the Alpha and I was on their feet, rushing to place their bets.
“Okay people,” he shouted over the room. “We’re betting on spar length and victor.”
Alpha Jacob walked towards me, sitting in the chair opposite. “I think Artemis is enjoying this just as much as Lloyd, Ava.”
“Definitely,” I grinned. “I hope you’re ready, Alpha Jacob,” Artemis suddenly pushed forwards again.
“Oh I am, Alpha Ava,” Lloyd snarled.
“Wait!” Someone shouted. “Did Alpha Jacob just refer to Ava as an alpha?”
That caused a hubbub of motion, leaving Beta Alexander scrambling to adjust bets.
Three hours later, we were on the training field and Beta Alexander was listing rules for the benefit of the crowd. “No weapons, no outside help, shifting is allowed after the ten minute mark if there is no victor. Five second pin time or submission. Agreed?”
Alpha Jacob and I nodded, taking our positions.
As soon as Beta Alexander signalled the start of the fight, Alpha Jacob darted towards me. I spun, letting him run straight past me. I took a defensive position again, letting him make the first move.
He went for my legs, but I jumped, flinging myself over his leg and back. We circled each other, looking for an opening, neither of us immediately responding to a weakness.
It was then I saw it. Alpha Jacob’s punches were predictable, and he was weaker on his right side.
I couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on my face as I darted under his arms, moving into his personal space. He growled when my hits landed on his kidneys, the back of his neck and his right ribs.
I might have just tripped him, but apparently it had taken longer than I expected. The bell sounded to signify ten minutes had passed.
Alpha Jacob shifted immediately, so I ended up with a giant brown wolf directly underneath me. I jumped, shifting midair, rolling to the side so I could land on all four paws.
I could feel the shock rippling through the crowd at the sight of Alpha Jacob’s massive brown wolf squaring off against my equally massive midnight black wolf. We circled each other, snarling as our wolves looked for an opening.
I purposefully whimpered and added a limp to one paw, making him think I was injured and therefore he had an opening. He fell for it immediately.
As soon as he pounced, Artemis jumped over him, spinning to the side and using her weight to knock Kieran to the ground.
He snarled as he fell, but couldn’t immediately get up because Artemis is near as is just as heavy as he is.
Artemis leaned over his back, her jaws around his neck. Alpha Jacob’s wolf went slack immediately- Kieran knew he’d lost.
Or I thought he did.
When my guard was down, Alpha Jacob shifted back, rolling to end up on his back beneath Artemis. He shifted just his hand, wrapping his claws around Artemis’ throat, looking for a submission he wasn’t going to get.
I snarled at him, my head snapping to the side, bending his hand back on itself. The sickening crunch said it had probably broken his wrist.
Kieran growled, shifting back and using his weight to throw me off him. We snarled at each other again, circling looking for an opening. He was starting to tire. His movements weren’t as snappy and fluid, and I worked out why when Beta Alexander shouted that we had been sparring for more than an hour already.
I chuckled down the pack link to Alpha Jacob, laughing more when he laughed back. “I didn’t think you’d last this long, old man.”