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“Again,” he stepped back, joining Justice against the whitewashed cinderblock wall.

I took a breath, reset my stance, focused on my hips, and threw another punch.

“Better,” Justice said, smiling. “Do it again.”

I repeated the motion several times, each punch felt more natural. After a dozen attempts of fighting nothing but the air, I stepped back, shaking out my hand. Maybe I was clenching my fist too hard? At least they didn’t have to tell me not to tuck my thumb inside.

“Is this something all alphas learn automatically?” I asked, “Like, boom, your aura presents and you just know how to fight? Do they give out free boxing lessons or something?”

Justice and Ren exchanged a look that contained an entire private conversation.

“No,” Ren said, “but when your aura presents, your hormones go crazy. You turn into a bit of an asshole for a while.”

“A bit?” Justice raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. A major asshole,” Ren conceded. “You get into a lot of fights. It’s why the life expectancy of an alpha is shorter than a beta or omega.”

“A lot of young alphas die when they first present,” Justice added, his voice dropping into something more serious. “Fighting and fucking are the only real ways to deal with rut.”

“And you can’t always fuck,” Ren said. “So, fighting it is.”

I wiped sweat from my forehead. “Does it fade? That need to fight?”

“No,” Justice said, shaking his head. “You just find ways to deal with it, channel it into other things.”

I had never really thought about what it was like to become an alpha. Perfuming was totally different from presenting. I had never wanted to fight. I had never thrown a punch before the cruise. After the cruise? I totally got the desire to take someone apart with your bare hands. A realization dawned on me.

I turned to my alpha. “The rock climbing?”

Justice was silent for a second, and then nodded. “That’s part of it. The rush, the danger… it satisfies something primal without requiring me to smash someone’s face in.”

“I lift weights,” Ren added, flexing unconsciously. “Heavy things. Repeatedly.”

“That’s why he’s built like that, and you get to enjoy the six-pack abs,” Justice said with a smirk.

Ren winked at me. “Perks of pack life.” They fist bumped. They were criminally pretty. Ren was broad and almost beefy, but chiseled. Justice was just as powerful, but wiry. I had to stop devouring them with my eyes. Now was not a time to get horny.

“As a CEO, I just can’t go around beating up assholes,” Justice said, sounding almost regretful.

I turned to look at the third alpha in the room, who had been silently watching from the door. Maybe he didn’t think his punching advice was necessary. He wore all black. The suit was gorgeous and fit him like a glove.

“I just beat up assholes,” Nico said, his voice deep and even. He gave a casual shrug.

Ren laughed at that, a full-throated sound that echoed in the basement.

“Alright, let’s see a few more practice punches,” Justice said. “Then we can move on.”

I threw several more punches, each one feeling more powerful. We should have prepared better. Maybe I could get them to take me to a real boxing gym. That wasn’t the kind of place omegas could just show up at on their own.

“I think I’m ready.”

I stepped forward and shook out my arms.

I cocked my arm back, but Ren caught it before I could swing. “Lower,” he said, moving my arm. “Body shots are better. The face has too many bones, and I don’t want you to hurt your hands.”

He guided me to the position. “Here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the ribs. “Or here, for the kidneys. Maximum effect.”

I nodded, my heart racing. I took a deep breath and threw the punch.