Page 73 of Alpha Mates

I chuckle, even while my insides twist uncomfortably at the prospect. I’m notafraidof my parents, not in the way I know fear works, but my confidence fractures around them. None of us expected or wanted me to be alpha, but it happened. I worked for it, Goddess approved me. Now I just wish they could be proud of how far I’ve come.

“You won’t tell me the rest now, will you?” Aiden asks.

I shake my head. I hadn’t meant to tell him any of it, but I certainly don’t plan to air the rest of it out with our warriors waiting so close.

“Later?” he asks.

“Later,” I agree.

“Alright.” His thumb rubs soothing circles over my skin. “For now, we’ll focus on the positive.”

“What positive?”

“They’re gone,” he deadpans, his smile returning. “I’d kill to get rid of my parents, even for an hour. Take your blessings as our Goddess showers you in them, Jewels.”

That tugs a real laugh from me because of course that’s how Aiden’s brain works. It’s also strangely nice to know I’m not the only one in this shit-parent boat. We haven’t ever talked about it, but with how similar our parents are with their expectations and micro-managing, I bet growing up had been just as hard for Aiden as it’d been for me.

“Look, forget about them for now,” he says, interlacing our fingers. “Forget about all that shit and just have fun with me today.”

“You forget, I’m allergic to physical exertion around others.”

He barks a laugh that makes my heart beat faster. “I know, but I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself today,” he says with adorable determination. “And when we’re done here, we’ll move to your place like you’ve been creaming over all day.”

“I haven’t been ‘creaming’ over anything,” I deny, but he just raises a brow.

“Doesn’t matter. You can cream or not cream as much as you like—” I snort and he grins. “I promise, I’ll turn this day around for you.”

He means it. He’ll do anything he can to make sure he doesn’t break his word, but what he doesn’t know is that he’s already turned this day aroundjust by being him.

“Okay,” I say, smiling freely. “Do your best, Aiden Calderon.”

“Oh, I will.”

“Alright, people!” Aiden shouts as we rejoin the warriors amid their warmups. They slow to a stop, turning to face us in their lines. “Since this is our first mixed session, we’ll be combining techniques and styles. This week, we’ll start off with the Black Moon Pack’s yoga—”

“Muscular conditioning,” I correct.

“Muscular conditioning,” Aiden amends with a glance my way. “And then we’ll be doing our pack’s usual sparring, but for that, you’ll each face wolves from the other pack.”

Whistles and howls sound from all the Dark Woods warriors like catcalls. My wolves remain quiet, but the hum from our pack bond tells me they’re looking forward to the opportunity to shut the rowdy bunch up.

“So, Julian,” Aiden says, backing up and letting me take the centre stage, “please lead us on this excruciating journey of muscular conditioning.”

I raise a brow.

I’d planned to take it easy, starting with simple stretches so I didn’t over-exert the Dark Woods wolves. If they break something or can’t feel their legs tomorrow, they’ll only have their alpha to blame.

“Alright, everyone, spread out,” I call, stretching my arms overhead. “We’ll start with standing scorpion.”

“The standing what—” Aiden starts, only to fall silent at the sight of my pack tipping into handstands, slowly bending their bodies into clean half-circles until toes hover over heads. “Holy fuck.”

“We’ll hold this for a minute,” I say, before I glance at Aiden in my periphery. “Oh, do you need help doing our ‘yoga’?”

“No,” he scoffs, turning to his gawking warriors and hastily clapping his hands. “Let’s go, people.”

At their alpha’s prompting, they scramble to the ground and start pushing themselves up, but half collapse before they’re even vertical. Some manage the handstand, but when they try to bend, end up with their nose in the grass and a mouthful of dirt. Laughter spreads across the field as the Dark Woods members fall over themselves like pups in a bubble bath.

I snicker, wavering slightly and almost landing on my chin as Aiden slams down beside me for a second time—flat on his back. A strainedoofslips from his lips as he curls onto his side. His crooked shades expose his eyes and the pain in them.