Page 74 of Alpha Mates

“There was … a gust … of wind,” Aiden wheezes.

I laugh so hard I fall right there beside him, which clearly pleases him. He grins at me like a conqueror, and I let him have it while I roll onto my knees. “Ready to accept my help yet?”

He shrugs. “Maybe.”

Snorting, I pick myself up and scan the field. Most of my warriors are on the ground too. Laughter is seemingly a greater enemy than gravity when this bunch is around. It’s rare to see my pack like this, and it’s a nice surprise. We’re not necessarily known for being friendly, but we’re not nearly as rigid as Aiden likes to make us out to be. I try to hold onto the sight.

“Okay, everyone. Let’s dial it back with something more accessible,” I call. “Cobra pose.” Aiden tries to get up and I give him a nudge to keep him down. “And if you’d be so kind, please help a Dark Woods member in need.”

“In need? We’re not in need,” he protests, leading the objections of his warriors that the rest of us ignore while I gesture for them to lie on their stomachs.

“Stop whining.” I guide him to extend his legs out so they lie flat across the grass behind him. He grumbles to himself but follows all my instructions until he’s pushed up on his palms, wrists stacked beneath elbows. “How’s that?”

“I feel like a cat. This should be called cat pose.”

“Perhaps,” I agree while I adjust him slightly. I leave him to make the rounds, walking the rows and cueing breath until almost everyone looks … passable. When I return to my mate, I have to bite back a smile at his suspiciously shaky arms.

“Are you struggling, Aiden?” I ask, stopping in front of him. “Is this also too challenging for you?”

Aiden snorts, but when his arms wobble, he immediately stiffens. “You wish,” he spits. “Toss anything at me. I’ll be good.”

Well, he can’t say that he didn’t ask for it.

“For our next pose, we’re going to move into downward-facing dog,” I announce for all to hear. “It’s a challenging one, so I’ll be demonstrating with Aiden.”

Any and all traces of humour evaporate from Aiden’s expression while hoots and hollers rise from everyone present. His own pack is especially vocal. I discard my short-lived worries that they might take offence when they’re clearly all very happy to see their alpha in such a compromising position. From the poorly hidden smiles of my pack, they aren’t opposed to it either.

“Come on, Aiden,” I prompt innocently. “You don’t minddemonstrating, do you?”

The look he gives me sends electric excitement slithering through my body. From his position below me, I can see over his shades. While his eyes aren’t glowing, they burn with his displeasure—but there’s humour there too. Aiden might hate me for doing this, but he loves the challenge just as much, which is precisely why he straightens without a fuss.

“How do you want me?” he says, smug.

“Get down on your hands and knees.”

Eyes on mine, Aiden slowly turns, kneels, and looks over his shoulder with that sinful grin when he’s in position. “What’s next?”

“Lift your hips,” I direct, matching his grin with one of my own.

Not backing down, he looks at the warriors and shakes his head. “This is the only time you guys are getting a show like this, so enjoy.”

Aiden gradually pushes his hips up and back until they’re only a few inches from mine, and the warriors go feral. They holler at their alpha while I try my hardest to swallow the lust stirring inside of me. In this position, he looks like he’s presenting himself to me, and alphasneverpresent.

“Is this to your standard, Jewels?” he asks through his legs. “I want to be a good model.”

“You’re doing great,” I reply, stepping around him to straighten his arms. “You just need a few tweaks.”

I stalk around him. His eyes track me, bright with humour and lust that almost rivals my own. I’m not sure who’s prey here, but I want to find out.

“One last thing,” I say, blood surging in my veins as I return to my original position behind him, straddling his legs to reach him. “You need to straighten here.”

I press my hips up against Aiden as I stretch over him, one hand gripping his hip to pull them towards me, the other flattening on his back, pressing to straighten it and deepening his stretch. That’s officially my mate’s limit. He collapses, taking us both down to the ground with a thud that’s drowned out by the resounding laughter that fills the open field.

“Best demonstration ever,” someone shouts, which gets an impressive chorus of agreement.

“Yeah, I bet,” Aiden groans, waving them off. “We’re officially done with ‘muscular conditioning.’ Everyone get ready for sparring.”

While the others start spreading out and pairing up by Beckett and Emitt’s instruction, Aiden and I separate from the tangle of limbs we’ve become.