Chapter 6: Discipline the Mind

Aurora’s POV

I stood in the middle of the mat waiting for Alpha Liam to come outside. He had told me to come at six, but I came earlier. I wanted him to know how serious I was and that I planned on taking this training seriously.

The back door to the pack house opened and Alpha Liam came outside. I gulped at the sight of him. He wore a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips. He was shirtless, revealing the long scar that covered his chest and the tattoos that covered both of his arms. I had never seen a man so sexy; I felt the immediate urge to jump on him and attack his lips with mine.

“Alpha,” I said after I cleared my voice. I had to act normal. I wasn’t here to act like Jessica, I was here for training. I was here to better my skills, not get my heart attached to the Alpha.

“Aurora,” he said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. He gave a small yawn before cracking his knuckles.

“Good morning,” I said as he made his way off the steps. He gave me a small nod before taking a spot on the mat opposite me.

“Shoes off.” His voice held no options as he looked at me. I hadn’t realized that he stood with his black socks on instead of shoes.

“What, why?” I asked.

He gave me a pointed look but said nothing to answer my question. I sighed and sat down on the mat and began taking off my shoes. Before I knew it, I was kicked and tumbling over. I stretched my hands out to stop myself from rolling more.

“What’s the big idea?”

I could feel my anger rising. What the hell was he thinking by kicking me after telling me to take my shoes off?

“In a fight, your opponent won’t care about an even playing field,” Alpha Liam said.

He stood straight, his eyes stalking me as if I was his latest prey and he was just playing with his snack before he devoured me whole. He lunged for me, and I tried to roll out of the way. He grabbed me by my leg and flung me across the mat. My back landed on the padded mat which did nothing to stop the aching pain from coursing through my back.

“The goal of the opponent is to kill you. They aren’t just some girl who makes fun of you.”

I slammed my fists down on the mat and stood up. If this is what it took to train, then I wouldn’t lie down like a coward. I would do my best to defend myself. I ran toward him, and he grabbed my shoulder before twisting my arm behind my back and pushing me away from him. I stumbled forward, but quickly regained my footing and turned to face him.

“Anger makes you stronger, but not when it’s uncontrolled. It can be powerful, but you must learn how to channel it. If you only fight based on emotion your moves will be sloppy and your attacks won’t be the most effective.”

He lunged for me again, and this time I paid attention and jumped out of the way. I smiled knowing that I had successfully dodged his attack. The wind left my lungs as I was tackled to the ground.

“Never get cocky. Always remember, you’re fighting for your life.”

Alpha Liam’s arms were on either side of my head keeping me trapped. He straddled my waist, his face inches away from my own. His eyes twinkled as if there were one of the stars trapped behind those gray orbs.

He leaned his face down closer to mine and I felt myself leaning in as well. Was he about to kiss me? I slowly began to close my eyelids and I watched as his eyes mirrored my own.

I closed my eyes and waited patiently for his lips to land on mine. Would his lips be as soft as they looked? Would his kiss be rough, or would he be gentle? What type of lover was he? I wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’t exactly the most experienced wolf of the litter either.

I opened my eyes to see his beautiful face still leaning over me, but his eyes were glazed over. He was in the middle of mind-linking someone. Did he have a girlfriend? Was I misreading the situation? I couldn’t help the surge of irritation that I felt. To think I was going to let this man kiss me. Who mind-links someone before kissing someone else?

I cleared my throat, forcing him to cut links with whomever he was talking to. I gave him a pointed look and nudged his chest slightly.

“Are you going to let me up or are we just going to sit here like two idiots?”

He blinked, a confused look taking over his face before he shook whatever thought he had away. He stood up from the floor and held out a hand to help me to my feet. Instead of taking his hand, I pushed myself off me. I brushed off the marks from my butt and on the knees of my tights.

“Sorry about that,” he said. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging on it slightly. I shrugged and looked away before my mind got carried away about how his hair would feel sliding between my fingers. I licked my lips and stood in a fighting stance.

“I thought we were here to train.”

Instead of saying anything further he assumed a fighting stance. He gave me a curt nod and I took off running toward him. I jumped in the air only to be caught around my waist by him. He pulled me into his chest, and I couldn’t stop the butterflies that erupted inside of me. I clamped my legs shut as I felt a familiar warmth between my legs. Dear Goddess, not now. I shut my eyes in hopes of warding off my arousal. I just hope he couldn’t smell it.

I pushed myself off his chest and did a backflip away from him. He gave me an impressed look before clapping his hands in appreciation.

“Where did you learn how to do that?”

“Do what? The flip?” I questioned. He asked as if he had never seen a wolf do a flip before. Was it so puzzling that a wolf is athletic behind being bulk and destructive?

He nodded and sat down on the mat. He stretched his legs out before crossing his feet at his ankles. I sat down too and crossed my legs underneath one another.

“I was in gymnastics, in my old pack,” I confessed. To me, this was no big deal. As an Omega, if I couldn’t do anything else the least I could do was enjoy the stamina and flexibility that being a wolf had given me.

“Use it. Use your strengths to your advantage. You may not be the best in battle, but you’re small and fast, not to mention a female.”

I furrowed my brows. What did my being a female have to do with anything involving battle? Sensing my confusion, Alpha Liam took it upon himself to explain his comment.

“Men will always underestimate a woman because she’s a woman. Use that, prey on his weakness.”

“What if he doesn’t have a weakness?”

I wasn’t the best judge of character, but how could I prey on a stranger’s weakness? What if they had been so heartless that they didn’t have a weakness?

“Everyone has a weakness.”

How could he be so sure? I was almost certain that Alphas couldn’t have weaknesses.

“Even you?”

He smiled at me before standing up and holding his hand out to me. I place my hand into his palm as he helps me up. It was warmer and softer than I had imagined, but there was still a roughness in them.

“Especially me.”

His eyes looked deep into my own and I felt like he was seeing right through me. My breath hitched and I felt like I was holding my breath from being in such close proximity to him.

“Training is over for now. Try to get some sleep, Aurora,” he said.

I gulped at the sound of my name on his lips. My gaze landed on those soft and luscious lips as he spoke, and I couldn’t help but lick my own. The more he said my name, the more I felt like I was trapped in a trance. What type of hold was it that this man had on me? All I could manage was a smile as I tried to gain control of my breathing again.

“Sweet dreams.”

He kissed the back of my hand before releasing it. He smiled before walking backward and returning to the pack house. Once he was gone, I released the breath that I couldn’t seem to release in his presence. I placed a hand over my heart as I tried to stop the hammering.

I grabbed my shoes and put them on before walking home, the events of the morning playing over and over in my mind. Was the Alpha flirting with me? Did he feel the same attraction as me?