“Need a hand with those, little omega?” a deep, rumbling voice teased right by my ear.
I didn’t think. I just reacted.
Months of rigorous Aikido training with Mackie took over instantly. As he raised me just a bit higher, dropping his head to the side to speak, I tucked my chin, brought my elbows down hard, and twisted my body weight violently to the left. My right elbow connected with a sickening *thud* right into his ribs.
I heard a sharp intake of breath, and his grip loosened just enough. I used his momentum against him, dropping my weight, sweeping my leg backward to catch his calf, and tossing him over my hip. He hit the stone patio hard. Before he could recover, I spun around and dropped a solid right hook straight into his eye.
I stood over him, chest heaving, fists still raised in a defensive stance, ready for the next attack.
But the attack never came. Instead, a wave of pure, unadulterated power washed over me. It was so heavy, so suffocating, that it forced me to my knees. The air crackled with dominance.
*Alpha.* I immediately dropped my gaze to the stone floor, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had just assaulted an Alpha. My father was going to kill me.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the deep voice chuckled, completely devoid of the anger I expected. The suffocating aura pulled back, leaving me gasping for breath. “That is one hell of a left hook. Or right hook, rather.”
I kept my head bowed, exposing my neck in a sign of submission. “I am so sorry, Alpha. I didn’t know who you were. You startled me, and my training just took over.”
A large hand entered my line of vision, offering to help me up. I hesitated, then took it. His grip was warm and firm. As I stood, my thumb brushed against a raised, jagged scar at the base of his thumb. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm, making me gasp.
“Look at me,” he commanded, his tone gentle but firm.
I slowly raised my eyes. Standing before me was a man who looked to be in his early twenties, with dark, messy hair and striking amber eyes. His left eye was already starting to swell and turn a lovely shade of purple. He was rubbing his ribs with his other hand, a genuine smile playing on his lips.
“I’m Alpha Camron, of the Red Wood Pack,” he said.
“Keska,” I whispered, still terrified. “Keska Sutter, of Blue Crescent.”
Camron raised an eyebrow. “Sutter? Alpha Drake’s daughter? The one I heard the commotion about earlier?”
I felt my cheeks burn with shame. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Drop the title, Keska. It’s just Camron.” He chuckled again, wincing slightly as he rubbed his side. “And I think I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you like that.
You pack quite a punch for an unshifted wolf.”
“I really am sorry about your eye… and your ribs,” I stammered, unsure of how to act.
“Don’t be. It was my own fault. Though I suppose we should probably try to cover this up, or your father might have my head for harassing his daughter, and then your head for hitting an Alpha.”
Before I could answer, the patio doors swung open, and the crowd started to spill out for the reception.
“Dance with me,” Camron said suddenly, pulling me closer.
“What?”
“If we’re dancing, people will just think we’re having a good time. They won’t notice the black eye right away.”
He spun me onto the makeshift dance floor just as the band started playing a slow tune. I was incredibly stiff at first, still terrified of disrespecting him. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on his chest.
“You can look at me, Keska,” he murmured. “I won’t bite. Well, not unless you ask nicely.”
I snapped my gaze up to his amber eyes, blushing furiously. “I’m not going to take a chance and get in trouble for disrespecting an Alpha.”
He laughed softly. “You are fascinating. Most girls your age are throwing themselves at any Alpha they see, hoping to be a Luna. You just threw me at the floor.”
As we swayed to the music, his aura shifted, becoming warm and inviting. In my mind, I heard a deep, resonant growl, but it wasn’t threatening. It was approving.
“My wolf, Bane, likes you,” Camron whispered, his eyes flashing a brighter gold for a second.
I gasped. “You… you let me meet your wolf? But I’m not your mate.”
“Bane does what Bane wants,” Camron shrugged. “And he respects a fighter.”
He stopped dancing and took my hand, pressing his thumb against mine, right over the scar I had felt earlier. “Blood promise, Keska. You don’t tell your family that you kicked my ass, and I won’t tell them that I was stupid enough to sneak up on you.”
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