The drive back to my old pack was only five hours. While I remembered Tyler finding his mate like it was yesterday, the run to my grandma's house had been hazy.

"You ran five hours?" I asked Maya, somewhat shocked.

"We needed to get the hell out of there." She grumbled, "And now were going right back."

"We don't have a choice." I sighed, "But were both different now."

"You're damn right we are." Maya growled smugly.

We pulled up to the edge of the packs territory, escorted to the side of the road by some of the wolves who were guarding the perimeter. I was surprised that I didn't recognize any of these wolves.

They emerged from the forest wearing nothing but low hanging sweat pants. I tried to keep my gaze to myself, but I'm still half human.

"What is your business coming here?" One of the men spoke up. His build was huge, and he had a long scar running down his bicep.

"Were here to visit family. My brother's the Beta." I replied, looking at each of their faces. There really wasn't anyone here that I recognized. Had the pack grown in the time that I was gone?

"Beta Drake?" The man had a confused look on his face.

"What? No, Beta Sean." I scowled. Since when did Tyler have a Beta named Drake? I wondered if everything was okay with Sean's position in the pack. You typically have to do something really bad to lose your position like that.

A look of understanding crossed the man's face, and he glanced at the other men with him.

"Go on through." He nodded once, and my grandma wasted no time in pulling away.

"Well, that sure was strange." My grandma looked at me and frowned, I'm sure she was thinking the same thing as me.

"It definitely was." I frowned.

We drove through the center of town and I was shocked to see a ton of new faces. Something had definitely happened while I was gone.

I vaguely remembered Tyler telling me about another pack that needed help. Maybe they finally joined forces.

We pulled into the driveway of my old house. The white paint was now faded. It looked like I had been gone for much longer than a year. The flowers that were once outside were now wilted and dead. My mom was the one to take care of the flowers out front. How long has she been dead for?

I hesitated at the door, wondering if I should knock or just walk in. My train of thought was interrupted as my grandma opened the door and walked into the house.

A shocked Sean was sitting on the couch, my dad sitting off to the side in his recliner.

"Lola?" My dad exclaimed, looking more surprised than ever.

My dad and Sean looked me up and down, noticing the changes I had been through in the past year. My raven colored hair had grown longer than ever, now reaching my waist. My silver eyes were much brighter, teeming with life. My skin was clear and porcelain-like, and I had lost some of the baby fat I had carried with me. The fat quickly was replaced with muscle.

"Hi dad." I smiled at him, walking into his arms. I breathed in his scent of cologne and toba**o.

"I missed you, kid." My dad grumbled, ruffling my hair before he turned to his mom.

His face lit up like a little kid, "It's good to see you, Ma." He pulled her in for a hug and held on for dear life.

"Now tell me what the hell is going on." I scowled at Sean, who was simply watching their exchange with dad.

Dad sighed and sat back down on his recliner, looking tired and somewhat beaten down.

"Well go on. I'm not going to break if you talk about it." He grumbled at Sean. My grandma stood off to the side, her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Tyler f**ked up." Sean huffed.

I rolled my eyes, "Wow, so surprised. Keep going."

"I don't know if he told you, but Tyler was supposed to help another pack. They pissed off the Alpha of the Crescent pack and needed backup in case they went to war." Sean started, and I was already becoming bored. Tyler's mistakes didn't surprise me. After finally leaving home, I was able to see what a complete moron he was.

"Okay, and?" I drug my words out, letting him know I didn't care about any of the small details.

"Well, Tyler refused to help them. Then, Tyler kept talking sh*t on the Crescent pack. He pissed off their Alpha, pissed him off real bad." Sean shook his head as if he were trying to get rid of a bad memory.

"He didn't." I sighed, shaking my head. I know Tyler's inflated ego was going to bite him in the ass. His father was a half-assed Alpha and he was turning out to be the same.

"They came here, Lola. They declared war on us." Sean frowned, glancing at Dad.

I couldn't help but feel confused. Sure, there were a lot of new faces but everything seemed the same. There was no way Tyler defeated the Alpha of the Crescent pack.

"What happened?" I frowned, looking between Sean and my Dad's grim faces.

"I'll tell you what happened," My dad spat angrily. "Not a single f**king pack would help Tyler. Tyler made us all fight. Every man and woman had to fight. Your mom died fighting. I couldn't get to her in time." My dad's voice broke off with a mournful sigh.

"How- How could he do that." I said the words more to myself. I knew Tyler was bad, but this was worse than I could imagine. Then again, they hadn't finished the story.

"And you know what the worst part of all of this is? Tyler f**king ran. Grabbed his bitch and escaped while the rest of us were fighting for our lives." My Dad spat, now he was shaking with anger.

My grandma gasped, and they gave us a few moments to process what Dad had said. Abandoning your pack was something no Alpha had ever done. Being an Alpha wasn't a job, it was something embedded deep inside of you. An Alpha would sooner be tortured and die with their pack than to leave everyone behind. It went against everything we know as werewolves.

"Dad calm down. If he ever comes back Alpha will kill him." Sean's face turned grim again.

"Alpha? Alpha who?" I questioned.

"Once we realized Tyler had left us all to die, we did the only thing we could. We surrendered." Sean frowned.

"We have a new Alpha now. Alpha Asher. We're part of the Crescent Pack." Sean grumbled, obviously not enjoying the situation. I wondered what that would mean for his position as Beta.

"At least Alpha Asher would never leave his pack behind." Dad spat, "He may be ruthless and cruel, but he'd sooner die than abandon his people."

After the long and painful conversation, they gave me and my grandma time to settle in. I nearly cried when I saw my room was exactly how I had left it. I ripped the pictures of Tyler and I down with a furious growl.

"Better that girl be his mate than us. We'd never abandon our pack like that." Maya spat.

"We kind of did abandon our pack." I replied to her with a frown.

"That's different, Lola. We're not Luna, we're not Beta's or anything. We had no obligation to this pack. Especially after Tyler." Maya growled, but her words made sense. She was right though, if we were Luna, we would have died along with our friends and family.

After settling in, Grandma and I went back downstairs. Grandma insisted on making dinner even though my Dad grumbled in disagreement. I knew he was happy to see his mom though. He needed his family after losing Mom. She may have not been his mate, but he'd been with her for twenty years.

As we ate dinner, I nearly jumped off my seat hearing the mind-link click in my head. The mind-link hadn't worked since I decided to leave the pack. A deep, husky voice ran through my head. I practically shivered as it swirled in my ear, around my head, and out the other.

"Report to training at the Pack House, 10 a.m. Do not be late. I look forward to meeting you." A male's husky voice rolled around in my head. Rough and commanding.

"Was- Was that Alpha Asher?" I found myself speaking out loud. Dad, Sean and Grandma gave me looks of confusion.

"What, Lola?" My Dad frowned, uneaten spaghetti hung from his fork.

"Um, a guy told me to report for training tomorrow?" I sounded unsure. Was it his Beta?

"That was Alpha Asher." Sean nodded, his lips pressed in a thin line.

My Dad nodded, "He likes doing things himself. He makes everyone train."

I scowled at the two of them. I didn't like being forced into doing anything.

"Don't worry, Lola. If you're no good he won't make you fight. He just likes to see what everyone is capable of." Sean told me, his frown permanently etched onto his face.

"I can fight just fine." I snapped at him. I no longer wanted to be treated like some dainty little girl. I may be small, but I can handle my own.

"Since when?" Finally a smirk formed on his face, the only other expression I had seen on his face was a frown.

I glared at him, "Since I left this pack. I haven't been sitting on my ass for an entire year."

"I'll be there tomorrow for training too. We'll see how good you really are little sis." He smirked at me, only pissing me off further.

Tyler was a big advocate on "men fight better than women", it was good to know my brother felt the same.

Chris pushed me to the breaking point more times than I could count, I had no doubt that I could handle most of the male wolves here.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my family. Grandma tried to raise their moods, but they had been sitting in misery for who knows how long.

I followed my grandma outside and helped her straighten out the wilting flowers that crowded the outside of the house. By the time we were finished pulling up the dead flowers and planting new ones, I was exhausted and covered in dirt.

"And you call yourself old." I huffed at her, taking long gulps of the lemonade she had made for me.

She chuckled at my statement and rolled her eyes, "Years and years of working in my garden dear. Let's make that a part of your training." She laughed, and I gave her a frightened look.

"You're gonna work me to death, Grandma. And I thought Chris was an evil dictator." I shuddered in fear.

My grandma cackled and shooed me inside. By the time I finally collapsed on my bed, I was knocked out cold without a second thought.

I woke to the sound of banging. Startled from my sleep, I jumped out of bed just in time for my bedroom door to open.

"sh*t Lola, what're you still doing here?" My Dad exclaimed, his eyes darting around at my restless appearance.

"Huh?" Was the first thing to leave my lips. For a minute there I hadn't even remembered leaving grandma's house.

With an exasperated look my Dad replied, "Hell, you're late for training!"

"What!" I gasped, "Why didn't Sean wake me up?"

"He has patrol early in the mornings." My Dad groaned, "Already off to a bad start."

"sh*t, well go so I can get dressed!" I huffed, sprinting to my suitcase and yanking out the first thing I saw.

Once my door closed I slipped on a black sports bra and a pair of black leggings. I hastily combed through my hair using the bathroom mirror. In the back of my head I remembered Tyler's comment about me looking goth. I smirked into the mirror.

I darted down the stairs, nearly toppling my grandma over on the way.

"Lola if you end my life knocking me down these stairs I'll haunt you!" Grandma called out after me, but I was already barreling through the front door.

My stomach rumbled, demanding we go back home and eat some breakfast. As much as I'd love to oblige, I couldn't.

"Goddess, he's going to be pissed." Maya huffed.

"Well I didn't see you waking me up on time either!" I grumbled at her.

"I was busy." Maya shrugged, giving a half ass excuse.

"You're a damn wolf who lives in my head, what could you have possibly been doing?" I shook my head at her.

Maya's voice went silent in my head and I rolled my eyes. For once I was thankful that our house was a short run from the pack house.

By the time my lungs had started to burn, I could see the other's already training. I skidded to a halt in front of everyone. From the looks of it there were at least thirty other wolves present for training.

I instantly noticed Alpha Asher's men lingering around. Each one looked like they were half giant, and many had gruesome scars on different parts of their body. Each one was completely hot in an animalistic sort of way.

I had been so busy ogling the shirtless men that I hadn't heard it when someone behind me cleared their throat.

I spun around and nearly smacked into someone’s chest.

"Well f**k," Maya's breath caught in her throat.

I could only assume I was looking into the eyes of Alpha Asher. His eyes were the color of liquid honey, and at the moment they were set directly on my face.

"Didn't I specifically tell you not to be late?" His husky voice was hard, lacking any emotion other than impatience.

"Please," Maya rolled her eyes "From the looks of it, sleep was definitely better than this."

The tone of his voice pissed me off. He sounded like your typical hot-blooded Alpha.

Without thinking it through, I felt the words fall from my lips.

"I'm not good with rules." I said bluntly, looking up at him. The guy had to be over 6 feet tall.

I stifled a snicker as I wondered if he could give me a couple inches. He towered over me and made me look like a kid.

I watched in silence as his dark eyebrow raised at my words, his eyes silently fuming, I kept my eyes trained on his own, but I noticed the muscle in his jaw moving. I guess he didn't like being disobeyed.

"Well, we're going to have to change that." His voice was cold as he analyzed me. I couldn't tell if I felt like a piece of meat or an innocent doe lined up for slaughter.

"If he wasn't so drop dead hot, I'd tell him to go f**k himself." Maya rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, you're worse than I am." I snickered.

"Yeah, that's doubtful." Maya smirked.

"Good luck." Again, my stupid lips uttered the words before I could think them through. His lips were pressed in a tight line and I desperately wanted to laugh. I expected a lot more from the deadliest of Alpha's.

"Good luck? Good luck? Are you trying to get us killed on our first day back?" Maya snapped.

"You're the one who said you'd tell him to go f**k himself." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Well I didn't did I?" Maya huffed.

"What is your name pup?" His cold voice growled. I ignored the fact that the hairs on my arms were standing on end and answered the hot-blooded Alpha.

"Lola. And yours?" I smirked, already knowing his name by the dominance and authority he exuded.

"Your new Alpha." He replied, gauging the reaction on my face. Did he really think I had no idea who he was? Well, who was I to ruin the fun.

"As if that wasn't obvious." Maya laughed.

I let my smirk deepen, "Ooh, really?" I let fake shock fall over my face. I could see the anger flash in his eyes and I waited.

Now, I don't normally have a death wish but I already started off on a bad note. I could tell from a mile away that Alpha Asher was one of those typical Alpha's who wanted everyone to fall in line like good little subjects. I had a big problem with that, and it didn't help that I seemed to blurt out the first thing on my mind.

I was surprised when Alpha Asher turned away, facing the other wolves in training.

"Attention everyone." Alpha Asher snapped.

In an instant everyone's eyes were on Alpha Asher and I. I refused to cringe under the attention. Alpha Asher's voice took on a rough quality, one that nearly made me shiver. I couldn't help but notice Sean's fear stricken eyes on me, wondering what the hell I was doing.

"Lola decided sleeping in was more important than attending training today. Unfortunately, we no longer have anyone available for her to partner up with." Alpha Asher's deep voice rumbled over everyone, commanding our full attention.

I let the little glimmer of hope blossom inside of me, maybe I'd be able to just sit out today.

"Not to worry. I will be Lola's partner." Alpha Asher's harsh words were like a bucket of cold water.

"sh*t, you've really done it now." Maya groaned.

"Crap, what do I do?" I asked her.

"Um, try not to die?" Maya shrugged.

"Thank you for your infinite wisdom, Maya." I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's not a problem. I live to serve." She snickered, "But for real, try not to die. You know how to fight. You'll never win, but you can still put up a fight." She shrugged.

Everyone began training at Alpha Asher's words. Sean sent me one last pity and panic filled glance before he turned back to his opponent.

I huffed, and turned to look at Alpha Asher. I wanted a good look at the guy.

Much to my dismay, my jaw dropped. Alpha Asher had to have been the most attractive male I had ever seen.

His hair was the color of molten chocolate, short but also intoxicatingly messy. I tried not to drool as he slipped his shirt off, revealing a scarred but chiseled chest.

"Close your mouth, Lola." Alpha Asher snapped, and I rolled my eyes at him. I could hear the growl rumble in his chest and I mentally slapped myself.

"You really shouldn't keep pissing the dude off, you're about to fight him." Maya sighed, but I could tell she was enjoying my resistance.

"Yeah yeah, I know." I grumbled.

Before I had the chance to react, Alpha Asher had launched himself at me. I grunted as his fist connected with my stomach, forcing me backwards.

I could feel myself losing balance as he came in for another strike. I let gravity take me backwards and rolled out of his way just in time to dodge another punch.

I got to my feet and shook off the pain. This was the same as training with Chris. I could do this. I couldn't let his impeccable god-like looks distract me.

I watched as he lunged forward, his arm extending to throw a punch. I feigned turning left only to roll under his legs and launch myself at his back.

I clung to his back for dear life. At one point I almost started laughing, I was like a miniature backpack on him. I jumped off his back just in time for him to roll across the ground.

"That would've hurt." Maya muttered, knowing he intended to do that with us still locked on his back.

If that hurt Alpha Asher, he showed no signs of it.

"You're fast." Alpha Asher pointed out, throwing a couple more hits to my face and body, which thankfully I managed to dodge.

This guy was fast. Faster than Chris and that was really saying something.

"I am. And you hit hard." I snapped, dodging another punch. I didn't move fast enough and winced as his fist grazed my hip.

I wasn't sure how long I spent dodging Alpha Asher's kicks and blows. By the time Asher stopped attacking me, I was completely exhausted. While I managed to dodge some of his hits, he was way faster than the normal werewolf. My entire body ached and groaned.

Alpha Asher was absolutely lethal. He must've been good at controlling his anger cause he had at least thirty five openings to kill me.

Just as I was about to leave with the rest of the group, Alpha Asher cut me off.

He stood in front of me, his arms crossed against his chest. He had slipped his shirt back on after training. Peeling my eyes away from the bulging veins on his arms, I looked into his toffee colored eyes.

"Did you learn something today, Lola?" His rough voice was cold and almost condescending.

Again, it seemed as though I had no self control around him. My lips spoke the words before my brain had a chance to catch up.

"Yeah, your nose twitches before you throw a punch." I said deadpan. I watched as flecks of gold swirled in his eyes and wondered if his wolf were close to surfacing. I could feel my heart pounding, and I don't think it was from the hours of training I just went through.

"Are you purposely disobedient, or is this just something you enjoy doing." The muscles in jaw were moving again as he gave me a strange look.

"It's just one of my very attractive qualities." I shrugged and turned on my heel before I could say anything that really pissed him off.

I collapsed in a heap on the couch, waking my Dad from his recliner with a startled grunt.

"I see training went well." He grumbled, "I see you're still alive." As if it were an achievement.

"My body hurts." I groaned, flopping my head back on the couch.

"Alpha was Lola's partner for the day." Sean smirked, but he also seemed relieved.

"Shut up and let me suffer in silence." I grumbled, happily accepting the cookie my grandmother offered me.

"Don't be late tomorrow and maybe it wont happen again." Sean smirked.

"Tomorrow?" I moaned. I had completely acted out today, not even thinking about tomorrow. Great.

I stayed on the couch wallowing in my pain until the smell of dinner lifted my spirits. My grandma was cooking again and as much as my Dad protested I could tell he had missed her cooking.

We sat around the table eating dinner and exchanging stories. Dad wanted to know all about what I had gotten into while I was gone.

"So you already finished high school?" Sean asked, I could tell he was somewhat jealous. Sean graduated a year ago at the age of 18. While I was home schooled, he was forced to go to the local public school.

"Yup, I officially graduated." I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

My Dad smiled at us as we bickered, "Now only one more year to go and you can find your mate." My Dad winked at me. My nineteenth birthday wasn't for a couple months now.

From eighteen every werewolf is able to sense their mate. That is, if they're within sniffing distance. Though I haven't.

"Jeez, can you imagine that. Her mate is gonna have to put up with a lot." Sean smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes at him, "I'm definitely not going to make it easy on him."

"So, who the hell trained you while you were gone? Alpha's been here for a week and I haven't seen anyone able to keep up with him." Sean frowned, obviously interested in my trainer.

Me and my grandma met eyes just for a second.

"It didn't feel like I was keeping up with him." I shrugged, wincing at my sore shoulder.

"You definitely were. Everyone else got pummeled bloody." Sean cringed. "He made each of us fight him one on one to see what were capable of."

"So that means he wont be my partner tomorrow?" I asked cheerfully. My dread about tomorrow was dissipating by the second.

"I guess not." Sean shrugged, "Now tell me, whose your trainer?"

Stifling a nervous giggle, I replied "Oh just grandma's neighbor. He's really skilled in jujitsu and stuff." I shrugged as if it weren't a big deal.

I shot my grandma a sly look and she winked back at me.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend, Lola?" My Dad asked in between bites.

Tomorrow was Friday, leaving Saturday and Sunday training-free.

"Mm, not really. I don't exactly have friends here anymore." I shrugged. In fact, I hadn't had any friends all year. My only company had been grandma, Chris, and the employee's of the supermarket we would often go to.

I didn't feel the need to surround myself with people anymore.

"You could always talk to Breyona y'know." Sean shrugged as if it weren't a big deal.

I sighed and bit my lip, "I don't know about that. She's probably still mad at me, I know I would be."

Breyona was one of my closest friends, but when Tyler and I started dating I set her to the side. Tyler had his own group of friends that didn't care for Breyona and like an idiot I chose them over her.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sean shrugged "I talked to her during practice and she asked how you had been. She said she felt terrible about what happened between you and Tyler."

"Really, she said that?" I felt myself smile in spite of everything, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to talk to her.

"She did. It's been a year since then, Lola. She might've moved on from the past." Sean shrugged.

After dinner I hopped in the shower, practically swaying on my feet from exhaustion. As sore as I felt, I knew it would only be worse in the morning.

I flopped down in my bed and heard something crinkle beneath me. Groaning ever so dramatically, I rolled over and picked up the crumpled piece of paper I had laid on.

Welcome Home, Lola.

The hand writing felt somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen it before.

"What the hell." I mumbled, stuffing the note in one of my dresser drawers.

"Weirdo." I shrugged it off, letting my exhaustion take over as I fell asleep on top of my covers.

I awoke in the morning bright and early, actually having remembered to set an alarm on my phone. One less thing to be called out for.

I slipped on a grey sports bra and a matching pair of shorts. I even managed to put my long hair in a neat ponytail.

I arrived at the pack house just in time. Feeling energized from breakfast and a full night of sleep, I made my way over to the rest of the trainee's. As always the large room we trained in was bare, only thin foam flooring protected us from the hard floor underneath.

"I see you're not late today." Sean smirked at me.

I smirked back, "I'm the poster child for responsibility."

"Hey, Lola." A feminine voice called out to me.

I turned and looked into a pair of familiar dark eyes. Breyona gave me a small smile. I noticed how different she actually looked. Her dirty blonde hair was cropped short in one of those pixie cuts.

"Hey, Breyona. Good to see you." I smiled back at her.

She gave me a small smile and a nod, "You did good yesterday."

I scoffed playfully, "Tell that to my sore body."

I ran to the locker room and shoved my bag inside one of the lockers, rushing to get back before training started

"Attention everyone." Alpha Asher's deep voice called out. Not that I'd ever admit this, but his voice alone was incredible.

His voice demanded your attention, while his words demanded your obedience.

"Pair off with your partners. You will each take turns switching between offensive and defensive moves. Alexander and Jax will provide help." Alpha Asher called out to all of us.

"He looks even better today." Maya smirked.

"Hush, were supposed to be paying attention." I grumbled at her.

I let my eyes drift from his untidy hair to his honeycomb eyes. He really did look good today. He wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of loose work-out shorts.

Once he was finished speaking everyone paired off into their groups. I stifled a groan as I saw Alpha Asher make his way over to me.

"I see you've managed to arrive on time today." His honey comb eyes stared down at me, not conveying a single emotion.

My eyes flickered to his chiseled jaw and I noticed the muscle in his jaw was still. I couldn't help but wonder if it only moved when he was pissed.

"You're going to test that theory aren't you." Maya sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't tell me you aren't curious." I smirked when she remained silent.

"Unfortunate isn't it?" I sighed, batting my eyelashes at his unwavering face.

My stomach did a little flip when he ran his fingers through his tousled hair, keeping a straight face as he looked on at me.

"Start with defense." His rough voice commanded me, and I huffed at him. Before I had the chance to take a damn breath, he was charging at me like a freight train.

Defense is my stronger point. I'm small and fast, so I can typically get out of situations easily.

Fighting against Alpha Asher was an entirely different story.

Every single move he made was calculated specifically for me. It was like he instantly knew his opponents weaknesses and adjusted his technique to use it against him.

The only thing I had against Alpha Asher was my agility. I had taken gymnastics until I was fourteen, and still practiced what I had learned. Agility would've been more helpful if Alpha Asher wasn't so damn fast.

After what felt like hours, we switched to offense. I found it harder and harder to focus on training when this god-like man was trying to kill me.

Even when he was being murderous he looked good.

"You need to gain muscle. I can hardly feel your blows." Alpha Asher snapped, pulling me from my creepy thoughts about him.

I groaned and rolled my eyes at him, "I'm only 105lbs, there's only so much muscle I can have on my body. Not all of us can walk around jacked."

"If you fought as well as you talked, you may actually be a match for me." Alpha Asher said in a cold voice.

I ground my teeth together, trying to fight past the anger that boiled in my veins. I felt my fists clench and my fury take control.

There was nothing I hated more than being treated as weak. Tyler would never let me start training, insisting I was too small to survive in a real fight. Jokes on him.

Channeling my anger, I lunged at Alpha Asher. I managed to easily dodge his attempt at slamming me to the ground. Rolling to the side and jumping to my feet, I swung my fist at the side of his face. I used all the strength I had in my body.

I smiled as my fist made contact with Alpha Asher's cheek. I also could've swore I broke my knuckle.

Much to my dismay Alpha Asher looked completely unphased.

Training had ended and after some weary glances in our direction, everyone either headed to the locker rooms or out the main door. He gave me a strange, speculating look and nodded once.

"Much better." He grunted, showing none of the signs of pain I had hoped for.

"Your anger makes you stronger." Alpha Asher pointed out, his honey eyes had gold flecks swimming within them.

Unable to hold the words back, I smirked. "Thanks, I was thinking about you."

Before Alpha Asher could respond I ran to the locker room. All of the girls were clearing out rapidly and I grabbed the clean clothes from my bag.

I cursed, noticing I had forgotten to grab a regular bra. I slipped my sweat soaked sports bra off and slipped a t-shirt on. I swapped my work-out shorts for a simple pair of jean shorts.

I slammed the locker shut and turned around, nearly toppling over.

Alpha Asher stood a few inches away from me. His cold stare made me gulp.

I felt my back hit the lockers as Alpha Asher took a step forward.

"Do you get a kick out of being disobedient?" His voice was quiet and rough. His eyes swirled with gold, making them even more mesmerizing.

I took a slow breath, noticing how good he smelled. Husky from training yet earthy. The smell of sweat and cologne mixed to create something entirely new.

I smirked up at him, hoping he couldn't hear my rapid heartbeat. "I get a kick out of a lot of things. Being disobedient is just a personality trait of mine."

"You will obey your Alpha." Alpha Asher snapped, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Don't you dare, Lola." Maya snapped, knowing what I was about to say.

"And if I don't?" I teased, keeping my eyes locked on the golden flecks that swirled in his orbs.

"Oops, too late." I snickered at Maya.

"If he kills us I'm never talking to you again." Maya growled.

Alpha Asher took another step forward and I could feel his chiseled abdomen against my chest.

I found myself wanting to look down at his lips, and instantly rejected the idea. Now wasn't the time to act like a dog in heat. I was playing with fire and I needed my wits.

I felt my nips stiffen as they brushed against Alpha Asher's abdomen and I resisted the urge to cringe. My stupid body was reacting in a way I hadn't expected.

Alpha Asher's gaze never left my own, but I was almost positive he could feel my hardened nips grazing against him.

"Don't test my patience, Lola." Alpha Asher snapped, but I held my ground.

For a second I worried I had pushed him too far, but not a single one of my instincts thought he was going to hurt me. For whatever reason, I felt safe. That thought didn't make me magically like Alpha Asher though. I knew who I was toying with, and sooner or later it may come back and bite me.

I tried not to freak out as I realized how close he was to me. I could feel his breath fanning my face.

"My apologies, Alpha." I smirked, batting my eyelashes.

His eyes had progressively gotten more gold, and I let out a fast breath when he turned away and stormed out of the locker room.

"You got lucky." Maya huffed.

"I don't know about that." I mused. "He didn't seem like he was going to hurt us."

After taking a few much needed moments to calm my hammering heart, I left the locker room and headed outside.