Alpha Aria

Chapter 3 Suspicion Grows

Diego had to go back to school after we left the hospital, but my uncle insisted that I go home to rest. I begged him to let me train after school and he finally agreed as long as I promised to be careful.

As soon as it was close to the time for school to be out, I raced out the door to head to the training grounds. It wasn't a very long walk. My uncle's house was only about half a mile away.

When I got there, I entered the large building. It was basically a well equipped gym, with open spaces on mats for sparring and a lot of different exercise and strengthening equipment. I headed straight for the ladies locker room. I opened my locker and grabbed out a clean set of workout clothes, a loose fitting cropped tee and stretchy leggings, then changed quickly. I pulled my long curly red hair back into a loose ponytail because my head was still sore and I didn't want to disturb the stitches. I glanced in the mirror to check for any unruly hairs, and attempted to smooth them down, but as usual my hair had a mind of its own.

My mom used to marvel at how much I looked like my dad. His genes were definitely strong in me. My skin was fair and lightly freckled, like my dad's. My eyes were slightly large for my face, making me look younger than I was. I did love them, though, they were the same bright green as my dad's and I felt they were my best feature. My nose was small, my face heart-shaped and my lips were full. I swiped lip balm across my lips and smacked them together. Then I left the locker room to find Diego.

He was on the padded mats in the open area of the gym, stretching. I heard some tittering coming from the corner by the stair machines. Ugh. Zoe and Laurel. They were a year behind Diego and I, and Zoe had a major crush on Diego.

Zoe was tall and slender with an upturned nose and straight dark brown hair that matched her eyes. She was the kind of girl that always seemed like she was looking down on everyone. She had on layers of makeup that was a bit overkill for the gym. Her friend, Laurel, was shorter and more plump. She had short blonde curly hair that framed her round face. She was by far the nicer of the two, but she was a little dim and gullible, which made her the ideal lackey for Zoe.

Zoe leaned over and whispered in Laurel's ear, causing her friend's face to flush and she burst out in giggles. Both of the girls were eyeing Diego appreciatively. I rolled my eyes. I was used to it. Diego was the Beta's son and he exuded confidence. That along with his good looks and fit body he had girls drooling after him wherever he went. Fortunately, he didn't let it get to his head. I don't think he even realized it.

I approached him while he was on the floor, touching his toes in the middle of a stretch. He looked up at me, his caramel eyes sparkling and he blew his shaggy brown hair out of his face. He shot me his signature lopsided grin. "Hey, Ri," he greeted me warmly. "Get down here and help me stretch." I dropped to the floor and grasped his hands, lining my feet up with his to make a square, and we took turns leaning forward into a stretch while the other gently pulled on them.

Once we were finished stretching, we headed over to the weapons check out counter. The man working greeted us with a grin. "What's it today, ladies?"

Diego ignored the playful dig and replied, "Hello, Zack. Four padded escrima sticks, 22 inches, please."

At this point Zoe and Laurel had abandoned the stair masters and walked up to us. "Hey there, Diego." Zoe said with a saccharin voice.
Diego turned to look at her. He smiled politely and replied, "Hey, yourself."

There was an awkward silence and Zoe dug her elbow into Laurel's shoulder. Laurel straightened her back and blurted, "So... have you found your mate, yet, Diego?"

He shook his head and raised his right eyebrow questioningly.

Zoe smiled seductively and said, "You should come by my place later. I'm having a small get together and maybe after we could... " Her voice trailed off as she openly gazed up and down his body. Then Zoe's eyes zeroed in on me and her smile dropped. "I would invite you, too, but... wolves only." she sneered.