Alpha Eyes (Alpha Eyes: Book 1)

Chapter 11

Adrian doubled over as Sierra slammed her shoulder into his stomach. Before she could dart away, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She squeaked and crouched lower. He tightened his hold to toss her to the side, but his body lurched in a forward somersault. A deep oomf! escaped his mouth as he landed on his back. Sierra landed on top of him a second later.

"That's gonna hurt," he groaned.

His feisty little mate scrambled out of his arms and off his chest. She'd learned very quickly in a short amount of time. With her alpha strength helping her, she proved a fair match for him. Granted, he still had a few more years of experience to his advantage. He went easy on her in the beginning, which only sparked her feisty side. He loved seeing her blush as he pinned her to the ground with his whole body. She tucked her face against his neck or chest to hide it, but the heat and scent radiating from her spilled her secret.

"Did I do it right?"

He looked up at her standing over him. The exertion dusted her cheeks with a charming shade of red, and her eyes sparkled with desire for praise. For all her alpha glory, she was still a young woman longing for acceptance under it all.

"You did it right, sweetheart. If you hadn't, I wouldn't be on the ground right now."

A huge grin split her face as she spun in a circle and threw her fists up in the air. "YES!" Her happy shriek filled the clearing, startling a few birds out of the trees.

He chuckled and rolled onto his side. "Nicely done, alpha. You're just about to my level."

Her laughter died out as Jaxon emerged from the trees. "Good morning, you two. How's the training going?"

Adrian slowly got to his feet and feigned a wince. "She's getting good. Not quite as good as you or me, but she's getting there."

Sierra danced to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. A wave of heat washed through his veins as he protectively returned the embrace. His wolf still growled when other guys came anywhere near Sierra. As they hadn't completed the mating process, his wolf wanted her all to himself until they had.

"What brings you out, Jaxon? I thought you were with Adrian's students today." Sierra's chipper voice snapped him back to reality, even though his wolf growled at her friendliness to another man.

"Two students started shifting," Jaxon explained. "I need you both to come with me to be there when they fully shift into wolves. They need to submit to their alpha before we can officially welcome them into the pack."

Adrian stood a bit taller. "We'll be right there."

Jaxon nodded and ran back the way he'd come. Once he was gone, Adrian hugged Sierra closer to his side. "Now you'll get to see an alpha in action."

She looked up at him with her big emerald eyes, and his heart warmed. "I've never seen a new wolf shift before. This will be exciting for me."

"You're adorable," he murmured before kissing her forehead. "Let's go."

She tucked her hand into his and jogged beside him until they reached the training fields. Most of the students stood far back, allowing the teachers to work with the two boys writhing on the ground. Adrian deposited Sierra a safe distance from the boys and approached the shifters. Dropping to his knees, he bent to their level.

"You need to let go," he said in as calm of a tone as possible. "Don't fight the change. Let your wolf take control."

The boy closest to him shuddered as he surrendered to his wolf. His joints cracked into their new places and fur sprouted from his skin. A few seconds later, a spotted wolf lay panting in his place. Adrian glanced at the other boy and repeated the instructions. The shifter jerked a couple times before succumbing to the change. When both wolves finally staggered to their feet, Adrian stood up and took a couple steps back. New wolves were highly unpredictable and dangerous.

His own wolf stepped forward and puffed out his chest. He mind linked with the new wolves, catching their attention.

Do you accept me as your alpha?

They stared at him, twitching against the thin veil of power he emitted.

Submit!

Still, neither one backed down or bowed. He growled deep in his throat. This wasn't going well. They should have submitted by now. Instead, they stared him down without directly challenging his authority.

They recognize that we are not the rightful alpha, his wolf growled. They will only submit to their true alpha.

Adrian took another step backwards and stepped sideways to give the new wolves a clear view of the one person they would submit to.