“Find the weaknesses in his defenses, Christina. Quit ying with him.”

“Maybe he’s ying with me, Alpha James,” I say, not taking my eyes boff /bof Alpha Benjamin.

“He’s old, Christina. He’s getting tired. Take him down,” he says.

“Who are you calling old, old man?” Alpha Benjamin says, swinging a punch. I take the hit to my shoulder, letting the momentum of the hit spin me around behind his body. His body is still in the extension from the punch, and I swing my leg up and m my foot into the back on his knee, the one bearing most of his weight. He goes down to one knee and before he can get up, I leap on his back and put him in a choke hold. In a surprising feat bof /bstrength, he stands up so I wrap my legs around his waist, ready should he throw himself backward tond on me.

The move to stand cost him valuable time, time that my pressure hold has stopped the flow of blood and oxygen to his brain. Rather than throwing himself backward in a move I’d have to counter, suffer through, bor /bwould be forced to release him so I don’t get crushed, he begins to sway.

“Yield, Alpha Benjamin,” I say, holding on tightly. He sways a moment more, his handse to my arms to try and force me off the chokehold. I hold tight and the sweat on my arms helps me by making his hands slip.

When he falls back to his knees I put my feet on the ground, ready in case he’s faking, but I don’t think he is.

“Yield,” he says, tapping my arms. I immediately release him stepping back. He falls forward while the young Alphas around me cheer for my victory. I don’t join in. I crouch in front of Alpha Benjamin.

“Give it a minute, Alpha,” I say to him. Someone hands me a bottle of water and I open it, handing it to Alpha Ben- jamin. He sits back on his heels and drinks while Sebastian hands me another bottle. I drink it down in one go, still watching Alpha Benjamin. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d caused someone to pass out.

“That, young Alpha, was one of the best sparring matches I’ve had in a very long time. I’m surprised none of the packs have scooped you up to be their Lead Warrior,” he says.

“Dane’s been asking me for years,” I say, standing and giving him my hand to help him up.

“But you’ve declined? Why?”

I shrug. “It felt like a handout.”

He stares at me a moment. “Well, that handout just handed me my ass. Well done, Alpha Christina.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”

Christina

0.0 %

12:30

I grab another bottle of water and jog inside to shower before lunch duty. Laura jogs up beside me.

“That was awesome, Christina! I knew you were good, but I didn’t know you were that good,” she bsays/b.

“I train a lot,” I say.

“Obviously,” she says. “Oh, hey, bI /bhave lunch duty with you. Haley made a menu for the bweek/b.”

“Well that makes things easy!” I say.

“Yep, see you down there.”

I shower quickly and head downstairs. When I get to the dining hall, I hear Alpha Daniel talking to Laura.

“Laura, I need your assistance right now. Everything else can wait.”

“But, Alpha…”

“Now, Laura.”

“What’s going on?” I ask walking in.

288 iVouchers

“Laura’s the float and my assistant, Mia, is busy at the moment. I need someone to help me get some things ready for my ss tomorrow.”

I turn my body just enough so that I’m standing in front of Laura, putting myself between her and Alpha Daniel. The movement does not go unnoticed by Alpha Daniel who raises an eyebrow at me.

“Alpha Daniel, I will remind you that this is not your pack, nor do we maintain strict hierarchal lines in the Academy. You are not in charge here and Laura, while a floating assistant, is on lunch duty today. If she were to stop what she’s doing to help you, lunch would bete. If lunch iste, then either everyone has to shovel food into their mouths to be in ss on time or every afternoon ss will runte today. I guarantee you when Alpha James and Luna Sylvie ask me why lunch iste, I will be happy to exin to them that it was you who thought that your priorities took prece- dence over that of the Academy. I would assume that Alpha James will make note of that, and I doubt you’ll ever be invited to work here at the Academy again.”

Alpha Daniel looks at me, stunned.