Help Me, Alpha Book 2

HAYLEY

“Wake up, sweetheart. It’s time,” I hear as I start to wake.

The morning light peeks into our bedroom. I grumble, not ready to face the day. I flip over, pulling the duvet over my head, already drifting back to sleep.

“Not so fast,” Jax teases, tugging at the duvet. I hold on tight until I feel him give up.

Jax’s warm, bare body slips under the duvet with me, and he molds himself to my shape.

“If you won’t wake up, I’ll have to find another way,” Jax whispers in my ear. His warm breath sends a shiver down my spine.

“And how’s that?” I challenge, keeping my eyes shut. Jax slides one of his legs between mine.

I stifle a moan as Jax plants messy kisses down my neck and onto my shoulder. His hand wraps around my waist, pulling me closer.

I roll over to face him, pushing the duvet off us. I wrap a leg around his waist and pull myself on top of him.

Sitting astride my mate, I pepper kisses all over his body before returning to his lips. “You’re going to be late for training,” Jax murmurs between kisses.

“Well, then I’m late,” I reply breathlessly, anticipation building within me. Jax flips me onto my back, pinning me down as he shows me just how much he loves me.

***

After pulling on my leggings, top, and sneakers, I dash downstairs and head to the pack’s usual training spot.

Dimitri has left Midnight Rose Pack, so now Axton is the pack’s beta and in charge of training. We train as a pack three times a week, but I have private lessons with Axton six times a week.

Jax isn’t thrilled about how much I train, but I’m tired of being weak. I’ve spent my whole life unable to defend myself, and I want that to change.

“You’re late again,” Axton says when I reach him.

Jax is in a virtual meeting about a new problem facing the pack. Alphas all over the world are dealing with it. But I know Jax will be watching me train from his window like he always does.

“Sorry, something came up,” I mumble, my cheeks flushing pink.

“Oh, I bet it did.” Axton chuckles.

I give him a shove, whispering, “Shut up!” I glance around to see if anyone heard. Judging by the stares, I guess they did. I grumble at Axton, “Let’s get started.”

Axton stands at the front, and once he’s composed, he addresses the pack.

“Good morning, everyone. We’ve been practicing a lot in our wolf forms lately, but today we’ll be training in our human forms.

“We can’t always rely on our wolf forms for fighting. Our human sides can do plenty of damage too. Let me show you—any volunteers?”

Patrick, one of Midnight Rose Pack’s top warriors, steps forward with a smirk. As if he could beat Axton—no way.

“Thanks for volunteering, Patrick. First one to tap out loses, okay?”

Patrick stands in front of Axton, and they nod at each other. Axton swings at Patrick, but Patrick ducks and moves away.

The pack cheers for both of them, rooting for the better man to win, while I just watch and learn.

Without hesitation, Patrick retaliates with a high kick, but Axton grabs his leg and twists it, sending him to the ground.

I think it’s over, but Patrick crouches low and spins, trying to knock Axton down. Axton jumps, avoiding the sweeping attack.

This gives Patrick enough time to spring into a fighting stance, just like we’ve been taught.

Patrick throws a punch, but Axton blocks it with his forearm. Without any warning, Axton lands a left hook into Patrick’s ribs and a sickening crack echoes.

Patrick groans in pain as he looks down at his broken rib, jutting out of his chest. Axton lunges at Patrick and wraps him in a tight headlock.

They fall to the ground and Axton tightens his grip, cutting off Patrick’s air. Not long after, Patrick taps out. Axton immediately lets go of Patrick and stands.

“The moment you lose focus is the moment you lose. You looked away from me, which gave me a clear shot.

“You have to fight through the pain. Don’t show your opponent any weakness, because they will kill you,” Axton says, helping Patrick up—his rib would have healed by now.

“Alright, everyone pair up. Same rules apply, first one to tap out loses.”

I pair up with Axton, as I always do. He pushes me to fight like my life depends on it.

Jax doesn’t like sparring with me, and honestly, I don’t like sparring with him.

We’re too afraid to hurt each other. Every instinct tells us it’s wrong, that we shouldn’t be causing each other pain; we just can’t bring ourselves to do it.

There have been a few times when Jax lost control and attacked Axton for hurting me, but I’ve always managed to calm Jax down.

He knows I need to learn how to protect myself, he just wishes I wouldn’t get hurt doing it.

Axton has pinned me every time, making me tap out. I’ve never beaten him. There’s a reason he’s the best warrior, and now the pack’s beta.

We must have done at least fifty rounds, and I’ve lost every single one. It’s frustrating, giving it your all and still not being good enough to beat your opponent.

But Axton doesn’t let me get discouraged. He points out my mistakes and shows me how to fix them. He’s training me to be a better version of myself. A fighter.

My body's undergone a transformation since I started training. I was once skinny—not by choice—but now I'm toned, no longer resembling a frail pup. I'm still slender, but there's a strength to my muscles that wasn't there before.

I'm not overly concerned with my appearance; I just don't want to seem delicate, like I can't fend for myself.

Later, we practiced with combat knives—a tool I've grown surprisingly comfortable with. It's strange, but it feels natural to me. Most of the others excel in their wolf forms, but I shine in my human form.

I didn't outdo Axton, but I was closer to victory with my knives in hand.

“Get up,” Axton urges, pushing me to my limits.

I scramble to my feet, retrieving my knives that Axton had knocked from my grasp in the previous round. Panting heavily, I feel a gaze on me, tracking my every move.

I glance up at Jax's window and find him watching me. He's clad in a half-unbuttoned white shirt tucked into his navy pants, and I can't help but marvel at the fact that this man is my mate.

His hands are casually tucked into his pockets, his sleeves rolled up, and all I can think about is how much I want to consume him. To show him how much he means to me, how much I desire him, how much I need him.

I send Jax a playful kiss before turning back to my training, determined to give my mate a show he won't forget…