A Ridge Mountain Pack 1: The Beta's Daughter

SERENA

Over the next two weeks, Serena finds herself falling into a routine with Amanda. They get up at 4 a.m., grab breakfast in Amanda’s tiny kitchen, chat about life, then make their way to the training grounds for 5 a.m. training sessions. But now she’s worried about what will happen next week when they start college classes. All her classes are in person, so she’ll be in Billings, surrounded by humans, three days a week.

That morning, as they head to training, Amanda asks, “What’s going on with you today? You have barely said five words. It’s not like you.”

Serena shrugs. “Just lost in my thoughts, I guess. Kind of nervous for next week. I am not used to being around a lot of humans, and I’ve never taken college courses in person. I’m just glad I will have you with me; it will make it a little less scary.”

Amanda shakes her head in understanding. “Yeah, I get that. Jeffery will be there too, though, and Connor takes classes one day a week as well. So, you will know more people than just me. Just take a deep breath and give it a chance.” A moment later, she adds, “Come on, we better get to training, I heard the alpha is coming to observe today. He likes to make sure Dad isn’t getting soft on us.”

They both chuckle. Serena had never worked out so hard in her life.

When Serena and Amanda walk onto the training grounds, all the warriors are stretching and warming up. They join them, and Milo soon comes out too, putting up his hand to get everyone’s attention. The grounds immediately quiet.

“Okay, guys,” he begins, “we have information that there has been some unrest on the west side of the mountain, a few rogue attacks against the Black Mountain Pack. Thankfully they haven’t had any losses, but they have had some injuries. We want to be prepared, should the rogues make their way to this side of the mountain… It’s time we do some sparring. I’m going to pair you up with someone who has equal skills, and the winner of each match will go up against another winner. Are we clear?”

Everyone nods, and he starts pairing warriors.

A minute later, Serena is paired up with a warrior she’s seen train but doesn’t really know. He sticks out his hand, grinning. “I’m Sean. And I’m going to kick your ass.”

Serena smiles as she shakes his hand and steps back. Great, a guy with an ego. Guess I will have to show him a thing or two, she thinks.

After a few matches, Milo calls Serena and Sean to the center of the ring and reiterates the rules. No shifting in this match. Fight fair. First one to tap out or be knocked out is the loser. Serena and Sean nod their assent and step back, waiting for Milo to give the word.

“Fight,” her uncle yells, and it’s on.

Serena circles Sean for a moment, watching how he moves and looking for his weak spot. She notices that he always seems to lean to his right; that must be his strong side, so she’ll have to catch him off guard on his left.

While Serena is still sizing him up, Sean bolts straight for her at full speed, dropping at the last second and sliding as if the ground below her is home plate. He takes Serena’s legs out from under her, and she hits the ground with a thud. Wasting no time, she springs to her feet and backflips twice, getting out of his way.

Besides being a great warrior, Serena is quite the gymnast too. Sean is about to find out just how much of an advantage that gives her.

He stands awestruck for a second, then shakes his head and runs toward her again, trying not to let up the pressure. This time, however, Serena is ready. She does a forward somersault in the air, kicking him in the face as she lands. Sean stumbles back, blood gushing from his nose.

“What the fuck?” he screams.

Serena just smiles and ducks left as he tries to throw a punch to her face. She punches him in the side, but he continues to circle her. Both are getting tired, but neither will let up.

Ready to end the match, Serena acts like she will hit him on his left side. When he leans right, she grabs his right arm, swiftly twists it behind him, jumps onto his back, and wraps her other arm around his neck. Sean staggers backward, falling to the ground with Serena under him. She grunts under his weight but doesn’t let go; she realizes that the loud pop when they landed was his shoulder dislocating.

Sean lets out a slight yelp as Serena continues to apply pressure to his neck, cutting off his oxygen. Then, finally, he taps the ground with his free arm, and the match is over. Serena loosens her arm, and Sean rolls to his side, using his good arm to get up.

“You’re tougher than I thought,” he says, holding out a hand to help her up. “What’s your name? I didn’t catch it before.”

“Thanks. It’s Serena.”

Milo comes over and tells Sean to go get his shoulder checked out. He gives Serena a wink, and then she gets some water in the corner with Amanda.

Seeing her cousin’s eyes suddenly grow wide, Serena asks, “What?”

She turns around just as Amanda chokes out, “Good morning, Alpha. Did you need something, sir?”

Serena looks up at the alpha—not something she has to do very often since most men are barely an inch or two taller than her. He’s huge—at least 6’5”—and made of pure muscle. His black hair is cut close to his head on the sides but is longer on top, and it looks kind of messy, like he just raked his fingers through it. When he smiles, Serena notices he had two deep dimples, and his green eyes sparkle.

Serena is all too aware that she’s covered in dirt and sweat and that her long, blonde hair is starting to come out of its braid.

There is an awkward moment of silence, and then Serena clears her throat and sticks her hand out. “My apologies, Alpha; I don’t believe we have met. I am Serena Black. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your pack while I attend college in Billings.”

Sebastian stares at Serena for a second too long, then takes her hand in his. “Welcome, Serena. It’s good to see you fight like your uncle. Who trained you?”

Serena fidgets until the alpha drops her hand. “Actually, I first trained with my mother. She trains all the she-wolves till they are sixteen. After that, I trained with the pack warriors and our Alpha’s children. All I ever wanted was to be a pack warrior, but it seems my father has other plans.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. “Hmm…well, you certainly can fight. You took down Sean, and he’s one tough warrior. Must be in your blood.” He glances at Milo, then looks back at Serena. “Seems it’s your turn to fight again. Good luck.”

As the alpha walks off, Serena wonders why she found their encounter a little bit flustering. She has to gather her thoughts and get it together before her next match.

She takes a few deep breaths and makes her way onto the training grounds again. To her surprise, her cousin Connor is her opponent.

He sighs. “Seriously, why you? Uncle Milo must want me to get my ass kicked.”

They both laugh. Serena knows her cousin is tough; Connor is a few years older and has been training with Milo since he was twelve.

She takes another deep breath, shakes hands with him, and they separate. Milo gives the order, and the match begins.

JACKSON

While sitting in the bleachers on the sidelines of the training grounds, Jackson is approached by his alpha. Sebastian sits quietly next to him and asks, “How are the warriors doing today? I see they are sparring.”

Without taking his eyes off the current match, Jackson replies, “Let’s just say, Milo’s niece is teaching Sean a thing or two.”

From his periphery, he sees Sebastian watch the tall blonde do a double back flip to get out of her opponent’s way. He’s clearly impressed.

They both watch the rest of the match without saying a word. When it ends, Sebastian turns to him. “Who did you say that girl is?”

Jackson smiles. He knew that Sebastian would find her of interest. “Milo’s niece. You’ve met her mother a few times. Trina is Tim Grey’s oldest daughter. She sure looks like her, doesn’t she?”

Without replying, Sebastian stands up and walks down the bleachers. Jackson watches as he talks to Serena.

When the alpha returns, and Serena begins sparring with Connor, Jackson says, “She’s tough isn’t she? I’ve been watching her train for the past two weeks, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female with so much skill. I’m surprised Alpha John sent her away for college. He’s wasting good talent.”

He peeks over at Sebastian, but the alpha just shrugs. “Apparently she’s super smart, like over-average big brain or something. That’s what her grandfather said when he asked if she could stay here while she went to school. I guess Alpha John wants her to take over a bunch of the pack businesses, but he needs her to finish school first. I don’t know. Either way, you are right; she is tough. We may have to keep an eye on her.”

Sebastian turns and walks away right as Connor lands a solid hit in Serena’s face, seemingly uninterested in watching the beauty get hurt. Jackson chuckles to himself. “I bet.”