"Come on, Talia, you know I've liked you for a while. Why won't you just go on one date with me?" Warren asks me.

Warren is the son of the current Gamma. It's a good thing the Gamma position isn't a birthright in this pack, because he is so not Gamma material. Cameron already has his Beta and Gamma chosen, and, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Warren is still grouchy about not being picked. He seems to be more insufferable since that announcement was made 2 weeks ago. Cameron is set to become Alpha in the next few week after his father steps down.

I let out a sigh before responding. "Warren, I've lost count of how many times we've had this conversation. I. don't. date. period. Have you ever seen me even so much as show interest in a guy? I'm waiting to find my mate. Why is that so hard to understand?" It's really not a hard concept. I just wish he'd get it through his thick skull.

"Oh, please. I've seen you show interest in someone, alright. The same person you've been obsessed with since we were in diapers. You really think Cameron is going to be your mate?"

Well, shit.

"Fuck off, Warren. Just because I had a little crush on him when we were younger, doesn't mean I'm obsessed with him. And I'm choosing to ignore the back-handed insult that I'm not good enough to have an Alpha as a mate." I snap at him. He doesn't have to know he's right. I've gotten used to defending myself against comments about Cameron. I was just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet by the training field with my best friend, Carly, before we start our evening training. I guess that's over.

Carly, being the awesome friend she is, finally comes to my aid. "How about this? A little wager, since training is about to start. You go a round with Talia, first thing. If she wins, you leave her the hell alone about going on a date. If you win, she'll go on one date with you. Tonight."

My jaw almost hits the ground. Did she just offer me up to this idiot without running it by me first??? I am so gonna kick her ass. There is absolutely no way I am going out with Warren.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

You are the Beta's daughter and on track to be the top female warrior in your class. Why are you concerned? My wolf, Elea, retorts.

It's just the principle of it, El. But I know you're right. There's no way he can take us.

That's my girl. Now, let's show him who's boss!

Leave it to Elea to be my voice of reason while also getting me pumped for a fight at the same time.

Glad to be of service. She says with a wolfy grin.

"Oh, you absolutely have a deal, sweetheart." Warren says with a creepy smile.

"Ew, do not ever call me that again. Gross. Talia, how about you? Sound like a plan?" Carly looks to me, waiting for me answer.

"You have yourself a deal, Warren." I hold my hand out for him to shake, and he pulls me to my feet and up against him. I think I even yelped in surprise before shoving him away from me and turning towards the training grounds.

Elea is right. As of right now, I am the top female warrior in my class, with only two males ahead of me out of around 40 of us. Warren is not one of those two. I'm pretty sure he's near the middle. He has the potential to be better, but he doesn't take it seriously. He only has one more strike to stop goofing around, or the current Alpha is going to be pissed. I'm almost positive he doesn't know how good I am, or he wouldn't have agreed to the deal.

As we reached the field, Carly turns, "Alright, so the rules are that you obviously can't kill or seriously disfigure each other. You can fight in either form, human or wolf, but you both don't have to be in the same form at the same time. And you can't let your wolf take full control at any time. This is a match between the two of you, not your wolves. Get into the middle, and let me know when you're ready. I'll call it."

I walk over and stretch a little. I don't need much, but I'd rather not be sore for graduation tomorrow or my birthday the day after that. Werewolf healing works for almost every non-fatal injury, but doesn't help at all with muscle soreness. If I'm lucky, I'll be finding my mate at the graduation party, which just so happens to be on my birthday. Warren struts onto the field, cocky as ever, and stands there watching me. I finish us my stretches and signal to Carly that I'm ready.

Warren looks at me, "Are you thinking about where you want me to take you on our date tonight? Or are you maybe thinking about what fun we might get into after the date?" he says with a wink.

"The only place you being going after this is the pack hospital." I reply with a smirk.

His smile turns into a scowl as he looks at Carly. "I'm ready to get this over with. Let's go, call it." And she does, with a loud whistle.

Warren immediately shifts into his brown and grey wolf, and charges towards me.