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Before the words land, Blaine pulls his dominant foot back and kicks Garren straight in the liver. The new Omega cries out in pain, the sound probably the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard.
“That’s five,” Blaine says, a small smile playing on his lips. “He’s all yours, Alpha.”
I give Blaine a curt nod, which is a sign for him to return to his post at the top of the line. Garren’s still clutching his side, his body curled up into a fetal position.
He’s saying something, my wolf tells me, and I realize she’s right, so I focus my heightened hearing his way.
“You’ll all pay. I won’t forget this. You’ll be sorry. You’ll beg for my forgiveness,” Garren mutters under his breath, repeating the same four sentences like a mantra.
His breathing’s coming a bit easier now, which means that his wolf must be doing its job. It’s taking him too long for my liking. If it doesn’t improve, we’ll have to work on training him to speed up the healing process. When on the frontlines, it can mean a difference between life and death.
“Get up,” I order with a barely audible voice.
The shift in Garren’s body confirms that he heard me. I give him a moment to gather himself, actually rooting that he does it because I’d hate to call Blaine again, but I’d do it without a hint of hesitation. As a woman, I need to show them unwavering strength, otherwise they’d come at me like vultures.
Just as I open my mouth to get Blaine, Garren moves his arms and puts his weight on them to push himself up on his knees. From there, it’s all about holding a semblance of balance as he stands on his unsteady feet.
Impressive, my wolf observes, and I’m inclined to agree with her. Newbie might not know how to take a punch, but he’s stubborn enough to push through the pain. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.
“The pack is only as strong as its weakest member,” I say, repeating the same words that have been drilled into us since the Academy days. “We are only as efficient as our communication and collaboration. Forget about your family. The pack is your family now. The Dark Hunters are the only thing that matters.”
Nice speech, my wolf says with amusement, remembering too many times when my mother and father put the needs of their packs above the needs of their family, their kids.
“We’re going to breathe as one, eat as one, exercise as one, and sleep as one,” I say, giving a slight introduction into my next set of tasks for them as I pace up and down the line. “Since our Omega needs a moment to heal, you’re going to help him clean the barrack, starting with the bathrooms. I want all the toilets squeaky clean and the showers spotless.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the Dark Hunters say as one.
Garren’s eyes widen as he no doubt realizes that his stay here won’t be a walk in the park. I admit that I’ll push him harder than I’ve ever pushed anyone else, but only because the rest of the wolves are at least Deltas, and they’re all eager to get our hands dirty with anything other than cleaning.
“When you’re done,” I continue and stop pacing right in front of Garren to look him in the eyes. “You’re all going to run ten laps around the boundaries of the whole encampment, do one hundred push-ups, one hundred pull-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and fifty burpees.”
Hardcore, my wolf comments approvingly. We both agree that the best way to keep our troops in line is with strict discipline and rigorous training. When we're not on a mission, it's crucial to engage the pack sufficiently. This ensures they're too preoccupied to voice complaints and so exhausted that boredom and overthinking are kept at bay. That last part should be left to me.
“You have until dinner to do all this,” I say, then glance at my Beta. “Blaine will keep me informed on your progress.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the Dark Hunters chorus.
“Remember,” I continue, my eyes back on Garren’s bloody but still quite handsome face. “If one of you fails, you all fail.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the Dark Hunters echo, and even Garren’s lips move ever so slightly, which is progress. He’ll get there. It’s his first day, so he needs to learn how things work, but tomorrow, he’ll have to integrate or the whole pack gets punished as one.
“Dismissed,” I say, and pause to watch them turn toward Blaine, who leads them into the barrack to start cleaning.
He’s going to hate you, my wolf says.
Good, I reply. If he hates me, it means he’s alive, which is all I want.
Adele’s death wasn’t your fault, my wolf tells me.
My pack, my responsibility, I reply with a note of finality, then go back to my suite.
I need to come up with a plan to bring Garren up to speed as fast as possible to put him on track to become Delta. The war with the witches is getting worse, and right now, we’re not exactly on the winning side. It’s important that we do our part before it is too late.
CHAPTER 3
Garren
Every muscle in my body aches, even the ones that I didn’t know I had. I’ve been told that with time I’d get used to it, but lately, I’ve been wondering how much time they actually meant because it’s been over a month already and yet, nothing is any easier.
