Ty’s smirk brought a smile to my face, even as I wondered what sort of games he was referring to. It was a relief to see Ty in a better mood, despite the stressful situation we were facing.
Dominic rolled his eyes. “No, Tyson. Liza won’t be facing obstacle courses with chocolate at the end. Her training will be more geared toward an adult, not a child with attention and focus issues.”
“Hey,” Ty protested, feigning offense. But his eyes twinkled with mischief. He wasn’t truly upset.
“Anyway.” Dominic turned his attention back to me. “Liza, are you up for it?”
“Of course,” I said without hesitation. “I don’t want another repeat of the night before.”
Dominic gave me an approving smile. “Good.”
“Thank you, Dominic,” I told him sincerely. There was no guarantee it would work, but I appreciated the time and deliberation Dominic had obviously put toward my predicament.
Ty’s phone rang again, causing me to jump. He glanced at the screen. “It’s Isaiah again.” With a sigh, he answered and put the call on speaker.
“Sorry to bother you again, but I’m happy to say it was all just a false alarm.”
Ty raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What the hell does that mean?”
“One of the guards at the front gate thought a group of people were heading to the property to try and break in to see Liza.”
Ty scoffed, his gray eyes narrowing. “How the fuck could that be mistaken after what we dealt with the other day?”
“He’s a new guard still in training. Honestly, he meant well.” Isaiah paused. “I’d rather him be too on guard than for him to be lax and allow something, or someone, to slip through the cracks.”
“If it was a false alarm, then who were the people walking toward the gate?” Ty asked.
Isaiah hesitated before we heard him chuckle for the first time. I didn’t know he was even capable of laughing. I’d always thought of Isaiah as more of a robot than a human.
“It was a group of kids and their parents trying to sell fundraiser discount cards for their soccer team.”
Ty burst out laughing, a genuine smile crossing his handsome face. “Those kids probably got the scare of their lives.”
Isaiah caught his breath. “We won’t have to worry about them coming back, that much is sure.”
After Ty hung up, we all exchanged amused glances. The tension in the room dissipated, replaced by a lighthearted atmosphere. It was refreshing. “I’ll have to make a donation to their team by way of an apology. Those kids must have been terrified,” Ty commented. And that was why I loved him. Even though the people had ignored the warnings and signs not tocome near the estate without an appointment, he still felt he should apologize.
“If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to get back to it.” Ty sat down in his office chair. “I’ve got some pack business to take care of.”
Dominic stood. “That’s perfect because I can use the afternoon to train Liza.”
I was eager to see if Dominic’s training would help me to better control my anger flares. “Sounds good to me.” I was determined to make it work, to finally be in charge of my own body.
With that settled, Dominic and I ventured into the clearing in the woods behind the estate. The sun shone brightly through the canopy of fall-colored leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Birds sang harmoniously above us, creating a soothing ambiance that was so desperately needed. I was grateful Dominic had chosen the outdoors for my first training session.
He stood in the center of the clearing, his broad shoulders squared back. Even though he’d passed his alpha powers to Ty, his history of dominance was still in his eyes. Without any small talk or further explanations, he began our lesson. “The first step of being able to control an alpha wolf is connecting with your wolf at all times. You have to be fully aware of your wolf at all hours, even when you’re sleeping.”
“How do I do that?” I failed to understand how someone could consciously connect to their wolf while asleep. It sounded like an impossible task or a riddle.
“It’s something you’ll slowly learn to do,” Dominic said patiently. “We aren’t clear about how your balance is, though.”
“Balance?” I echoed, not understanding the term.
“Whether you’re more omega or more alpha,” he clarified. “It’s not important right now because the lesson remains thesame.” He took a step closer, his blue eyes locking onto mine. “You need to learn to recognize where the alpha in you lies.” As if to emphasize his point, he patted the center of his chest with his palm. “Find where the alpha is and tap into its presence.”
Processing his words, I wondered if he wanted me to try right now. The expectant look on his face told me that he did. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my wolf, trying to imagine the sensations I’d experienced each time my anger flared, when my eyes glowed red and I somehow made the ground shake, and objects levitate.
Minutes passed, and I finally opened my eyes, only to find Dominic standing there with his arms crossed, watching me expectantly. I shrugged helplessly. “It doesn’t seem to work.”
