"Did you purposefully pick one of the hottest days of the year to do this?" Nero groaned from beside me, laid with his arms and legs spread out as far as possible like a star across the grass.

We were all out on the training field today - both the official Colorado pack wolves, and the trainees. Nero and I were sat under the direct heat of the sun, next to Thane, as the trainees sat closer to the main house, on a small, gentle sloping hill of thick, uncut grass. The official pack wolves, supervised by the inner pack members; Sandra, Lorcan and Adriel, stood by the sparring rings, separated into three distinct groups. They murmured amongst themselves, stretching and working through light exercises.

"Yes," Thane confirmed from above us, nodding absent-mindedly as he surveyed the area, watching as the three teams prepared themselves.

"Well, why the hell would you do that?" Nero asked incredulously, shooting up into a sitting position, outrage warping his expression. His brown curled hair was matted to his forehead, and his cheeks were flushed with heat; he honestly looked adorable - not that I would tell him that. He was dressed only in loose exercise shorts, his pale, sweaty chest exposed to the sun.

I was almost certain that full blooded wolves could not get sunburn, and yet Nero was so pale and had been laid out here for so long, I was honestly beginning to grow worried. I had applied a light layer of sunscreen this morning, not willing to take the risk.

"Because," Thane drawled, turning down towards us with a smirk, showing no signs of guilt. Thane had also opted to forgo a t-shirt, and I was more than pleased to be able to ogle him so freely. "Adriel hates the heat, and he's been annoying me lately."

Adriel certainly had seemed particularly grumpy this morning, and his pale cheeks were now flushed with colour as he spoke quietly with some of his patrol group.

"Of course this is Adriel's fault," Nero grumbled, twisting to scowl over at his uncle on the other side of the field. I only laughed and nudged him with my elbow, satisfied when a smile cracked through his irritated façade.

"Team leaders," Thane called out, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of Sandra, Lorcan and Adriel. The three of them dutifully stalked towards us - Sandra and Lorcan's expressions set into a hard mask of determination as they walked in front at an equally quick pace.

"Are we starting?" Sandra asked eagerly, before she'd even reached us, looking sharp and alert.

"What's the first challenge?" Lorcan quickly followed up, with just as much fierce enthusiasm.

Adriel said nothing, three steps behind the two of them, with a scowl on his face, his pale hair twisted into a knot at the back of his head, short strands stuck to the sweaty skin of his neck.

"Something new this year for our first challenge of the day," Thane drawled, looking far too smug for whatever he was about to reveal. "A game of capture the flag - but we're including the trainees."

"What teams?" Lorcan pressed, edging closer, gaze fixed intently on his Alpha.

"You choose," Thane answered.

Sandra's attention had immediately snapped towards the group of trainees sat on the grass a short distance away, our supposed audience for todays challenges. She was clearly already scouting out those she wished to join her.

"How many trainees do we even have? How many on each team?" Adriel asked.

"You've misunderstood. They're not being divided evenly, it's whoever you can convince to join you. Better to think of this as your first task, actually." I half expected to find an evil smile on Thane's face at the tone of his voice. He was certainly enjoying himself far too much. He glanced down at me, sat on the grass by his feet, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"I'd hurry up if I were you," Thane mused. "Sandra already appears to have started."

Thane gestured to where Sandra now ran across the field towards the trainees. She began shouting out names as she did.

"Astrid!" Sandra bellowed, wordlessly directing Daniel's mate - who had joined us only two months ago - over towards her group of hunters. The petite blonde was quick on her feet, standing up from Daniel's embrace so abruptly the muscular male was pushed onto his back.

"Shit," Lorcan cursed, childishly shoving Adriel to the ground before taking off after her, he too shouting out names seemingly at random. Neither of them seemed inclined to try any persuasive techniques, instead opting to see who could shout the most names as quickly as possible.

"You're a bastard," Adriel grumbled up at his Alpha from where he'd been pushed to the ground, before scrambling to his feet after the two other wolves, frantically calling out any name he could remember. Unsurprisingly, there were few trainees left to choose from.

I laughed as Lorcan snarled out, "Daniel, don't you dare follow your mate, you're a warrior not a hunter damn it!"

"How have you so easily turned them into panicked pups?" Nero murmured to Thane, wide eyed. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Nero! Emily! Get over there!" Sandra shouted towards us, still with a fierce expression, as she moved back towards her team, that had since grown by at least fifteen people and were now openly heckling their opposition.

"What?" Adriel cried out, looking appalled. "Nero is mine! You can't just steal him from me! He's my protégée, my trainee Beta!"

"Adriel," Nero called out with a grin, as he all but skipped over towards Sandra's hunters, "It's great to hear you're finally accepting me, and you can't take that back now that you've said it, but I much prefer Sandra to you."

Adriel's face grew even redder as Sandra cackled loudly, the female wolf sauntering over to her team with a cocky grin now that she had finished selecting trainees.

"You little brat," he hissed at Nero before fixing his glare on Sandra once again. "How is this fair? You have both an Alpha and two Beta's on your team!"

"Oh, like you don't have Riley on your team," Sandra scoffed. "And Lorcan has Daniel! I'm not the only ones with an Alpha or Beta."

"They really are like squabbling pups," I murmured to Thane as he turned and held out a hand to pull me up to my feet. Everyone amongst the teams were near enough shouting at one another now, taunting their competition.

"Hey," Sandra snapped loudly, whirling towards us with a finger pointed in my direction. "Any more lip from you and you're off the team."

"Really?" I arched a brow and shrugged flippantly. "Okay, I'll join Lorcan's team then. I'd tossed a coin to decide earlier, so it makes no difference to me."

"Yes. Done. Emily is on my team," Lorcan agreed immediately.

"Back off Lorcan," Sandra snapped, turning to bear her teeth at him. When she faced me again, her expression was much softer, and far more pleading. "Yes, yes, sorry, just get over here Emily."

"She's not even a hunter, everyone knows Emily is a warrior!" Lorcan argued.

"You have 30 seconds until your teams need to be finalised," Thane called out, nudging me in Sandra's direction.

"Daniel," Sandra crooned, grinning over at the soon to be Nevada Beta on Lorcan's team. "Don't you want to be over here with your lovely mate?"

"Fuck off, Sandra!" Lorcan shouted, going so far as to hold onto Daniel by his shoulders. Daniel winced as Lorcan's grip became too tight. "He's mine."

"So sensitive Lorcan," Sandra taunted. "I can hardly help it if I have a superior team that Daniel would rather join."

"Superior team my ass," he scoffed in return. "Your hunters may be stealthy but they don't stand a chance in a fight against us. And Adriel's lot is practically useless. I've got this year easily."

"Hey!" Adriel shouted in outrage. "I'm your Beta, you mutt. Show me some respect!"

"You'll get some respect when you finally win a game," Sandra muttered under her breath, though everyone could hear her clearly.

"Times up! The teams are now final. Let the games begin," Thane shouted gleefully, clapping his hands together with a wide grin on his face. I'd never seen so much emotion clearly displayed in his expression in front of the whole pack before. I felt my heart stutter at the unexpected sight of it.

Gods he was so utterly attractive.

It really was a blessing that he had forgone a shirt today. His skin had warmed from endless training under the summer sun over the past few weeks, and under the golden morning light as he was now, he looked positively God-like. How was I meant to look anywhere else when such a glorious sight presented itself to me?

"Oh for Gods sake," Sandra muttered, grabbing me by the elbow and dragging towards the trees, effectively ending my admiration of Thane.

"What the hell?" I startled, scowling at an equally disgruntled looking Sandra, as I stumbled over my own feet. I yanked my arm from her grasp and steadied myself, quick to continue after her along with the rest of our group.

She was leading us south, towards where Nero and I usually went hiking. There was around twenty-four of us; six of Sandra's hunters, fifteen trainees, then Nero, Sandra and I. We were walking quickly through the tree's, Sandra's pace unrelenting.

"You really just stood there all moon-eyed while he explained all the rules of the first challenge. What good are you gonna' be if you're just going to ogle your mate the whole time," Sandra tutted. Around us, her hunters and the trainees snickered.

"You can hardly blame her, Sandra," one of her hunters laughed. It was the same short, dark skinned female wolf I had met on that day Benjamin Russo's has escaped. She had been the first of the hunters to officially introduce herself to me after the whole ordeal, and since then, Nova had taken to tease me just as much as the others about my relationship with Thane. "What's the girl supposed to do when he's stood there grinning like that? It's a wonder she didn't collapse."

"Besides," another hunter added; she was a tall hulking blonde, called Alyona. "It's nothing compared to the way Alpha Harris stares at Emily on a daily basis."

"It's a little sickening sometimes," someone else added jokingly.

My cheeks grew more heated with every passing comment, and I knew a blush was prominent against my otherwise pale skin.

"At least you guys haven't walked in on them..." Nero trailed off with a shudder, his features warped into disgust. I was quick to smack the back of his head, causing him to erupt into laughter. He turned to me with a wide grin, still laughing, and very clearly enjoying the embarrassment in my expression.

"You've walked in on them together?" One of the trainees I didn't know asked him, wide eyed. The unfamiliar young male shot me a nervous, side eyed glance, before quickly looking towards Nero again in near horror. "And Alpha Harris didn't kill you?"

"Ignore him, he's lying," I growled. Not once had Nero walked in on Thane and I in such an intimate moment. If he had, it would have been me who killed him.

"They were-" Nero cut himself off dramatically gagging. His foolish actions had successfully drawn the attention of every wolf in our group, and though I was glaring at Nero, he seemed unbothered by my deadly stare. "They were cuddling, and murmuring to each other in that love-struck way of theirs. He had his face pressed to her stomach, and she was holding him as if he was a precious little pup, stroking his hair and-"

Nero yelped as I shoved him a little too roughly, and he went sprawling across the dirt, narrowly missing the wolves walking beside him.

"Fuck sake, Emily," he groaned, pushing himself up from the ground, dirt and leaves caught in his hair.

"Sorry," I laughed. "I only meant to give you a small shove, but it serves you right. Stop gossiping about us. He is your Alpha, you know."

"Please," Nero scoffed, gathering himself to his feet. He brushed off the dirt as well as he could, shaking out his thick curly hair. "He can pretend otherwise, but I know he loves it when I talk about you two like this. He likes everyone to know of your relationship - as if it isn't already apparent. You only marked him last week and I've yet to see him wear a high neck t-shirt since, if he even wears a shirt."

"That mark is wicked gruesome," Nova added, enthusiastically. "I didn't think Alpha Harris could look any more terrifying, but he does. I saw one of the trainees look at it and flinch the other day. I love it."

"Okay, okay," Sandra cut in from the head of the group, turning to glare at all of us. "As much as I love teasing Emily about her little lover-boy, we can do that any day. We need to focus. I want to absolutely annihilate Lorcan this year."

Little lover-boy. I wasn't sure Thane would enjoy that nickname.

"And Adriel?" Nero asked, looking far too excited by the prospect of annihilating his uncle.

Sandra scoffed, "I don't even consider him competition."

***

I never thought I'd see Sandra cry; and yet here she was, face flushed with anger with what was a definite tear collecting in the corner of her eye. For anyone else, the reaction would be considered miniscule - but for a wolf who I had never truly seen upset over anything, this seemed like the end of the world.

The rest of our team was scattered across the grass, some catching their breath, some stretching; most of the official pack hunters were stood by Sandra, their arms crossed with matching scowls on their faces. Nero and I were sat beside one another, Nero slumped into me in a sweaty mess, as we both watched the scene unfold with rapt attention. He was scowling just as deeply as the others.

"How does your defeat taste Sandra?" Adriel boasted gleefully in a melodic tone, an arm around Riley's shoulders, and a beaming grin on his face. "You're not looking so smug anymore, are you, Lorcan?"

If looks could kill, under the heated gazed of both the Head Hunter and Head Trainer of Colorado, Adriel would have been incinerated minutes ago.

"This is just one challenge," Sandra hissed. "You only won because of the trainee's. You wouldn't have stood a chance with just your patrol group."

It was true that without Riley, Adriel's victory would not have been so certain. But as it happened, Riley had been far quicker and far stealthier than expected. While Adriel had directed half of his group to guard their flag and the other half to steal ours, he had sent Riley by himself to infiltrate Lorcan's base and steal their flag while they were distracted attacking us. Riley's training had clearly been paying off, and everyone's underestimation of Adriel's team had played in his favour.

"Whatever you say," Adriel dismissed, laughing boisterously. He turned into Riley, grabbing the boy by his shoulders and shaking him roughly in enthusiasm. "You're never leaving, you hear me? I need you as my secret weapon every year."

Riley only laughed in response, a faint blush covering his cheeks. All of Adriel's team seemed far too happy for themselves, too distracted to notice the short but meaningful look that passed between Sandra and Lorcan.

"Let's see how you do in the next challenge Adriel," Sandra drawled, suddenly finding her composure. A wicked smirk spread across her lips.

I wasn't so sure Adriel's luck would last much longer; not as Lorcan smirked back at Sandra with just as much mischief.

"Whatever you say," Adriel said dismissively, completely missing the tone behind Sandra's words. "It's anyone's game now. What's the next challenge, Harris?"

Thane, who had been stood off to the side murmuring secretively to a handful of trainees that were acting as his assistants today, glanced up with a grin already curving at the corners of his mouth.

"A relay."

"A relay?" Sandra repeated, seemingly unimpressed. In comparison, Adriel only seemed more confident - which made sense for a Beta wolf in charge of the fastest pack wolves that regularly patrolled the territory.

"One that encompasses most of the territory," Thane explained. "I've had some trainees sent ahead to run the route and lay down their scent for you to follow. There may also be some... obstacles in place to slow you down."

"You set traps?" Adriel asked, sounding displeased. His crossed his arms against his chest.

"If that's what you want to call them," Thane said with a dismissive shrug of a shoulder.

"So you have set traps? What kind? How worried should we be?" Adriel tried to clarify. Thane just blinked at him, not responding, his grin unwavering.

Adriel's eyes narrowed, and a muscle in his jaw jumped. He grumbled beneath his breath, "Oh, I really hate how smug you get for these games, you sadistic little bastard."

Any irritation Nero had been feeling in light of his uncle's win melted away as he laughed at Adriel, his body shaking slightly against mine. I saw Thane's smile brighten at the sound. To Adriel's chagrin, Thane and Nero had begun to work together to tease the Beta Male, encouraging one another where possible.

"Are we still using the trainees?" Adriel asked, glancing at Riley still beside him. There was no doubt he would be putting Riley on the relay team if he could. Riley had clearly proven he was an asset to Adriel's team.

"You can use the trainees for the rest of the day," Thane said. "But you can only choose four per team for the relay. I also have wolves stationed out there to ensure that everyone runs the full route. I don't want any shortcuts. Beyond that, there are no rules. Win by any means necessary."

By the almost evil grin that encompassed Sandra's face, I knew 'no rules' was probably a mistake on Thane's part. I dreaded to think of what kind of methods Lorcan and Sandra would use to ensure Adriel did not win a second time.

The three teams all began regrouping, some wolves looking eager and clearly hoping that they would be picked to run the relay. Nero, with a terrible groan, forced himself to his feet and trudged back towards Sandra and her hunters.

I didn't follow him, comfortable with my position on the grass.

"You're not going back over to your team?" Thane asked, suddenly at my side.

I shook my head, shielding my eyes from the sun as I glanced up at him. "I'm hardly going to be picked for the relay if I can't shift, am I?"

"I can make it so one person from each team has to run in human form, if you like," he said simply, sitting down beside me. Our shoulders knocked against one another, and despite how uncomfortably hot it was today, I found myself leaning into him.

"I still wouldn't be chosen. Sandra's hunters are much faster than me, no matter what form they choose. Even though I don't care about these games nearly as much as Lorcan, Sandra and Adriel clearly do, I still want my team to win," I explained with a soft smile, watching my team furtively talk amongst themselves so quietly that I couldn't hear their scheming from where I sat. This first loss had only succeeded in doubling Sandra's determination.