“AGAIN!”

Amara groans, the wind knocked out of her from being slammed into the mat. Sluggishly. She rolls until she gets to her knees so she can stand. The younger woman braces her hands on her hips, bent over slightly she tilts her head up to glare at her mother. Sweat beads on her forehead that she wipes away with the hem of her workout top.

“This is child abuse” Amara grumbles but Elsie simply rolls her eyes and curls her fingers in a ‘come at me’ motion. The younger she-wolf straightens and stretches her neck from side to side then drops into a fighting stance. The two women eye each other, neither one making a move first.

Elsie knows Amara will be the first to break. Her daughter is still young and fighting is something they have taught her, not a skill she has honed through battle. Real experience against combatants teaches you patience and sharpens your battle instincts. Elsie can wait her cute brat out for as long as necessary.

Just as the older woman predicted, Amara tires of the waiting game and strikes. She is fast and nimble although she lacks strength. It seems as if she is going for a straight approach at first, hand up to throw a punch. Instead, she changes the angle at the last second to wrap behind Elsie’s head and uses the momentum to flip her body over her mother and hook her leg around the other's throat, and allows gravity and force to bring them down to the ground.

Elsie uses an elbow to break the triangle choke and swiftly rolls to her feet, a savage grin on her lips. The older woman sweeps Amara’s legs from under her from where she was crouched. The girl lands on her back but lets the motion bring her legs up and over into a barrel roll so she can pop right up.

Amara is slightly dizzy and barely has her feet back on the ground before Elsie aims a roundhouse kick at her head. The younger woman uses one arm to stop the kick while shifting her body to aim one at her mother’s chest.

The sparring match goes on for a bit longer until Amara is back on the mat, losing another round. This time, she just lays there and closes her eyes. Curls that slipped out of her ponytail are plastered to her face. Her breaths are coming in pants and she feels slippery from the light layer of sweat now covering her tan skin.

Something cold touches her cheek and Amara cracks one eye open to see her mom offering her a bottle of whatever. The younger woman grabs it and whines when she forces her body to sit up. Popping the top, she is careful to sip not chug. There is no need to make herself sick in the middle of the training room with all these new people around to watch it happen.

“You’re getting better kiddo” Her mom compliments and Amara huffs. Her parents made sure she started training from a young age and she isn’t bad...just doubts she will ever be as good as her mom.

“Doesn’t feel like it when I’m eating rubber all the fucking time” is her irritable reply, pressing the half empty water bottle to her neck to help the heat beneath her skin.

“Brat, trust me, you are better than most of the mutts running around. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna be takin' it easy on you” Elsie reassures and the two bump bottles as the older woman stands to make her way over to where the pack trainer is leading some of the younger members through some exercises. “Don’t forget to cool down!” are her parting words and Amara rolls her eyes.

“Ya know, she is sort of terrifying” An amiable voice cuts in and Amara looks up only for the person to drop down beside her. It takes her a second to place the guy. He is the same one that was standing with Maddox and Fia. The younger brother, what was his name? Right, Lyam. His face is open and friendly, eyes warmer up close.

“Tell me about it. Some people's moms bake them cookies, mine knows how to wreck a man with her pinkie” she jokes, making Lyam laugh and they share a commiserating look.

“My ma might not look it but she’s pretty scary herself. Any woman that can shut an Alpha down is not to be messed with. She always knows everything. I never got away with a damn thing” he pouts and Amara chuckles, bumping her shoulder against his and tilting her water bottle towards Lyam.

“Here’s to scary as fuck moms” she offers with an amused tilt to her lips.

“And to staying the hell out of their way when they're on a rampage” he adds and taps his bottle against hers.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?! DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A LOUNGE TO YOU? GET OFF THE MAT IF YOU AREN’T USING IT!” A booming voice bellows and their eyes go wide when the two young adults realize they're the ones getting chewed out.

The pair apologizes while running out of the training room. They don’t stop until their outside and finally burst out laughing, leaning against each other for support. “Oh my god! You’re a bad influence Johansen. I never get yelled at” Lyam accuses between giggle fits.

“Bullshit! I’ve known you all of ten minutes and can already tell that’s a big ass lie” she counters and lightly pushes the bigger wolf who gives an unrepentant smile.

“Alright, maybe I get in some trouble here and there but mostly I’m just a good boy”

“Do you also fetch?” Amara teases and Lyam mock laughs.

“LYAM SCOTT KAHALE! COME HERE NOW!” Someone yells from a distance and Lyam panics, eyes comically big.

“You never saw me” he stage whispers and sprints away, rounding the corner, disappearing from sight. Amara shakes her head, smiling with mirth. Lyam is definitely a trip. Perhaps being part of Onyx Moon will be more fun than she originally anticipated. At that thought, an image of Alpha Maddox pops into her head but she resolutely pushes it away and starts heading into the pack house for a shower.

Ignoring thoughts about the Alpha only seemed to become harder once she hopped in the shower. With her eyes closed, water cascading down her body, Amara can picture him perfectly. The way his eyes intensify when he looks at her. His delicious scent. The man is sex on legs and every part of her reacts to him. Her wolf whines anytime he is close which is an entirely new experience.

The memory of him standing close, strong hand on her back, looking straight into her eyes comes right back. Instead of stepping back, she imagines him pulling her closer. His breath ghosting over her lips as he bends down. Amara is sure he wouldn’t kiss her right away. He would tease and entice.

Those green eyes would dance while his sinful lips traced up her neck. His hand would move to grip her waist while the other twists into her chestnut curls. Amara moans softly, fingertips tracing her nipples, envisioning them hard and pressed against her Alpha, top thin and doing nothing to dampen the heat that radiates off of his skin. Her back arched, needing him closer. Soft and pliant and needy all for her Alpha.

The brunette glides one of her hands from her breasts down her taut stomach towards the wet heat between her legs, head tilted back as she practically feels Maddox using his grip on her hair to gain better access to her neck. His skilled tongue traced up the side, sucking on her pulse point. Marking her, leaving a love bite for everyone to see his claim.

A needy whimper leaves her and her fingers are about to slide between moist lips when a loud bang startles the young woman, abruptly ending her fantasy. She whirls around, nearly slipping and falling when she spots a bottle of shampoo on the shower floor and realizes that’s what caused the noise.

“Fuck” she barely whispers, feeling disoriented and jittery. A blush stains her cheeks and it feels like she was caught doing something wrong even though she is by herself. A sense of shame fills her for fantasying about the Alpha. She has no idea why she is so drawn to him but the man isn’t hers. He is the pack Alpha and she really has to get over this crush of hers.

Amara’s wolf does not seem thrilled by that idea but is instantly ignored. A part of her is positive that there is some kind of connection there. She can not be completely imagining the looks he gives her. The bigger part feels ridiculous for considering it and is sure that it must just be her mind playing tricks on her. After all, this intense attraction to someone is new to the she-wolf.

Annoyed at herself, Amara ignores everything that just happened and quickly finishes her shower. After slipping on a lime green halter top with light-wash boyfriend jeans and strappy sandals, the she-wolf slides her necklace on making sure it slips beneath the neckline of her halter, puts her hair up into space buns, and sets out to explore, taking her book with her just in case. Hopefully, she will find something to distract her mind.