Fighter

Chapter 1

"Come on King, you got this!" My best friend, Lauren, shouted from the sidelines of the field we practiced in, Josh quietly laughing next to her, but intently watching us.

I was wrestling with one of the warriors in my pack, something we often did to work on our hand-eye coordination, and improve our grappling skills. Within the Grey Water Pack, we practiced with just about every type of fighting. My dad always instilled in us that even though we may be great warriors and fighters, we're never too good to learn. And there's always something to learn.

I'd had Artemis pinned multiple times, but he kept getting free. I could tell he wasn't going easy on me, but he was one of our best warriors. As we circled each other, the October air cooled me off slightly as I calculated my next move. I immediately dove for him, dropping his massive frame to the grass. His large build and closely shaved hair caused him to look menacing, and it wasn't misleading. He was a beast on the field and in training, which is why I enjoyed going against him so much. He was a challenge I craved.

When I finally got Artemis to submit, I fell back on the grass breathing hard. My shorts had grass stains all over them, and I was itchy, wanting nothing more than to shower. My long, almost white, blonde hair, a tell as to what breed of wolves my pack was, was sticking to every available sweaty surface of my body, and wouldn't stay trapped in the pony tail I put it in. Lauren was yelling from the bleachers still, as Art stood up and offered me his rough hand, calloused after years of hard work.

Lauren was my number one fan, which was a great quality in a best friend. She was confident, pretty, loved all things gossip, but had a heart of pure gold. Standing a couple inches shorter than me, she was a firecracker with fire engine red hair that she religiously dyed whenever it was slightly fading. Unlike me, she hated the white blonde hair that was associated with the alphas and betas in the pack. It was an indicator that we were of alpha or beta decent, which put us above everyone else in the pack. This wasn't easy to deal with in school, which is why we're so close. When everyone you grew up with will barely make eye contact, it makes friendships pretty hard.

"You've gotten so much better Kingsley," Art said, a hint of admiration in his tone.

Artemis was a family friend all my life, and he was one of the main reasons I was so good at fighting. As soon as I turned 10, we started training together. Running every morning, and sparring in the afternoons when school let out. Once high school ended, we were on the field sunup to sundown. He truly was one of my biggest role models, almost like a second dad to me.

"Can't have a bitch for an Alpha," I laughed as I dusted my shorts off and jokingly punched his shoulder.

He rolled his eyes and started walking towards the pack house as I made my way over to Lauren and Josh. With my hands on my hips, still breathing heavily I smiled a proud smile. These were my best friends, and no matter how busy life got, or how much pack drama there was, they were there for me, and I them.

"You're killing it out there Kingsley," Josh, my soon to be Beta once I took over the pack from my dad, smiled a wide toothy smile.

Josh was pretty good looking, in the traditional sense. Blonde hair, just like mine and Lauren's when she let's it grow out, brown eyes, and a kind smile, he was well liked by most. And standing at around 6'0" with a fair amount of muscle, he made a great Beta. Especially when considering my smaller frame.

"Thanks guys. Williams, you wanna spar a little bit? We've got some gloves," I offered Josh, using his last name, and nodding my head towards the gloves on the side of the field.

Our field was massive, with enough room for around 80 pack members to all be training. We had obstacle courses set up, and a ton of area for different types of fighting. It was where I spent most of my time, constantly training to take over the pack and be a strong Alpha. My biggest fear was disappointing my pack, and my dad, who is currently an amazing Alpha.