I was surrounded by anxious omegas chit chatting about how their first training session was gonna go. I could tell they were timid around me by their awkward glances in my direction only to look back at the ground. If they were like this with me, I can't imagine Lyle and his vicious attitude.
Weston approached me rocking purple bags under his eyes. No matter how tired he looked, his hair was still styled perfectly and his matching work out outfit looked recently pressed. He was always pleasantly put together and neat. I think that's why I liked him so much; he was completely and utterly predictable. I enjoyed things in my life that were unchanging. Things that wouldn't leave.
Once Weston was next to me, I clapped my hands, getting everyone's attention. I made a point to smile big, even though it was only 8am and I wasn't in the mood remotely close to happy. Luna reminded me several times to be extremely friendly to the omegas before I left this morning.
Though I was normally rather stoic around most people, I didn't mind the change of attitude around the omegas. I made myself cold over the years so people wouldn't ridicule me. If it didn't get to me, it wasn't fun. But omegas never said anything to me, and for that I didn't feel the need to put up the act.
The omegas settled down and looked up at me. I saw several familiar faces that also helped my mood. "I'm Blaze, the trainer for our pack!" I announced, speaking loudly for the ones in the back. Omega hearing wasn't as good as other members, so I was conscious of my volume. "Next to me is Weston of delta blood." I gestured to Weston who gave a goofy grin and salute. "This is the first lesson of your training course! The class will mostly be focused on self defense, so you guys can stay safe. I recognize many of you from school and others from around the pack. I don't know many of your names, but I'll be making an effort to get to know you all," I explained, keeping a smile plastered on my face.
I noticed several omegas relax at my friendliness, which in turn made me relax a bit. "Today will be split into two parts: one where we go over defense positions and stances, and the other where we do some friendly fighting to see where your skills are. In the other weeks, I'll be noting what each person is doing well and also what they need practice on. Then I'll give you that feedback the following class." They looked a little uncertain, but I decided to keep going with my introduction. "Weston is here to be my punching bag as well as help you guys with form." This earned me a laugh or snort from a few of them. "Let's get started!"
We spent the next half hour demonstrating defensive moves and why they work using my knowledge of biomechanics. Many of the omegas looked interested, which sparked some joy in me. Weston seemed to be enjoying himself just fucking around with me. We then spent time having them try and mimic the moves, and surprisingly, majority of them did it perfectly. Weston and I fixed a few stances, but only minor adjustments. None of them seemed to feel uncomfortable around me, but I also asked before touching them. Consent is key for making people feel comfortable. From someone who has fell victim to nonconsensual touching, I understood this importance.
We had them get into pairs and do some light fighting while Weston and I observed. Weston, the neat freak he is, had a clipboard with everyone's name. We walked around each pair for a minute, observing their individual skills. Were they slick? Could they throw a mean punch? Were they predictable? Using our mind link, we were able to get a detailed profile of everyone without having to speak out loud. Some people clearly hadn't done any of this before. Some people had some skills that they needed to harness. But only one person truly impressed me.
"What are your names?" Weston asked as we observed a pair. The boy that caught my eye was petite, but he had a decent amount of muscle on his abs and biceps. His blue eyes held a hint of wildness unlike the shyness in the other omegas.
The pair paused their fight, and the fascinating boy made brief eye contact with me before turning to Weston. "I'm Ace and that's Russel." He motioned to the other smaller guy next to him. Weston wrote their names down and scurried off. I lallygagged a bit, watching the pair restart their fighting. My eyes lingered on the boy, Ace, as he quickly took his opponent down by simply being swift. He glanced at me when their match finished, giving me a cocky smile. He knew I was watching, and he relished in the attention. He's the complete opposite of me, a person who avoids attention at all costs.
I continued to walk around the arena, studying all of the people, but my eyes kept wandering back to Ace. He was really talented and something about him made me want to know more.
After a good 45 mins of fighting and analyzing, Weston told the groups they could take a break. We looked down at all the observations Weston jotted down. Making the pairs was relatively easy until we were left with one name. Ace.
"I didn't realize there was an uneven number?" I looked at Weston, who just gave me a 'duh' look.
"Yeah, there was a group of three, remember?" Yeah, I did remember. "I mean Ace was really really advanced. What are we gonna do with him?"
I glanced over at the boy who was laughing loudly with a group of other omegas. You could tell he was the life of the conversation. Again, the opposite of me. "He will be paired with you," I shrugged, which made Weston raise his eyebrows. "He's too advanced for any of the rest, and he needs a challenge. You're a challenge. We can switch off if you get bored." Weston seemed to like the idea as he intensely wrote down in his notes.
The group came back to the arena, waiting for me to speak. "Okay, so we rearranged the pairs to best fit your skill level. We are going to announce the pairs, and these will be who you work with next week!" I shout, remembering to smile. The group seemed a lot more relaxed when they initially came, so I felt good about that.
Weston began shouting out the pairs. There were some groans of disappointment and also some cheers of happiness. I told him not to announce Ace's name, and he didn't, just as promised. A confused Ace marched right up to us fairly confidently after everyone was dismissed.
"Hi Blaze, Weston. My name was never called for the pairs," he stated with a small friendly smile on his face. I like this boy.
Weston didn't bother looking up as he packed his things away. I guess he assumed I'd handle this.
"Ace, you're in my AP bio class, right?" I asked casually, avoiding his question for a second just to be able to talk to him a little longer.
He furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at Weston for help, who didn't provide any. But after a few seconds he answered. "Uh, yeah, I sit a few rows in front of you." He looked annoyed, and boy did his annoyed look make him cuter than he already was.
"You answer any questions the rest of the class is too confused to answer," I laughed, making him just look more confused.
"Yeah, I guess so. I like biology, so I don't mind answering." His blue eyes stared at me intensely as if he was trying to figure out why I was toying with him so much. Weston glanced between the two of us before leaving. He gave me a look which screamed "we are gonna discuss this later."
With an earnest smile on my face, I nodded at what Ace said. "How did you learn to fight so well?" Ace stiffened at the direct question.
"My grandfather was a Delta in his old pack, so he trained my sister and I when we were younger." He chose his words carefully, as if he was worried he'd say something wrong. So he's of Delta blood? An omega can be born into any family, so this is not surprising.
"Well your grandfather did a good job. You're too advanced for the other omegas, and there is an odd number of people. So you are just gonna fight with Weston or me," I shrugged, finally picking up my stuff. I began walking passed him as if I didn't just drop that bomb on him. Why was I toying with him so much? I didn't even know at this point.
Ace's eyes went widen, and he briskly followed after me. He grabbed my arm to have me stop, but I simply winced at the contact. He noticed immediately and removed his hand. It's a rarity that I allowed someone to touch me in a situation that wasn't a fight. "Sorry, I didn't mean to touch you. I'm just surprised with what you said," he stammered. I looked around the arena and noticed we were the only people left. Good.
I made eye contact with his intense blue eyes once again. "You're just too advanced. You aren't going to improve with the others. I promise we won't hurt you." I tried keeping my words emotionless, but some slipped out, an unusual occurrence.
We stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally spoke. "Okay," he said slowly, walking away. I felt bad for doing that to him, but something in me is screaming at me to get close to him. To protect him.
...
For the rest of the night I tried not thinking about Ace, but my mind kept wandering back to him. He was the complete opposite of me in every way. I was tall with dark hair and piercing green/blue eyes, void of any emotion. He was short with blonde hair and soft blue eyes. He had a natural smile and his emotions were always plastered on his face. I had to force smiles and my tone was emotionless, always attempting to not sound like a serial killer. He made people laugh while I make people feel disgusted.
The next day Weston was pestering me about it. "Do you have a crush on him or something?" Weston joked, but I could tell he was serious.
I ignored his question. "Do you know if he's 18 yet?" I asked, realizing what this might be.
That question made Weston perk up in his spot at the lunch table. He glanced to Emerald, who was still on line for food. He leaned in close before asking, "Do you think he's your mate?" Weston's eyes were wide and if it wasn't for the serious topic, I probably would laughed.
I scooted away from Weston before shrugging. I wasn't sure if he was my mate, but it did explain a lot of what I was feeling.
"His birthday was last week, I think. I didn't know you were into guys, Blaze?" Weston voice didn't sound judgmental, just curious.
I shrugged again. "I mean I never really thought about it. I was always convinced I didn't have a mate because I was a rouge." There was sadness in my voice that I tried to cover up, but I couldn't.
Weston dropped the subject, and Emerald came just in time to start a new conversation.