Chapter 61
“Yes, actually. We need to…” he looks at Tyler and Ezra. “Reset the Beast.” He keeps it vague so they don’t have any knowledge going in of what to expect. “I’m guessing we’re going to have a few more challenges today.”
“Yes,” both Ezra and Tyler say together. The instructors all smile or chuckle. Alpha James tilts his head, cracking his neck.
“Been a while since I’ve ridden the Beast,” he says.
“Define a while, Alpha,” Ezra says astutely. James is known for making young Alphas think he’s an easy competitor when he’s anything but. They’ll challenge him and he quickly hands them their ass. It’s another lesson that many Al- phas need. Never underestimate your opponent.
He shrugs. “A couple of weeks,” he says, drinking his coffee.
“That’s what I thought,” Ezra says, drinking his.
“What’s for breakfast, Haley?” I ask her, then turn to Tyler. “Or should I ask you?”
“I just answer the questions I’m asked,” he says, putting his hands up.
“And what question were you asked, young Alpha?” Sylvie asks him.
“If I like yogurt parfait.”
“And do you?” I ask him.
“With strawberries and blueberries, yes,” he smiles.
“So, yogurt parfait? Anything else?” I ask, turning back to Haley.
“Avocado toast, grilled tomatoes, bacon, and sausage.”
“Damn, I hope I get challenged today. I need to work off all this food I’ve been eating,” James says, rubbing his stom- ach. Sylvie arches an eyebrow at him, but he only smirks at her.
We eat breakfast, then Sebatian and I head out to reset the Beast.
“How are you feeling this morning,” he asks me once we’re alone.
“Really good. More relaxed than I ever remember feeling in my life.”
“Good. I’ll take that as a win.”
“Oh, you definitely won,” I say, making him chuckle.
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As we walk up to the Beast, he turns to me. “Have you ever reset the Beast?”
“No. I’m not sure why, maybe because you and Alpha James usually run this class.”
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He walks me through where and how to reset the arrows and the fire, not showing me anything else since I haven’t gotten that far into the Beast.
“If an Alpha makes it to the arrows, you’ll have to go pull them from the targets between contests. You’ll turn the sys- tem off down here, then you’ll have to climb down outside of the Alphas view until they’ve all reached this point of the Beast. You’ll have to remember to turn it back on when you’re done before returning to the front. Are you good with that?” he asks, showing me the ladder to get up and down this section of the Beast without being seen.
I nod and he shows me where the gas is for the fire section, where to turn it on and off, and how to refill it if the gas tank depletes.
“As you get farther through the beast, I’ll show you more,” he says. “Until then, if anyone gets past the flames today, which I doubt, I’ll reset it. Also, if I’m in a challenge, and someone falls, I’ll need you to get to them, check their in- juries, and take them to the infirmary if needed.”
About the time that we get back to the front, the group is arriving.
“Good morning, everyone! Welcome to day two of Strength class. We had a good start to our semester yesterday with Christina making it farther than any of the instructors,” Sebastian says, and then turns to me.
“I also did a little research and Christina got farther than any Alpha in our recorded history on her first try. So, there’s the standard to beat,” he says, shocking me. Everyone begins clapping and I feel my cheeks heat again.
“So, let’s get to it. Who wants to challenge an Alpha this morning?” he says, rubbing his hands together. I realize that I haven’t warmed up since I didn’t run this morning, so I begin stretching while both Ezra and Tyler step forward.
“Go ahead, Ezra,” Tyler says.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right behind you,” he says.
“Which instructor are you going to challenge, Alpha Ezra?” Sebastian asks him.
I’m not surprised when he looks at Alpha Daniel. He’s the youngest of the Alphas here and still in great shape. Ezra wants a tough challenge.
“Alpha Daniel.”
“Human or wolf?” Sebastian asks.
“Human.”
Alpha Daniel smiles. “Let’s see what you’ve got kid.”
Sebastian leads me over to the starting lineup, showing me where and how to stand to start the challenge. He nods,
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letting me know that I should announce it.
“You’ve got this, Ezra,” I say, knowing it helped to calm me yesterday.
He gives me a quick smile and nods before refocusing.
“Competitors ready?” I wait for them to get into their stance. “GO!”
