Page 38 of Assisting the Alpha
“Could you please ward the room?”
“Um… sure. To what level? Silencing?”
“We’ll need more than that. I don’t want anyone to be able to get in at all, and we can’t have any sounds, smells, or spells leaking out.”
Ayo’s eyes widen and Cal’s scent, which is almost always completely neutral, holds a hint of curiosity.
It only takes a few minutes for Ayo to finish working, which is insane. A ward like I just asked for would take most magic-users hours to complete, if they even had the capability. It convinces me more than ever that what we’re about to do is very necessary.
“Done.” Ayo looks up at me, trusting and ready. Fuck, this man.
“Thank you. Now we’re going to do some training.”
“You and Cal?” His eyes light up with excitement.
“Not exactly. You mentioned that both times you were attacked your go-to was a shield spell. While that’s an excellent first step, it shouldn’t be your only defence, for the reasons you’ve already discovered—if it fails, you’re vulnerable.”
“Whoa, hold on, you’re going to train me? How? I’ve already practised all kinds of spells for my enforcer test, and I messed up under pressure. Neither of you are magic-users. No offence.” Ayo bites his lower lip in a very distracting way, but this is too important for me to get sidetracked by how much I want to kiss him.
“You’re right, we’re not. But we are trained in all kinds of situations. Cal is our close-quarters combat specialist. He’s exceptional at finding a person’s strengths and making themwork for them. He’ll be working with you to best utilise the magic you already know.”
Cal’s mouth quirks up into something approximating a smile, which is practically a grin for the stoic vampire.
Ayo looks at Cal. “You think you can help me?”
Cal’s eyes soften. “Definitely. From what Ethan has told me, your challenge is being able to use what you know under pressure. With enough training, repeating a sequence of spells can become muscle memory, just like any physical defensive or offensive moves. We can prepare you for a range of scenarios and practice until you can do them without thinking.”
I didn’t actually warn Cal that this is what we’d be doing, but we’ve done it over and over for every member of the team, especially Kit and Skye, whose core skills lie in different areas. I’m pleased Cal is already willing to work with Ayo for more than just tonight.
Ayo shakes his hands out, then nods. “Okay. Right. That actually sounds good. Wait. What are you going to be doing?”
I meet his questioning look with a smirk and strip off my T-shirt. “I’m going to be your attacker.”
His eyes widen as I kick off my trainers and shove down the joggers I changed into before coming down here. There’s a definite scent of arousal that Cal has the good sense not to comment on before I shift into my wolf.
There’s never any pain as bones crack and reform and joints realign. I land on four massive paws, my head almost at the same height as Ayo’s.
Alphas are the biggest of all wolf shifters, and I’m larger than any other wolf I’ve ever met. I have white and grey fur in this form, and although my eyes remain the same colour my vision and hearing are even sharper. My muscles bunch as I prepare for Ayo’s reaction.
Ayo’s scent fills with delight as he rushes over and proceeds to hug me, burying his face in my fur. “Holy wowser, you’re so fucking cute.”
I growl as Cal’s mouth twitches again, the traitor.
Ayo pulls back, wincing. “I mean, you’re so fierce and terrifying?”
Better, although it would be more effective if he hadn’t turned it into a question. I huff at him, then lick a long stripe up one side of his face, making him laugh and back away.
“Okay, kid, get over here and let’s talk strategy.” Cal beckons Ayo over. He goes, grumbling about not being a kid.
Cal raises an eyebrow. “I was born in 1755. You’re all children to me. Right, since we know you can shield, even if that needs some practice, let’s leave that for now. Ethan won’t hurt you if he gets to you, so assume you’ve been attacked and your shield is down or failing. The shifter is about to leap at you again. What do you do?”
Ayo’s scent holds a flicker of fear, but then he straightens his shoulders and looks right at me. “Last time, I made the ground ripple and knocked the wolves off their feet.”
“Awesome, but it didn’t work on the cat or vamp, I’m guessing? They’re too light on their feet, and it would do nothing against a shifter of Ethan’s calibre either. Since we’re trying to save your life, let’s think more offensively.” Cal gets a wicked gleam in his eye. “How do you feel about fireballs?”
“Shit!” Ayo rushes over to me as I roll to put out the flames licking over my fur.
It hurts, not going to lie, but I’m so fucking proud of him. We’ve been at this for hours, despite him being jumped earlierthis evening, but every time we’ve suggested calling it a day, he’s insisted we keep going. Since I’m in favour of anything that keeps him safer and potentially helps with the nightmares he’s been having since he was attacked behind the club, I haven’t insisted we stop.
