Page 47 of Rejected Alpha Mate

By the end of the week, I’m crawling toward insanity.

The air around the property hums with a different kind of energy, and it’s mostly because Donna’s training has intensified. I catch a glimpse of her through the kitchen window as she stands in the backyard, hands lifted, eyes shut, the faint shimmer of gold light wrapping around her like a halo.

Delilah and Gwen watch her closely, murmuring instructions, correcting her stance, and encouraging her when her concentration wavers.

A sigh falls from my lips as I set my empty mug from my afternoon coffee in the sink, my eyes fixed on Donna. It’s strange, seeing her like this—so focused, so fierce. The quiet determination in her eyes could burn through stone. She’s no longer the girl who hesitated or doubted her power. She’s becoming something else entirely.

Someone unstoppable.

Someone who’s becoming increasingly difficult to stay away from.

That’s why I find myself gravitating toward her despite trying my utmost to resist. That pull keeps tugging me toward her until I’m outside. I keep my distance, pretending I’m just passing through when I linger at the edge of the house. But the truth is, I can’t look away. Watching her command the elements, draw energy from the earth, and bend it to her will does something to me.

I admire the graceful way she flicks her wrist, and pride swells in my chest when she commands a bucketful of water into the air.

Something deeper is awakened when she swirls that water in the air, turning it into a small cyclone.

It’s something dangerous that’s being awakened.

When her magic crackles across her palms and lights up the clearing in a pulse of gold, Gwen beams proudly. “That’s it! You’re stabilizing the current now. Excellent focus.”

Donna’s face lights up with genuine joy, her laughter ringing through the air as she releases the water into soft particles that rain down on her like a tender whisper. My chest tightens at the sound. It’s been so long since I heard her laugh like that, and it sparks joy in my heart, curling my lips into an appreciative smile.

Delilah glances over and catches me watching. Her expression softens with knowing amusement, but she doesn’t say anything. She just gives me that witchy little smirk that says I’m hopeless before turning back to Donna.

Donna finally notices me standing there like a stalker, leaning against the wall with my arms folded and my lips curled in an enchanted smile. She instantly tenses—I can see it from the way her shoulders tighten and her jaw stiffens.

“Gwen and I are gonna take a break,” Delilah tells her from across the yard, grabbing Gwen’s hand.

Donna’s jaw drops slightly, but she glances over her shoulder at me and then straightens out her expression.

“Er—yeah,” she finally relents, about to approach her friends. “I think I’m gonna join you. I also need a break.”

“No. You need to practice,” Delilah says sternly, and I see Donna’s creamy cheeks losing color as she hangs back. Delilah nods at me briefly. “I think you’re ready for one-on-one combat training.”

I can’t stop the smirk that curls my lips, even as Donna stands frozen, staring at Delilah through narrowed eyes as Delilah and Gwen head toward me.

“You owe me…” Delilah whispers as she passes me, and I offer her a curt nod as thanks.

The sky is painted with streaks of orange and rose as the sun dips behind the tree line, bathing Donna in an ethereal glow that makes her appear like a furious goddess. Now that we’re alone in my backyard—which has since become Donna’s training ground—I notice the sweat glistening on her temples as I approach. Her nostrils flare, and she marches off toward the shed behind the house, returning with a dagger gripped in each hand.

“I told you I didn’t need combat training,” she says, eyes narrowed into venomous slits as she glares at me. “I know you and Delilah are close, but you didn’t have to be so sneaky.”

Chuckling lightly, I roll my head to the sides, cracking my neck. “I swear I had nothing to do with this.” It couldn’t be truer. Delilah and I might have been in ops together for four years, and she’s my closest friend, but I had nothing to do with her leaving Donna and me alone like this.

In fact, I have reason to suspect that Delilah knew about the one-on-one thing because Donna told her about my suggestion the other day.

“I still find it very sneaky,” Donna warns, lifting the daggers on either side of her face. “You were watching me. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

“Old habits,” I reply with a shrug. “You’re gonna wear yourself out if you keep going without a break.”

She wipes her brow with the back of her hand. “I’m fine. You heard what D said. I need to practice. I’m ready for one-on-one training,” she says sarcastically, and I catch it in the way her brown eyes glow with bitterness.

I cross my arms, unconvinced. “I still think you need a break.”

“And I still think you’re a coward,” she scoffs. “What’s wrong, Nicholas? Afraid I’m gonna kick your ass?”

I chuckle, amused. “Afraid of you? I’m not afraid.”