Chapter 61 Born Ready

Chapter 61 Born Ready
Kaelani POV

The next morning I wake up to someone banging on my door.
“What?” I groan out, pulling the blanket higher over my head.
Kaia barges in. “Okay bitch, I know you skipped training, but it’s 7:30.”
I jump up at that. “Oh shit, I overslept. I was so fucking exhausted last night,” I say, running to get in the shower. I can’t even remember the last time I slept this late on a school day. Usually my body wakes up automatically before training, but apparently last night completely drained me.
I shower quickly before running into the closet. I decide on black distressed Bermuda jean shorts and a yellow crop top. I pair it with a pair of black and yellow Jordans.
“Um, Lani, your guys are blowing your phone up,” Kaia says, holding my phone in her hand.
“Shit, I forgot to text them when I got home because Ezra was waiting outside for me. Then my phone was dead by the time I got back to my room,” I say.
“Well, they are fuming,” she says, giggling.
Shit, now I have to deal with Zaire and Kieran being moody. Liam will probably pretend he isn’t mad while somehow making me feel guilty anyway.
I grab my phone from her and open our group chat. My eyes widen at the amount of messages waiting for me. Apparently going to sleep without checking in is enough to send all three of them into a collective spiral.
Kieran: are you home?
Liam: We said don’t forget 😑
Zaire: Kaelani
Kieran: are you okay?
Zaire: Why aren’t you replying?
Zaire: Are you mad? 👀
Liam: Okay it’s been 3 hours she has to be home by now right.
Kieran: Kaia said she’s home. She’s sleeping
Zaire: smh 🤦🏽‍♂️
Liam: Good morning mamas 😘
Kieran: babe what’s happening?
Zaire: oh we’re using pet names now? 🤨
Kieran: you literally call her shorty and Liam calls her mama
Liam: he’s right 😂
Zaire: but babe? That’s relationship level pet names
Kieran: we may not have titles but are we really okay with it being anyone else?
Zaire: hell no
Liam: Absolutely not.
I stare at that exchange a little longer than I mean to. Three Alpha heirs are casually discussing the fact that none of them wants me with anyone else, and somehow instead of freaking out, I’m smiling at my phone like an idiot.
Me: Good Morning my Alphas 🥰😘❤️
“Yes, butter them up because they are mad at you,” Nyra says.
“Exactly. See, you understand strategy.”
“I understand manipulation.”
“Same thing.”
Zaire: don’t my Alphas us 🙄 What happened last night?
Me: I was late for training, I was exhausted and my phone died. I’m sorry 😔🥺❤️
Kieran: it’s okay, don’t let it happen again. We were worried
Zaire: yeah I almost drove to your pack 😒
Me: That’s a lot 😂
Zaire: you weren’t answering
Liam: He definitely would've done it too 😂
Zaire: damn right
Me: I said I’m sorry 😭😂
Kieran: what are we wearing today? 👀
I take a picture of myself and send it in the chat. Almost immediately, the little typing bubbles pop up from all three of them.
Zaire: why do everything look so good on you 😩😍
Liam: dear goddess 😮‍💨
Kieran: Change
Me: 😂😂😂 bye. See you in school.
I lock my phone before any of them can start another argument and finally look up.
Kaia is looking at me, grinning.
“What?”
“You look so happy. I love this for you,” she says.
I glance down at my phone again, unable to completely wipe the smile off my face. Things between the four of us still aren’t exactly defined, and I’m not sure any of us knows what we’re doing half the time, but somehow it works. At least right now it does.
“Yeah, those goofs definitely make me smile often,” I say.
Somewhere along the way, their attention stopped feeling like something I needed to escape and started becoming something I actually look forward to.
“Okay, come on, let’s go. Who knows what Mr. Connors and Principal Rivers have in store for us today,” she says.
That wipes some of the smile off my face.
“Why would you ruin my morning by reminding me of that?”
Kaia laughs as I grab my bag.
When we pull up to the school, the guys are waiting outside as usual. Seeing all three of them standing there together makes me smile again before I can stop it. Apparently this has become part of my morning routine too.
Zaire pushes off the wall first and walks over to me. The moment he is close, he wraps me in a hug and inhales my scent.
“You’re so dramatic,” I say.
“I thought something happened to you last night,” he says low.
The teasing response sitting on the tip of my tongue disappears when I hear the seriousness in his voice. His arms tighten around me, and I realize all those messages weren’t just him being dramatic. He was actually worried.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
He looks down at me. “It’s okay,” he says before kissing me softly.
The kiss is quick, but that doesn’t stop the little flutter in my stomach.
He takes my hand and leads me toward the other two.
Kieran approaches first. “I’m sorry for telling you to change,” he says low.
I blink at him. An apology without me having to drag it out of him? Maybe miracles really do happen.
I roll my eyes. “It’s okay, I know you can’t help it,” I say.
“I can help it,” he mutters. “I’m working on it.”
“Good.”
He kisses me next, then wraps me in a hug.
Liam walks over next slowly. “Hello, beautiful,” he says, grinning.
“Hey, handsome,” I say, winking.
His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, we’re flirting back this morning?”
“Maybe.”
He chuckles before he wraps me in his arms and kisses me too.
“Girl, I would be exhausted kissing all of these boys. You are handling them like a champ,” Kaia says.
All three of them laugh while heat creeps into my face.
I roll my eyes. “Seriously, shut up,” I say as I walk toward the stadium.
“I’m just saying!” she calls after me.
The guys form a semicircle around me as we walk inside. It’s something they’ve started doing without any of us discussing it. One of them is always beside me, another slightly behind and the third close enough to reach me. It should probably annoy me more than it does.
We make our way to the rest of the group, and Felix is sitting with them.
Zaire and Kieran growl at him.
“Will you two stop?” I say.
“Why is he here?” Zaire asks.
Felix looks between them before raising his hands. “Damn, good morning to you too.”
“He asked if he could hang out with us. I told him yes. Relax,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Fine,” they both say.
I narrow my eyes at them. “And that means actually fine.”
“Hey, guys,” Felix says.
“Hey, Felix,” I say, taking my seat.
Zaire sits between my legs this time, and Kieran and Liam sit next to me, one on each side. I run my fingers through Zaire’s hair, and he groans just as Principal Rivers gets on the mic.
“Good morning, juniors and seniors. Today we will be testing reactions and reflexes. Being a good fighter means having good reflexes and how fast you react to things coming your way,” he says.
The conversations around the stadium begin to die down as everyone turns their attention toward the field.
“We have four stations set up, so there will be one student on each station. When you complete a station, you will then move on to the next. Once a student finishes all four stations, we will determine the scores. Today is another all-day event. When you are finished, you are free to leave or stay to watch. Good luck, everyone,” he says.
The screen behind him lights up with the four stations.
Strike Wall.
Visual Reaction.
Blind Reaction.
Reactionary Combat.
Nyra perks up in my head.
“Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“Your definition of fun concerns me.”
“Dad has been randomly attacking us since we were kids. This is practically what we were raised for.”
She isn’t wrong.
The first set of students’ names appear on the screen, and it’s none of us yet.
“So Kieran, what’s the plan for your birthday?” Sebastian asks.
Kieran shrugs his shoulders. “My parents want to throw a party to see if maybe I will find my mate, but honestly I’m just okay with hanging out with you guys,” he says, looking at me.
The mention of him finding his mate makes something uncomfortable twist in my stomach. I push it away before I can think too hard about why. His birthday is about him turning eighteen. Of course his parents are thinking about his mate.
“Oh, we should have a sleepover in the tree,” Kaia suggests.
“A sleepover in the tree?” Felix asks.
My head snaps toward Kaia.
“Are you crazy?” I link her.
“Sorry, I forgot he was here,” she links back.
I resist the urge to smack her.
“We have a treehouse in our pack that my dad had built for us when we were pups,” I say, trying to make up for Kaia’s slip.
“Really?” he asks.
“Yeah, it’s actually pretty big and sturdy if that is something you really want to do, Kieran,” I say, glancing at him.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I know what he’s really asking. The tree isn’t just some random place to me, and he knows that.
“It’s your birthday, whatever you want,” I say.
A smile spreads across his face. “Then yeah. I’d rather do that.”
“I don’t know if I want to be stuck in a tree with you four overnight,” Caelum says.
Liam punches his arm. “Shut up, nothing will be happening,” he says.
“Yeah, besides, our girl barely likes being kissed in a crowd,” Zaire says.
“That’s because your girl doesn’t like too much attention on her,” I say.
His grin immediately widens at me calling myself their girl, and I realize my mistake too late.
“Oh, so you three are dating her?” Felix asks.
Of course he caught that.
“She isn’t our girlfriend, we’re just enjoying her company. No labels,” Liam says.
There’s no awkwardness when he says it, and surprisingly none settles over me either. No labels feels like the simplest way to explain something none of us are in a rush to define.
“Yeah, I just like being around them, shockingly,” I say, and everybody laughs.
“Shockingly?” Kieran asks, looking offended.
“You were annoying.”
“Were?”
I smile. “Moving on.”
“The senior camping trip is going to be interesting,” Canon says.
“Why do you say that?” Kaia asks.
“Rivers is making it juniors and seniors. Co-ed cabins,” he says, and I stiffen.
“Holy shit, this is going to be interesting,” Kaia says.
Interesting isn’t exactly the word I’d use. Putting a bunch of hormonal werewolves in co-ed cabins sounds more like Principal Rivers has finally lost his mind.
“We can all share a cabin. That will be fun,” Caelum says.
“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” I say.
Three heads immediately turn toward me.
“What?” Zaire asks.
“I said I don’t know.”
“You just agreed to spend an entire night in a treehouse with us,” Liam points out.
“That is completely different.”
“How?”
I open my mouth, then close it because I don’t actually have an answer that makes sense.
Kaia starts laughing. “Oh, this camping trip is going to be fun.”
“Not for me.”
“Definitely for me.”
I roll my eyes just as the next set of students’ names appear on the screen.
KIERAN VALE.
ZAIRE KING.
“Well, let’s see how you boys do,” Kaia says.
Zaire stands and turns to face me. “Good luck kiss?” he asks.
I raise a brow and bring my hand to my mouth before blowing him a kiss.
“Burn,” Sebastian says.
I roll my eyes. “Grow up.”
Zaire catches the imaginary kiss out of the air and presses his hand against his chest dramatically.
I look back at Zaire. “Good luck, Zay.”
His expression immediately softens.
“I’ll take that,” he says.
Kieran kisses my cheek. “I’ll be back.”
“We’ll miss you,” Liam says, winking at him.
Kieran chuckles as he and Zaire walk away.
“So how do we think they will do?” Caelum asks.
“Who knows, but this will be interesting to watch,” Kaia says.
I lean forward slightly as they take their positions. I know they’re both good fighters. Now I get to see exactly how good.
When they get on the field, Kieran is at the Strike Wall first and Zaire is at Blind Reaction.
The green lights flash.
Kieran immediately moves as the first padded arm shoots toward his head. He ducks beneath it, twists away from another aimed at his ribs and blocks the next with his forearm. As the speed increases, a few manage to catch him, but he dodges most of the hits.
Zaire is actually really good at using his other senses. Even blindfolded, he moves almost like he can see what’s coming. His head tilts slightly before each attack, and sometimes he starts moving before the projectile even reaches him.
“Spirit witch,” Nyra says.
“That feels like cheating.”
“Technically, it’s one of his senses.”
“Still cheating.”
When they switch, Kieran is on Visual Reaction and Zaire is on the Reactionary Combat station.
This is where things get funny.
The instructor across from Zaire twitches his shoulder.
Zaire moves.
Nothing happens.
The instructor steps forward.
Zaire immediately shifts into defense.
Another fake.
I cover my mouth.
“Oh, he’s terrible at this,” Kaia says.
“He has no patience,” I say, laughing. His instincts are fast as hell, but right now they’re working against him. He reacts to everything instead of waiting long enough to figure out whether it’s actually a threat.
The instructor feints again.
Zaire moves again.
I burst out laughing.
“Stop laughing at him,” Nyra says, even though I can hear the amusement in her voice.
“He’s making it really hard.”
Kieran does better on Reactionary Combat when he eventually reaches it. He falls for a few feints, but after the first couple he starts watching the instructor more carefully.
He doesn’t do as well on Visual Reaction. He’s fast, but once multiple colors start flashing at the same time, he misses several.
Zaire breezes through the Strike Wall.
And I mean breezes. By the final level, I’m sitting forward because he hasn’t taken a single clean hit.
“Damn,” Felix says.
A little pride curls through me before I can stop it.
“Our boys can fight,” Nyra says.
“Two of them, at least. Liam still has to prove himself.”
By the time all four of the students are done, the group holds their breath for the scores.
I only look for two names.
Kieran Vale
Strike Wall: 26
Visual Reactions: 20
Blind Reaction: 15
Reactionary Combat: 20
Total Score: 81
Zaire King
Strike Wall: 30
Visual Reactions: 20
Blind Reaction: 25
Reactionary Combat: 15
Total Score: 90
I smile when I see their scores.
Not bad.
“Okay, we can keep claiming them,” Nyra says.
I snort. “Oh, now you’re impressed?”
“I have standards.”
“Okay, they didn’t do terrible,” Kaia says.
“Yeah, now they can stay,” I say, smiling.
Before the guys can get comfortable back in their spots, Liam, Kaia, Caelum and my names appear on the screen.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Kaia says.
“Ready, mama?” Liam asks.
“Born ready,” I say.
“Good luck, beauty,” Kieran says, kissing me softly.
“Yeah, make us proud, Shorty,” Zaire says, kissing me softly.
I look back. “Oh, I will,” I say as we all walk away.
“Cocky,” Nyra says.
“Confident.”
“Same thing.”
Kaia and I go into the locker room to change. By the time we step onto the field, the joking feeling from a few minutes ago disappears. My body knows this feeling. The second I’m standing in front of something meant to test me, everything else fades into the background.
I’m on the Strike Wall first.
When the green light comes on, I move.
“Focus,” Nyra says.
The first padded arm shoots toward my ribs. I twist away before another comes toward my head, ducking beneath it. A third comes from behind, and I step sideways just before it can connect.
I dodge every first hit that comes my way.
Then the speed increases.
One comes high.
Another low.
I jump over the low strike and immediately duck the next one, but another arm comes from my left before I can completely reset.
I get clipped once in the shoulder.
“Shit.”
“Don’t worry about it. Keep moving,” Nyra says.
She’s right. Dad would chew my ass out if I let one hit distract me enough to take another.
I reset my footing and keep going.
By the time the light turns red, I’m breathing harder, but I’m smiling. One hit. I can live with that.
Next I’m on Blind Reaction.
The blindfold goes over my eyes, and everything disappears. For a second, all I hear is the stadium. People talking. Shoes against the ground. Someone cheering from the stands. Then I force all of it into the background.
I dodge most of the projectiles. The first few are easy enough to hear coming, but they start getting faster and less predictable.
One catches me in the arm.
Another clips my other arm before I can move completely out of the way.
Then one slams directly into my stomach.
“Fuck, that last one hurt,” I say when the light finally turns red.
“You’re moving too slow,” Nyra says.
“Shhh,” I say, rubbing my stomach.
“I’m just saying.”
“And I’m choosing not to listen.”
Next I’m on Visual Reaction.
This one clicks almost immediately.
Green.
Strike.
Blue.
Block.
Red.
Nothing.
The lights start coming faster, sometimes two and three at once, but my hands move almost automatically. I don’t have time to second-guess anything, which apparently works in my favor.
I breeze through it.
I don’t miss a single light.
When the final light disappears, I glance toward the stands and spot Zaire on his feet clapping while Kieran whistles loudly.
I shake my head.
Idiots.
My idiots, apparently.
When I get to Reactionary Combat, Mr. Connors is my opponent, and I smirk.
“Okay, Quinn, let’s see what you got,” he says.
“This should be fun,” Nyra says.
“For us.”
I watch him and his body movements.
His shoulder twitches.
I don’t move.
His foot shifts forward.
Nothing.
He jerks his upper body toward me like he’s about to attack, but his hips never commit.
I stay exactly where I am.
Mr. Connors narrows his eyes.
I smile.
He tries to fake me a few more times, and I don’t move.
“Quinn,” he says.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay.”
A few people in the stadium laugh.
He starts getting frustrated, and I chuckle.
Dad has been doing this shit to me for years. Fake punches, fake kicks, pretending to leave an opening just to see if I’ll take it. The first thing he taught me was that reacting quickly means nothing if somebody can trick you into reacting to the wrong thing.
We spend five minutes doing nothing.
Well, technically Mr. Connors spends five minutes trying everything he can think of to make me move. I spend five minutes irritating him.
Then his weight shifts.
Not his shoulders.
His hips.
There.
When he finally moves, I’m ready.
I dodge his first strike and counter immediately. He blocks, throwing another one toward me, and I redirect it before coming back with one of my own.
We share a few blows before the light turns.
I immediately step back.
“Good job, Quinn,” he says, walking off.
“Thank you.”
I try to keep my expression neutral until his back is turned.
“Dad is going to be unbearable when he hears about that,” Nyra says.
“I’m not telling him.”
“He’ll find out.”
Unfortunately, she’s probably right.
I hold my breath for all of our scores.
Liam Grey
Strike Wall: 25
Visual Reactions: 20
Blind Reaction: 15
Reactionary Combat: 15
Total Score: 75
I smile. Seventy-five isn’t bad at all, although judging by Liam’s expression, he already knows exactly which stations he wants another shot at.
Kaia Clarke
Strike Wall: 20
Visual Reactions: 15
Blind Reactions: 10
Reactionary Combat: 10
Total Score: 55
Kaia shrugs.
“I survived.”
I laugh. “That’s your takeaway?”
“Absolutely.”
Caelum Stone
Strike Wall: 20
Visual Reaction: 10
Blind Reaction: 5
Reactionary Combat: 20
Total Score: 55
“Twenty on reactionary,” Caelum says proudly.
“Don’t ignore that five,” Liam says.
“Nobody asked you.”
I laugh, but then the screen pauses.
My name still isn’t there.
The entire stadium goes quiet while they wait for my score to tally and appear.
My stomach tightens.
“Why is mine taking so long?”
“Maybe you broke it,” Nyra says.
“Not helping.”
Then the screen changes.
Kaelani Quinn
Strike Wall: 25
Visual Reaction: 25
Blind Reaction: 20
Reactionary Combat: 25
Total Score: 95
For a second, I just stare at it.

Five points. I only lost five fucking points.
“You did good,” Nyra says.
Coming from her, that’s practically a standing ovation.
I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face.
The guys start yelling from the stands, and Kaia grabs my arm, jumping beside me. Even Caelum is shouting something I can’t understand over everybody else.
Liam runs over and lifts me, spinning me in the air.
I laugh and grab his shoulders.
“You are fucking amazing, mamas,” he says, kissing me midair.
When he finally puts me down, I look back at the screen one more time.
95.
The obstacle course. Sparring. Now reactions and reflexes. These are things I understand. Things I know how to do. Things Dad spent years making sure I could do even when I hated every second of his training.
I may not be completely prepared for everything coming, but I’m prepared for this.