The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King

ARIA

"Push it, Aria. Come on, I know you've got more in the tank." My adoptive brother Lucas called out with that drill-sergeant tone he always used during training.

Determined to prove him right, I hammered the leather punching bag harder, throwing in a complicated series of kicks and strikes. When I glanced back at him, I caught his slight nod of approval.

"Much better. Take five." I walked over and collapsed next to the other young warriors in training.

Friday meant testing day with Lucas. Today we're doing strength demos, but sometimes it's sparring. My adoptive brother's a great teacher—he was trained by Gabriel, just like me.

Dad Gabriel is one of our pack's best fighters. He believes everyone—wolf or human—needs to defend themselves in this dangerous world. I've had his training since I was tiny, before joining the formal program.

Many think Gabriel should've become Head Warrior, but Alpha picked his buddy instead. Dad never complained though. After hunters killed my birth parents, Gabriel rescued me despite me being human.

Alpha Warren showed up today to watch us train. Lately, he makes me super uncomfortable—always staring and winking at me suggestively.

Pack gossip claims he's gone unstable since losing his mate. They say he calls young females to his quarters, and some don't survive. Many think Dylan should take over, but Alpha refuses, saying he's not ready.

Dylan seemed decent enough. Though I hadn't interacted with him much, he appeared fair and friendly to everyone in the pack. He was already 22 years old but still hadn't found his true mate.

I sat there, lost in my thoughts, when suddenly a massive shadow loomed over me. Looking up, I found Alpha Warren staring down at me before settling himself beside me.

"You're quite the skilled warrior, Aria, despite being human," he said, making no effort to hide the way his eyes raked over my body.

"Thank you, Alpha," I answered, trying my best to hide how uncomfortable I felt, which wasn't easy considering I was only wearing training shorts and a sports bra.

"And quite beautiful too." His eyes traveled over me again, making my skin crawl and leaving me wishing I could just disappear.

Before I could respond, Lucas approached, respectfully greeted the Alpha, then told me training was wrapped up for the day. I jumped to my feet, beyond grateful for the escape route, and after a quick goodbye, I bolted from the training grounds.

I entered our small cabin and went straight to my room, peeling off my sweat-soaked training clothes before heading into the bathroom for a shower. After cleaning up, I pulled on a pair of forest-green suede pants and a cream-colored linen top. I rarely used makeup, but tonight I applied a soft pink lipstick that gave my lips a gentle, rosy tint.

Tonight's the big celebration for a girl in our pack who's finally coming of age. Everyone's pumped to watch her first shift and see if she finds her true mate. Finding your true mate is huge for werewolves—they're literally the other half of your soul.

As a human, I would never have a wolf spirit, never have the ability to shift, and never have a true mate. That was the biggest difference between me and the werewolf family that had adopted me. Sometimes, I felt lonely because of it.

At dinner time, I went downstairs to eat with Gabriel and Lucas. But unlike our usual pleasant conversations, tonight's atmosphere was quiet and tense. I didn't ask why, guessing that Gabriel must have had a stressful day.

"Aria?"

"Yeah, Gabriel?" I looked up at him.