Lexi's feet pounded against the ground as she ran the familiar path she'd been almost everyday for the last year. Her olive skin was drenched in a thick sheen of sweat as the sun beat down upon her and her long black ponytail swished back and forth behind her with each step. There was only a week before the games and she wanted to make sure that she took advantage opportunity to better herself.
The 'Games Squad' as she had begun calling it, was officially finalized and she knew exactly who her teammates were going to be for one of the most exciting times of her life. She'd been looking forward to being able to compete in the games since she was old to understand what they were.
And the time was finally here.
She'd be teaming up with Tank, the brute who was secretly a teddy bear at heart, Elrin, the smartest and most crafty wolf she'd ever seen, and Jase, who was a good combination of strength and speed, and then herself, who was all about speed and agility. Together, the five of them made one hell of a team and she was quite confident in their ability to beat any other pack... including Shadow Cliff.
Now if she could just figure out how she really felt about the Cole situation. She knew how she wanted to feel. She wanted to look at him and realize that her dreams were coming true. That she would be mating the wolf of her dreams.
And while she knew she made the right choice and she was getting used to the idea of the two of them together, it still just felt a little off. The only explanation she could manifest, was that she knew him too well.
As if that made any sense.
The sound of another pair of feet matching her thus against the earth startled her out of her own thoughts. She jumped a few feet to the right, turning her body toward the intruder while still running and not missing a step. She looked into the face of a smiling Cole.
"Fancy meeting you here." He said with a grin.
Lexi breathed a sigh of relief, a droplet of sweat running down her temple and falling to absorb into the strap of her black sports bra.
"yeah, who knew I would be exactly where I am every single day at the exact same time." She smirked.
The two of them resumed a nice steady pace, following the worn down path around the training field. She didn't want to admit that he'd scared her. So lost in her own mind, she hadn't even heard, smelled, or sensed his approach which was incredibly unusual for her. She was too distracted.
Cole could tell she was inside her own head. "What's going on in there?" He asked with a smirk.
"What?"
"Oh come on." He said as they rounded the farthest corner of the field. "I could have completely taken you down back there. You had no idea I was here." He was beginning to work up a good sweat of his own.
Lexi laughed a little awkwardly. She wasn't about to admit that she'd been second guessing her decisions.
"Just trying to get myself in the right mindset." She shrugged.
The Alpha playfully narrowed his eyes at her. "You sure that's all?"
This time she managed a semi normal sounding chuckle. "That and just thinking about the attack." She lied.
Cole gave her a warm smile even with his labored breathing. "You're nervous too huh?"
"I wouldn't really call it nervous, as much as concerned and confusing." She shrugged, subconsciously making her making her footfalls match his perfectly so it sounded as if it were a single pair of feet. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Is all."
They rounded another corner, passing by the back of the pack house and Lexi caught herself glancing up at the window of Cole's office.
"Well, what are you thinking?" Cole asked. He sincerely wanted to know her thoughts and opinions. She would be leading with him. He wanted to know where she stood.
She shrugged once again, something she found herself doing a lot more often these days. "I just think it's really odd that there has absolutely no attacks in so long. Not so much as even a whisper from the vampire population. A rumor here or there, sure. But nothing from them themselves."
He nodded, listening intently. Well, as intently as he could while his lungs were starting to burn from the inside.
"That's odd by itself... but then the nature of the attack. Vampires normally maimed and maul, dismembering their target and leaving a big mess. Now, I didn't see Marcus' body, but you said it was fully in tact, right? Just the open wound on his neck where his blood was drained right?"
Cole nodded. He had a pretty good idea where she was going with this. It was probably the same conclusion he and the other Alphas had just come to earlier.
She continued. "Why? Why would they do that? Did theu drink it? Were they just that hungry? If they didn't what did they do with it and why?"
Both came to a stop at the farthest end of the feild, bent over and hands on their knees as they tried to catch their breath.
"I just don't get it." She said between pants.
Cole could not help but smile at her. Not only was she beautiful and strong, but she was incredibly smart as well. He couldn't wait to make her officially his.
"You never cease to me amaze me Lexi Vance." He said with a smile, straightening up with his hands on his hips.
She gave him a confused look.
"I just had this exact same conversation with the other packs." He smirked.
Lexi couldn't stop the smile the spread across her face. "Yeah? So the conference went well?"
He nodded and his signature smile presented itself. "It did." He paused for a moment. "And I'd love to tell you about it. Maybe over dinner tonight?"
Her smile widened. "Sure!"
Taking a few steps backwards towards the pack house he looked down at his watch. "See you at seven then?"
The black haired she-wolf nodded. "See you then."
She couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in her lower belly as he winked and turned to trot off the field.