I really didn’t like the idea of being out, surrounded by trees when I knew Grayson and Mason were out there changing. I had to change and then I’d have to react to whatever happened.

I had the suspicion that the both of them were going to attack me.

Fear shot through me because I knew I was not much of a fighter compared to Mason, I couldn’t imagine going up against Grayson.

As my bones shifted and moved, I realized that I was getting used to this pain. I was relieved. When I first started the change, I couldn’t believe that I could ever get used to it. My pain tolerance must have gone up.

Once I was finished with the change I sat there for a minute. I always rested for a few minutes before going and finding whoever I was with. It gave me time to stretch and adjust to the difference in controlling my body.

But as soon as I laid down, I knew I wasn’t alone.

He’s coming for us. My wolf warned. Get up.

Once on four legs, I heard the growl.

Was I supposed to run? Was I supposed to give my belly and submit?

Usually with Mason I’d fight back because I wasn’t afraid of him. But Grayson, I didn’t know how to react to.

Casey had warned me back when I joined the group that if I knew I wasn’t going to win I should roll over and submit.

I didn’t think the point of testing my control was to kill me. That wouldn’t make sense.

All I felt was pain the next moment. I had been hit from the side and knocked over with such force that I slid across the ground, and only stopped because of the tree that dug into my back.

I tried to stand up, but my bad leg wasn’t allowing any weight. If I wanted up, I’d have to do it with three legs.

I looked around instead of trying to get up. I couldn’t see anything unusual. I couldn’t hear anything that would lead me to believe that there was someone out there.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe I had to find him. I lifted my front half up first, it seemed easier. It was hard getting my hind end up.

Once I was up, my ass was back down. I couldn’t even see him when he came at me. The sudden pain from being hit was the only thing that let me know I’d been hit.

This isn’t fair. My wolf grumbled.  Let me at him.

I couldn’t do that though. That was the point of this thing. I could only let her peek out. I couldn’t relinquish control. Not if I planned on making progress.

I scanned the area; I couldn’t see or hear him anywhere. He blended in so well with the environment. It made me wonder if someday I would be able to move like him.

Did I even have the potential to get to the level they were at?

I heard him coming a second before he plowed into me again. This time he didn’t run away. He stood maybe 10 feet away from me and he was baring his teeth with a growl.

Grayson was bigger than Mason. Not by much, but there was a noticeable difference.

Maybe it had something to do with Grayson being the alpha and Mason being the beta of the pack. That could explain why they were so much bigger than the wolves I had been working with.

I cowered down. I didn’t want to fight Grayson. I knew I’d lose. My wolf was struggling for control. She didn’t want to give up just yet. She always wanted to fight a little bit more. That would get me into trouble in this situation. I knew what the best decision for me and my wolf was. I just had to submit to him.

I laid down on the side of my body that didn’t hurt. I’d be suffering when I changed back into a human. The soreness always hurt less when I was a wolf compared to when I was a human.

Grayson cautiously came closer. He was making sure I wasn’t going to spring up and snap at him when he got within range. I couldn’t deny that it didn’t sound like a good idea and my wolf was fully liking the idea of hurting him. He was the one who stole us away from our life back in LA He was the one who had kidnapped me and locked me away in a cage and now a huge building.

But I wasn’t stupid. I could’ve gone on a rampage in LA. I could’ve killed a lot of people, without even knowing it happened. Someone would have come for me and someone would have killed me.

In a flash he brought his fangs down on my neck. I was so sure that he was going to rip my neck out; that I had misjudged this entire exercise and now I wasn’t going to live to see another day.

Then it clicked. The whole point of all of this was that Grayson wanted to push me to my limits to see how I would react. It made sense. Mason said this was about living in the house with them. There were kids in that house, so they wanted to make sure I wouldn’t snap and kill their kids!

I barely managed to halt the knee-jerk reaction of trying to pull away from him. It was more of a flinch than anything else.

His fangs were very sharp and long enough to get through the thick scruff of fur that protected my neck. During mock-fights, fangs never got close to the skin underneath the dense fur around my neck. I was terrified, and if he was as good at smelling as I thought he was, he’d know that I was terrified. He could easily kill me. He wouldn’t even have to put much effort into it.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes trying to calm myself. The only control I had in this situation was the control I had over my wolf. I couldn’t let that go. No matter what happened, I couldn’t release the control I had over her.

She wanted to growl, kick and buck Grayson off, then fight him for dominating her so. But it had to be done, whether she liked it or not.

Grayson growled. I could feel the vibrations shoot through my neck. I whined in fear. I wanted him to let me go so badly.

Then he let me go and stepped back. I looked up at him because I was expecting him to jump at me again, but instead, he nudged me.

Mason did that when he wanted me to stand so I knew that’s what Grayson wanted as well. I did my best to try to stand, I really did. But as soon as I tried to put some weight on my leg, it collapsed again.

Grayson helped me get onto three legs. I had to keep my bad leg from hitting the ground. At first it was weird and awkward, but as soon as I got the motion down it was ok. It wasn’t as bad walking like this as I thought it would be.

When we got back to the main house, Mason was out there watching over the kids as they played outside.

They were all so protective of those kids. You’d think that someone was after them instead of the werewolves of this pack.

I felt Mason’s eyes on me as I scanned over the kids. When I looked back at him, his eyes were on the leg I was keeping off the ground.

His eyes connected with Grayson’s as we walked closer.

Grayson stopped at the bottom of the steps and since I had been behind him, I stopped too.

Mason looked at me, “Go inside. Go up the stairs, turn left and take the third door on the right side.”

They were going to talk about me. I knew it. I just hoped they didn’t decide that I hadn’t passed, that my injury disqualified me. I’d love to have a room in a real house after the month of living at the compound.

I was too tired and exhausted to change, so I used the energy I had left to hop onto the bed and lay down. I was dirty, but at the moment I didn’t care. I was tired and needed a nap.

Mason’s POV

What did you do to her? I didn’t like the fact that she came back on 3 legs.

Don’t even start with me. Grayson’s eyes narrowed on me as he growled back in my head. You’re not the one who had to push her.

You said that’s your job. You’re the Alpha. I snapped back. That was the reason why Grayson made me go back to the house. He knew when he sent me away that I was not happy with the idea. He reasoned that it was his job and he didn’t need me jumping in if things got rough.

Yes, I am. You’d do well to remember that.

“You’re in a prissy mood.”

Grayson growled and snapped at my ankle. I had to move it or he would’ve sank his teeth in.

A football shot out from the left and pegged Grayson right in the head. Michael was the only one brave enough to throw a ball at his father’s head.

A baseball pegged me not even a second later, it prevented me from laughing at Grayson. Matthew usually followed Michael’s lead, even though he was two years older than my nephew.

“No biting!” Willow chastised as she held another baseball cocked back and ready to throw with an adorable serious expression. That little brat had an arm and amazing aim.

Grayson knew she’d be relentless until he acknowledged her.

Even though he was still pissed off, he bobbed his head down twice for her. Willow dropped the ball with a huge smile and looked over at the boys. A wicked grin crossed her face before she shoved Matthew into Michael, knocking them both over the toys right next to them.

She ran towards the house cackling like crazy and was in the house before either of them could get up and retaliate.

Grayson huffed and followed her into the house.

“You get the girl get the drop on the two of you.” I teased the boys. They both turned red and stalked into the house. They were going to plot their revenge. But if I knew Willow, she’d be glued to her mom and Casey until the boys gave up on their plan.

Lexi’s POV

I didn’t hurt as much as I had when I went to sleep. I was human again. I must have changed back while I was sleeping. The glow from the clock felt too bright next to the bed. It was four AM. I shot up, fully awake, when I realized that I had to be naked if I had changed back in my sleep.

I noticed I had a huge shirt on. Someone had dressed me.

Then I heard a sigh next to me. I slowly looked over and saw a broad bare back next to me. I shot out of the bed like I was on fire. There was a man sleeping next to me! He was on his stomach so I couldn’t see his face.

That was until his sleepy green eyes met mine. “What are you doing?” Mason’s sleepy voice asked.

“What are you doing?” I wanted to scream and go into hysterics, but I knew that at this time of the morning, people would be sleeping. I didn’t know if the kid’s rooms were close to mine and I didn’t want to startle them awake.

He dropped his head down on the pillow, still looking at me. “I was sleeping.”

“You’re in my bed!”

“Actually,” he groaned and rolled onto his back “you were in my bed.”

It took everything I had to not stare at the muscles of his upper body. It wasn't normal. “Well then you should’ve slept on the floor!”

“I’m not much of a gentleman.” He chuckled. “Though, I did put that shirt on you.”

I gasped. “I--"

“It’s not like I’ve never seen you naked before.” He joked. How could he joke right now?

“You’re a pig!”

His smile widened. “I’ve been called worse.”

I huffed and made it to the door of the room before he stopped me. He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. I held onto his waist so my face didn’t crash against his back. I couldn’t say that the view wasn’t anything but fantastic.

His back was defined and he had the cutest ass I had seen in a long time.

“Let me go.” I said angrily. I didn’t like how my body responded to him. I didn’t want to like him like I did. I wanted him to be like all the rest of the men in my life, just a friend.

“As you wish.”

He dropped me. There was a second where I thought I was going to land on the ground. But when I bounced lightly on the bed, I sighed in relief. I didn’t want my leg to get jolted again. It was starting to feel better.

“You got to the door faster than I thought you would with that leg of yours acting up.”

I glared at him. The front of his body was fantastic. “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore.” The guys in my group were all fit and had six packs just like Mason’s. But they didn’t make me feel the same way.

“Obviously.” He lifted the blanket on his bed, “Scoot.”

“You’re not staying in here with me.”

He sat down on the bed and pulled the blankets over his lap.

“Then get on the floor.” He suggested. “Your room isn’t ready yet, so you’re stuck with me tonight.”

“Can I sleep on the couch downstairs?”

He laid back and interlocked his fingers behind his head. “Nope. You’re staying in this room, with me, until I’m ready to get up.”

I felt the order sink in. I glared at him. “You can’t order me around like that! It’s abuse of power.”

It seemed like the angrier I got, the more amused he was. “Well I did, so what’cha gonna do about it?” He gloated.

When I went to hit him, he caught my wrist and pulled me towards him.

My face smashed up against his chest. “You’re a jerk.”

“Yeah, I know.” He shrugged me off, making me slide to his side. “Now, will you go back to sleep?”

“How do you expect me to sleep when you’re right here?”

He gave me a look that made me feel like I was stupid. “Close your eyes and go to sleep like everyone else does.”

“Well they don’t have to worry about you doing your little jokes and pranks.” I shot back. I didn’t want to wake up with my hair cut off, covered in flour, or worse, waking up to his naked upper half and not being able to control myself.

Even now, I wanted to touch his stomach. I had thought about it a lot, but if I ever really did, Mason would never stop teasing me about it. Maybe if I had something on him he’d let it go. But Mason was shameless.

“I’ll promise that I won’t play pranks on you while you’re sleeping.”

“No jokes either.”

He nodded, “I will leave you alone.”

I rolled away from him so our bodies weren’t touching. “Fine.”

I didn’t sleep much after that. I wasn’t very tired anymore to begin with.  It was close to six AM before I fell back asleep.