Alex greeted some of the warriors as he passed them on her way to Kit. In general, they had all become more friendly towards her, particularly the ones who had been at Black Mountain the previous week. They were all moving into whatever formations they were practicing next and started tackling each other. Alex noticed that none of the fight sequences, tackles or defence moves were anything like what her and Nolan had been teaching them but just sighed deeply, calming her mind before sidled up alongside Kit.

She greeted him with as friendly a tone as she could muster, 'How's training going today Gamma?'

Kit was making a meal out of writing something in his notes, taking a hugely unnecessary amount of time to answer her. Alex willed herself not to roll her eyes, and she gritted her teeth silently. Finally, Kit looked up at Alex, stared at her for a moment and then said, 'Sorry Luna. What was your question today?' He looked expectantly at her, eyebrows raised with the look of a man who thought that whatever she had asked was not worth his time.

Alex licked her lips. She knew he was trying to frustrate her. All she wanted to do was put her experience at his disposal, to better the army in their tactical training. But this man; this excuse for a man; his arrogance and ego would not allow for him to open his mind to the possibility that he may not be doing the best he could for his pack. It was dangerous to have such a man as Gamma.

She took a breath and tried again. 'Let's talk plainly Kit. Are you planning on letting me help you with training? Or at least, using any of the new techniques from my pack here with your warriors? It's been a week already and I haven't seen anything change here.'

'What needs to change?' shrugged Kit, putting a confused look on his face as if this was the first time this subject had been broached with him. He had turned around to pick up a bottle of water, not bothering to look at Alex as he took a swig, some of the droplets dripping down his moustache and onto his chin.

'Kit, the training I provided was requested by your Alpha. He wanted updates made, new methods tried out. He wouldn't have sent you to me if everything was working,' Alex was seething inside but was doing her utmost to remain calm and try to reason with this beast.

'I don't see how it's your place tell me anything about it Luna,' Kit was becoming angry himself now. 'I take my orders from the Alpha of this pack. You have no authority over me or what I do here. It's none of your goddamn business.'

He stood tall now, face angled slightly down towards her as though this would intimidate her. The anger started bubbling out and her wolf was chomping at the bit to be released and remind this fool why her fighting techniques were superior to his in every single way. She was also his Luna now, and there was supposed to be an assumed respect for that position.

'None of my business?,' Alex was speaking a little louder than she had meant to and she could see that she was drawing some attention to their exchange from some of the warriors. 'This is my pack too Kit and I give a fuck about how it is protected. Especially when my skill and teaching methods far exceed yours.' She stood within an inch of him now, disgusted by the smirk on his face as he looked at her. 'You are standing in the way of progress and of making sure that you are doing the best you can by your warriors and your pack.'

Kit still had that infuriating smirk on his face, as if he was untouchable. 'Luna, haven't you figured it out yet? You're just here to look pretty and breed the heir. You are the Alpha's whore and nothing more.'

Big mistake. Alex headbutted Kit square in the nose, followed immediately by a knee to the gut, making him bend over, wheezing. She finished with a swift punch downwards across his left cheek. 'You are a fucking prick Kit.'

Some of the nearby warriors had moved slightly closer, perhaps to stop any further blows to their Gamma. None seemed completely sure of their place when there was a fight between their Luna and Gamma. She looked around at the group, confusion and possible anger on some of their faces. She had to walk away. She was too angry to make a coherent sentence.

Alex was seething. She had been concerned when she moved to Lunar Ridge that she would be forced into a life she did not want; to be a figurehead, having no real responsibilities and there just to produce children for the Alpha. She hated that Kit had spoken her fears out loud. She took the long way around the forest before going to Aidan's office. She needed to clear her head of the absolute fury that was burning in every cell of her body. She had to focus on the leaves crunching below her feet, the wind moving the leaves overhead and the occasionally growls of greeting from a passing patrol.

It only took her twenty minutes to get to Aidan's office but she could hear Kit inside already, giving a version of events to Aidan and Marcus. Alex pushed the door open quietly. Aidan was sitting at his desk, rubbing his forehead in annoyance at what he was being told. Marcus was leaning against the long boardroom table, listening to Kit's story, eyebrows furrowed. Kit had been pacing between the two, arms flailing in anger as he recounted his side of the story, occasionally wiping blood from his broken nose.

Alex's scent announced her presence as well as the loud clearing of her throat. 'Hello again Kit,' she smiled darkly at him as she came in to stand beside him in front of Aidan's desk.

'Alex, were you at warrior training again today?' Aidan asked the question with a bite in his voice.

'Of course I was,' Alex's forehead wrinkled at the accusatory tone in Aidan's voice. 'I have the experience to share. I can improve on what's being done. A week ago, I was training your warriors. The best way for me to add value to this pack is surely to use my skillset effectively?'

Aidan rolled his eyes. 'I'm tired of hearing about this. Kit is the Gamma here. He is in charge of training the team. You can't just undermine him,' Alex made to interrupt him, but Aidan spoke louder. 'And you certainly cannot attack him in front of the warriors because you are not getting your way.' Aidan was shouting now and stood, his hand slamming down on the desk in front of him.

Alex was aghast. Her mate never even asked her side of it. He just went ahead and believed everything he was told. Kit was still smirking to her left. 'Tell him what you said to me,' she said, turning to Kit.

'I didn't say anything. And I have witnesses to back me up Luna,' Kit motioned towards three warriors that were standing at the window behind the boardroom table. Alex hadn't noticed them before.

'Tell Aidan what you said to me, how you provoked me,' she took a step towards him now, and said very quietly, 'before I make you tell him.'

Kit had to stifle a laugh. 'Luna, you're just too emotional. This is why you can't be at training everyday.'

That was it. Alex's blood boiled. There was no stopping it now. No one in the room knew that she had the Alpha gene too but they were about to be given a lesson on what it meant to anger an Alpha. Her breathing became louder, her body bulked up slightly as the Alpha within her wolf came to the forefront. Her eyes turned black and her voice was deeper now when she snarled,

'Speak now Gamma. Tell the Alpha what you called his Luna.'

There was shock registering on every face. She couldn't see Aidan behind her but Kit, Marcus and the three warriors were immediately affected by an Alpha command. Alex's aura spread further from her now, fuelled by the amount of rage in her body. Kit fell to his knees much to his own surprise, the three warriors followed quickly, one of them whimpering slightly from the pain of being caught in an Alpha command.

'Speak dog,' she directed the command to Kit. She could see him shaking, trying to resist the order. Power radiated from Alex, and even Marcus was forced onto his knees. She grabbed Kit by the throat, forcing his face upwards to look at her. She growled, 'Last chance Kit, or I'll rip your throat out.'

Kit sobbed slightly under the force of the command. 'A whore,' he stammered, 'I said she was just the Alpha's whore.' He choked out the words and she released him. He fell to the floor, clutching his neck.

Alex lifted the Alpha command and the relief in the room was instant. She turned to her mate.

'You're.. you're an Alpha?' he stared open-mouthed at her.