Alex Jr. wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and planted his feet wider in the dirt of the training clearing. The sun was dipping low, painting the trees in shades of orange and gold, but the heat in his muscles had nothing to do with the weather. At eighteen, he was built like his father—tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of strength that made other wolves glance twice. His dark hair stuck to his neck, and his chest rose and fell heavily under the thin tank top he’d already soaked through.
“Again,” Alpha Xander called from the edge of the clearing. His voice was firm but not unkind. “You’ve got the power, son. Now control it. The wolf doesn’t lead. You do.”
Alex Jr. clenched his jaw. Pressure sat heavy on his shoulders every single day. He was the heir. The on
