Page 20 of Alpha Awakened

“What are the stakes?”

“Hmmm.” Hazard thought about it while keeping his eyes on the captain. He didn’t want to be taken unawares. “If I win, you have to take off your maskandbalaclava for twenty minutes in our barracks common area tonight.”

“And if win, which I will, what do I get?”

“What do you want?”

“You have to go an entire twenty-four hours without talking unless directly spoken to by a superior.”

Hazard almost dropped his guard. “That’s cruel!” he protested.

“Afraid to accept?”

Hazard couldn’t completely see Ice’s expression but he heard the smugness in his tone. It made him even more determined to win. “Hell, no. You’re on.”

He could tell that Ice was waiting for him to make the first move. And since he liked to be quick to attack, he obliged him. He moved in close and made as if he was about to do a spinning kick. But when Ice went to block it, he pulled back, ducked under Ice’s long arms and tagged him in the side of his torso with a punch.

“Oof.”

The soft, nearly soundless exhale of air was the only indication that he’d landed the hit since Ice didn’t so much as flinch.

He threw another punch, but Ice was ready for him this time. The captain caught his wrist in a vise like grip. He twisted Hazard’s arm, then moved in close while still twisting, forcing Hazard down to one knee.

Hazard clenched his teeth at the burning pain in his arm. It hurt, but it wasn’t enough to make him submit. He tucked and rolled, the change in position easing the pressure on his arm. As he rolled, he grabbed Ice by both forearms. Using hismomentum and damn near all of his strength, he flipped the alpha over his head and onto his back.

With gleeful anticipation, he started to press his advantage while Ice was down. Before he could do so however, Ice kipped up to his feet and spun around to face Hazard. In an instant, the alpha was back in his fighting stance.

Hazard’s eyes popped open wide. It was mind boggling to see someone so big pull off that agile move.

Ice grinned, revealing sharp, white fangs. The gleam in his dark eyes revealed that he knew he’d unnerved Hazard with that kip up.

Hazard grinned back. He liked the captain’s cocky confidence. “I see you’ve got a few moves, Captain.”

Ice snorted. “More than a few.”

Without warning, Hazard shot forward again, planning to use his omega speed to dart in, strike, and dart back out. He’d always had success using that tactic. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t work.

As soon as he darted in, Ice caught him in a hold. He wrapped an arm around Hazard’s torso, pinning one arm to his side. Hazard’s other arm was yanked up behind his head and bent at the elbow, his wrist again caught in Ice’s tight grip. Completely captured, he met Ice’s eyes. They were closer than dance partners, their bodies pressed together from chest to thigh. But this was no dance. The position put uncomfortable strain on his side all the way up to his arm pit and prevented him from using his upper body in any capacity. But that wasn’t going to be enough to end the match.

Hazard raised a knee, driving it into the captain’s muscled quad. Ice grunted, his hold on Hazard loosening slightly at the stab of pain. Hazard let his body go limp, which gave him just enough room to slip free of the loosened hold. With lightningquickness, Ice moved to catch him again, but Hazard leaped back out of his reach.

“Thought you had me, didn’t you?” he taunted.

He got an annoyed growl as his answer.

The mood changed, the air between them now crackling with tension. They both doubled their intensity, determined to win the contest. Attempting to dart behind Ice’s defenses clearly wasn’t going to work, so Hazard decided to try and throw the captain off guard by facing him head on instead. He threw punch after punch but Ice blocked every single one with astonishing ease. The alpha didn’t even look like he was breathing hard. Noticing that, the beginnings of frustration started to build in Hazard’s chest.

“Running out of ideas, Corporal?” Ice asked with a slight smile curling one side of his mouth.

This time Hazard was the one to growl. His eyes narrowed on the smile lingering on those damn pretty, pink lips. He was about to attack with a flying knee strike when a piercing whistle cut through the air.

“Yo! Ice. Hazard.”

At the interruption they both stopped and took a step back. Hazard looked over his shoulder to where the whistle had come from. Jax stood half inside the gym entryway, looking serious.

“We’re needed in the briefing room.”

Ice immediately started unwrapping his hands. “We’re on the way,” he said.