Resist the Urge

CHAPTER 15: RESIST THE URGE

~ Harper’s POV~

I followed Tanner to a clearing in the back of the pack house. It was a large private clearing with lush green grass and lots of workout equipment positioned all around. Pack members were situated around the field stretching and doing warmups. There was a clearing in the middle of the field that was obviously dedicated to sparring matches.

Tanner looked at me and spoke.
“So, what do you think? You will find workout equipment all around the field. There should be just about any type of equipment that you would need. In the middle you will find the sparring arena. Water fountains are placed all around as well as areas where you can find cooling towels if you get hot. The restrooms are back near the packhouse doors. There, you will also find a shaded area if you need to sit for a minute.” Tanner continued, leading the way all around the field. Introducing me to some pack members I haven’t met yet.
“Wow, Tanner, this is all great! Everything is so modern and advanced. It’s all arranged so conveniently around the field. It’s impressive. Where did Alpha Gabriel go?” Not waiting for Tanner’s answer, I spread my legs a little and bent over to touch my toes without bending my knees. I need to stretch before training begins. I stayed in this position until I was satisfied. I then sat down to change my position, I spread my legs wide. I reached my hands straight in front of me and bent all the way down almost touching my nose to the ground.
“I really don’t know. Maybe his father needed him. I’m sure he will be here soon. Just continue stretching and we will get started shortly.”

Tanner blew a whistle to get everyone’s attention. “Everyone hurry and finish your stretches. We will begin our training session shortly.” I continued my stretches Focusing on my arm muscles. Once I was done, I looked up to see that most of the wolves training were male. That’s not uncommon. In a pack, male warriors usually lead the charge.

I heard running behind me and turned around to see Alpha Gabriel had finally arrived. Tanner blew his whistle to gain everyone’s attention once again. This time, Alpha Gabriel spoke.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m sorry, I’m late to training today. As you know, I have a lot of work to do to prepare for taking my father’s place as alpha. I have inherited many more responsibilities. Don’t anticipate late training sessions in the future. As I adjust to my responsibilities, we will develop a routine and stick to it. To our female warriors in training, Samantha, will not be here today. You will fall under Tanner’s charge for today only. Tomorrow will go back to normal, and you will fall back under Samantha’s charge. Now, I am addressing everyone. I expect your best today. Things are changing and threats are getting real. We need to continue to grow stronger to be able to keep our packs safe. It is us who stand between our pack and devastation.

I know you all feel the same way that I do about the protection of our pack and our loved ones. So, I am expecting you all to give it your best today and, in the days following. Focus on your weaknesses and concentrate on strengthening them. Now, if everyone is done with your stretches, you are free to start your pre workout, then we will move into some sparring.”

I watched as everyone fell into their normal routine. Some people were doing chin-ups, some people doing sit-ups, some people were doing pushups. As Tanner went to help the other warriors in their exercises, Gabriel walked to me. He was wearing navy sweatpants that hung low on his waist and a white T shirt that fit tight to his frame. His hair was tossed in that sexy kind of way that made him look irresistible.

He looked excited and ready to train.
“So, are you ready to do this? I know it’s your first day. So, if you want, you can just watch and observe our routine. When you’re ready, you can join in. Take your time and don’t pressure yourself.”
“I plan to watch for most of today. I would like to get a workout in. It’s been a few weeks since I have been able to train. I don’t want to lose any more stamina than I already have. This is a nice training area that you have. You really put a lot of effort into your warriors, don’t you?” Gabriel crossed his arms and gave me a cheeky smile. He walked over to a bench and removed his T-shirt. Heat instantly ran up my neck and into my cheeks. There’s no way I’m concealing that blush. My eyes roamed his hard body. His shoulders were wide, and his arms were muscular and toned. My eyes trailed lower and came to rest on his abbs. They looked like they were chiseled from stone. They were so tempting I had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. I bit my lip thinking about every inch of him that I would like to taste. I felt moisture developing between my legs. Oh No! What if he smells my arousal?

Gabriel captured his bottom lip between his teeth. He looked at me possessively. I watched as his eyes darkened and roamed the length of my body. This time, he didn’t care to let me see him looking at me. I felt shy suddenly, but I couldn’t look away. Gabriel walked closer to me. He was standing directly in front of me. We made eye contact briefly. Then his eyes trailed my face and landed on my lips.

I licked my lips with anticipation. Was he about to kiss me? He gave me a cocky smirk and I bit my lip trying to hide my embarrassment. Sweat was accumulating over his body. It made me think about running my tongue along his abs and over his chest.
“You know, if you don’t quit biting that lip, I’m going to bite it for you, right?” My eyes shot wide open, and I looked at him. Did I just hear him right? Did he just tell me he was going to bite my lip?

My heart rate started to speed up as the sexual tension between us was building.
“What about Samantha? Aren’t you two in a relationship? The way it looked earlier; she is really serious about you.” I have known this guy for a day and he’s driving me crazy causing me to have thoughts and feelings that I’ve never had before. My body is reacting in a way that I don’t even understand. I’ve never had this reaction to a man before. Regardless of my attraction to him, I will not pursue a man that’s already taken. I’m not a home wrecker. Even if he and Samantha are not mates yet, I come second to no one.

Gabriel’s features became serious. I guess he wanted to put me out of my misery, sensing my nervousness. He answered my question.
“Samantha and I are not together. I know how this looks and I want you to know I’m not that kind of guy. As you and Tanner were walking here for training, I ran to catch Samantha before she had the chance to leave. My feelings for her are just not there. It’s not fair for me to lead her on. I tried to see if something could grow between us for the sake of my position as alpha. I let things go further than I should have, and it wasn’t fair to her. I explained all of that to Samantha before coming here to train. She wasn’t happy that I ended it, but there really wasn’t anything to end. She understood how I felt before we took things further.”

“I don’t understand why you ended things with her today. It makes it look like I could be the reason for all of this.”
“Samantha and I have been trying to build our relationship for over a month now. I decided to end things today because I found you attractive. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable; I just want you to know the truth. Me telling you this doesn’t mean I left Sam to try to jump straight into a relationship with you. I just don’t think it’s right to feel attraction toward someone else while I am in a relationship with her. It just proved to me that things wouldn’t have lasted between Samantha and I.”