Reborn To Defy The Alpha-Chapter 78: Frustrated Alpha (I)

Ares and Ellie circled each other in the center of the training gym, boots striking the padded mat in a tense, rhythmic beat. Their breathing came heavy, loud enough to fill the cavernous silence between each punch. Sweat clung to their skin, glistening beneath the overhead lights. Every movement was sharp and fueled by something unspoken yet dangerously present.

The gym sprawled wide around them, a utilitarian beast of steel and discipline. Weapon racks lined the walls, blades gleaming. Reinforced punching bags hung like silent sentinels, swaying from the chains that held them. Training dummies stood off to the side, marked and dented from relentless abuse.

Ellie tightened his gloves and shifted his stance. "Take it easy on me, will you?"

He hated sparring with Ares when the Alpha was in a mood like this. On ordinary days, Ares was already a problem. Calm, stone-faced, built like a nightmare sculpted with precision. He looked like he never lost control, like no punch could crack the ice underneath. But when frustration ran through him? He was a storm. A brutal one.

Ares answered with motion instead of words. His fist shot forward with ruthless precision. Ellie barely blocked the first strike before a brutal elbow arced toward his collarbone. He twisted back, heart lurching, narrowly dodging an injury that would have sidelined him for weeks.

"Do you want to kill me, Ares?!" Ellie barked, chest heaving.

Ares froze, breath rough, shoulders coiled with tension. He looked like a predator forced to hold itself back.

Ellie saw it then. That far off look. The way Ares’s gaze was not fixed on him.

In Ares’s mind, it wasn’t his beta standing in front of him anymore. It was Alpha Gunnar.

Ever since that cursed letter arrived announcing the Convergence ceremony would be held in his territory, Ares had been a live wire. The thought of that arrogant bastard stepping foot onto his land made his blood boil with fury thick enough to choke on. He had not slept properly in days. He carried fury like a second skin and dread like a ticking clock in his bones.

Ellie lowered his voice. "You’re doing it again." He pointed at him like a mother catching her kid stealing sweets. "I’m not Alpha Gunnar. Keep this up and one day you will actually kill me. In fact..." He yanked the gloves off, tossing them to the floor. "I’m done being your personal punching bag today."

Ares’s icy blue eyes narrowed. "If you were not my friend and beta, Ellie, I would punish you for speaking like that."

Ellie rolled his eyes so hard he was surprised they didn’t launch from his skull. "And that is like the one millionth time you’ve said that. Honestly, what is the benefit of being your friend if you try to murder me every time we train?"

Ares’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Something flickered, annoyance or maybe something close to guilt. Hard to tell with him.

Ellie smirked, satisfied that he’d hit a nerve. He had known Ares too long to flinch at empty threats. The Alpha wore frost like armor, kept everyone at a distance high enough to keep his heart safe. Only two people ever got past those towering walls. Ellie was one of them. Eberhard was the other.

Still, he watched his friend with a knot of worry tightening in his chest.

Ares was tearing himself apart from the inside out. And Ellie feared that if someone did not slow him down, there would be nothing left of him by the time the Convergence began.

"See, Ares" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Alpha," Ares cut in.

Ellie blinked. "Huh?"

"Alpha Ares," he corrected, tone like ice laid over sharpened steel. "Always add it when we are not alone. I am your Alpha. Never forget that."

He strode away without waiting for a reply. At the wall, he snatched up a water bottle and twisted the cap open in slow, controlled motion. His black hair clung damply to his forehead, sweat rolling down his neck. Even like this, he looked perfectly composed, as if fury itself bowed before his authority. Those glacier-blue eyes, cool and unyielding, didn’t so much as blink while he drank.

Ellie glanced around the gym, both arms flopping dramatically to his sides. "What is wrong with you?" His gaze swept the empty room. Not a single soul. "Two minutes ago you were ordering me to use your name and now we are back to titles. If I did not know better I would think you have a dual personality."

He did know better though. The Convergence. The letter. The walking reminder of everything Ares despised preparing to step foot into his home. It was winding his Alpha so tight Ellie feared one more twist might break him.

"Whatever I call you does not change the fact you are my Alpha and will always be my Alpha. Besides, nobody is even here."

Ares scoffed. He capped the bottle with a hard snap. "Let us go again."

Ellie stared. Jaw dropping. "Go where again?"

Ares cracked his knuckles, loud enough that Ellie almost felt it in his own bones. That was his answer.

"No damn way." Ellie stepped back in a hurry. "I told you I am done training with you today. I like breathing with ribs in one piece."

"You frustrating coward," Ares shot back, voice slicing the air. "Is that how you plan to serve me as my beta, running from fights? Maybe I should start looking for a replacement."

Ellie’s eyes narrowed. "Come on, Ares." He emphasized the name with defiance. "You know how crazy you get when..."

Ares took one single step forward. It was enough. "Are you calling me crazy?"

"Oh come on," Ellie muttered and backpedaled with both hands up in surrender. "Wait. Wait!"

A voice drifted from the entrance, smooth and casual. "I am here."

Ares’s head snapped around so fast Ellie almost heard a neck crack. His eyes locked on Rhea, who stood framed in the doorway like she owned every inch of the air she breathed.

Ellie did not even try to hide his relief. Shoulders sagged. Lungs restarted. He whispered under his breath, "Thank the goddess." And he meant it. Rhea had just walked in like a miracle dressed in trouble and he could have hugged her for saving him from becoming roadkill on the Alpha’s emotional highway.

Rhea stepped into the gym like she owned it. She wore deep-black training shorts that hugged her hips and showed off long, toned legs that looked like they were carved from pure confidence. Her crop top left her stomach bare, flat and firm, each movement revealing the subtle lines of muscle across her midsection. Her posture was easy and self-assured, shoulders back, chin lifted, every bit the definition of a problem Ares did not have the bandwidth for today.

Ares’s gaze betrayed him before his brain could issue a cease and desist. His eyes traced the path of her legs, slow and involuntary, then up the sleek curve of her waist to where the fabric stretched just right across her chest. His jaw clenched. The gym felt warmer, the air thicker, and for a moment he forgot what irritation even was. The worst part was that he knew he was staring and still could not seem to stop.

Rhea flicked an eyebrow. "Do you realize you are staring at me like a total creep?" Her voice was light, dangerously amused. "Have you never seen a woman in gym clothes before, Alpha?"

Ares stiffened, posture snapping tight like he’d been caught doing something illegal. He forced his gaze away, clearing his throat like that would fix anything. Ellie snickered.

Rhea strode past them like she was walking into a stadium full of admirers. "So," she said to Ellie while rolling her shoulders, "where should I begin?"

Rhea strode past them like she was entering a stadium full of cheering fans. "So," she said to Ellie, rolling her shoulders with a cocky grin, "where do I start?"

"Start what?" Ares snapped, glare swinging to his beta. "Why is she here?" His voice dropped to a low growl. Pressure was already pounding behind his eyes, and the last thing he needed right now was her... walking around shaped like temptation.

His wolf stirred at the back of his mind with unimpressed attitude. You are the idiot who rejected her. And look at you now.

Rhea crossed her arms, chin lifting a fraction. "I am here to train," she replied, tone dripping with obviousness. "This is a gym, is it not?"

Ellie nodded, "she will be joining us in training starting today," he announced quickly.

Ares turned his head very slowly toward him. The look he gave Ellie could have frozen lava mid-flow. "Since when do you make decisions without my permission?" His voice was quiet, which was always more dangerous.

Ellie winced. "I thought it would be better for her to burn off that... intense energy here rather than, you know, setting the entire pack on fire again." He lifted his hands in surrender. "If it offends you, my bad. I did not realize you would mind."