by Cheree Alsop
Trent spoke up first. “Alex is in trouble and we’re somehow involved?”
Jaze chuckled. “Nice guess, but no.”
Jericho glanced at Alex. “Does this have anything to do with the mission we helped out with last term?”
Jaze nodded. “It has everything to do with it. Alex has been on several missions since.” He smiled at Alex. “Successful missions, I might add, and he’s informed me that you would like to help out as well.”
Answering nods met Jaze’s expectant gaze. He waved his hand toward the hidden panel. “Your training begins now.”
He opened the panel and the students followed him inside.
“I don’t understand why everyone assumes I’m the one in trouble,” Alex said, following the dark passageway by memory. “It’s not like I’m the only who steps out of line once in a while.”
“Once in a while?” Kalia asked.
The sound of her voice made Alex’s heart do a funny flip. He smiled at her, then noticed that she was walking with her hands out as though afraid she was about to run into a wall. He remembered that she didn’t have werewolf senses, and was in essence walking through the unlit tunnel blind.
He took her hand. The touch of her palm made warmth run up his arm.
“Thank you,” she whispered quietly.
He realized she didn’t want anyone to remember that her senses were far weaker than a werewolf’s. Alex could understand. Werewolf instinct demanded for a werewolf to hide weakness because weaknesses in the wild meant death. Even during the times he had been hurt, he had done his best to hide the pain. The fact that Kalia hid her inability to see in the dark filled Alex with empathy. He vowed to help her hide her deficiencies until her strengths surfaced.
“Anytime,” he whispered back. The warmth deepened when her fingers tightened in his. He fought to focus his senses to their surroundings instead of the girl at his side. It confused him how much of his thoughts she occupied. He knew it could be dangerous on missions if he couldn’t keep his mind straight.
Alex was grateful when the second panel slid aside. He dropped Kalia’s hand and hurried through. She stepped after him, her gaze on the huge cavern.
“Welcome, class,” Caden, Brock’s cousin, said from the weapon’s desk below.
“Class?” Trent repeated. “As in, we’re his students?”
The dean nodded. “I turn you over to Professor Caden’s capable hands. You will attend weapons’ training each morning while the rest of your pack mates are in Professor Grace’s English class. Your lessons will be supplemented in poetry with Grace after lunch.”
“Did he say poetry?” Terith asked when Jaze left back through the tunnel.
“Did he say weapons’ training?” Trent echoed.
“Don’t be shy,” Caden called up. “Come down and get to know the guns that may save your life.”
“This. Is. Awesome,” Pip breathed.
Alex remembered that the little werewolf had been gone the previous term when he had called on the rest of his pack for help. The enormous cavern and everything inside was all new.
“Jaze runs a rescue and surveillance team down here,” Alex explained quietly to Pip as they made their way down the stairs after the others. “I help out, and now you might get the opportunity to as well.” Alex wasn’t sure why Jaze had chosen the little werewolf, but he was glad to have him along. Pip hadn’t betrayed him and Cassie by choice; he would have the chance to make up for that now.
“You’re going to let Trent touch a gun?” Terith asked.
“I had a gun last time,” Trent pointed out.
“Yeah, and you almost shot yourself,” his sister replied, rolling her eyes.
“It was only sleeping stuff,” Trent argued.
Caden held up a hand, catching their attention. “Not sleeping stuff,” he corrected. “The bullets we use on missions are filled with a fast-acting sleep agent capable of knocking out a full grown man in under five seconds. It takes our enemies out of the equation, and minimizes the death toll.”
“Do we need to minimize the death toll?” Tennison asked, his tone even.
Tennison had lost his parents to Extremists. Alex could definitely relate to the werewolf’s bitterness.
Caden nodded. “As much as we’d all like to wreak havoc on the General’s army, we are under an agreement with the GPA. We catch the General’s men, and they deal the justice.”
“Like a trial by peers?” Trent asked. “If humans were pro werewolf genocide, how would a trial like that be fair?”
Caden gave him a steely look. “Remember who you’re talking to. I’m a human, and many of my closest friends are werewolves. Not everyone took the General’s side. There’s a reason he’s considered a rebel by this nation, and why the GPA is so interested in bringing him down. They just don’t allow murder without just cause, and so we bring the enemies in, and they provide the evidence to take them down.”
Tennison nodded, satisfied. “When do we start?”
Caden smiled. “You just did.” He pointed to a door Alex hadn’t noticed before. It was recessed in the wall behind the weaponry. “Let’s see where everyone’s skill levels lie.”
The werewolves followed Caden through the door. The human flipped a switch, lighting an impressive shooting range complete with silhouettes of men against the far wall for target practice.
“Step up to the booths and get familiar with the weapons in front of you,” Caden instructed. “I chose Glock nine millimeters for your first gun because they’re light, which isn’t exactly a problem for werewolves, but it’s always a nice feature; they’re also durable, simple to operate, and have decent accuracy. Just be careful with the safe action trigger. It doesn’t need much pressure to fire.”
As if to emphasize his point, a shot ricocheted through the air. Everyone jumped. The sound of a gun being set quickly back on the table followed Pip stepping away with his head bowed.
“Uh, sorry about that,” he said.
Caden shook his head, his eyes wide. “I’m just glad we’re all here and bullet free. Watch that safety.”
“Yes, sir,” Pip replied gloomily.
Caden let out his breath in a rush. “There’s one in every class,” he said. He ran a hand through his spikey brown hair, then smiled at the group. “Alright, students, pick up your guns and aim them at the targets. If you keep the business end pointed in that direction, we should be alright.”
Everyone did as he told them.
“Fire!” Caden said.
Bullets tore through the air. When everyone was done firing, Caden compared their marks. Only two were anywhere close. Alex’s had gone through the outline’s head, while Kalia’s hit it in the heart.
Caden nodded. “Very good. For the rest of you, squeeze the triggers slowly. Don’t jerk the gun back with the pressure or it’ll throw your aim off. Let’s try again,” the professor instructed.
By the end of class, everyone’s aims had improved, but it was obvious Kalia had the best skill when it came to accuracy. Her targets all had holes through the heart without fail.
“Have you done this before?” Jericho asked her as they walked down the hall to their next class.
“Never,” Alex heard Kalia reply. There was a note of pride to her voice. For the first time, she had bested the werewolves in her pack at something. He was happy for her.
“Welcome to group combat training,” Professor Chet said as soon as they reached the training room. The rest of Pack Jericho along with Pack Drake were already waiting for them.
“Group combat?” Pip repeated in a squeak that made everyone laugh.
Professor Dray smiled at the small werewolf. “You’ve all had training in regular werewolf combat, but in normal life situations, you’ll be in a pack. Learning how to fight as one with your pack mates is essential if you wish to protect each other.”
“Enough talk,” Chet said. “Let’s gets to fighting. Pack Jericho on one side, Pack Drake on the other. The best way to figure out pack dynamics al
ong with your strengths and weaknesses is to see how you do in battle. So, fight!”
At the professor’s call, the packs stared at each other. Besides rank duels and one on one combat training, they had never been in fights. It felt wrong to attack fellow students.
“Seriously?” Professor Chet said at their lack of response. “Last hour, Pack Boris and Pack Torin tore into each other like there was no tomorrow. We had to pull them apart.”
Professor Dray nodded with a grimace as if it had been an unpleasant experience.
“Come on,” Chet urged. “How are you going to know how you fight if you don’t try it?”
Trent spoke up. “We, uh, we don’t have anything against Pack Drake, professor.”
“You don’t have anything against Pack Drake?” Chet repeated in a mocking tone similar to Trent’s whiny voice. The professor’s eyes narrowed. “Drake, come here.”
Drake left his pack and walked to Chet’s side. It was obvious by the uncertainty in the Alpha’s stride that the Lifer didn’t know what to expect.
“Do you like Pack Jericho?” Chet asked.
“I don’t think this is necessary,” Professor Dray pointed out.
Chet ignored him, his gaze intent as he watched the Alpha student.
“Not really,” Drake admitted.
“Why not?” Chet pressed.
Drake glanced at Pack Jericho. “They’re pretentious. They think they’re better than the other packs because they mix Lifers and Termers. They’re annoying.”
Chet cracked a smile. “I don’t think everyone on Pack Jericho knows what pretentious means,” he looked directly at Amos.
The huge werewolf shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed expression.
“It’s okay,” Cassie whispered to him.
The rest of Pack Drake laughed. Alex’s hands clenched into fists.
“I think you may have a reason to fight,” Chet concluded with a smug smile. He stepped back with his arms crossed.
“You think we’re annoying?” Jericho repeated.
Drake nodded with the answering nods of the rest of his pack behind him. “Extremely annoying,” the Alpha said.
Jericho glanced back at Alex. The Alpha gave his shoulders the slightest lift, asking an unspoken question.
“Fighting for class?” Alex said. “We might as well get a good grade.”
Jericho gave a toothy smile in return. He walked across the mat toward Pack Drake. Alex’s pack mates fell in around their Alpha and Second as Pack Drake crossed to meet them.
“This might hurt,” Jericho said with sarcasm in his voice.
“Oh, it’s going to,” Drake replied. He took a swing at Jericho’s head. Jericho ducked and slammed a punch into the other Alpha’s stomach. The fight exploded around them.
Adrenaline rushed through Alex’s veins. He ducked a punch and answered with one of his own. He blocked a kick with crossed forearms, and slammed his elbow into another werewolf’s groin. He spun to the right and drove a hammer fist into a werewolf’s ear, dropping him to the ground. All around him, werewolves grappled and punched.
Alex was careful to keep Cassie and Kalia in view. His sister fought with Tennison at her back. She swept low as the tall, skinny werewolf lashed out with bony knuckles. Jaren, Drake’s Second, didn’t stand a chance. Kalia stood back near the professors. Apparently Dray had at least convinced Chet that the one student who hadn’t shown signs of being a werewolf should stay out of the fight. Given Kalia’s lesser strength, Alex was grateful the professor had stepped in.
“Alright, alright,” Chet called after a few more minutes.
The packs were much more reluctant to give up the fight than they had to begin. Dray was forced to break up the fight between Jericho and Drake. Both Alphas had bruises on their faces. A trickle of blood showed beneath Drake’s nose.
“Jaze isn’t going to be thrilled if we keep ending class with students bleeding,” Dray said quietly.
Chet shrugged. “It’ll toughen them up. Builds character.”
“Blood builds character?” Dray repeated dryly.
Chet nodded. “We should put that on the wall.” At Dray’s dismayed look, Chet chuckled and turned to the students. “Alright, class. What have we learned?”
“That fighting as a pack is awesome?” Trent asked. His glasses were skewed and he would definitely have a bruise on the top of his buzzed head, but he was smiling just the same.
Chet’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t know if I would call that awesome. I’d call it a mess of arms, legs, and fists that have no idea where they’re going or what anyone else is up to. Pack fighting is completely the opposite. You have a hierarchy in your pack, and it’s got to reflect your actions in a fight. You protect your Alpha’s back, you follow his lead. Everyone was so intent on their own personal battle that nobody noticed what the Alphas were doing. If your Alpha falls, you’ve lost the fight. No debate, no redo; in the real world, if you don’t defend your Alpha and work together as a team, you’ve already lost.”
He was quiet for several minutes as he allowed his words to sink in. Alex’s knuckles throbbed. His heart had skipped once during the fight and he had caught a glancing blow across his cheekbone that was now making itself known. Bruises would heal quickly, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt while they healed. He massaged his knuckles as he listened to Chet break down their fight so they could do better the next day.
Chapter Five
Pack Jericho followed Professor Colleen and Pack Torin through the forest. The scent of sawdust filled Alex’s nose. All during the summer, the southern section of the forest just below the Academy had been off-limits to the Lifers who stayed at the school year round. Alex was glad his curiosity was finally going to be appeased.
They paused when they reached the clearing. Alex stared at the huge expanse before them, unsure what he was looking at. Huge beams, platforms, ropes, and sunken posts made up a giant network of paths stories high in the meadow.
“What on earth is this?” Torin asked the words everyone had been thinking.
Professor Colleen smiled, her purple gaze bright. “We’ve had wilderness education, we’ve worked on sense training, and this term we’re going to work on your agility as both a wolf and a human.”
“We’re not human,” Torin stated flatly.
Colleen gave him a patient smile. “You’re not human, but you have a human side. Just as your abilities as a wolf can be essential to your survival, so can those of your human counterpart. We’re going to train them both here.”
She led the way to the agility course. At the top, a wolf with a dark gray coat looked down at them. Alex smiled when he realized it was Rafe, Colleen’s mate. He had been raised by wild wolves and preferred the forest to the Academy. While Colleen usually did the teaching, Rafe and his wolves had been an essential part to learning what it was really like to live as a wolf.
“Who can make their way up to Rafe?” Colleen asked.
The packs surged forward. Colleen held up a hand. “You have to do it first as a wolf. Afterwards, we’ll start on your human skills.”
The werewolves made their way to the forest to phase.
“If she calls us human again, I’m going to hit something,” Torin threatened under his breath.
“Professor Thorson’s human,” Pip pointed out. The look the Alpha shot him was enough to send the little werewolf running to the nearest tree.
“Kalia, why don’t you stay with me,” Alex heard Colleen say back at the clearing. “Someone’s got to help me see who makes it to the top first, if any of them do. It might take all class period.”
“Do you have any water balloons?” Kalia asked.
Colleen laughed in reply.
Alex phased, grateful to be in wolf form once more. With everything that had been going on during Jaze’s rescue missions, it was nice to step away from his human side for a while and just embrace being a wolf. Worries and cares fell away so that his thoughts took on the focused, goal-orient
ed thinking of the wolf. Wolves didn’t spend time dwelling on what the future would hold, or what someone else thought, or how the past could come back to haunt them.
Wolves lived in the present. It was a refreshing perspective. What mattered to Alex when he was in wolf form were the scents that tangled in his nose, telling of rabbits, fresh raspberries, and the sharp, crisp scent of the grass beneath his paws. The sawdust from the construction of the obstacle course took on a deeper meaning as he smelled the pines and aspens that had been cut for its completion. Sap gave the scent a slightly tangy note that lingered in his mouth as well as his nose. He trotted back up to the course with the others, ready to take on the challenge Colleen had given them.
Kalia’s scent slowed his paws. He was almost to her when she looked back and her gaze locked on his. The smile that brought warmth to her light blue eyes made his heart lighter. It was obvious she was as happy to see him as he was to see her. The thought filled him with warmth as he followed Jericho to the start of the agility course.
“Alright, students, line up,” Colleen directed them. “I know most of your tasks up to now have been pack oriented, but this one is individual. If you can beat your Alpha, do it. Spur each other on; push yourselves to your limits. Don’t give up, but if you touch the ground, you’re out until the next round. Rafe is at the top to prove that it can be done. Challenge yourselves.” She held up a hand. “Ready? Go!”
At her motion, the wolves took off up the starting ramp. Toward the top, the footing lessened until they were scrambling up the steep slope. The bigger wolves used each other and the sides of the ramp to make it to the top. Others slid back to the bottom to start over. The smallest ones had to give up, weeded out by the first obstacle.
Alex raced beside Cassie and Tennison across the platform to a rope net. The net had been strung at a slope to the next platform. Jericho, Torin, and Sid climbed carefully by hooking their paws through the net. Amos clambered out after them. The entire net shook with the huge werewolf’s weight. Torin growled, but Amos ignored him as his legs slipped through the net, trapping the werewolf. He scrambled to free himself, shaking the net harder.
