Benjamin

It's the afternoon. I'm surrounded by three wolves rabidly salivating towards me. I'm in human form, so it's not like I have a fair shot against them. Or so I thought.

"You can always use your disadvantage to your advantage. Your brother's mistake, may the Goddess keep his soul, wasn't that he faced three wolves at once. The problem is that he was already occupied with two of them when the third one struck him." - [Acting] Delta Gladstone lectured, walking around the wolves who surrounded me.

I gulped at the mention of my brother. Really? Did he have to bring him up now?

Because this isn't already traumatic as it is. We're at the training center.

"When facing an enemy disadvantage, the first course of action is diminishing that disadvantage. If you take out one of them by surprise, it's highly unlikely that the others will move against you while you do it. I mean, as long as you do it fast." - He continued.

He stood where I was for a moment, taking over my place. I moved aside.

"Attack, Forrester!" - He commanded and the wolf did as told.

As the wolf jumped on him, he dodged his advance and grabbed its body. Then the wolf turned around to bite him, but as it did he elbowed its head with blunt force, knocking it out instantly.

The other two wolves were stunned by how quickly he acted. The whole thing took seconds.

"What are you waiting for? I'm lying down, attack!" - He ordered them, loudly.

Both wolves darted for the attack at the same time. Lying down, Delta Gladstone kicked one of them in the muzzle, who winced. The other one was distracted by the kick and was immobilized by him, who wrapped his arm around its head, stopping it from opening its mouth to bite him.

"Do you see what I mean, Alpha? You can't let their superior numbers intimidate you. It doesn't matter how many there are. As long as you control the fight, you have a chance. That is why you can never be blindsided and you can't show them fear." - He instructed, still holding on to the wolf, wincing from his tight grip.

And I do mean tight. Mr. Gladstone's arms look like steel.

"At ease, Ford." - He said, releasing the wolf from his grip. The animal winced, clearly relieved from getting out of that situation.

"People think wolves have the upper hand against humans and they do. But what they fail to realize is that if you remove the animal's mouth from the equation, the wolf is rendered almost useless." - He lectured, boastfully.

"Of course, it can kick it and hit you with its legs. But that won't damage you as much as its big teeth would. And certainly it's not gonna kill you." - He concluded.

"I understand, sir." - I nodded along.

"I heard your mate's mother took out three men out in the woods once. Even though she had a knife on her, that's not why she won against them." - He spoke, surprising me with the reference, though everybody heard about that, especially warriors.

"No? Then how did she win?" - I'm genuinely intrigued at his reasoning.

"Alpha, a knife is not the same as a gun. And just like a revolver, you need to know how to use it. But especially a knife. What she did was she controlled the situation. She used a surprise attack to kill the first one. When the others came for her, she surprised them again with a sneaky move, dropping to the floor and knifing one of the men's feet. It's one of the least lethal organs of the human body, but it bought her enough time so that she could drop the third one." - He informed me, as if feeling proud of her actions.

"How do you know all this? Did you interview her?" - I gasped in shock. Even I didn't know about that. I mean, not how it all went down.

"Not me, but Beta Babcock had Delta Johnson debrief her when she came to apply for our pack. She had to get that cleared for our records. And he told me afterwards." - He explained, grinning.

"But the point of the story is she used her disadvantages to her advantage, you know? She wasn't intimidated by the men, who thought they had the upper hand against a woman and an Omega in heat. They were certainly surprised that day." - He's practically drooling as he recounts the facts.

I know Ms. Young is a remarkable woman. I've seen her kill a man right in front of me back at the camp. Hell, I "gave" her that kill when I told the warriors to leave out the human form rogue to her. And she did it so fast, it made my head spin. That woman is a ninja with a knife, I'm telling you. I get why he admires her. I do too.

"Thank Goddess they were!" - I breathed out a sigh in relief. Though that was traumatizing for my mate, it pales in comparison to the damage that could do if he was actually sexually assaulted that day. It gives me chills to even think about the danger he was in.

"Yes, you're right. Though I don't have any children of my own, I can only imagine the terror that mother must've felt." - He agreed, thoughtfully.

"I need three more wolves on me NOW! Medic, please take Forrester to the infirmary. Ford, Allen, you're dismissed." - He commanded, sternly.

Fifteen minutes later, I had bite bruises all over me. I still haven't managed the art of dodging wolves coming at me, but I have faith I'll get better with time. The medic patches me up before I leave for the locker room.

"You need to anticipate the moves, Alpha. If you don't, it's gonna get worse." - Delta Gladstone warned me. I'm gobsmacked.

"Worse?" - My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Way worse. They were holding back on my request. Tomorrow they'll go harder on you." - He informed me and my eyes were wide in shock.

"Yeah, Alpha. I know you're used to a certain rhythm with Delta Johnson, but I'm not here to make nice. If you want a cuddle, then go to your mate. In here we practice for life or death situations." - He smirked.

Since Delta Johnson is on "forced" vacation this week, under Delta Gladstone - Evan's uncle - is in charge of training me. And he is not cuddling anyone, much less me. Today is only Tuesday and I'm already bleeding. A lot. Wolf bites are no joke.

"I understand, sir." - I mumbled as the medic finished his job.

Damn, that guy didn't even flinch about knocking one of the wolves out cold. I knew Gladstone by reputation - one of the fiercest warriors we have on the force - but never had to actually deal with him since Delta Johnson has been training me from the beginning, more than two years ago.

After I took my shower, I got dressed and drove back home, already hungry.

My mate greets me inside our room and he baffles at my injuries. Though this isn't a first for me, today was worse than usual. Way worse.

We get downstairs for dinner together. We made a compromise and we rotate having dinners one day in the guest dining room and the other in the main.

"Oh my Goddess, who attacked you?" - Elodie gasped in shock at my injuries inside the dining hall. At this, all eyes were on me. I blushed uncomfortably under the stares.

"It's training, Elodie. I train with wolves too." - I rolled my eyes, annoyed.

"They train you or they attack you? I'm confused." - She commented, perplexed.

All of us take our seats at the large table. The warriors who live here are also impressed by my harsh wounds, but they know Gladstone's reputation. He's ruthless.

"They attack to train me." - I informed her, peeved. Though I do get the confusion to the untrained eyes.

"It's not that big of a deal, Elodie. When I was your age, my dad shifted into a wolf and surprise attacked me when it was time for us to train. And he disguised his scent so I wouldn't see him coming." - Martha told us and we all literally gasped at this.

"Oh my Goddess! Was he a psychopath?" - She's baffled. Both her parents glared at her for the comment, not that it fazes Martha. She laughed at her question.

"No, he was a warrior." - She replied, boastfully. As if proud of this fact.

"I'm glad they don't train the Luna to fight too." - Alistair breathed out a sigh of relief.

"They should. You never know, son." - Martha raised an eyebrow at him.

"Goddess forbids. No, thank you. I prefer my arms without any bleeding." - He snickered.

"They're not bleeding." - I told him, a little annoyed. - "Anymore." - I said after a while.

"It's not fun for me either, just so you know. He comes at me hard, but I'm too green to train with wolves yet. Though I'm sure it'll come to pass some day until June." - Tristan interjected. June is when the try outs for a warrior position happens. So he still has a long way to go yet.

"Oh it'll definitely come to pass, trust me. You haven't trained if you didn't face warriors in wolf form." - I commented, wide-eyed.

"I believe you." - Tristan took my meaning well. Plus, he was at the training center when I was. He was just busy with his own regiment.

"See, Chris? You dodged a bullet by not going for a warrior position." - Ali told him, grinning.

"Yeah, but I still have to get approved to a college. It's already April and I don't know how it's gonna go." - He sounded concerned.

"Plus, there are the scholarship interviews this week." - Elodie complemented.

Mr. Houser (Lex's grandfather) is gonna come to the school to interview all the applicants this week.

"Good luck to all of you." - I said, not wanting to get in the middle. Especially with my mate in the run.

"Thanks, mate. But Bruno told me that man is not likely to award the scholarship to any of us. Not that I think we should be discouraged by that." - Ali spoke, dreadfully.

"Really? Why not?" - Chris asked, shocked.

"Apparently, he's not a fan of rogues." - Ali replied, rolling his eyes.

"Man! I was counting on that to ease my path to college!" - Elodie exclaimed, saddened.

"It's fine, El. I told you, we'll make it work. It's a long shot anyway. But I'll work double shifts for the rest of my life if it means my children get to go to college." - Gabriel stated, confidently.

Both his children smiled at him. Their mom too.

"Thank you for talking to Bruno, momma. I have phantom money now." - Ali smiled at her.

"What's phantom money? Is he pulling a trick on you? Because I'll-"

"He meant to say he has an online banking application that helps him manage his money. But the money is real, I promise you." - I interjected before things escalate further.

"Good. Because he should pay up. It's about damn time!" - She spoke, angered.

"You're absolutely right, Ms. Young. And I'm glad it all worked out. Goddess helps whoever stays in your way." - I snickered, nervously.

"No one stands in my way, pup. Not if they know what's good for them and certainly not Bruno. But he didn't put up much of a fight. He was surprisingly glad when I told him Ali was looking into colleges. I think he's proud of him, not that I think he's entitled to feel any pride towards my son. But I let him have it, I'm not a monster." - She smirked.

"Anyway, the bites aren't the worst part of my day if you can believe me. Delta Gladstone actually brought up my brother today. That was the worst." - I commented after a while, sorrowful.

I lowered my head for a minute remembering him.

Ali , who eats beside me, strokes my hair for a moment.

"I"m sorry for that. He shouldn't have. He's a warrior, not a therapist." - He stated, empathizing.

"And when he told you about the day Martha killed those three men? He sounded very impressed by her." - Tristan interjected in a joking tone and most of the people present gasped in shock at this.

"I wasn't going to bring that up, Tristan! For Goddess' sake!" - I glared daggers at him, who shifts his weight uncomfortably on the chair. Damn werewolves and their hearing.

"Why did he talk about that when he wasn't even there? How did he know about it?" - Ali questioned me, irritated.

"He meant to use it as a lesson in facing opponents when they outnumbered you and how to use that to your advantage. He knows about it because Delta Johnson told him after he interviewed your mother when she applied for our pack. But Tristan shouldn't have brought that up." - I replied, annoyed at Tristan.

"I'm sorry, Martha. I'm sorry, Ali. I didn't mean to make you relieve this painful memory." - He apologized to them, facing the glare from his father.

"It's fine, Tristan. That day was horrible, yes. But I'm glad to put it past me. I pity the fool who tries to harm any of my pups." - Martha said, both saddened and angry.

All of us gulped at this uncomfortably.

"You should try out for warrior too, Martha." - Tristan encouraged her.

She laughed at this.

"Tris, they're not gonna allow a 38 years old woman to try out for a warrior position. And even so, it was my childhood dream. I'm over it now. I'd much rather work at the shop and have a schedule. Warriors work around the clock and I have small children to raise." - She replied in between laughter.

"I understand, ma'am. And if it were up to me, I'd employ you right away if you wanted." - I told her, respectfully.

"Thanks, pup. The Goddess couldn't have chosen a better mate for my son even if I hand picked myself." - She smiled at me and I nearly wept.

"This means a lot coming from you, so thank you." - I smiled at her.

"I still can't believe he brought that up. I'm glad I don't have to meet this Gladstone." - Ali spoke, finishing up his dinner.

"You're not missing out much. He's just very driven. He doesn't have a family, so his career is all that matters to him. He was the youngest person ever to be promoted to team leader in the pack's century old history." - I informed him, impressed with the man who's gonna be my Delta when I ascend as Alpha - if confirmed by Beta Babcock.

"Wow! Why doesn't he have a family? Did they die?" - Ali asked me, fearfully.

"No, he just never found his mate. He had a dream once that she was supposed to be from another pack, but when he traveled over there, he still came up empty." - I told him, voice wrought with emotion. I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like. The lack of connection to one's mate.

"That's awful! No wonder the guy is so cold. From what pack was she supposed to be?" - Ali inquired, curiously.

"I don't remember right. Some pack near the state border, I think it was called seesaw or saw-meal..." - I trailed off, trying to recall it. Truth is my dad told me the story, I wasn't even born back then.

"Do you mean hacksaw?" - Sarah interjected, wide-eyed and shocked.

"Yes, exactly. Why?" - I asked her, though she didn't answer me, she kept looking at Ali's mom, who spit out her water, gasping for air from the jump scare.

I see Joe, Gabe, Allison, Sophia, Billy all staring at Martha and then it finally hits me.🤯

https://youtu.be/pojL_35QlSI

A|N: I know, right? Who saw that one coming?

Some chapters are easy to title. Some chapters are written with a specific song in mind. Some others name themselves.

This wasn't easy. But I thought of it as I wrote Gladstone's line.

The tea is piping hot and you can't hardly wait for the havoc that's about to follow. *mischievous grin*

Shirtless Ben... *drools*

Love,

Léo.