Chapter 10: Give it back

The whole training arena almost equalled the size of a stadium. Synchronized thuds echoed as multiple men jogged along the extremes of the wide courtyard. The training center, a yolk of several portions dedicated to practice of different weapons.

The shooting range, filled with loud bangs from different guns and the scent of gun cleaning solvent apparent. Grey stood in its midst with a certain dislike for every single detail. He was one for Knives, Crossbows, Swords or Sabers, a Morningstar once when he was improvising but guns he hated. His irritation grew to his face as he watched young trainees shoot and miss the targets multiple times, their instructors tired of given the same instructions over and over again.

"I take it you aren't into guns!" Ten said noticing the look on his face. She felt their insightful tour through hours was being murdered by the uninterested look on his face.

"I'm more of a fist or saber kind of person!" Grey said.

"Then you haven't met the glock!" She picked up the one she considered the easiest from the rack, a Glock 22.

"Actually, we have met. On multiple occasions!" A brief memory of a man emptying a clip into him flashed in his mind briefly.

Then, he had the scolding heat of fire to melt away the metal bullets. But now, he guessed he wouldn't be lucky enough to walk away unscathed.

"I bet I can get a double bull's-eye back to back!" She said grabbing a headset and a pair of eye protection glasses to go with. Grey smiled loving her stance. Leg's firm and gun wielding hands stretched forward and her elbow slightly curved to account for feedback. Her forehead wrinkled a little as she calculated her aim.

One, Two. The bullets left her gun in quick successions. The bull's eye, a smoking hole and the second shot a bit lower in the target board.

"Dang it!" She sighted the target board.

"It was really close though!" He squinted his eyes measuring the space between both holes with his fingers.

"Your turn!" She flipped the gun, butt-up towards him.

"I am not sure I should!" He eyed the gun.

"Oh come on, you can't be that bad!" He took the gun and pointed at the target..

"Now, you are going to want to aim a little lower...." Her breath warm against the side of his face as she guided his hands into position. His senses weren't on the gun, they were on her soft lips so close he could practically feel them. He imagined those soft lips cushioning his in their warmth, how they would taste.. 'probably strawberry with a hint of lemon' he thought.

"When you are ready, pull the trigger.." Her voice brought him back. He aimed and pulled the trigger twice. Her missed target the only smoking hole.

"Okay that was.. I thought you said you weren't into guns!" She said surprised he got the shot.

"I know how they work, just not a fan!" He gently placed the gun back in it's place among others like it was an infection that could spread.

"Then what are you a fan of?" She asked as they strolled out of the shooting range in no rush.

"Well for starters, Crossbows. Knives are okay but my personal favourite is the straight blade!"

"A Saber!?" She asked.

"Specifically a Katana!" They walked into the open grounds where a heated sparring match was ongoing in a circle.

A full wolf locked in a choke-hold beneath pressing weight of a man. The wolf jerked in an effort to push the man off the ground but his muscles shrinking under his skin, forming a rigid, glued to the ground figure. His arms bulging as he hold went tighter. The movements of the wolf slowed till there was non..

A cheer erupted from the trainees..

"Let me go get some water bottles I'll be right back!" Ten said before disappearing into the refreshments area.

"This is why you have to be prepared for anything in the heat of battle. To any of you thinking you stand a better chance in your wolf form well, it only works twenty percent of the time. Sure you get sharp teeth and sharp claws but you have to be fast enough to use them. Without speed and well planned attacks those claws and canines are as useless as a teddy bear!" The victor addressed the trainees as he went around at the top of his voice moving around the circle. His sweaty ebony skin reflected the light of the sun from his well chiseled, half naked self. His glistening head devoid of hair added to his rogue figure. A figure befitting the pack warrior. He was Jason Crest, the Gamma of Equinox pack.

He turned to the wolf already back to human form weak from many broken bones. A young Omega with fear in his eyes. He shuffled backwards away from the Jason which didn't help as he was still knocked out cold with a heavy punch.

Jason's action disgusted Grey to his core. He had already won but still came back on a wolf far beneath his rank and injured, where's the honour in that..

"A good offense is the best defense..." He started.

"There is no such thing as a best defence!" Grey shouted, the circle of trainees parting as he made his way into the circle.

"What did you say!?" Jason asked. Evidence of his dislike for interruption painting his voice.

"I said there is no such thing as a best defence, every defence has it's loopholes!" He repeated his earlier words adding a little challenge in the mix.

"Why don't you come up here so we'd go for a test run and see who's right!" Jason said with a smile. To him his challenger was one of the new trainees whom he was eager to get in-line. He didn't look like a trainee from his build but his weak and almost non-existent scent came off as a new wolf. 'I am going to crush him like a bug under my shoe!' he thought.

Grey's shirt left his body in a single tug revealing the bandage still around his lower abdomen, a red taint above the main point of injury at his back. The circle closed back up, Grey and Jason in the middle already battling with furious glares as weapons.

"I don't know what you are thinking but this is your last chance to back out!" Jason said crouching into battle stance.

"No worries, am good here!" Grey said. Having in mind to take his over-pompous ass in three attacks. 'Jason is heavy-built so he is going to rely on controlled weight balance to account for speed' Grey highlighted the first weakness he foresaw.

As Grey predicted, Jason pushed forward going for the first punch. Grey dropped to his knees catching his arm mid-air and flipped him over.

"Strike one!" Grey said out loud.

Jason, back on his feet with a roll. Reeling from the shock of a wolf of low ranking taking him with such strength. In a second it changed before his eyes from a sparring match, to a battle for his reputation.

He rushed attempting a high kick. When Grey's hands went up to duck, he took the opening and punched hard into Grey's wound. The pain working its way through his body took his focus away from the punch that took him down to the ground.

The gamma jogged backwards pumping the air with his fist, giving Grey time to get back on his feet. His fingers touched the stream of blood ran from his nose to the side of his mouth. He smiled as the taste of his own blood woke something asleep in him, something dark and feral.

"Strike Two!" He said, his voice hoarse as he got back on his feet.

Jason came in for a second attack getting Grey square in the face. He came in for another pinch But Grey held his fist.

"Strike Three!" He dropped low with hard hits left and right of the Jason's abdomen weakening his muscles. He came back up with an uppercut to his chin.

He watched with a smile as the Jason shuffled back, stunned.

Grey went again with a punch to the face, he felt a great deal of pleasure as Jason's bones cracked under his punch it seemed inviting for more. He threw another punch and then another and another unable to stop himself.....

Ten had looked everywhere for Grey, the one place she didn't think to look was in the circle.

"He was here just five minutes ago!" She said frustrated from her second round of searching.

"Ten.. Ten..." Jack, her brother ran up to her out of breath.

"Jack are you okay?" She asked.

"He's going... He's going to kill Gamma Jason!" He heaved out the words..

"Who's going to kill Gamma Jason!?" She asked, drawn into a swirl of confusion..

Unable to tell the whole story on the spot he grabbed her hand and led her to the fight.

Grey was over a body, from a closer look it was Jason's, Grey had his hands between his knees as he kept dolling punches. Blood splattering with each hit...

"Grey!" He heard Ten's voice so far away he wasn't sure if it was real. He kept on going and going..

"Grey, stop!" She screamed trying to push him off Jason, he shoved her aside with ease.

"GREY!" A powerful roar exuded, drawing Grey's attention. Every wolf within the sound radius bowed In submission to the Alpha.

Alpha Monroe stood a head above everyone else with his trusty Beta standing guard.

"You.. you took it from me!" Grey turned to him splatter marks of blood covering his face. His human self lost in the sheer power of his alpha authority driving him towards a need for pleasure above conscience. He could see the heat in Monroe's core, a signature of something that belongs to him. His instincts drove him to take it back but a sliver of himself held him back.

"Control yourself Grey, listen to the world around you!" Monroe tried to talk him back to control.

He knew destabilizing the nature of a werewolf had consequences when he extracted Grey's powers, for some it was death but for most it was total loss of control.

"Give it back!" He screamed with all his might, his hold slipping by the second.

Monroe's eyes bleed a sheen of red, a telltale of his wolf's presence. He pushed the fire out of the pit of his being, causing a gush of fire to escape his throat.

Grey stood in its path collecting the fire into his mouth, it made him complete once again pushing back the authority to where it was supposed to be. Once it was done his eyes glowed red, a testament that he was wholeness...