Blooded Mate

Chapter 34 - Training Unstable

Ethan entered one of the smaller training rooms after Brent. Unlike the main hall, the floors were sprung wood like an indoor gym. But it was not the shiny surface reflecting the bright fluorescent lights that caught his attention.

It was the crowd of buzzing students gathered on the floor that could have easily numbered a hundred or two. Girls and boys his age and younger, outfitted in shorts, shirts, and sneakers like him. They idled in the center of the room, whispering to each other and jittering with energy. It was a very familiar scene. It was reminiscent of walking into his former high school back at Snow Pines, where everyone gossiped about him.

But there was a difference today.

None of the curious eyes were on him.

Every gaze was trained up the flight of stairs to the viewing stand at the front of the room surrounded by a metal railing.

Old Zyga stood on the platform, along with Brent's dad, a petite Native Indian female and an old woman with pure white hair tied in a long braid. Though she seemed feeble, there was an aura of command around her. Both Zyga and the Gray Oaks beta showed her deference, standing slightly behind with their heads bent towards her to catch the few words she spoke.

Ethan needed no introductions to know she was the Alpha of Gray Oaks. His anxiety hiked up a notch.

"Does your dad normally watch training?" He asked Brent under his breath.

His friend glanced above as he shook his head.

"Not often. The few times he does that is so he can nag at me later." He paused. "It's rare to see Alpha here, though. She's usually only interested in the stable and advanced wolves."

Ethan's stomach dropped. He could only think of one reason for the presence of both Alpha, her beta, and Zyga here tonight: him. He dropped his eyes, hoping he could blend in with the crowd and not attract their attention.

A woman with spiky short-cropped hair strode in, followed by eight assistants. The doors closed behind them, and she blew her whistle.

"Alright, boys and girls, listen up," she yelled in a no-nonsense voice. "For the first mooners here, I'm Coach Mich, head trainer for the unstable. Behind me are Coaches Brendan, Gillian, Mike, Rhoda, Fin, Ida, Jose, and Jack. This level is to build your fundamentals for single combat in human and wolf forms as well as the basics of pack formation. You'll also work on controlling your wolf. Once you have that control, you can advance to the stable group to specialize your training.

"Let's begin with our usual warm-up. We'll start with cardio and finish with stretches before pairing up. I'll call out the moves, and the coaches behind me will demonstrate. If at any time during the training, you feel your wolf emerging, drop down and pat the floor. If you see a teammate in that position, back away and yell for a coach. Do not approach. Let's get started."

After another sharp whistle, they were off, running laps around the room. The assistant coaches moved to the corners, yelling at people and clapping their hands to drive up the tempo. Their shouts competed with the squeaks of sneakers on wood and the rapid thumping of their steps.

Maybe Ethan was being paranoid, but he felt eyes drilling into his back as he ran. And he fought with himself to keep from turning and looking up the platform. Instead, he focused on Brent, using him as a marker to keep pace.

Thanks to Zyga's recent torture runs, Ethan was not so out of shape. But a fine sheet coated his forehead by the time the stretching drills were completed.

"Ok, partner up! Next set, charge-defense drills! As the defender, your goal is to stay low, stay grounded. You want to disrupt your attacker's momentum and sweep them off their feet. As the attacker, your goal is to feint and strike. You want to destabilize the defense. Three rounds and switch."