The Champion

Cole

I spent the next day going over everything I had said to Tank and everything he had said to me, i knew my mind had already been made up but i wanted to prove myself. I didn't need their pity and i sure as hell didn't want it.

I wanted them to train me without pulling their punches, I wanted to be beat up and tossed around, I wanted them to give me their best because I wasn't going to hold back.

The day had passed fairly quickly and to my surprise the Alpha never came, I heard him mulling about the kitchen but he never once ventured towards my little hallway. I monitored his steps as he climbed the stairs to his room, after showing I heard him climb into bed and fall right to sleep.

I had years of practice monitoring his steps, knowing exactly what mood he was in as he stepped down. It took time to learn which footsteps were his but it helped knowing where he was when i decided to sneak out to Calebs land.

Like tonight, I knew he was in his bed sound asleep he wouldn't be bothered with me so I had until morning before I had to be back in my little cell.

Tank met me on the outskirts of Calebs territory, only this time he simply held out the lunch pack and sat down. 

"So Tank what are you good at?" I asked around a mouthful of food.

"Tank?" He questioned with a raised eye brow. His blue eyes lit with amusement. 

"Yeah Tank, your shoulders are the size of a damn bus and your arms are the size of an adult head. You have to be at least 6'5" you look like you have muscle upon muscle so in my head I just decided to call you Tank." I finished my speech with a grin before munching on another sandwich.

"Well um, okay?" I frowned at the ground while scratching his head. "For the record my name is actually Cole."

"If you don't mind I'm going to call you Tank, think of it as a nickname." I said as food crumbs probably fell out of my mouth, I had both cheeks packed full of food that I caused Tank to laugh and point.

"I'm sorry but you look like a squirrel or chipmunk trying to store food for the winter." He chuckled and I tossed a food filled grin his way before I shoved another sandwich in my mouth, I attempted to anyway, part of it just ended up hanging out of  my mouth until I had chewed enough to shove it the rest of the way in.

Once I had swallowed all my food I placed all the trash back into the bag and stood up and stretched.

"You don't seem to be in any pain." Tank observed.

"Wasn't beat today." I said bending at the waist and stretching out my legs and lower back.

I smirked when he snorted at me and my comment.

"For the next few weeks you will be training with me, the other warriors will be heading back to their own packs. Until you learn the basics from me we won't need their input so there will be no need of their presence." He said while he pulled some tape from his basketball shorts pocket and began taping up his hands.

Part of the conversation that Alpha Adam and the other men from the other night came back to me.

"Tank?" I asked quietly. 

"Yeah?" He questioned back, I waited for him to pause in his taping before I continued.

"Do you happen to know me? Like do you think we have met before?" I questioned. I watched him frown at my odd question before he answered.

"I don't believe so, why do you ask?"

I froze, I felt that I could trust Tank with my life, there was just something about him that screamed protector. I just didn't want things to escalate and if they did would I ever find out why I'm supposed to be dead? Or what truly happened the night my parents died?

"Oh nothing," I murmured as I went back to my stretching.

"Tell me," he demanded, not in a harsh tone just one to get you to tell someone.

"You have to promise that this stays between us, if I want to tell anyone else it will be of my choosing and you have to swear that you will not retaliate to anything I tell you."

He studied me for a moment before nodding slightly.

"A couple nights ago when you guys first came to town I over heard a conversation at my pack house. The Alpha was talking with two men that I have never heard before, I don't know if they are part of the pack or not, the way they spoke tells me that they might be."

"Anyway, they were talking about you all and saying that they hoped none of you ever ran into me." I watched his frown deepen as he eye balled me from head to toe."They said that if they needed to they would kill me to stop you all from meeting me."

"Did they say anything else?" He asked still watching me.

"Not really they were just seemed really nervous, hoping that you all were just passing through and would stay out of their territory."

"Were you born into this pack?" He asked and frowned when i shook my head no.

"What pack then?"

"I don't know, I was really young when I was brought here. My aunt and uncle took me under their wing until they died a couple years later. That's when the beatings began, there was no one left to protect me or teach me." I whispered.

I stiffened when he took a step forward and sniffed the air around me, most likely picking up on my scent.

"All I smell is their pack, shift to your wolf, I might be able to get a better scent from her." I hung my head in embarrassment. 

"I, um, I can't. I can't shift into my wolf." I whispered so softly I didn't think he heard me until he sucked his breath in sharply.

"I saw part of her come out on you the other day," he said in disbelief. 

"She has taught me how to channel her sight, hearing and smell, sometimes her strength but that's only when the beatings become to harsh." I looked down at the ground, I was highly embarrassed that I couldn't shift to my wolf yet.

"How old are you?" He questioned.

"Seventeen, I'll be eighteen in six months." I frowned at him as he looked up to the sky deep on thought.

"There is no way that's possible, Does your wolf speak to you?" He said his eyes landing on my face once more.

"Sometimes," I said softly.

"You should have turned by now, unless your.." he trailed of looking at me. "The way you fight, I should have seen it."

"This is, wow," he walked over to me and walked around me. I glanced to the ground and waited for him to finish his inspection. 

Tank was silent for so long that I glanced up at his face, his eyes were glazed over and I heard several footsteps sounding in the distance. His eyes refocused on me and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"This hasn't happened in several years, we are talking centries. If you are what I think that you are, then we will train you, all of us at once."

"What do you mean, what am I?" I questioned.

"There is an elder on the way here and he will be very interested in you. He will be able to give you more answers than I will. I think that you may be an Alpha and if you are the Alpha I think you are. Your so called pack shouldn't be fearing us, they should be fearing you."