Chapter 5

The training intensified until I could lift triple my body weight and Bull had to buy a new punching bag because I kicked the last one so hard the seam ripped and the stuffing spilled out. My knuckles hardened from the bag, and my palms developed calluses from the variety of weapons Bull supplied, mostly knives, a few swords, sais, and police batons. In the beginning, my beatings with Dredge were numerous, but as I developed the speed of an Alpha werewolf, I got better at avoiding him and blocking his attacks. I barely felt the pain of the silver spikes and found myself healing faster in the evenings.

Four months after my training began, Bull fed me raw meat four days in a row and I knew another fight was coming up. I phased and ate because I had no choice, and my body yearned for the meat to heal from the beatings of the day and to build muscle for the fight.

Bull made me eat in the cage the fifth day, then brought out a dart gun. My heart slowed and I glared at him in my wolf form.

“Now don’t give me that look,” he said, aiming at my chest.

I refused to look away. The Alpha blood that pounded through my veins cried for me to fight back. He shot and the dart drove deep into my sternum. The fiery rush of silver burned through my veins; my muscles refused to work and I collapse on my side.

Bull pulled out the dart and closed the door of the cage again. “It’s not that we don’t trust you,” he said, then he paused and smiled. “Well, actually it is that we don’t trust you. No one is stupid enough to drive in a truck with an Alpha even if he’s locked and chained in a cage.” He chuckled and left the room.

Fear rose when I thought of where I would awaken, but I couldn't fight the silver and slipped from the pounding headache into unconsciousness.