Trinity's entire body ached as her tired eyes fluttered open, only to snap wide in shock. Unfamiliar eyes were openly staring at her from across the room. It was Timothy Frank, a name she vaguely recalled from introductions yesterday. Like them, he was a defective, but his family's lack of notoriety meant he'd been welcomed home warmly. She hadn't expected to find him leaning against the hall, perched on the top bunk, observing her so freely. It was unsettling.
Deciding to ignore his odd behavior for the moment, Trinity turned her back to him, pulling out her phone to check the time. A few texts from Boris popped up: "How are you doing?", "Are you okay?", and "I hope you have a great day sweetheart."
Yesterday, once training had finished, Trinity had been too exhausted to even glance at her phone. She'd even skipped showering. Keeping her response simple, she quickly typed, "Have a nice day, I'm fine!"
"Where did you get a phone?" Timothy asked, hopping down from his bed to grab his toiletries. He knew more than one full-blooded wolf was pressuring him for information on Trinity. To avoid another beating, he vowed to learn every little thing he could about her. Trinity couldn't understand Timothy's strange interest, but it was starting to grate on her nerves.
Ryan's protective instincts flared as he noticed Trinity's discomfort. He rolled out of the bed from beneath Timothy, a silent excuse rather than a question. "Heading to the bathroom?" Ryan more so excused himself than asked a question.
"Oh, yeah," Timothy replied, a playful smile on his face. He walked out, not wanting to cause problems with his roommates, not needing any more enemies. Still, he had a feeling Trinity's boyfriend already had him on his "shit list."
The moment Timothy stepped into the co-ed bathroom, a firm hand clamped painfully tight on the back of his neck. "Hey, little Timmy, any news?" Clyde asked, his friendly tone starkly contrasting his vice-like grip.
"It's only been a day. She hasn't done much. She just slept and texted someone this morning, right after she woke up," Timothy ground out, biting back any pained sounds, knowing it would only provoke them further.
"Keep your eyes open," Clyde grinned down at the smaller man before shoving him away. He thought he was being somewhat gentle, but Timothy, like a noodle, tumbled easily to the ground. Clyde was endlessly amused by how easily these defectives could be hurt.
"Is that Timothy?" Jess asked, entering the washroom just before Trinity and Ryan.
Ryan didn't hesitate. He quickly rushed to their roommate. He knew what it was like to be alone among these wolves; they loved easy prey. Even though he disliked the attention Timothy showed Trinity, Timothy was like them – a defective. That meant they needed to stick together at all costs. No one else would watch their backs. Extending a hand, Ryan helped Timothy to his feet. "You good?"
"Yeah," Timothy replied, feeling embarrassed and angry. But as his eyes met Ryan's, he saw no pity, only understanding.
Clyde cursed under his breath. Trinity shot him a hard glare before stepping to stand protectively beside Timothy. He knew he'd made a misstep.
"You're new here, right?" Clyde asked, a kind smile attempting to form on his lips. The ingratiating smile slipped as none of them uttered a word, simply walking away.
"Rough," Luca smirked at Clyde. He knew he wouldn't be able to get near any of the defectives, chuckling at the thought of one less wolf to worry about.
Johnny watched the male who meticulously observed the defective females. He wasn't sure how to keep attention away from his sister. He knew she'd be targeted for the offenses their family had freely lobbed at other pack members. He wasn't sure if Luca would help him if he asked. From what Luca had said, he was aiming for the same fresh meat as the other wolves, and he didn't want to be outdone by anyone. Hence, he was at the warrior house at the crack of dawn, pretending he needed to get ready there.
Down at the training field, Thomas remained silent. Once everyone had arrived, he led the group in a simple 10-kilometer run to warm everyone up for training. He took the lead, while Noah, with his charming brown curly hair and light brown eyes, remained at the rear, where he knew all the defectives were struggling to keep pace.
They ran through a beautiful, ancient forest, its colossal, hundred-year-old trees rising like sentinels, their gnarled branches reaching for the sky. Sunlight dappled through the dense canopy, painting shifting patterns on the forest floor. The air was crisp with the scent of pine and damp earth. Around them, large mountains and rolling hills cradled the forest, their peaks still kissed with the lingering mist of morning.
Trinity wanted to slap Ryan. He was purposely running slow, matching the pace of the other defectives, yet he wasn't struggling like them. "How…how are you so fit?" Trinity gasped, wiping sweat from her eyes as her lungs burned.
"Sports, and my brother would make me run with him almost every day," Ryan answered, his breathing even.
Jess, her legs still feeling like jelly from yesterday's hours of running, finally stopped, unable to push on. Noah, seizing his chance to get closer to her, stopped beside her, bending low. "Just get on my back," he murmured, his back to her, concealing a smug smile.
Jess didn't trust anyone here, but her lungs were screaming. She climbed onto his back, letting out a light yelp as he sprang forward with incredible speed, effortlessly catching up to the stragglers at the back. A chuckle escaped her lips. Noah knew he had won. No other male would touch her now; she would smell as if she'd bathed in his scent, a clear boundary marking her as his.
Ryan shook his head, watching Jess on Noah's back. Irritation bubbled within him. He hated seeing her on that guy's back, the easy way she smiled as she wrapped every inch of herself around him. He was tempted to pull her down, but he knew he wouldn't. Trinity noticed the shift in atmosphere as Jess giggled on Noah's back. She reached out, touching Ryan's arm in a show of comfort, though she didn't know why he was holding himself back.
Shaking his head, Ryan pointed ahead before taking off at his top speed. Trinity lost sight of him so fast it felt like she was running in reverse. Digging deep, she kept running, refusing to stop. She was slow, but that didn't mean she had to have low endurance.
When the last stragglers arrived at the training area, it became painfully clear that an obstacle course awaited them. It didn't seem fair; Trinity was already reaching her limits. Dropping to her knees, she yearned to collapse onto the grass and sleep until morning, but Thomas had other plans.
"Alright, break's over!" Thomas called out. Those who had managed to keep up received a longer break, but the last arrivals got none. "This is the Titans' Track. The point is to reach the end. It's not a race. I don't care how long it takes you to finish. The more of you that finish, the better it is for all of you."
The obstacle course was designed to test many aspects of their physique. It wasn't just speed necessary, but mental fortitude along with some form of teamwork. This would not only show him who was strong, but who could become a leader in the pack. "For some extra incentives, the most outstanding of you will be rewarded with anything of your choice. Within reason," Thomas added the last part, thinking of his group.
Trinity couldn't imagine being able to finish this course, but Thomas hadn't set a time limit, so perhaps she could. Noah was glad he didn't have to participate. He was Thomas's second set of eyes; they had to keep watch on the group. Certain areas were more hazardous than others. This was the course every first and second-stager feared. This course had stolen a few lives over the years.
"Start!"
Luca shot off like a bullet, intending to win, wanting to be the first through the course. Johnny worried for his sister. He subtly hung back, ready to be there when she inevitably ran into trouble. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Trinity didn't immediately take off like the others; she hung back, holding out an arm to stop Ryan and Jess. Even Timothy hung back with them. Since seeing the marks on his skin from rough treatment, Trinity had made an effort to be more friendly.
"Shouldn't we start?" Timothy asked.
"Only if you want to be shredded by partly shifted wolves," she answered.
Trinity had initially only wanted to wait because of the chance of being stepped on, but as she watched the partial-shifted claws fighting through mud deep enough to reach well past her head, she decided she'd rather not take the risk. Looking around, she noticed the other defectives all hung back with their groups, along with a few other wolves. As Thomas had said, this wasn't a race.
Thomas felt the edge of a smile tugging on his lips as he watched the beta's daughter, Trinity, expertly navigate the first challenging section of the course. Her timing was impeccable. She understood something that the Alpha's son, Luca, hadn't yet grasped: you didn't need to be first to win.