Werewolf Academy Book 4: Taken (10 page)

***

“Okay, ladies, let’s get some gear on,” Vance told them.

“I don’t see why we need gear,” Matt, a whiny Lifer from Pack Torin, pointed out. “We’re werewolves.”

Vance rolled his eyes as he towered above them. “How do you expect to play football with humans and not have them guess you’re werewolves?” His eyebrows lifted as if he thought the students before him were completely stupid. “You have to dress like them, act like them, and play football like them.”

“It’s degrading,” Torin said.

Alex shook his head at the unfortunate luck of being in Pack Torin for football training. The whining would never stop. Luckily, they had also been paired with Pack Kalia. He would at least get the chance to spend some time with his old pack members, if just for training. He had no idea what would happen when actual football practice started.

Vance grabbed the facemask of the helmet Torin has put on and lifted the Alpha off the bench. “Degrading is watching you sissies attempt to tie your shoelaces. Your mother isn’t here to throw the ball. If humans can do it, you can do it. Remember that and you might actually make a good team. Understood?”

“Understood,” Torin replied in a grumble.

Vance let him go and stalked across the grass Professor Dray had marked with white lines on the far side of the Academy. He turned near the end and shouted at them, “From this moment on, you will call me Coach Vance, and if anyone asks a question or makes a statement I feel is beneath you, you will do one hundred pushups.”

“One hundred?” Nate asked. “I can barely do ten.” The words were said in a lisp due to the big gap between Nate’s front teeth.

Vance speared the skinny werewolf with a humorless look. “I’ll be happy to help you start practicing.”

Nate’s face washed white.

“While Nate is doing his pushups, I want the rest of you to pick up the footballs and pair up. Each time you catch the ball, take ten steps back. I want you throwing from either side of the field by the time class is over.”

Alex felt bad leaving Nate as the kid knelt in the grass. A glance at Trent said that the other werewolf felt the same way. At Vance’s fierce look, the Lifer put his hands down and gave a weak attempt at a push up.

“What was that?” Vance asked. The hulking werewolf looked like a bear towering over a muskrat.

“A p-push up,” Nate stammered.

“You’re a werewolf,” the coach pointed out. “You should have more strength than that in your pinky finger.”

“Catch.”

Alex caught the football thrown hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. He glared at Torin.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take a throw?” the Alpha asked.

Alex’s jaw clenched as he threw the football back. Torin took ten steps and chucked it again. This time, Alex was ready. He caught the ball and used his arms to slow the momentum before the Alpha’s strength could drive it into his sternum. He threw it back as though it didn’t bother him. Torin took ten more steps back.

“Keep it up, Alex, and you’ll be contending for starting quarterback,” Vance called.

Normally, Alex would have been thrilled at the werewolf’s compliment. It was known throughout the Academy that the professor very seldom said anything kind. This time, however, Torin speared him with a glare before the football sailed through the air. Alex caught it again and sent it back in a tight spiral that made the Alpha’s look ugly.

By the end of the class period, Alex’s hands ached from catching footballs thrown much harder than any human ever could. His left hand throbbed when he clenched it into a fist. By the swelling, he wouldn’t doubt if a few of the bones were broken or at least cracked. He knew he could stop by Meredith’s office in the medical wing, but chose to live with the pain. It would heal and sometimes the sharp throbbing reminded him to watch what he did to avoid becoming an even bigger target in Torin’s eyes.

“You guys get to play football while we’re stuck learning gymnastics?” Cassie complained when they met back in the hallway. “That’s sexist.”

“Vance, uh, Coach Vance, said no girls play on the human school teams, so we couldn’t do it here. We have to do everything right to avoid suspicion,” Tennison explained.

“But gymnastics?” Cassie said, leaning against him as he put his arm around her shoulders. “I thought it’d be easy, but Colleen had us swinging on hanging rings and bars until I thought my shoulders would fall off.”

“I didn’t think Colleen would be a hard on you guys,” Tennison said.

Cassie shook her head. “She’s not. She’s really nice and encouraging, it’s just that there’re skills we haven’t learned yet.”

“The muscle memory will take a while to sink in,” Trent said, explaining the same thing to his frustrated sister. “As soon as you learn it, I’m sure gymnastics will be easy. Easier than football at least.” The small werewolf had a big bruise on the side of his face.

Alex caught a glimpse of Kalia waiting at the end of the hallway. As soon as she spotted him, she turned away. Alex was about to go after her when a voice stopped him.

“Hey, scumbag. Did you forget whose pack you’re on?”

The hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood up. He turned slowly, willing his body not to phase.

Torin’s eyes narrowed. “Have you cleaned those toilets?”

Alex fought back a surge of embarrassment at acknowledging in front of his friends what the Alpha had made him do. “I already cleaned them yesterday,” he reminded Torin in a tone he had to force to remain steady.

A light of enjoyment showed in Torin’s green eyes when he replied, “They’re due for another cleaning today.”

Alex glanced at his old pack mates. Pity showed on Tennison’s face. Alex clenched his hands into fists. The sharp pain reminded him what was at stake.

“Whatever you say, Torin,” he replied.

Torin nodded with satisfied smile and shoved past him. The rest of Pack Torin followed.

“I’ve got to go,” Alex told his friends. “Catch you later.”

Chapter Eleven

He walked into his next class just as Gem was addressing everyone. The professor’s usually short pink hair had been dyed neon green. She wore a huge smile on her face and was writing quickly on the white board as though there wasn’t enough time to get everything done she wanted.

“And so you see, social networking is just a way of learning about your neighbors in order to better associate with them,” she explained.

“What if we don’t want to associate with them?” Sid asked.

Alex took a seat at the back of Pack Torin’s side of the room and stifled a sigh. He had hoped the change up would keep him from having to deal with Torin’s usual Second, but they had been paired with Maliki for social networking. Alex knew Gem was no pushover from his rescue missions with Jaze; he could only hope Sid would give her the chance to put him in his place.

Instead, Gem gave a patient smile. “Life in the human world is all about making social acquaintances. School, work, even getting a bite to eat opens one to many different social situations. In this class, we’re going to address the protocols for many situations you might face on your own in the world.”

“Why don’t we just kill them all?” Torin muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Gem’s blue eyes narrowed. She turned and wrote Torin’s question on the white board. As she wrote, the sleeve of her shirt slipped back from her wrist to reveal dark lines running down her arm. Alex knew from Jaze that she had been tortured with a silver whip. Vance also carried the same marks and made no effort to hide them. As soon as Gem saw that her sleeve had moved down, she pushed it up again.

“Why don’t we just kill them all,” she repeated. The words sounded ugly coming from her kind voice. “Let’s address that.”

Alex tried to save her from a frustrating explanation. “I don’t think Torin meant—”

“Shut up, Alex,” Torin growled. “Unless you want to challenge your Alpha?”

Tension hung in the air along with the question. Triumph already filled Torin’s gaze as though he knew what Alex’s answer would be.

For a moment, Alex debated whether to accept the challenge. Part of him said to go for it and end the torment the Alpha was putting him through. The other part argued that he had survived the body pit; Torin would never be able to do anything worse than that. It was better to cultivate peace rather than fight over something so meaningless.

Alex let out a slow breath and shook his head.

Torin smiled in triumph and motioned for Gem to continue.

She did so in a quieter voice and without the usual bouncing from foot to foot as though she could barely contain her excitement at teaching them.

“Why don’t we just kill them all? Why don’t we give into our baser instincts and just slay any opposition in our path?”

Torin and several other students nodded at Gem’s words.

“Why don’t we accept that werewolves are the top dog in this world and get rid of any who stand in our way,” Gem concluded.

“That’s what I want to know,” Torin said. Answering laughter followed.

Gem shook her head, her short green hair bright around her face. “You want to act like animals, yet part of you is human. You want to be like wolves in the wild and deny the fact that you contain any humanity.” The disappointment on her face was enough to quiet even Torin’s laughter. Gem waved her arm to indicate the world outside the classroom. “You want to prove them right that werewolves can’t learn to live in peace with humans, and in doing so, you spit on the sacrifice of every werewolf who died to get you here.” Her voice was quiet when she asked, “Why did they die for you?”

Nobody looked at the professor. Students stared at the textbooks in front of them, their laughter gone.

Alex raised his hand.

“Drop it,” Torin growled.

“Yes, Alex?” Gem asked when he ignored the Alpha.

Alex didn’t look at anyone when he said, “They died so we could live.”

“Well said,” Gem replied. She lifted her voice. “They died so we could live. Is hiding behind the Academy walls for the rest of your lives a way of living?”

Several students shook their heads.

Gem nodded. “Exactly. Wolves and humans weren’t meant to live in cages, and neither were you. The classes Dean Jaze and the professors have selected this term are designed to help integration when we get to a point where that is a possibility.”

“What if we never get to that point?” Instead of being obstinate, Maliki’s question was colored with true concern.

Gem tipped her head to one side, considering his question. “You can only do so much living away from society. You will get back to the world, whether hiding your wolf side or with the ability to embrace it.”

The surety in her words filled Alex with a sense of release. Guilt had remained at the back of his mind when he thought of his dinner at Cherish’s, as though having such an enjoyable evening with humans was something against his werewolf nature. The knowledge that his forays into the human life would eventually be joined by the others eased his longing for that world.

“Let’s begin our first social lesson, shall we?” Gem said. “Take out your papers and write five things about yourself you think no one else in this class knows. I’m going to shuffle the pages and we’ll see if anyone can guess their pack mates correctly.”

The sound of pencils scratching across paper followed.

***

“Who can explain the principles of supply and demand?” Professor Thorson asked from the front of their Economics class.

“I demand everyone’s cookies at lunch and they supply them to me,” Torin replied.

Even Alex could help smiling at Professor Thorson’s answering chuckle.

“In a way, you’re right,” the professor acknowledged. “At least, you are if you take it to the next step. If the cookies are gone, apparently eaten by yourself,” Professor Thorson nodded at Torin. “Then we have a shortage of cookies and they become a valuable commodity. If you were to turn around and trade them back to your pack mates for say two pieces of steak...”

“That’s way too pricey!” Nate piped up.

The professor nodded. “But if others are willing to trade, you have just profited on the principles of supply and demand.”

“Huh,” Torin said.

Alex was surprised to see the Alpha’s attention to the lesson. Instead of lounging back in his seat shooting spit wads at the other packs, Torin actually looked interested.

“So you’re saying that a normal object can become valuable if enough people need it?” the Alpha asked.

Professor Thorson smiled. “Exactly. Let’s try an object lesson. I need someone’s pencil.”

“Alex, give him your pencil,” Torin commanded.

Alex held up the object he was going to offer the professor anyway.

“Thank you,” Professor Thorson said. “Now, Alex, I need you to write your name on your paper.”

“I can’t,” Alex replied.

Professor Thorson waved the pencil. “So to you, this object has great worth. To the rest of your classmates who already have pencils in their hands, this is just a duplicate of their possession and that decreases its value to them; but since you have the need for it, its worth goes up to you.”

He set the pencil on Alex’s desk. Before he could pick it up, Torin reached over and snapped the pencil in half. Alex stifled a sigh.

“What if Alex has two smaller pencils instead of one big one?” Torin asked, holding up the object.

“Then he has a duplicate as well,” Professor Thorson answered. “It will be of less value to him.”

“What if the rest of the class has two smaller pencils?” Torin asked. He threw a glare at the students around him. To Alex’s amazement, everyone, including the members of Pack Drake, immediately broke their pencils in half.

Alex shook his head. “Incredible,” he muttered under his breath.

“Now everyone has the same two objects,” Professor Thorson said. “What is your purpose?”

“Give me the pencils,” Torin said.

Students passed their pencil pieces up the rows to Torin’s desk. He grinned at Professor Thorson. “Supply and demand, Professor. If anyone wants their pencils back, they will give me a cookie and half their steak at lunch today.”

“Torin, I didn’t mean for this to be—”

“If they want to go through the rest of the day without a pencil, that’s up to them. Otherwise,” Torin sat back with the stack of broken pencils in front of him, “I am really going to enjoy lunch.”

True to his word, Torin had a towering stack of cookies and extra pieces of steak in front of him at lunch. He sat in his usual seat with his arms folded like a cookie baron, bartering them like coins for whatever he wanted. At least someone had offered to clean the toilets for his pencils back after Torin said he had enough cookies and needed to up the price. Alex was relieved to be spared that duty for at least one night.

“Hoarding cookies? What was that about?” Cassie asked when Alex met them outside after finishing his lunch, minus the cookie and half of his steak as his Alpha had demanded.

Alex shook his head. “Professor Thorson taught Torin how to run the school using economics.”

“Great,” Trent replied, rolling his eyes. “What’s going to happen when he learns about game theory?”

“What’s that?” Siale asked as she joined them. She slipped her arm through Alex’s and smiled at him.

“It’s the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between decision-makers and applies to economics through the belief that one person’s gains exactly equal the net losses of the other participants,” Trent explained.

Alex and Siale exchanged a confused look. “Does that answer your question?” Alex asked, trying to hide a smile.

“Oh, sure. He should have said that in the first place,” Siale replied.

Trent let out a huff of air. “What is means is that if Torin learns game theory, he’ll understand how groups of people will react when confronted with certain situations. He could prey on the entire student population for things like food and weapons by understanding what people want and how far they are willing to go for them.”

“But you’re bound to have deviations,” Terith spoke up.

“Oh, deviations, naturally,” Alex seconded with a grin.

Trent shook his head at Alex. “You have no idea what we’re talking about, do you?”

Alex shrugged. “No clue, but the fact that you know it means we’re all safe. Anyone up for a run before lunch is over?”

“I am!” Siale said.

“Me, too,” Cassie seconded.

“Why not,” Tennison answered with his arm around Cassie’s shoulder. He bent down and she gave him a quick kiss. She saw Alex watching and a blush stole across her cheeks.

“Let’s hurry, please,” Alex said dryly. “As much as I enjoy watching you two make out, I have a tyrant to get back to who will no doubt come up with more demands from his cookie empire.”

“Game theory,” Trent muttered as he followed them through the gate. “A game theory tyrant with cookies. Does it get worse than that?”

Alex squeezed Trent’s shoulder. “I sure hope so; otherwise, all Torin needs to take over the world is one giant bakery.”

Trent shook his head, but couldn’t keep from laughing. “You are ridiculous.”

“Tell me about it,” Alex said.