Rise of the True Alpha: The Blood Moon Conduit

Chapter 3

I woke to the smell of burning flour and cheap coffee.

Sunlight cut through the warehouse’s high, grimy windows, illuminating dust motes over the boxing ring. My body felt like it had been put through a woodchipper. Every muscle fiber was screaming, a reminder that the wolf and I had spent the night wrestling for control in a twin-sized bed.

On the other side of the warehouse, Tris was at a commercial stove. She looked different in the daylight, less like a predator and more like a person. She wore a faded black tank top, her hair shoved into a knot that looked like it was losing a fight with gravity.

"You snore," she said, not turning around. "And not like a person. Like a chainsaw with a broken muffler."

"I was stressed," I muttered, leaning against a cold metal railing.

"Eat." She slid a stack of pancakes onto a plate. "Axel doesn't like training people on an empty stomach.”

I moved to the table, dropping into the chair at the far end. My eyes flicked toward her, catching the briefest glance she shot my way before she turned back to the stove like it hadn’t happened.

A plate landed in front of me, three perfect pancakes. My stomach growled loud enough to echo.

Axel appeared from the gym floor, a towel draped over his neck. He looked at my split lip from the night before and smirked. "Ready for your first lesson, kid?"

"Do I have a choice?"

“Choices are for people who aren’t being hunted by the state,” Axel said, snatching a strip of bacon from the plate. “Ring. Ten minutes. Lose the hoodie unless you want to get strangled by it.”

“Whatever.”

Tris smiled at me. “Better Axel than Bellamy.”

I scoffed and grabbed my fork.

Training turned out to be hell with better lighting. They made me stand on a sparring ring in the center of the warehouse, surrounded by mirrors that showed me every flaw.

Bellamy leaned against the railing above the ring, arms folded, watching like he was waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

Axel wasted no time. He tossed me a mouthguard and a pair of fingerless gloves.

“Rule one,” He said, circling me. “Never hesitate.”

He attacked.

I blocked the first punch on instinct, but the second caught me in the ribs and sent me staggering. Pain flared at my side.

Axel grinned. “There he is.”

We went again. And again. He was faster than any human, stronger than most wolves I’d fought on the rare nights I let myself run. Every time I thought I had his pattern, he changed it. A knee to my thigh, an elbow to my jaw. My lip split and blood filled my mouth.

Tris held the support beam, watching me intensely. Every time I hit the mat, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

After the tenth knockdown, Axel offered a hand up. “Not bad for a lone wolf. You fight like someone who’s scared of winning.”

“He's weak,” Tris’s brother said from the sidelines.

I spat blood onto the mat and glared up at him.

“You’re not. You’re holding back,” Axel walked off to the weapon wall and pulled down two wooden practice knives. “Again. This time you attack.”

We continued until my lungs burned and my legs hurt. I managed to nick his forearm once, before he rewarded me with a kick that lifted me off my feet. When I finally stayed down, chest heaving, Tris pushed off the beam.

“My turn.”

Axel glanced at her. “Give the guy five minutes, Tris.”

“He doesn’t have five minutes.”

She stepped into the ring barefoot. The air grew heavier, and my wolf stirred.

She didn’t bother with the gloves. “Attack me.”

I laughed a ragged sound. “You’re a girl. You could get hurt.”

“Exactly. Don't tell me you're afraid of getting your ass kicked by a girl.”

I laughed. “Fine,” I lunged forward.

She let me get close, let me think I had her, then moved faster. One moment I was swinging, the next my back hit the mat and her forearm pressed against my throat. Her face hovered inches above mine, eyes glowing faint gold.

“Breathe through your nose,” she murmured. “Feel my weight, not my strength. Use it.”

I bucked. She shifted just enough for me to slide out, spin, and lock my arm around her neck from behind. For one triumphant second I had her.

Then the world flipped. Suddenly I was on my stomach, both wrists pinned, her knee in my back, breath steady against my ear.

“Better,” she said. “But you still telegraph the hip movement.”

She released me and stood in one smooth motion, holding out a hand.

I took it, and she pulled me up. Axel cleared his throat from the sidelines. “Save the staring contest for later. My ring isn’t a therapy session.”

Tris stepped back, expression neutral again.

We broke for water. I chugged half a bottle, trying to cool the fire under my skin. Tris leaned beside me, close enough that our arms nearly brushed.

“You’re holding back,” she said quietly.

“I’m trying not to kill anyone.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” she turned to face me fully. “You fight like you hate what you are. Until you stop, you’ll lose every time.”

I wanted to argue, but she was right. Every punch I threw carried nine years of shame.

She reached for a towel and handed it to me. “The wolf isn’t your curse, David. It’s the only reason you’re still alive.”

Her thumb lingered on the back of my palm for a heartbeat, then dropped.

Axel's voice cracked across the warehouse. “We have company.”

The roll-up door was still down, but the side entrance clicked. A man stepped through, tall and lean, with grey threading his dark hair. He wore a dark suit and worn jeans. Axel moved in front of me without hesitation. “Silas. You’re early.”

“Traffic was merciful,” the man exhaled heavily, and turned his gaze to me. “This must be the lone wolf causing all the noise?”

“David Marshall,” Axel said. “David, meet Silas Whitlock. He keeps our kind from ending up on government dissection tables.”

Silas's eyes narrowed. “So it's true. A Marshall bloodline. Interesting,” He set a satchel on a workbench and opened it. Inside was a tablet, several vials of liquid, and what looked like a collar made of blackened silver.

My stomach dropped. “What do you know about my bloodline?”

Silas chuckled conspicuously. “It's complicated.”

Tris’s voice went dangerously soft. “Then uncomplicate it.”

“The Council has taken an interest,” Silas said. “They want him brought in for evaluation. Voluntary, of course.” His smile sharpened. “But they’re prepared to make it mandatory if he proves… uncooperative.”

I took a step back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Silas sighed like a disappointed parent. “The hunter you encountered has powerful allies. They’re planning for open season on unregistered wolves in Seattle. If you disappear into Council custody for a few weeks, the heat dies down.”

Tris growled. “He’s under our protection.”

“No he's not,” Silas said. “You’re all lone wolves, Tris. You don’t speak for the Northwest.”

“But I do,” Bellamy moved up beside Tris, fists clenched. “We won't hand him over. Tell the Council to back off our territory.”

Silas’s brows lifted slightly. “Still playing hero, Bellamy?” He laughed and closed the satchel. “I’ll pass that along.”

He sighed, checking a silver watch. “You have seventy-two hours to change your mind, Mr. Marshall. After that, the voluntary part of this invitation expires. And the retrieval teams aren't as polite as I am.”

He left as quietly as he’d arrived.

The silence that followed was heavy. Tris looked at Axel, then at me. "We're leaving. Tonight.”

“Where?” My voice cracked.

“Somewhere the Council can’t reach.” She looked almost sorry. “My family has land in Hushfall. Deep wilderness, and old pack territory.”

Axel cursed. “You hate that place.”

“I know.” Tris answered, voice low as she looked at me. “You don’t have to run forever, David. Just long enough to learn how to defend yourself.”

I swallowed hard. Seventy-two hours and they’ll come for me. I turned to Bellamy who stood on the sidelines with a frown. “Why would you help me?”

“Don't mistake this for friendship,” he said firmly. “We hate the Council more than strays like you, and giving you to them will be doing them a favor. Besides, I intend to kill you myself when you turn on us.”

I frowned, uncertain what he meant.

“Suprised?” He clenched his jaw. “Axel and my sister think you're worth protecting, but you're not. I've seen betrayal destroy everything. If you pull that here, I'll stop you, for Tris and Axel's sake.”