Reborn as the Lycan Beta

Chapter 17. You Cheat!

Sebastian POV

As the 3-person spar portion of the training session progressed, I found my temper getting shorter and shorter.

I had always been laid back, even back in the Commune and in the old pack with my cousin Morrighan. The only times I snapped was whenever my wife and my pup Morgan were threatened.

Now it looked like there was something else that could test my self-control even way more.

I don’t know if these two i***its had somehow realized what they were doing affected me (as much as I hate to admit it) and were banking on it, or if they were just annoying by nature.

I suspected it was the latter. As the session progressed, they seemed to have lost interest in getting me off the hunter grass rings. Instead, they opted to wait it out until the five minutes ran out. Whenever it was their turn, they still tried to find ways not to be beaten off the spar and lose their turn. They even worked together even when the other was supposed to be “another opponent.”

Such added complexity to the drill, however, was welcomed. It kept me grounded especially as they chit-chat about Duke, his past “adventures”, and how those Lycans he bedded with longed for another “s**capade” with him. They mentioned names and compared notes about their bed encounters with the Lycan.

Let me at them! Roared my wolf Sylvanus.

Behave! I chided back. Stay put and let me handle this.

Several times my wolf attempted to surface. My eyes were probably darker now, and I’d resorted to silence, unable to trust my voice. My fighting hisses and grunts have turned into low growls.

They need to be put in their place, growled my wolf. How dare they speak of someone else’s mate as if he’s theirs!

I was about to retort at my wolf, when I felt a sting on my arm, followed by a blunt hit on my cheekbone as I instinctively parried. Josh had morphed once more into his bipedal wolf form and something else — either he made use of his innate Lycan talent or he made use of some other feature of his bipedal form.

Or not.

I tried to dodge as the Lycan made another attempt at a series of slashes with his wickedly sharp claws. Despite the heaviness of his strikes, his movements were repetitive. It would have been easy to counter him, except I felt a series of stings hit my arm and back — and energy depleting at an alarming pace.

Wolfsbane, Sylvanus whimpered and slumped back into a corner.

I don’t know who to be angry with — at these two i***s who managed to cheat, at myself who got too distracted trying to manage my temper from their banter about my mate’s s*x life, or at Duke who fooled around way too much before he ever met me.

Here… let me lend you my power, Sylvanus whined. Now show them we mean business.

Thank you, I mentally growled. I’ll get back at them for you, I promise.

On with it.

“Three can play a game,” I growled at my sparring mates. “Or should I say four?!”

Suddenly, just as Josh had slashed diagonally and Joy had thrown something at me, I flipped in a near-horizontal, landing on the grass circle. Combining my innate essence with that of the grass, I pulled some of it off — even taking some of the soil with the roots — and threw them both at Joy, Josh… and one of their friends who was in a nearby yet different group (but not faced against one of my teammates).

Joy yelped in pain, while their friend on the other team screamed as bits of soil went into his eyes and blades of grass hit and sliced the three of them.

“Y-y-you cheat!” Joy shouted. “You used projectile skills!”

“Hey! That’s f**king cheating!” Roared Josh and was about to raise his wicked claws at me again, but this time somebody really strong stopped him.

“YOU GUYS DARE say he cheated and used projectiles when you yourselves are no better,” Gamma Ted hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “I see what you three did there.”

Joy whimpered, but Josh and their friend merely glared back.

“You dare defy me?” Gamma Ted growled… using a voice that sent everyone except me kneeling and baring their necks. I was then reminded that Gamma Ted, despite being a Gamma title, was himself of Alpha bloodline and was a Pack Union officer.

“Go to the infirmary,” the gamma turned his attention to me before he shifted his attention to Jack. “Jack, escort him to the hospital and do a preliminary aura check on the way.”

“Yes, Gamma.”

“I can go on my own,” I raised my hand. Cold sweat, a long beep within my eardrums, and palpitation gradually replaced my dulling senses. I could feel my wolf weakening and my energy levels becoming unsteady, but I was used to walking around wounded without my wolf active. “I —”

“You will do no such thing,” Came a huge growl that got everyone kneeling and baring their necks once again, except for Ted who merely bowed his head. “Jack, I’ll take my mate from here.”

A familiar soothing scent of sandalwood, fresh-cut grass, coffee and petrichor wafted into my nose. My wolf whimpered softly, yet I also felt a sting within my chest. My knees were about to buckle, but I grit my teeth and clenched my jaw as I held myself together. I have no intention of showing any weakness to this man who’s not only messing up with my senses, my libido, and my heart but was also due for a piece of my mind.

Still, thanks to his scent and his presence, my wolf felt soothed and I also began to feel the energy drain slowing down. Not that I will tell my mate about it, though.

“I can manage myself, thank you,” I huffed, turning and, without looking at my mate, heading for the packhouse. I’ll just have to ask people there where the infirmary is. I slowly trudged across the grounds, praying to the goddess Duke wouldn’t sense anything off from me.

“Bastie…” Duke called out. The last time I was called that name was by my parents. I had to hold back a whimper as pain shot through my chest at the memory, but I managed to maintain a deadpan expression.

Still, I think, somehow, my mate detected a change in cadence in my step. He turned and was about to head toward me to assist me, but there was a slight movement from my so-called bullies.

“Beta…”

A loud reverberating growl rang through the training grounds. Everyone bared their necks, although Ted, slightly bowed, shook his head in disapproval at Joy, Josh, and the other Lycan. The three who ganged on me, however, went even paler, their shivering and yelps intensified.

“At least let me escort you to the hospital,” Duke said as he caught up to me.

I ignored him as I walked off the training grounds.

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