FIGHT! BEN VS SAM

We stood by our training tiers so the girls stood together at one end of the semi circle nearest to Dean. I took my place on the other end next to Ki.

Ben was standing in the centre of the semi circle with Flynn who put a brotherly hand the younger guy's shoulder and told us, "Let's congratulation Beta Ben on his shift and welcome him to the training session."

Polite applause. But Ben shifted like ages ago, and we already trained together last week, and he was already using his beta wolf regularly to boss everyone else around. It's like the moment he had his first shift, his beta wolf was born - and everyone had to take his s***. Everyone. From his dad to the grown up warriors to the kids in his school. EVERYONE.

Okay, maybe everyone except Flynn who was still looking at him like he couldn't believe this day would come. But yeah, Ben's been up and running as beta the moment he shifted. Or so he felt like. His dad certainly didn't wait to start assigning him work. Poor beta, it's going to be a long, long life of servitude from here.

"Ben, you're in Tier 1. Pick your opponent for the ranking match." Flynn instructed.

"Yes!" Jack fist pumped. The Tier 2 guys laughed, and all of them patted Kev on his shoulder because they had escaped the possibility of being completely pulverised by Beta Ben.

Definitely, there were some guys who felt more at risk of facing off with the young beta. The guys who felt in the safe were much more unconcerned throughout.

But no matter what tier we were at, there was going to be a Tier 1 match to spectate which based on our previous ranking matches was probably as close to a live fight in a training session as it could possibly get.

And I bet there had to be at least a handful who wouldn't mind seeing their mean beta get his a** walloped good.

"I challenge Sam." Ben said.

Wait what? No! I wanted to watch!

Ki and Harvey immediately stepped forward, growling protectively. I'm not sure why my betas seemed to be hardwired to be overprotective. This was not typical between a beta and an alpha. You won't see Beta Lucas acting like this around Dad.

"Why Ben?" Harvey frowned and pinched his forehead. From that movement alone, I got the feeling that Ben often caused him headaches. Hahaha.

"Because I can't beat either of you in my human form yet." Ben answered, "You're both larger and more experienced warriors. But I can beat her."

And then as if he was purposely adding insult to injury, Ben had to add, "She's just a girl. Even for a girl, she's kinda petite. I can lift more boxes than her, so I'll probably win this."

Eh? What? But...

"Have you gone mad, or just turned stupid?" Harvey recovered from the headache and was now just coolly regarding the younger beta.

I blinked at Ben.

"Anyone can beat up a cute girl." Ben shrugged, "I can't believe you guys just let her win."

He's gone mad.

Absolutely bonkers. My beta had lost his marbles.

There was a mat at the centre and Ben got on it. I could tell Flynn looked conflicted, but he managed to get on with the program, "Alright, Alpha. Anytime you're ready."

So I stepped up onto the mat to face Ben. As I did, Boo stepped up and my hair suddenly gleamed metallic.

"Oh s***." Harvey sighed from Ki's side. I just love when my good beta was shocked into his default swear word like that.

I wasn't acting quite like myself. TBH, I didn't feel quite like myself right now either. The power was heady, like waves coming in, rythymatically...

"You just had to provoke her wolf, Beta." Ki smiled, "Sir, might I suggest we postpone the match until the princess regains control of her wolf?"

Why? Was he going to shoot me? Chain me up? Or whatever method the Lorent used to force young alphas to subdue their powerful wolves.

Grrr... I'd like to see them try.

Flynn was frowning. I was quite sure he had never seen an alpha Chi-Ka-Boomed before. It's not like Flynn was old enough to have run with my dad before he met Mum, but then Flynn surprised me by sounding like he knew exactly what to do, "This match is postponed. All trainees except for her betas to evacuate the hall, ladies first. We'll start the run. Get shifted, Kev in the lead."

"Yes sir!" The trainees answered and turned to leave in uncanny obedience.

I sulked at the thought of missing the run tonight. My hair flaring my displeasure. Ben stepped back to give my blades room to stretch. He was still pretty calm.

Actually, all my betas were now very calm about this. Something was up.

I heard Ki tell Savy and the other girls, "Don't worry, we will take care of her."

The hall was cleared without another word, a lot of mindlinking which I caught whiffs of but didn't bother to listen closely to. No one knew exactly what was going on, except that Sam's wolf was surfaced, and Flynn was alarmed enough to evacuate them.

They didn't sense any danger themselves, but herein lay Flynn's secret to his success as a warrior trainer. The trainees here respected and trusted him enough to leave immediately.

There wasn't any danger though. Evacuating the other trainees was just a precaution. Why would my wolf attack my own warriors? Yes, Boo was in control, but Boo wasn't a mindless beast. She was probably smarter than I was.

Granted, I can't control my hair, and neither can Boo. Who could? It's not like an arm or a leg. It had no nerves or muscles. But my point wasn't that I was in control, but that I wasn't dangerous. I was potentially capable of great harm, but just because I could, didn't mean I would.

Which was something that Ben, and now the rest of be betas seemed to realize as well. They were smiling

"Did you really want to fight me?" I asked Ben, "You must have known you'd die."

"But you're just a cute girl." Ben smirked.

Wth. He was purposely provoking me.

I flared again, when I did, I could hear the sound of metal rubbing against metal with a very quiet zinging sound that caused a strange sensation to run down my spine.

It was a pleasurable sound to my wolf ears. I had not know I could do that.

"Don't you want to test drive it, Alpha?" Ben was smiling like the devil now, "See what it can do?"

"Are you volunteering that I test it on you?" I asked, and yes, now that Ben mentioned it, I did want to see what my hair would do in a fight, "Are you tired of living already, Beta?"

At this Ben turned serious, "Don't look down on me, Sam. I've told you, I'm your Beta. Don't look down on me. Come on, Sam."

Ben took his stance to face me.

So Boo came on. The hair struck first, banding together like a large sickle and lounging straight at Ben's face. Ben was really quick to dodge, and then BANG! Gunshot.

Who the heck shot that?

I didn't have time to figure it out. My hair suddenly retreated towards me, forming a cocoon, blocking my view completely. I heard a thunk as the bullet bit into the metal cocoon and then my hair flared opened again like the petals of an angry flower.

But we weren't talking about a small cute flower anymore. More like an angry man-eating flower now.

I smelled the gunpowder and smoke. Ben! He had his gun out.

"Ben!" Harvey shouted, "St-"

But Ben shot another two shots. My hair blocked on both sides and then Boo saw her opportunity and shot out, black claws extended.

Omo, I'm truly a monster. But everything was happening too fast for me to take note of appearances.

Boo was too fast for Ben to dodge, I was too close for him to shoot without the reflected bullet hitting him. Hahaha. Got you, Ben!

I grabbed Ben by his throat.

"Luna Bell is here." Ben managed to choke out.

Mate? Why didn't I sense him? I turned to look but not before Ben punched me. Right in the face. I was tricked! WTH!

Now I'm mad. I was stunned for a split second, my hair and everything froze, and then I saw red.

HOW DARE HE! How dare he hit me in the face? It hurt! That was my FACE! Actually, nevermind, there wasn't much logic behind my anger. I was just mad. Mad at the way the punch knocked me senseless and then mad at the swelling sensation it left on my cheekbone. SO MAD.

Ben pulled out his dagger.

My hair wrapped around the metal blade and I aimed a nice hard kick at his face.

"Alpha Kingsley and his Luna are here." Ki announced.

I almost thought Ki was tricking me to turn. Maybe he would shoot me now, or dart gun me, not that it mattered either way since I had a shield of bullet-proof hair. How'd like that Lorent? You try shooting me like you would Bell and see what happens!

Unfortunately, this time it was real. I stopped my kick in a hurry, stumbling forwards. Ben caught me with his free hand. My blades lost all tension and deflated immediately at the sight of Mum.

"Sam!"

Dad and Mum were now in front of the mat. Mum had her hands on her hips, "Sam, let Ben go!"

Wait what - but he started it!

My hair let go of the dagger in his hand. I sulked and slunked behind Ben, suddenly grateful for his new height and girth.

"It was my fault, Luna." Ben immediately admitted while returning his dagger to wherever he had drawn it from. Yeah, you put that back beta! Whoever heard of a training match where you shot your opponent point blank and produced a knife out of nowhere?

But even then, Mum just assumed that he was taking the hit for me again and waved him off, "I'm sorry Ben, it seems like Sam has lost control of her wolf again."

I'd like to see anyone not lose control if they were punched in the face and shot at! But by now, my face was fully healed. I touched it, expecting to feel it tender under my eye, but nothing.

"Sam..." Dad's voice was growly, he was close to King Kong mode. I think he was having a hard time keeping his own wolf under control.

Not good. I stepped forward. I mean Ben was good for deflecting Mum, but Dad in King Kong mode was another matter.

Mum quickly returned her attention to Dad, rubbing his back. I think she realized who needed the soothing the most.

The moment I approached my parents, I realized why... I could smell it. I took a step back immediately. I think whoever called them down had interuppted their urm... privacy. They hadn't even showered, their scents mingling and... Other smells which made me back up more.

Ben reached out his hand to stop me from backing into him, but he brushed against a few strands of hair, "Oh f***."

I smelled blood.

Ki went over to check it, "Just papercut. All his digits are safe."

I shrugged.

"Whatever will we do with you Sam?" Mum sighed. She came over to me.

"Luna, please be careful." Harvey warned.

Beta Lucas entered then, "Whoa! Wow! Sam!"

Uh, yeah. Thanks, I think?

Even if it was the elder beta's first time meeting my hair in this state, the reaction was somewhat over the top.

"Where's Bell?" Dad sighed. King Kong had decided he wasn't needed after all. One monster was enough.

"Isn't he fighting in the Gold Packlands?" Beta Lucas supplied. They looked at my betas who solemnly nodded.

"How did the Night Forest deal with young alpha wolf rampages?" Ki asked Beta Lucas.

Might I point out that I was not rampaging?

"Oh, we set him out to run it off." Beta Lucas said, "Then we paid for the damages and pretended it never happened."

"Her wolf..." Flynn frowned, he tried to help, "Sam? Can you take back control? Remember your control techniques..."

"She can't. She has an Alpha wolf." Ben answered, "Only Luna Bell can calm her wolf."

Actually I could. I mean, I think I could. But if I did... Wouldn't I just be subjected to a tongue lashing from mum?

"And you had to provoke her, beta!" Ki scolded mildly, "Luna Bell just informed me he would be over in an hour."

"What? He said he wouldn't be able to come back till Sunday night earliest!" Ben shot back accusingly.

"Ben..." Harvey growled warningly, "You better have a good reason for this."

"I thought it would speed things up." Ben mumbled.

Yeah... Something was up, something that Ben was too impatient to wait for.

"Patience has never been your strong point, beta." Ki smiled.

"Shut up, dog." Ben shot back under his breath.

"Ben..." Beta Lucas held up his hand, "Am I to take that you provoked your alpha on purpose?"

Hahahaha. Ben was so in trouble now.

"We were just sparring." Ben shrugged. So in trouble, Ben was. ;)

Beta Lucas had a perplexed look, "What made you think it was a good idea to provoke your alpha to 'spar' with you?"

"That isn't sparring, beta." Ki chimed in with his usual beautiful smile, "That's suicide."

"I'm her beta! Don't look down on me just because I'm young. I can beat her!" Ben shot back.

Therin lay the crux of Ben's drama. He wanted to prove himself.

"Yes, you're her Beta. You were made to run with her, but Ben, might I remind you that you are one of THREE betas." Beta Lucas said.

"So you think I'm only a third of her Beta?" Ben was growling now. He shook his head, "I'm her beta. I was made to run with her!"

"Even so, Ben. A training match with our Alpha is quite different from provoking her into a fight. There would be heavy injuries..." Harvey calmly pointed out.

"And our Luna Bell is going to be most displeased." Ki pointed out with a long suffering sigh. Poor Ki, he will be the one taking the brunt of Bell's displeasure as usual.

"S***." Harvey had said this under his breath and into his hand, but I still heard it. Poor Harvey, he would have to deal with these two on top of all the paperwork.

And poor Ben. No one was going to just laugh this one off.