I panted like a dog, picking up my pace as the end of the obstacle course came into view. My legs felt like they were on fire as I jumped up and grabbed the rope, swinging to the other side and landing fairly-smoothly.

And by that I mean I barely missed the landing mat and landed on my face rather on my legs.

Hurt my pride than anything else.

"She's performing worse than a regular wolf." A council member I'm going to call Beardy spoke loudly to his other council men, and made sure I could hear him.

I just scoffed in between my heavy breathing.

I'd like to see him try to do this ridiculous course with his hands and legs in heavy shackles.

But god.

I'm out of shape.

"Maybe Mr. Randel's report was correct, she's harmless." Another member who looks like a much older version of Axel, so I'll call him Senior, spoke up.

"Just because she is your great-grandson's mate does not mean she's automatically harmless." Another snapped, I named him Baldy.

But Mr. Randel?

I guess that's Clint.

But Axel's great grandfather?

I quickly glanced at him to see that he was the exact same pair of ocean blue eyes that gave me anxiety.

I shook off the bile rising in my throat and pushed forward to the hurdles that I surprisingly easily jumped over. And that was the last obstacle.

I collapsed at the finish line, gasping for air as this collar felt a little tight on me. Without warning I was drenched in ice cold water and a chain was attached back to the collar. A guard yanked on me so harshly I stumbled forward, right into the new mud that just formed.

A loud growl echoed from the entrance to the "competitor's chambers" or the prisons.

Axel had come to visit me even though it was only day 2 of the trials. He was waiting for me behind the gates to the chambers that I was being lead to.

Brennon had to go home and take over Axel's duties as the alpha insisted on supervising me.

"Tell your mate to calm down." The guard whispered to my ear. He was much taller than me and had to hold my collar, lifting me off my feet to reach my face.

"Let go of her!" Axel banged on the gate, his eyes glowing with fury.

I felt myself trembling but I kept my eyes on the guard instead of looking away.

"Release me." I whispered, ignoring the other guards putting my shackles back on. "Please." I quickly add.

But the guards eyes widened, dropping me like I was on fire and walking away. It caught the attention of the council men as guards surrounded me.

I quickly got a glimpse of Axel who was on the verge of shifting, his canines nice and prominent as he was covered by a guard's leg.

I looked up to see them all drawing their swords and positioning their guns towards me.

Great.

"What did you do?" One of them shouted, behind him was the guard from earlier whose face was completely pale.

"I-I," I stuttered, feeling my chest close up and my voice faltering. "I don't know!" I let out a cry when one of them struck me with the butt of his gun right in the side of my head. I slumped onto the mud, blinding myself with the brown sludge.

"Don't speak!" One of them shouted, but I couldn't hear what was the rest of them was saying as my vision was being crowded by black spots.

There was a lot of shouted and a loud bang, like a large metal door was being opened, and more screams and shouting.

I just couldn't move.

"It's okay sweetheart," A kind, gentle voice was lifting me up, "My great grandson is just protecting you." Axel's great grandfather picked me up bridal style, unaffected by the silver chains that touched his skin. "Now, let's get you inside and cleaned up."

I just nodded meekly, closing my eyes and finding myself drift off.

Snuggling into a warm chest that felt a lot more muscular than I thought. I peeked my eye open just enough to see a pair of ocean blue eyes was were looking at me with such warmness it made my insides feel funny.

"You're okay now Mable, the council has given you a day to rest." Axel was holding me to his chest like a teddy bear, "I'm sorry." He breathed, nuzzling his face closer to my own.

I felt like I was in a dream, but then the loud clinking of my chains brought me back to reality as I tried to struggle out of his arms.

"N-no!" I shouted, wiggling out and hitting the floor gently as Axel set me down. I scrambled away from him, taking a good look at the burns on his bare forearms. "You shouldn't have touched me." I looked down at my own wrists that still had massive shackles on them. Since I've had these on for about 3 days now they have finally started burning me, just light red burns were on my wrists and ankles.

I guess that's just a perk about being a black wolf.

"Mable please," Axel tried to approach me but I shook my head, hearing the collar's chains clink around. "It's okay." He reached out, showing me his burns quite clearly but he didn't seem to care. "I need to hold you."

I shook my head again, not caring that he was so close to me.

"You're hurt." I pulled away from him, hoping he got the message. I was okay... for the most part. "You should go to the healer." I struggled to get up, using the stone wall as support, "I'll just to my room and rest." I noticed Axel rushing to my side, holding himself back from touching me but his eyes told me everything.

"Please, let me at least help you." Axel walked up closer to me but I slumped away.

"My room is just right there." I point as a small silver-bar door. The guards were generous enough to give me the smallest room among the other black and white wolves going through the trials.

I limped my way over, seeing how the shackles on my ankles only gave me so much slack.

As soon as we got there Axel's hopeful look quickly turned dark.

"This is where you are staying?" He looked straight into my small room that only had a bed and an open toilet that anyone could see me if they just looked. But my room itself was miniscule.

Axel peeked in and he had to slouch down almost to my height in order to even look inside. It was about the size of a closet, enough for me to lie down with my knees to my chest.

"Yes," I answered him, opening my already unlocked cell. It only opens from the outside, luckily I've already figured out how to open it from the inside in case of emergency.

I gracefully flopped down on on my bed, letting my feet be propped up by the wall seeing that's how small this bed is.

"You deserve a larger room." Axel still stood on the outside on the open door. But as it started to close slowly grabbed it with his bare hands to stop it but immediately reeled back, hissing as it burned him. "Fuck!" He spewed more curses, looking at his hands before looking back at me.

I was watching him through my pillow, forgetting I was coated in dirt and mud and now is ruining my already filthy sheets. He quickly cleared his throat, straightening himself.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly, feeling too tired to be afraid of him.

He seemed happy that I was speaking to him like a normal person, but that was soon ruined by the door fully shutting and some guard came it with an unappetizing bowl of gray slop.

"I'm fine Mable." Axel's nose scrunched as the bowl passed him and was placed on the small opening of the bar where I sat up and collected it. "What is that?"

The guard looked at him, eyeing him up and down, "Who knows." He finally said, walking away to give the others the bowls that were on his tray.

"Mable you shouldn't eat that." Axel carefully reached through the bar and grabbed the other side of the bowl.

"We all know they put wolfsbane in this," I spoke, yawning in between, "It doesn't affect the black wolves as much as the white wolves though." I pulled it away from him, taking a sip of the rather bitter liquid. "It still gives us enough energy."

Axel was now furious, but he stayed by my cell door as I ate, once in a while growling about the poor conditions. "They are suppose to be testing you not torturing you."

"It's better than how my old pack was." I spoke mindlessly between sips, not even registering myself on what I just said.

"What?!" Axel growled, looking at me with glowing blue eyes, "What are you talking about?!" He grit his teeth, baring them at me so I could see his canines grow.

"N-nothing." I started chugging the bowl, hoping to both avoid answering his question and to finish this disgusting slop.

"Tell me Mable," Axel's teeth were going back to normal but his eyes were still glowing. "Please." He quickly added, hoping it appealed to me.

And it did.