Right cross punch to his jaw, then left elbow strike to his abdomen. Watch out for his left elbow and try to get behind him. Dodge his back kick and back step. Shit, he's making another advance, evade his right hook. Left jab and-Shit!

I stagger back a bit from the unseen jab to my left side. Taking in a few gulps of air and I quickly wipe away the sweat stinging my eyes before I refocus back on my opponent, Mr. Ward. I should probably mention that I'm at my alpha training at the pack gym with him right now. And while yes, I would usually be at football practice after school, but my father made training days on Thursdays and Sundays for some reason. Well, at least it doesn't take up my entire weekend, but missing practices means more catch-up work later. Anyways, focus; circle him and find a weak point.

"Keep your shoulders loose. You don't want to be so stiff that you can't block easily," Mr. Ward says bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Right."

"And make sure you lean into your punches more to put more force behind them."

"Got it."

We go back and forth in a weird dance of sorts, exchanging blows and swift kicks with insane precision. Until he goes for a side kick and I catch it, hooking his other leg and making him fall. Taking advantage of the brief confusion I swiftly pin him down to the mat until he taps out.

"Good job today, I can tell that you're excelling well with your offense," Mr. Ward says hopping back onto his feet. Man, I still don't know how he's able to move so effortlessly at forty-six years old. Though I guess you have to keep yourself fit and active when you're the head general of our pack.

"Like father like son I guess," I say with a chuckle.

"Yeah well, unlike him, make sure you keep working on your defense. You don't want to overly rely on others to watch your six for you. And remember to stay on your opponent, the moment you let up on your attacks is the moment your opponent can strike back and gain the upper hand."

"Right."

"That being said, that will be it for today. Go get some water and cool off," he says as he starts packing up.

"Thank you, sensei," I say with a bow. Walking off of the sparring mat and I collapse onto the bench with my stuff on it. I down the water in my gallon size bottle and stretch out my sore arms, with some satisfying pops. Don't get me wrong, I like my alpha training days but that doesn't make them any easier. Especially when it comes to the boring stuff like long meetings with the pack Elders or other pack leaders. But that's the job of a pack leader, doing things that you don't like to do.

"Grayson." I, painfully, get up to greet my father who's entering the gym with four other alpha guards. I'm guessing we're going somewhere today.

"Are we going on a field trip to another pack today?" I ask with a chuckle, as I roll my shoulders.

His expression stays cold and serious. Well okay then. "We are going to go check on the pack's supplies shed. So don't bother showering now, just get dressed."

Oh.

"Yes sir." I quickly gather my towel and water bottle, and head to the locker room to change. I leave my gym stuff in my huge locker to pick up later, best not to bring it and risk my stuff getting ruined. I meet my father at the back of the pack house and we make our way towards the old storage shed hidden within the woods at the back of the house. This is another one of those head alpha jobs, "checking on the pack's storage supplies".

One of the guards opens the old weathered door of the shed and we all pile in, locking it behind us. On the outside and even the inside it just looks like an old, worn-down shed with canned food on a few shelves and rusted tools scatter around. That is, until one of the guards reaches under the work bench in here and flips a switch. There's a sound of several deadbolts unlocking and then a secret trap door swings open from the middle of the floor, slamming against the back wall of the shed.

This trap door is one of the seven entrances to the secret tunnel system under pack grounds. However, it also counts as one of the thirty-five exits (only the seven entrances allow for someone to have access in AND out of the tunnel system). These tunnels are winding and complex, with some even stretching on for miles. If you know how to navigate them you could essentially get to any part of pack grounds quickly. If you don't know your way around them than you could be trapped down there, forever lost. Also, they're barely lit.

My father descends down the old creaking stairs first, then me, then the guards, closing the trap door behind us and plunging us into almost complete darkness. Thanks to our wolf night vision we're able see and head towards our unknown destination.

Back during my freshman year, father introduced me to the tunnels. I was super excited to explore them, but father said I needed to memorize the entire map before we went. And younger me took one look at that thing and went crossed eyed just looking at it. Needless to say, I didn't study that map at all since I knew father would be with me to guide us. Well when the day came to go into the tunnels, we started at an entrance near the edge of pack borders. I went down first super excited. Then my father closed the entrance; and all of that excitement turned to fear really quickly.

He yelled from the other side that if I had studied the map like he told me to than I should have no problem finding my way back to the pack house entrance. Heh, yeah I was screwed. There's no way to track somebody above ground by scent since they run so far underground, so finding him that way didn't work. And even if I could I would need to know where the switch is to open the door. Father went searching for me a day later and found me shivering from the cold and starving a mile away from the pack house entrance. After that I made sure to memorize every square-inch of that map to a T.

After an hour of traveling through the many identical pathways we finally reach our destination. The Pack Dungeon. I've only seen this place on the map but I've never been inside. Mainly due to the fact that the door to enter this area is a locked 6-inch-thick, 7-feet-tall iron door that's silver plated. All I know is that this is the biggest "room" in the entire tunnel system. I guess today is the day that I get to go inside.

Father hands a key to one of the guards who opens a panel next to the giant door and unlocks it. After a series of mechanisms and dead bolts stop making noise two of the other guards, now sporting special really thick gloves, turn the giant wheel handle and pull it open. The first thing that hits me is the horrible smell from the room, which smells like trash and rotting corpses. The second thing that hits me is the sound of groans, hushed chatter, and screams. I turn to my father but he doesn't even look affected at all; meanwhile I'm fighting back the urge to vomit. I guess I shouldn't be surprise since this place is called the Pack Dungeon for a reason, but still some warning would have been nice.

Two guards go in first, then father and I, then the remaining guards. As we walk further into the foul room down a long hallway, I take note of the numerous cells side-by-side on both sides of the corridor. The cells are made of solid concreate with silver plated iron bars and doors at they're entrance. There are mainly rogues in them: some screaming at us, some mumbling to themselves, and the rest just glare as we pass, to tired to do much anymore. I want to say that this is what they deserve for going against our pack but they look super malnourished and exhausted. Some of them even have infected wounds and mangled limbs. What the hell happened to them?

I try to not look them in the eye but then I see a familiar face. I pause in front of a cell holding what seems like an alpha soldier. He's sitting on a wooden plank that I guess is supposed to act as a bed, hugging his legs to his chest, staring at nothing. Wait, I remember him! He was a patrol guard that my father said tried to help a rogue female pass through pack territory. Wasn't he supposed to go through guard training again as punishment? Why is he here? "Grayson, stay with the group," father says a few feet away, not stopping his pace. I glance back at the soldier before following after my father.

Me neither, but we can't ask father about this right now. Especially not here.

We're definitely going to talk about this later.

We finally stop in front of a cell holding a rogue male, who's sitting, handcuffed to the arms and legs of a metal chair with a small metal table next to him. He smells of beta despite his rough looking exterior. He looks up at us and immediately his face contorts into a look of disgust and anger.

"This is our newest prisoner, some guards found him and another rogue scouting our area near the border yesterday," father explains to me. "We have yet to interrogate him so I thought that I should bring you along today to show you the ropes." The rogue just growls back at us.

"Now then rogue," he says starring down the beta. "What is your name?"

"Nun-ya buisness," he growls back.

Father doesn't even look surprised by his response and keeps going. "Where did you come from?"

"Ya ma's house."

"What were your intentions here?"

"Nothin' I would tell the likes of you."

"And finally, who is your leader?"

"Bite me." He sounds more defensive on that last answer, so at least we know that he has a leader.

Father shakes his head and then motions to the guards. One of them with gloves on opens the door with one of his many keys. Two more go into the cell and stand on either side of the rogue, with one holding a silver-plated butcher's knife. I swallow whatever spit I have left in my dry mouth as I prepare myself for what might happen next.

****

"Well, Mr. Nun-ya, as amusing as your answers were, I don't think you are telling the truth. So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to try other methods of getting the answers I want. How about we make a deal: if you answer honestly, I take a year off of your sentence here, if you lie again well..." Father nods to the guard with the knife, who grabs the rogue's right hand and places it onto the metal table. In one quick CHOP and CRUNCH his index finger was cut clean off.

"AAAAAAHHH!!" The rogue howls in agonizing pain, blood pouring from the place where his finger was which has now been tossed onto the floor. What makes it worse is the acid like burning, feeling left behind by the silver touching his bare skin. Which is making the small nub left behind turn black, as if the skin was rotting off of his very bones. He thrashes around in the chair yelling, but the other guard punches him in the jaw to shut him up.

"Now let's try this again: what is your name?" father asks.

The rogue just spits in my father's direction. Father nods to the guard and CHOP, another finger is gone. The rogue wails again and the guard delivers another blow to silence him. And the pattern just repeats from there.

"Where did you come from?"

"Bite me!"

CHOP.

Blood is now pooling on the cell's floor.

"What were your intentions here?"

"Assholes!"

CHOP.

Some of the blood is staining the guards clothes.

"And finally, who is your leader?"

"FUCK YOU!"

CHOP.

The floor is now littered with fingers and soaked with blood. What's left of the rogue's right hand has turned black and flaky from the silver burns. If he's lucky, those burns with close up the wounds before he bleeds out. I clench my jaw to keep myself from gagging on the smell of this place and the added scents of burning flesh and blood. The rogue just turns into a whimpering, sobbing mess, but somehow still has the energy to glare at my father with pure hatred.

****

"Isee. Not willing to co-operate today. We will see if that changes at a laterdate. Or maybe your partner is more willing to work with us," father says. The rogue starts to growl weakly as the guards exit the cell, locking it behind them. Well, now I know how those other rogues ended up the way they did. Either that or they came in here injured from fighting back. We move on to the next cell over where there's a young rogue girl who looks like she could be the same age as Conner, sitting in the same set up as the last guy. She looks sickly pale and completely terrified.

I can tell that she's a gamma from how strong her distressed scent is. If I wasn't already having a bad gut feeling about this, then it's definitely hitting me hard now. I look towards my father, but he doesn't even spare me a glance. He just coldly stares down this girl.

"Now then rogue," he says. She's starts cowering immediately, silently sobbing. "I sure you heard what happened next door, so just answer honestly and you can avoid that from happening to you too. What is your name?"

"D-D-Dem-metria St-tone," she whimpers out between hiccups.

"Where did you come from?"

"I-I was kicked out of the Crystal Moon pack. S-So I have no home n-now," she says, fresh tears spilling out at the last part. The Crystal Moon pack is a neighboring pack to us. Father and I met up with their leaders a few months ago. Why did they kick out someone so young? And a gamma at that.

"What were your intentions here?"

"I didn't know that this w-was your ter-r-ritory. I was just following the man next door. H-He said that he was going to take me to a safe place. I'm s-s-sorry."

"And finally, who is your leader?"

"I don't have o-one."

Father stares at her emotionlessly, pondering over her words. I'm sure she's telling the truth, since long time rogues usually aren't so willing to give up information. Not to mention we could call the Crystal Moon pack to see if her story checks out. And maybe find out why she was kicked out. I let out a small sigh of relief, but father shakes his head and motions to the guards. Wait, what?!

"Father what are you doing?" I ask, turning to him.

"She could still be lying," he says watching the two guards enter the cell. Demetria starts sobbing harder, shaking her head.

"I would never lie to you Head Alpha! Please I promise I'll never come near your territory ever again!" she says, looking more frightened by the second.

"This isn't necessary! We could just call the Crystal Moon pack and fact check her story," I state.

"She might still be hiding the identity of the other rogue's leader."

"I-I swear on my life, I don't know who that man works for. PLEASE!"

The guard with the still blood covered knife yanks her hand into the metal table.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to try other methods of getting the answers I want," father says.

"PLEASE!" she screams, looking towards me with begging eyes. I don't know how, but for some reason I'm positive that she's telling the truth.

The guard raises the knife.

Everyone freezes, all of their attention now on me. I didn't even notice that I was breathing faster, which I quickly get under control. I turn towards father who's practically giving me a death glare, but I keep my composure and straighten up a bit.

"I think that she's telling the truth, and the most logical next move is to fact check her story. NOT resort to torture," I say.

He stares at me for a long time before motioning to the guards to let her go. They undo her handcuffs and leave her locked in the cell, weeping. Satisfied, I hurry out of the dungeon and back into the tunnels. All I can do to calm down is pace and comb through my hair with my hands. What the hell is my father doing down here?! I thought that this was just a prison for real enemies of the pack. Not a torture chamber for rogues, innocent people, and our own pack members!

I snap out of my pacing when I hear the sound of the dungeon door being closed by the guards. Father walks up to me with his usual cold expression, trying to stare me down. Seeing that it's not going to work he keeps walking, and we head out of the tunnels through the same way we entered. The guards dismiss themselves to go freshen up, leaving us alone. "I still think that I made the right call," I say.

"Hmph, we will see. Just know that not every innocent looking face is going to be telling the truth every time. And I hope you realize that being Head Alpha means having to do some difficult things and make tough choices," he says. The sound of a cellphone ringing interrupts us, and father answers his phone. After a short conversation he hangs up, and turns back to me. "That was your mother. Apparently, we are having dinner with the Matthews tonight. Go get cleaned up and dressed, be ready by 6:45," he says dismissing me. Wonderful. I can feel Onyx perking up, but I just feel even more sick now. At least I don't have to stick around for more of his lecturing.

I make a b-line for my room at the pack house, in desperate need of a calming shower. I feel grosser now than when I finished training. I undress and hop into the big shower, letting the super-hot water sooth my tense muscles as I think. As if this day wasn't stressful enough, I now have to go have dinner with the bane of my existence, Eli.

.

Not to me.

Ugh, whatever. He doesn't even like us.

Who's Spark?

I didn't know that you could talk to other wolves.

*Sigh* Of course. Anyways what did Spark say?

Oh come on, you can't just leave me hanging like that.

Hah! Getting a kidney removed would be easier then talking to him.

Whatever.

I leave the shower feeling refreshed but still stressed, and I start getting ready for tonight. Honestly, I wish I could have avoided most of what's happening today. But that's the job of a pack leader, doing things that you don't like to do.