What on earth was he doing here? Sakdah never went to the community center unless he was needed for a meeting. Other than that, no one ever saw much of the Alpha of the Reverence Pack. He was a recluse, along with most of his pack. It took until Shiro came out from hiding that they started to meet more of the members.

But here he was, staring at his son with hard eyes. Jett couldn't tell if it was disgust or not that he was reading off from the man, but he hated that look that he gave him. It made his blood boil to see anyone give his mate that look.

He really thought that he had hurt Shiro. He had just gotten healed up from the wounds that those hunters gave him. He was worried that he took it too far when training with him. It really had been a lot of fun. He could tell that Shiro was enjoying testing his abilities. He was sharp when it came to blocking, and his delivers on his attacks were always on point. He really was skilled. Which was why he was so surprised when he didn't block the obvious punch that Jett had thrown at him. He thought that he would see it, that was why he had put so much force in it.

But he treated hitting the wall like it was nothing. He stood up with ease, not even winded in the slightest. And Jett saw those soft eyes turn cold as he met his father's gaze.

"What is going on?" Sakdah looked at him. "What are you doing with my son?"

"Training," Jett answered. "I thought it would be a great thing for us neighbors to get some practice in."

"Is that so?" Sakdah raised a brow at him. "Well, it seems like he needs all the help he can get considering he couldn't block a simple blow."

"I got distracted when you came in," Shiro bowed his head slightly out of respect. His eyes were on his father the whole time. "I apologize for my mistake. It will not happen again."

"You're right," Sakdah said. "It won't happen again. Perhaps you need more practice before you gain your title, Shiro. A good warrior never gets distracted."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Jett looked at Sakdah. He couldn't have the man make an excuse like this to prolong his title. And he would rather die than let Sakdah get away with saying that to his mate. Shiro had already been in charge of so much. There was no doubt in his mind that he was ready to be the leader.

"Leaders do not make mistakes," Sakdah said. His light brown eyes attempted to burn holes through him. That gaze never worked on him, though. He could always see past the man's bullshit.

"That's a lie and you know it, Sakdah," Jett crossed his arms. "We've all made mistakes as leaders. And this was nothing as far as our mistakes have gone."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakdah said. His stance was tall and menacing. But it was Shiro's aura that truly caused tension in the room. It made this training ground feel more like a war zone.

"I think you do," Jett told him. "Perhaps you should give your son another chance to prove himself. I assure you that he was doing perfect right before you came in."

Sakdah sat there for a second, as if to think about what Jett had said. There was no way he was going to let him just take Shiro away. He would probably yell at him for absolutely nothing. And there was no way that he was going to have the man prolong Shiro's coronation. That was the one thing that he was riding on so that they could finally mark each other.

"Alright," Sakdah nodded and looked to Shiro. "You have one chance. Remember: distractions are no excuse."

"Yes, Alpha," Shiro bowed again.

"Why did he just call him Alpha?" Sophie asked. He forgot that she was with them for a second. "If that's his father, why wouldn't he call him by his title instead?"

"I'd say out of respect," Alex said. "But I doubt it's just that. Does everyone notice just how tense they all got when he walked in?"

It was true. All of the warriors that Shiro had brought with him were as tense as a cinder block. Hiroko was especially. She was giving Shiro some worried glances as well. Jett didn't like the feeling of this.

"Alex," Jett told him. "I need you to watch everyone's reactions to this. Try and see if you can get a reading off from Geo too. He probably knows more about this than the rest of them."

"Easy enough," Alex said.

Jett didn't have time to give out anymore orders. He walked to the middle of the room again, with Shiro following. Instead of the happy man that had been teasing him about his warriors and enjoying a fun fight, he had changed into someone else entirely. He now looked like a General, even more so than Geo ever did. His shoulders squared and his back straight, he circled the center with him, waiting for a good point to strike.

Jett wanted him to prove himself to his father. He wanted him to gain his rightful title, and he believed that he truly was ready. If he took out the fact that they were mates, he would still believe him to be ready to lead just by his mind alone. When he was focused on something, he stayed locked onto it and never let go.

Jett remembered a little about the things that Elder Munni said. One of them was the question: Who should you be more afraid of? The dog that growls or the one who was taught to stay silent?

He never quite understood the answer until now.

The one who was taught to stay silent is the one you should be more afraid of, for it will not give you any warning when it decides to bite you.

He didn't realize that it was also for people. Not until Shiro struck first.

He was strong. Stronger than he imagined him to be. It didn't match up to his strength, of course, but he was fast and precise. His face was like a wall. Jett couldn't read him in that moment. Those black eyes were a void in which he couldn't understand. And that worried him the greatest. He could always read someone. It was as easy as breathing for him to be able to figure out what a certain person was truly meaning by their actions or words. But Shiro was closed off to him.

It took all of his focus to avoid those blows and give them back. Now it truly was a challenge, and Jett was quickly realizing that Shiro wasn't as weak as he looked. He reminded him of his grandfather in how he fought, but his face was much more serious. He truly looked like an Alpha of a pack like that. If Jett had a moment to truly enjoy him, he would have loved this look on him.

Instead, he had to focus on getting himself out of the mess that he just talked himself into. Shiro jumped around him, blocking everyone of his blows. It took all of his concentration to block the man's kick when he finally delivered. He caught it and used his strength to throw the man to the other side of the room, hitting the wall. Jett thought, for a split second, that he had taken things too far. He thought that he had pushed Shiro over the edge. But the man just stood right back up and ran back towards him. His body was a beauty all in of itself. He was shirtless, and his six pack was gleaming ever so slightly with sweat. It moved up and down with ease as he maintained controlled breathing.

Jett missed a punch that sent him a few feet backwards. With how serious of a fight this had gotten, his pride was getting to him. He growled low at the pain in his arm. His body was now kicked into full gear as he ran back towards the man that was already giving this his all. If he wanted to truly test his skill, he was going to get it.

A few more hits and dodges and he had gotten ahold of his arm. Jett swung him up to the ceiling, hearing a thud as he hit it and then fell back to the ground again. That sound alone was enough to snap him out of his anger. Why was he doing this? Why was he even fighting Shiro? He had meant to do this for fun, as a way to get closer to him and bond like how warriors bond with each other in a fight. He had wanted that from the moment he first met him. But this wasn't a friendly fight. This had now turned into a competition. And he had let his own bruised ego get in the way of him seeing that.

He truly thought that he had beaten him too much at that point. He stayed on the ground for a moment, the whole room silent. Jett was going to say something when he saw him start to move. He jumped back up and went back in a fighting stance, those eyes never changing in their mood. His breathing was still normal, even though that glimmer of sweat was shining over his body. His pupils had gone wide as he focused on the task at hand.

He still couldn't read him. Jett didn't like this. He didn't want to fight him anymore. Not if it was going to be like this. He didn't know what those cold eyes were trying to say, but he had to figure out what was going on in his head before he figured out his next course of action.

"He's not fighting, Jett," Alex's voice popped up in his head. "The person who's fighting you isn't the Shiro that we know; it's the Shiro that Sakdah wants to see. And it's probably to see just how strong the both of you are. He's sizing you up."

He was right. Looking at that face, it didn't look like the one that he had known since he met him. It was cold, like Sakdah's. It was a face that gave him no mercy; one that would keep fighting until his Alpha told him otherwise, even if that meant him dying.

He was like a zombie: getting up every time he got knocked down. He wore Jett down through his resilience alone. He needed to think fast. Jett grabbed the man's arm and pinned him to the ground. He knew that it would only last a second until he would find a way out of his grasp, but he needed to feel their bond. Shiro couldn't hide it from him anymore. And, even though they weren't officially mated, it was growing stronger by the day.

That second was all he needed to catch a glimpse of emotion from the man. A strong wave of it washed over him. He was hurting, and not just because of the fight. It was hurting him emotionally to keep battling. The guilt was building in him, Jett could feel it. But there was also a sense of need. Shiro felt like he needed to do this to prove himself.

No, Jett wasn't going to have this anymore. He had convinced Sakdah to watch his son fight a second time because he hated how the man talked to him. He wanted to prove that Shiro wasn't weak just as much as the man himself did. But he had already done that. They had been fighting for hours at this point, neither of them willing to give up.

He needed to protect him, even if it was from himself.

"Enough!" he yelled loudly through the room.

Shiro stopped immediately. His pupils turned back to normal as he stood straight. Those eyes softened just for a second. He must feel guilty for all of this. But this wasn't his fault, it was his father's. And Jett had it up to here with the man.

"You have a son who's worthy of his leading title, Sakdah," he turned to glare at him. His face was colder than Shiro's had been just a few minutes ago. "You shouldn't need proof of his strength, for there is enough proof in his actions of what had conspired with the hunters to show you that he is worthy of gaining your title. And I'm not going to be the one who continues to fight him until one of us faints. That's not what this was supposed to be about."

He turned to bow in respect at Shiro, something that he had seen his warriors do after they were done training earlier that day. Then he looked at Alex and the rest of the ones who had come with him, motioning for them to all leave. When they started walking towards him, he went for the exit to the room. He made one last turn to the warriors that were in that room.

"Thank you for letting us train with you," he told them. "You are all great fighters, and I wish you the best in battle."

He didn't turn to look at Sakdah. It worried him that he was going to leave Shiro with him, but he had no choice. A part of him wanted to grab Shiro and just run away with him. He wanted him in his arms where he was safe and far away from that father of his. He now knew just how little Sakdah cared for his son, to have him go on like that until he feinted. If Jett were in his shoes, his father would have stopped the fight a long time ago.

"Are you okay, Jett?" Blake asked through the mind link.

"Yeah," he told him. He was really pissed, and his arm was killing him from that punch that Shiro gave, but he was alright. Stuff like that would heal easily. "Let's talk when we get to the packhouse. Sophie, Manny, I need you both to come with as well."

"You got it."

It didn't take too long to get there. The car ride was silent. He had Alex drive, as he was still trying to calm his breathing down. He hadn't had that kind of workout in a long time. He felt like he had pushed himself to the absolute limits. Any other time, he would have loved that feeling. But, right then, it angered him. He wasn't angry at Shiro. Shiro was just following orders. He was pissed at himself because of not being able to catch onto that Alpha's plans. And his instincts were kicking in, telling him to go to his mate right then. He wanted to hold him. He wanted to grab him and force him to stay in his hold for the rest of eternity. He needed him at that moment.

But he couldn't have him. Not right then. And that was another thing that was pissing him off.

The first people he saw when he got home was Bree and his father. Both of them must have known that something had happened. Their faces looked concerned even before he got out of the car.

"Jett!" Bree was the first one to run up to him. "What the hell happened?!"

"I'll tell you after I get to Dr. Bailey," he slammed the door shut. Cradling his arm, he walked past his father. Both of them were on his heels as he walked down the halls. He was sure that the rest of them were following right behind them.

While he walked, he pulled out his phone. It didn't take long for him to find the right contact. It was one that he had been using every night for the past week.

Jett: We need to talk, Prince. You owe me.

"Bailey," he walked into the infirmary. "Do me a favor and don't ask questions. I'll explain afterwards." The doctor looked at him curiously, but nodded.

"As long as that's a promise," she patted onto a bed to start examining him. "You look like you were in one hell of a fight."

"He was," Blake said. "I don't think I've seen something as crazy as that in all my life."

"What happened?" his father asked.

"Not now," he told him. "Alex, Blake, what did you guys pick up during that whole time?"

"That his father was trying to punish his son without having to lift a finger," Blake said. "He looked at him like he had done something he wasn't supposed to do."

"And he was sizing you up, as well," Alex said. "It seemed like he was testing both of you two's strength while you fought. Shiro didn't look like he was trying to even fight you. It looked like he was trying to prove himself."

"That's what I was thinking," Jett shook his head. "Dammit all, I shouldn't have said anything."

"But his father wasn't going to take him seriously after that," Sophie said. She had a pained look on her face. She was always a caring soul, and it seemed like she fell for Shiro just as quickly as he had. "If you said nothing than he could have done worse."

"This is about Shiro?" Bree cocked a brow.

Jett quickly explained to his sister and father about what had happened. It was dumb to challenge Shiro, but he had honestly thought that it would merely be out of fun. Now he was absolutely exhausted.

"Well," Bailey said. "It seems as though he wasn't trying to kill you at least. The wounds you have are merely on your arms and legs. Most of them should heal within the day as long as you get some rest."

"Thanks, Bailey," he smiled at her. She was a great doctor, one that had shown her usefulness time and time again.

"That sounds ridiculous," his father shook his head. "Shiro just healed from his wounds. He shouldn't have had to push himself too far."

Now he just felt guilty. He should have stopped it long before it got that bad. He should have ended it when he had thrown him onto the ceiling and he landed onto the ground with a thud. He should have known what the man's limits were. But he was a clean slate when they were battling. He cut himself off from Jett so that he wouldn't know just how badly beat he had gotten.

He was trying to fight for his life.

"There was one more thing that we noticed during that fight," Manny said. He looked a bit sheepish when he spoke, which usually meant bad things.

"What was that?" he asked his Gamma.

"You two are evenly matched," Manny told him.

"What do you mean?" he raised and eyebrow. "We're both alphas. Of course, we're evenly matched."

"But neither of you are stronger than the other," he continued. "Both of you were sweating at the same point, running out of breath at the same time, even though Shiro didn't want to show it. Both of you seemed to have the same amount of stamina, and could have easily gone on a lot longer than you did. You are both of the same strength."

Jett couldn't believe that. He had always been the strongest out of the four packs. Of course, the other Alphas were getting old, but he had been the one who everyone turned to when they needed help with enemies. He had trained long and hard his whole life to the point where he even surpassed his father's strength in his prime. It was one of the reasons why no one had even thought to challenge him for his title.

And Shiro had that same strength?

"Two Alphas, pinned together," Bree put her hand to her chin. "With equal strength. That's not normal for mates."

"It makes sense if they're both leaders of their packs, though," Manny said. "Alphas always have to be strong so that they can lead."

"Can you make any sense of this, Dad?" he asked his father. The man looked off into the distance, thinking deeply.

"The Moon Goddess is up to something," he said. "I don't know what it is, but that's the only answer I can give to this."

Jett thought so too after hearing that. He hoped it meant that their packs would be stronger and work together. He looked out the window as the sun began to set. It wouldn't be long before that bright moon would try and show its face beyond the clouds. He wished he could talk to the Goddess face-to-face. If he could, he'd only have one question:

Exactly what was she planning?