Chapter 9 Teeth of the Forgotten Breed
TEETH OF THE FORGOTTEN brEED
RONAN
Dawn broke cold over the training ground, turning the packed dirt grey and making breath visible in the air.
I arrived early. Before most of the pack was awake, before I had to see their faces and catalog which ones were watching me like I might explode. My wolf was restless.
Move. Fight. Prove you're useful. If you're useful, you're safe.
The logic was flawed and I knew it. But knowing didn't stop me from clinging to the idea that maybe if I trained hard enough, fought well enough, showed enough control, the pack would stop looking at me like I was a bomb with a faulty timer.
The ground was familiar under my boots. Packed earth worn smooth by generations of wolves learning how to fight, how to shift, how to move as pack instead of individuals. The trees ringed the clearing on all sides, old growth that had witnessed more violence than most battlefields.
I started with the basics. Footwork. Weight distribution. The mechanical act of moving through space without thinking too hard about why I was here or what would happen if I screwed this up.
The wolves filtered in as the sun climbed higher.
Luke came first, moving with the quiet that said he'd been doing this a long time and didn't need anyone to notice.
He was one of Daniel's senior fighters, broad across the shoulders and built like a man who'd weathered worse things than an awkward morning training session.
He nodded at me. A brief acknowledgment. No fear, but no warmth either.
Still deciding if I'm trustworthy. Fair.
Then Jonah. He came in with his hands shoved in his pockets and his collar turned up against the cold, looking like he'd rather be in bed. Then he saw me and grinned.
“You're here early,” he called across the clearing. “Trying to impress someone?”
“Trying not to embarrass myself,” I shot back.
“Too late for that. You're related to Daniel.”
Luke snorted from where he was stretching. “Leave him alone, Jonah.”
“I'm being friendly.”
“You're being a pain in the ass.”
“Same thing.”
Despite myself, I felt my mouth curve.
Then more wolves arrived. Pack fighters I recognized but couldn't name yet, their faces still blurring together into a mass of people who knew each other's histories while I was still figuring out the basic geography.
Evan arrived with Nate at his side. Alpha and mate moving in tandem, comfortable in ways that came from years of practice. Evan's eyes found me immediately, did a quick assessment, then moved on.
Michael showed up minutes later. He moved through the clearing like he belonged despite not having fur or fangs, and when he caught my eye he nodded. No fear there. No wariness.
Daniel's mate. Human. And he's not afraid of me. That's worth noting.
Daniel arrived last, coffee in hand, looking like he'd been up for hours already. He saw me and his expression did this complicated thing where relief and worry fought for dominance.
“You're early,” he said.
“Couldn't sleep.”
“Yeah, well. Join the club.” He took a long sip of the coffee. “How you feeling?”
Terrified. Restless. Like I don't belong here but I'm trying anyway.
“Fine,” I said.
Daniel gave me a look that said he knew that was bullshit, but he didn't push. Just nodded and moved to stand with Evan.
Evan stepped into the center of the clearing. “Alright. Pair up. We're working defensive counters today. Focus on blocks and redirects, not offense. I want control, not brutality.”
His eyes found me when he said it.
He's worried you'll lose control. Worried you'll hurt someone.
I looked away first. Let the wolves pair off naturally while I stood at the edge waiting to see who'd be brave enough or stupid enough to volunteer.
Jonah moved toward me without hesitation. “You and me. Unless you're gonna be weird about it.”
“I'm not gonna be weird about it.” My voice came out rougher than I meant. “Defensive counters. Got it.”
“Good. 'Cause if you throw me too hard, I'm telling Daniel you bullied me.”
Luke drifted into our orbit without invitation, stationing himself at the edge of our space. Not officially paired with us. Just present. Watching.
Babysitter. They assigned me a babysitter.
We moved into position. Gave each other space. Evan was watching us closely now, probably ready to step in the moment things went sideways.
Don't fuck this up. Stay controlled. Prove you're not dangerous.
Jonah circled left. I mirrored him. We moved through the opening dance of a spar—testing distance, checking reflexes, seeing how the other wolf moved before committing to anything serious.
“You gonna actually throw a punch or just dance around all morning?” Jonah asked.
“Defensive counters. You're supposed to attack first.”
“Oh right. Forgot I was doing all the work here.”
“You're not doing work. You're stalling.”
“I'm strategizing.”
“You're scared.”
“Damn right I'm scared. You're built like a tank.”
Despite the banter, his wolf was bleeding through. I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, the way his eyes tracked me with too much focus. He was treating this like an actual assessment instead of training.
Then Jonah lunged.
I met him with a defensive counter. Redirected his momentum. Let his own force carry him past me instead of meeting it head-on.
Jonah reset. Came at me again. Faster this time. More aggressive.
I blocked. Countered. Stayed on defense even when openings appeared that I could have exploited.
But his instincts were misfiring. He was coming at me harder than the drill called for, crossing the line from practice into actual assault.
He's testing you. Seeing what you'll do under pressure.
He lunged again. All teeth and aggression.
My body reacted before my brain caught up.
I caught his wrist mid-strike. Twisted. Used his momentum against him and dropped him to the dirt with force that was too much, too fast, too brutal for a training exercise.
The clearing went silent.
Jonah hit the ground hard enough that dust puffed up around him. He didn't move for a second, just lay there staring at the sky with an expression that said he hadn't expected to lose that exchange.
Fuck. Too much. You used too much force.
I stepped back fast. My hands went up in a gesture that said no threat, not attacking, just reacting.
But the damage was done.
A ripple ran through the pack. The wolves I couldn't name bristled, hackles rising in response to dominance they didn't understand. A few bared teeth without meaning to, instinct overriding conscious thought. Others lowered their gaze, submission kicking in automatically.
I felt it like a current humming under my skin. The pack dynamics were shifting around me, wolves responding to a presence I didn't know how to control.
Evan moved into the circle. “Break,” he called. His voice carried the command that made wolves step back automatically. “Ronan, Jonah—good work. Take five.”
Jonah got up slowly. Brushed the dirt off his jeans then grinned. “Okay. That was fast.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Didn't mean to—”
“Don't apologize. You won fair.” He rolled his shoulder. “Though next time maybe don't throw me like I'm a practice dummy.”
“You came at me like you meant it.”
“That's 'cause I did mean it. Was testing your control.” His grin widened. “You passed. Mostly.”
Luke stepped closer. “You're stronger than you should be. By a lot.”
Here it comes. The questions I don't have answers for.
“I don't know why,” I said honestly.
“Neither do we.” Luke's voice wasn't hostile. Just matter-of-fact. “That's the problem.”
Daniel was standing at the edge of the clearing now. Watching me with eyes that looked like he was seeing a stranger wearing his brother's face.
You're losing him. He's afraid of what you're becoming.
By the time Evan called the session, I was drenched in sweat and shaking with the effort of keeping myself contained.
The wolves dispersed. Headed back toward the pack house or homes or wherever they went when training was done. I turned to leave with them, thinking maybe I could escape before anyone cornered me.
Daniel's voice stopped me cold.
“Ronan. Stay.”
I turned back slowly. Saw Daniel standing with Gideon, Evan, Nate, and Michael in a loose semicircle that felt too much like an intervention.
Gideon had been avoiding me for three days. And now he was here, standing slightly behind Daniel, watching me.
Daniel looked tired. “You're different lately.”
I waited.
“There's been a change. In the way you move through the pack, the way the air shifts around you. Wolves who know you aren't afraid of you, Ronan. But they can feel there's—” He stopped. Searched for the word. “They can feel there's an off-ness, and they don't have words for it yet.”
It landed differently than I expected. Not like a verdict. Like a brother telling the truth because he didn't know how else to help.
“I didn't ask for whatever this is,” I said.
“I know that.” Daniel's voice cracked slightly. “But I already lost you once. I won't ignore the signs that something's pulling at you wrong when I could be doing a damn thing about it.”
Wrongness. That's what you are to them now.
“What do you think's wrong with me?” I asked.
Gideon stepped forward then. Measured and calm. “We don't know enough yet. Need to look properly instead of guessing.”
Evan spoke from his position near the treeline. “Gideon can check. Look at your wolf properly. Find what's underneath.”
I looked at Gideon. He looked back without flinching, without the careful distance that said he'd decided I was too complicated to stand near.
“Fine,” I said. “Do it.”
Gideon's eyes held mine for a moment. “You sure? Once I look, I can't unsee what I find. And you've got the right to say no.”
“I'm sure.”
The clearing went still. Daniel, Evan, Nate, and Michael settled into a loose perimeter around us without anyone directing them to—witnesses, support, people who loved one or both of us and didn't know what else to do but stay close.