Leaving the infirmary, I ran to the roof taking the stairs two at a time. Exiting, I rounded the corner as my mind raced. “oh my god, I have to train that kid? Wait how the hell am I supposed to do that when he's all banged up like that? Can he even make a fist? What the hell? What am I doing?” I thought.

“Calm down Conner” Moon said in a calming tone trying to get me back to my normal zen mood.

“I don't know if I can Moon. This was already gonna be a challenge but now look at it. It's a fucking mess. How are we supposed to teach this kid? Is his beatings the reason for him being trained? Why didn't anyone train him before now?” I asked exasperated.

“Well you may not have to wait until tomorrow to get those answers. He's on his way to the roof right now” Moon said just as the door opened and Madox stepped through.

“Who told you where I was? Let me guess, Hayley right?” I asked sounding a little more harsh than I'd meant.

“Yeah, I saw you left your book behind and wanted to return it, I also wanted to thank you for taking me to the infirmary” Madox said holding out the book. Taking it, I stared at him for a minute and then said “I heard that guy threaten you, wanna tell me what all that was about?”

“Nurse Hayley said I should tell you everything otherwise you won't be able to help me. So, here it goes. His name is Carl Delancy and he's been tormenting me for the last three years. I guess you could say he's a bully.” he said then after a pause he kept going “he wanted me to be his Omega but since I refuse to date anyone until I can find my mate he got mad and has been tormenting me ever since. He wants the power that'll go with the Beta position the only problem is that the only one who'll have that power after my brother takes the position will be him. In the beginning I tried explaining that but he never listened. I even tried begging him to stop but it only made it worse. So, I eventually learned to make as little noise as possible. And yes, the training is because of all of this. I had hoped that one day he'd give up or get bored but it doesn't seem to be happening at all.” he finished as tears streamed down his face.

“Question: when all this started happening, why didn't your dad or brother start teaching you to defend yourself?” I asked wanting to know what the point was.

“Because, they didn't think I could fight him off. So, it was better not to give him anything else he could use. Then the pack got into the conflict and no one had time anymore and the beatings only kept getting worse” he explained.

“How could you, a werewolf, not take a human out easily?” I asked really lost at this point.

“He's half human, half wolf which is why he wants power because he's at the bottom of the pack and hates it.” he explained.

“Who all knows about the beatings?” I asked leaning towards him.

“Only my family, nurse Hayley, and now you. I don't have any friends because he always chases everyone away. So, eventually I gave up trying” He said with a sad expression.

“Okay, well I need to know more about you and your abilities. So, I'll have a starting point to work from” I said then explained “all I was told was you were a fifteen year old Omega wolf. So, tell me more about you.”

“Okay. I'm Madox Richards, second and youngest son of Beta Richards. You can call me Dox, if you like. I like video games, hockey, soccer, music, and reading. I used to play both hockey and soccer but had to stop once the beatings started because it had gotten so bad I couldn't move sometimes. I try not to show my emotions except to family and if I had any friends because people tend to try to use them against me specially my sexuality. I'm about fifth in the class now since it dropped due to not being able to concentrate even at home since he also lives in the pack house. I wanna be a writer but at this point it's not even a possibility because I'm sure my test scores will suck” he trailed off trying to think of more things to say so I asked “what do you mean people will use your emotions and sexuality against you?”

“Well for starters, I'm gay and that's part of why Carl won't leave me alone. He saw me with one of my boyfriends before I decided not to date and thinks I'm easy because of it when I'd been with that guy for three years before we did anything. And on top of that, I'm actually very emotional so everyone called me a cry baby for the longest time” he explained shrugging.

“Hmmm, well I won't do that. So, feel free to be yourself with me” I said looking at the ground.

“Can I know more about you?” he asked then added “like what do you mean, you won't do that?”

“I won't use your emotions against you unless it helps you focus on fighting. Anger is a helpful emotion to use when learning to fight because you can channel that into your punches and kicks to make them more powerful until you get the hang of putting all your strength behind them. I also won't judge you or use your sexuality against you because I'm bi not that my family knows about it as I've never dated anyone for the same reason you're not anymore. Plus training took up way too much time to date anyway” I explained looking over at Madox. Taking a seat on the ground, he asked “why do you want to be a doctor? Nurse Hayley said you were (does air quotes) 'working your ass of to get into medical school'.”

“Well, I want to be useful. It's very hard for the pack to find doctors. So, I thought I could help” I said shrugging.

“But then wouldn't your heat get in the way?” he asked confused.

“Mine is weird. It's usually only a day. So, I'm not too worried about it. Plus, my mate would help with it a lot and it would probably go by faster.” I said shrugging again.

“Hmmm would you tell me more. I kinda feel like I should know the person who'll be training me” he said relaxing against the fence that surrounded the roofs edge.

“Well, you already know my name though I go by Con with friends and family. Feel free to use the nickname too. So, I guess I'm sixteen and an Omega. I'm the strongest warrior in our pack, not in terms of physical strength or weight but I am the most skilled. I like reading, drawing, cooking, and I can play the piano. I have two older brothers. Oh, I only cook when I'm stressed. I have a motorcycle, you can actually probably see it from here if you look. It's the sleek black one. I also have a truck, which will probably be what I drive tomorrow when I come to your pack house and leave my bike at my parents. I've been told that I can be kinda cold to people but it's mostly just that I don't want to show a weakness to anyone. Honestly, even when I find my mate I'll probably treat them that way until I know them better but I've still got some time before that happens.” I said. When I paused for a breath and to think. He asked “when's your birthday? Mines July 2^nd.”

“May 17th” I said with a sigh. Checking my watch, I realized we'd been up here for two hours. Looking at Madox, I said “the lunch bell is about to ring. Where do you normally eat lunch because I don't think I've ever see you in the cafeteria.”

“Oh, I usually don't because Carl is usually kicking the crap outta me again” he said with a sad smile.

“Then why don't you come sit with me and my best friend, Aliaha today. Hell you might as well do it from now on since we're gonna be spending a lot of time together from now on” I said standing up. Walking over to Madox, I offered him a hand up. Taking it, he said “sure though I'm not sure if my parents have left yet. So, I should probably tell them and see if they want me to go home early today.” Shrugging, I said “okay, why don't we head back to the infirmary then.”

“Okay, let's go then” he said taking a step towards the door. As we made our way downstairs, we barely spoke. Reaching the main floor, we left the stairwell heading towards the nurses office when we heard Carl calling for Madox.

“Keep walking, I'll handle him” I said to Madox as Carl came up from behind up. Turning, I said “do you have a problem?” as I placed my hand against his chest to keep him from going an further.

“No, but you sure as hell do” he said as students on either side of the hall who had stopped to watch started whispering. Eventually, someone asked “dude, do you even know who that is?” Raising an eyebrow, he said “no and I don't care” with a cocky look on his face causing the other guy to say “bad move dude, challenging the strongest warrior in Blood Rose” which garnered more whispers from the on lookers. A few minutes passed, when from behind me we heard Beta Charles ask “is everything okay, Conner?” causing me to quirk an eyebrow at the asshole in front of me.

“We're fine sir. Just a friendly disagreement” he spat that last part. He must've thought I'd react but since I didn't move a muscle he turned and went back the way he'd come. Watching, I waited until he'd rounded the corner before turning to head back towards the infirmary where Beta Charles, his wife, Madox, and Hayley were all waiting. As I approached, Hayley asked “are you okay Con?”

“Yeah, and no. We all know I could've kicked his ass. Apologies for the language, I just can't stand people like that. They're disgusting” then turning to Madox and Beta Charles I asked “would you mind if Madox came back to my house tonight sir. I don't know my way to your house and he'd be a big help tomorrow. If that's cool with Madox that is.”

“Yeah, I'd be more than happy to help” Madox said turning to his dad.

“Alright, I have no objection. Just behave Madox and remember to be respectful to Conner and the other wolves” he said.

“Yes sir” Madox said giving him a side hug then kissing his moms cheek before turning to me and saying “come one, let's go eat.”

“Alright, I'm right behind you” I said giving his parents a small bow before following Madox to the cafeteria. As we left, I heard Hayley say “seems like they've taken to each other pretty well. It's good to see Conner opening up to someone else” followed by his mom saying “I hope they can be good friends, Dox could use a good friend to hang out with and talk too. I'm so worried about him.”

As we entered the cafeteria, the room went silent as everyone stared at me telling me that word must've spread about the almost fight. “Great, just fucking great” I thought walking towards the table Aliaha and I usually sit at with Madox in tow. Taking a seat, I gestured for him to do the same which must've been a signal for everyone to go back to their food and conversations. As we waited Madox asked “so what made you request I come over aside from directions which you could've used a GPS for?”

“You said he lives in the pack house too right. Well, when he was walking away I got the feeling he was planning something. So, to keep you out of his reach and give you time to heal it was the best idea I could come up with. You can also watch my brothers and I spar in the morning to see what we'll be doing daily from now on” I said watching Madox jump as I heard a squeal from behind me.

“Liah, stop doing that. You're scaring Madox” I said as she took a seat next to me.

“Ooh but I just heard you almost got into a fight in the hall! What was it about?” she asked excitedly.

“Nothing, just a guy being a disgusting prick” I said looking at Madox silently telling him to keep his mouth shut which he must've understood since he said nothing.

“Oh, that's no fun. I thought you were fighting over someone special or something” she pouted causing Madox to blush.

“Sorry to ruin your fun. You know I don't have anyone like that. Oh, I guess I should introduce you guys. Liah, this is Madox my new student. Madox, this little ball of energy is my best friend Aliaha, but call just call her Liah” I said wrapping my right arm around her shoulders as she pouted.

“Hi” she said immediately perking up before looking at me confused and asking “wait student?”

“Yeah, I'm being sent to Wind Walker tomorrow to teach this one how to fight since all of their warriors are off dealing with a conflict with another pack” I said giving her all the information she needed before looking at Madox and saying “I don't hide anything from Liah.”

“How long will you be gone?” she asked pouting again.

“Not a clue. Dad said I'm to stay there until I'm confident Madox can defend himself and the pack. However, I will be back for Kyle's wedding and the Alpha and Luna ceremonies. I'll also be back for my birthday and I'll see about being back for yours” I said giving her things to look forward to other than texts, calls, video chats, and school.

“Okay but you better keep in contact everyday” she pouted again before turning to Milo and asking “Madox, what do you think of our dear Conner here?”

“What the hell are you even asking Liah, ya weirdo?” I asked in a playful tone almost scared of his answer because I was sure he didn't have the best impression of me.

“He's interesting beyond that I'm not sure yet” he answered a moment later.

“I'll take that answer. So, what did you mean earlier when you asked 'what made you wanna request I come over'?” she asked Madox.

“He's coming back to the pack house with me tonight. I figured it would be better to show him our training so he knows what he's in for” I answered before he could.

“Ooh fun. I smell a movie night in our future” she said excitedly.

“We can do that but first things first, there's three things we've gotta do when we get back before movie night” I said looking at Madox who just nodded having no Idea what I had planned for him to do.