The Ashamed Mate (Boyxboy)

4. The Beta Test

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Trinity's POV:

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It's been a week, and I have two hours left until the beta testing. I know that I'll fail and disappoint Marshall. And that's what hurts the most. I don't care about becoming a beta, I don't care about my rank, or being an Omega. I care about Julia, and Marshall. I know that they'll both be disappointed in me, but I have no choice. If I don't participate, Amos will thrash Julia's rank in the pack.

Sighing, I walked towards the testing building, watching all of the other wolves that entered. The difference is distinct. They're tall, I am short. They are tan, I'm pale. They're muscly, I am thin. They are made to be Beta's. And I'm me. Still, I walked slowly, scanning the people walking in. There were males and females alike, but they all had something in common. Skill. And I, again, am me.

Finally, I walked in and got into the sign up line, standing behind a particularly buff man. He turned to glance at me, then did a double-take. "Seriously?" He asked, eyeing me. "Yup." Was all I said and he turned back, shaking his head. "Good luck making it out in once piece." And I nodded lightly. Slowly, the lines progressed until it was my turn.

I stood in front of the table as the woman behind it made me sign a consent form, took my information down, and then sent me on my way. I sighed and made my way to my assigned locker-room, taking a seat to wait. As I did so, I felt the eyes of the other wolves on me and sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Dude....." One said, "My condolences." And several others agreed, all staring at me. All that I did was shrug. I knew that it was possible that I would die, as I rarely ever did anything that came anywhere close to the severity of this competition. But I had to try. And if I died, it was one less mouth to feed. Finally, an announcement was made, and we all got up, filing out of the locker room. Nearly everyone was wearing ratty, old clothing. The test required you to shift into wolf form, and when one did so, their clothing was shredded, so a loved one was waiting at the other side with more clothing if said wolf made it through. And most did, but some didn't.

All of the wolves lined up, myself finding a spot in the back. As we waited, a group of higher ranked wolves came to give us a pep talk. Among then, I spotted Marshall and Amos, my heart racing. Amos grinned and pointed Marshall in my direction as my head dropped. Marshal smirked and made his way back to me, stopping every now and then to respond to a wolf's question or comment.

Finally, he reached me and I kept my head low, not wanting to look him in the eye. "I see you made it to the Beta testing. Good to see you, Trinity." My heart throbbed at the smooth sound of his voice, though I scowled. "I am not here because I want to be." All of the wolves in the room turned to look at me, shocked that I would be so blunt and rude to the alpha. "I am here because your Beta threatened the well-being of the only family that I have left." I glared at the back of the large wolf in front of me.

"Even if, by chance, I do pass the test, I will not be joining your group of Beta's. At the very least, I will become a beta, only to fight against enemies and rouge attacks." Then I closed my mouth and watched the Alpha from the corner of my eye. As he walked away, the wolf beside me said, "Dude, you've got guts...." And I shrugged once more as my wolf cussed me out for being so rude to my mate, and my alpha.

I heard Marshall say that the beta tests had begun, and watched the males in the front row start to get through the course. After the physical part, came the written test. But that part, I was ready for.

Because I was in the back, I was one of the last to go, having to wait for all of the other testers. The Beta test was a series of obstacles that would test a wolfs speed, reaction time, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and their ability to turn into a wolf in combat.

As I watched the other testers, I gauged what I would have to do differently to pass, as most of them did one thing or another wrong. Finally, it was my turn, and the bell rang.

I took off running, quickly getting ahead of the rest, wanting to impress Marshall, who I felt watching my every move

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Marshall's POV:

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"He really does hate me." I said quietly to Amos as I walked back to where he stood. The Beta was still glaring holes in Trinity, raging silently at the small boy. "Amos." I said, and his attention snapped to me, "Stop trying to kill him telepathically." I grinned, "I think he has a reason to be mad, considering you threatened Julia's position in the pack." The beta nodded shamefully, "You're right, but it's still wrong for him to be so rude!"

I chucked and said, "True. Let's see how he does in the test, then we will decide what to do about it." The beta nodded once and we all left to sit at the judging tables. As the first group ran, I watched them all carefully, not particularly impressed with any of them. They all had wounds at the end, some bleeding a significant amount.

I then turned my attention to the second group, watching them as well. I was normally a silent judge, while the others commented and discussed the testers abilities and commented some more. I saw one wolf that looked to be above the rest, and quickly wrote his number down. Then, I flicked my eyes to Trinity and stopped, staring at him for a moment.

I looked at the other judges and cleared my throat, "Look at him." I said, pointing at the pale boy who was obviously focused very sharply.

"Look how he's gauging his chances. He's not cocky. He's sizing everything up and coming up with a plan of attack." The other judges nodded and continued to watch him. Normally, the wolves just charged in head first and hoped for the best. But Trinity was different. He was actually thinking about it. When it was his turn, I saw him glance up at me, then at the course.

He took off running and all of the judges let out small sounds of surprise. He easily got ahead of the rest of the testers, who looked equally shocked, and launched himself into the course. He tucked and rolled, dodging the flying objects with ease. Then, I watched as he transformed into a wolf, continuing to run even as he did it. "No, goddamn, way....." I breathed, watching with wide eyes. It was not common to see a wolf transform so quickly, as it was a painful process.

We all watched as he dashed through the course, only getting a few small scratches, seen against his white coat. Then, he trotted out of the testing area, leaving everyone in the building in shock. Several of the bigger wolves watched in silence, then looked down at their own sliced up bodies. "We need to train with him...." I heard one say, getting a few nods from some others.

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Trinity's POV:

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'Shit shit shit shit shit....' I groaned in my head, making my way back to the locker rooms where Julia was waiting. I turned shifted back into a human, swinging the door open. With a small smile, Julia handed me my clothing, and I slipped on the skinny jeans and t-shirt. I said, "We need to go. Now." And she nodded lightly, grabbing her bag. We quickly left the room, hearing the door burst open behind us as we walked. I knew that I had drawn too much of the alpha's attention and he would come looking for me, so I broke out in a run, followed by the woman who kept up just fine.

I heard him calling, wanting to stop and talk to him, wanting to be by his side. But I kept going, running all the way back to my house. 'I'm not good enough....' I though. 'I will never be good enough.....' And I started to pack a bag. 'He has to find another mate....' I zipped it up quickly. 'One that can bare children. One that can make him happy....' I grit my teeth, then hugged Julia. "I've got to go until this dies down." I said, tears springing to my eyes.

Then, I ran, knowing that Marshall would be busy at the testing center for hours. He would feel his mate leaving the pack. It would break his heart, but he wouldn't be able to stop me.

I sobbed softly as I went, my wolf tearing at the surface of my consciousness, trying to escape so that I would be forced to go back. 'I'm a freak....' I told myself, 'Not worthy....' I ran towards the border of our land. 'He won't care if I leave..... He thinks his mate is female anyway.....' I paused to breathe, 'He needs to find a female mate. Obviously, girls make him happy.....' And I ran faster, the border close.