In a flash, they were both in their wolf form. When Alex bared his teeth, Benson did the same. He figured it was supposed to intimidate his opponent. It worked on him, that was for sure.
Since Alex was the teacher, he’d let him make the first move.
“Let’s see what you can do, Benson,” Liam directed.
If that’s what they wanted, he’d try. Benson crouched low and sprang at Alex. The wolf sidestepped the attack and then lightly dug his teeth into Benson’s neck before letting go.
“If Alex had clamped down harder, he could have ripped out your throat,” Liam commented.
Liam was right. And that meant Benson would have been dead in seconds. His mind spun. Without overthinking it, he dove for Alex’s back leg. Contact! Unless he crunched hard, he wouldn’t harm the animal. But this wasn’t about injuring his teacher. It was about learning.
“Good job. Now that you’ve hobbled Alex—in theory, of course—go for his flank. It won’t do a lot of damage, but it will drain some of his strength.”
Both of them could hear the set of instructions, which meant Alex would be prepared, but he was a good sport and let Benson nip him in the side.
Feeling proud, Benson backed off. That was a mistake. His opponent spun around and bit Benson on the neck again. While he only slightly punctured the skin, it was enough to make him drop down. Alex let go.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Liam said. “That gives me a good idea where we need to start.”
Once Benson caught his breath, he shifted back to his human form and rubbed his neck. The skin was broken, but by the time he returned home, all evidence of the fight should be gone.
“That was enlightening,” Benson said. “I can see I was right in asking for help.”
“For your first class, I thought you did well,” Alex said. “Remember, Liam and I do this for a living.”
“Let’s hope the men I might run up against aren’t as skilled as you.”
Liam placed a hand on his shoulder, and Benson tried not to wince. That was where Alex had scratched him. “Chances are, you won’t be going against just one wolf. Too often, we find ourselves outnumbered. If you’re trained, you will learn how to handle yourself in that situation.”
Oh, boy.He might be in over his head. “Care to see where we can do some outside training?” Benson asked.
“That would be great.”
After Benson showed them where they could have some simulated battles, the men headed back to the hotel in town, and Benson went home. He was halfway there when his cell rang. He pressed the Bluetooth button on the dash.
“Benson Granger.”
“Benson, it’s Uncle Adam.”
Hopefully, his uncle was calling to see if he’d met with Liam and Alex. “What’s up?”
“I received the DNA testing back about Samantha Ortiz’s baby. It’s a match to Walter Winston.”
He whistled. “That doesn’t mean he killed Sam, though.”
“No, it doesn’t, but I plan to ask him about it. He lied when he said those two hadn’t been intimate.”
If the sheriff questioned Walter, that meant Ariel wouldn’t feel compelled to do so. “Let me know what he says. I don’t know if this is related, but someone tried to run Ariel off the road.”
“What? When?” His uncle sounded very concerned.
Benson gave him the details. “She’s okay, more or less, but I’m going to try to convince her to stay in the house.”
“Is she alone now?”
He forgot he hadn’t filled him in about the stalker. “Ariel is staying with us. Preston is with her now.”
“You are a fast mover.” Benson swore he could hear the cheer in his uncle’s voice.