Jax's Rebellion (Coalition Training Academy #1)

by Stephani Hecht

  “No thank you. I’ve had enough piss-my-pants terror for today,” he replied.

  “You’re no fun.” She grinned.

  He flipped her off in return. She let out a stifled laugh. Jax shook his head before returning his attention to the lecture. Keegan had skipped back into history to when his and Mitchell’s father had been leader of the Coalition. He was talking about how the Jaguar had been a great leader up until his final five years of life. Even though Jax had just met Keegan, he could tell by the way the instructor looked down at the ground and frowned that it wasn’t an easy topic for him to discuss.

  Jax finally opened one of the books. It was the one on shifter history. His hands nearly shook with excitement. After being denied the information for so long, Jax couldn’t wait to drink it all in. He already knew he would be spending his free time reading. He didn’t even care that Ava was going to playfully tease him and call him a nerd.

  Keegan called for a break. Everybody got up, but Jax stayed seated. He couldn’t put the book down. He was so absorbed in the text he didn’t even realize Keegan was standing next to him until the instructor touched Jax’s shoulder. Jax jumped in surprise then looked up. Keegan had a friendly smile on his face.

  “Go, join the others,” Keegan urged. “I know you want to learn it all at once, but it’s important to take some time out with your friends. I know, because I was just like you when I first came here.”

  “Did you ever feel like you really belonged?” Jax finally voiced his biggest fear aloud.

  “Yes, and eventually you will, too. I promise.”

  Jax wasn’t too sure, but he wasn’t about to argue. He did have a feeling he had found a good mentor in Keegan, or at least he hoped so. It would be nice to have an adult to talk to. While Mitchell had been nice and open, Jax still felt a bit intimidated because he was the leader of the Coalition. Keegan may be Mitchell’s brother, but he was more approachable.

  “Get out of here. You have a thirty-minute break. It will give you enough time to go to the chow hall and grab some junk food,” Keegan urged.

  Jax nodded then got to his feet. He went out to the hall. He was pleased to find Ava and the twins waiting for him.

  “Finally,” Philip said. “Now, can we go and get something to eat? I’m starved since we didn’t have breakfast yet.”

  “It’s not even six in the morning,” Ava countered. “If we were still going to the regular school we would just be waking up.”

  “I know, but I don’t feel hungry when I’m asleep,” Philip countered.

  “So, you’ve never had a hungry dream?” Jax asked as they began to walk down the hall.

  Philip scratched the top of his head. “Yeah, I guess you have a point there. You’re really smart.”

  “Yeah,” Alvus agreed. “Now we know who’s going to be helping us not flunk out.”

  “You help me with the physical part of this school, and I’ll make sure you get passing grades in the academic half,” Keegan offered.

  He knew Ava would have his back, but it didn’t hurt to get a little extra support. He didn’t want to put too much on her. She would be fighting to pass just like the rest of them.

  Alvus nodded then put his arm around Jax’s shoulder. “I knew I liked you. I promise we’ll give you all the help you need.”

  Chapter Five

  After a long first half of the day they had lunch, and then the moment came that Jax had been dreading, the self-defense class. Worst thing was he knew it was just the beginning. Eventually they would move on to weapons training and sparring. He was terrified he would end up the laughing stock of the class. He had just earned the twins’ respect; he didn’t want to lose it. He had to admit, at least to himself, it was kind of nice to have Alvus smile at him.

  It sent a warm feeling through Jax. No guy had ever looked at him that way. Jax wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was in anything other than friendship. He still couldn’t help but wish that maybe someday there could be a different kind of meaning behind it, that maybe a guy who was as cute as Alvus could actually be attracted to the timid, little Lion. Jax snorted to himself, Yeah, right. Like that would ever go down. I would shift into a pig then take a flight around the Coalition building before any guy was interested in me. I’m so plain I make vanilla ice cream look fabulous.

  They went into the locker rooms to change into their workout clothes. It was sweats and T-shirts, nothing really special.

  “I would think we would have padding on of some kind,” he said to Philip.

  Philip shrugged. “I think it’s because we’re just starting. I’m sure we’ll get stuff later on when the training gets real serious.”

  They left and met Ava outside the doors. She was dressed like they were. Some of the other girls had their hair pulled back, but hers was too short. She seemed more awake than earlier. She even had a sparkle in her eyes. That didn’t shock Jax, given her history.

  She had been put into slavery at a young age and was to become an Assassin like her father. That had been before she had been rescued. After she had been adopted by Shane and his mate, Trevor, they had given her a loving home, but she had never shaken those first years of her life. Add in the fact she was a Leopard and it wasn’t shocking she was eager to start the combat phase of their education. He was surprised she hadn’t stomped her feet demanding they start right off in the morning. It amazed Jax she’d been so patient all through the morning classes. Then again, she’d never been one to pay attention and take notes during lectures. She usually had to use Jax’s notes during study time.

  Her lips curled up into an evil grin as she rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait to get started. Jax, are you going to be my partner?”

  Fear shot through him like a lightning bolt. Even though they were besties, he did not want to face off against her. He would rather eat barbed wire and then follow it up with a glass of Raven piss. He knew for sure he would be sore for days to follow. He didn’t think for an instant she would hurt him on purpose, but he knew she could easily get carried away and underestimate herself or overestimate Jax, for that matter.

  “Why doesn’t Philip be your partner?” Alvus spoke up. “I’ll work with Jax. That way more of us will know what Jax needs to work on.”

  Hope filled Jax. Maybe he would be able to make it through the day with all his bones intact after all. He held his breath as Ava narrowed her eyes then studied them closely. A questioning expression crossed over her gaze. She and Jax were so close he easily knew she was asking if he was okay with the arrangement. He gave a slight nod in return.

  “Okay, if you want to sacrifice your twin, then I will be more than happy to punish him for you,” Ava said to Alvus.

  After she walked away, Philip glared at Alvus. “You owe me big time.”

  Jax shook his head as Philip followed Ava.

  “If you want, I can partner with Ava. I don’t mind—too much,” Jax said.

  “Nope, he’ll be fine. Now, come on. We better get in there before we get in trouble for being late,” Alvus replied quickly.

  A little put off by the odd behavior, Jax paused. In the end he knew that Alvus did have a point. He let out a sigh then walked into the gym. After all, he didn’t think Alvus would be half as vicious as Ava, so Jax had come away the winner in the end. Jax still remembered how Ava reacted whenever he beat her at a simple online game. Although deep down Jax knew Ava’s competitive nature was going to help her in the end. Jax needed to catch a bit of what she had if he wanted to be any kind of a student outside of the classroom.

  “So, how did you get the name Alvus?” Jax asked.

  “What’s wrong with it?” Alvus shot back.

  “Nothing, it’s just so different from the name Philip. It makes me wonder if there was a special meaning behind it,” Jax replied, hoping that he hadn’t offended his new friend.

  “We’re both named after our grandfathers. His is from my mother’s side and I got stuck with my father’s.”

  “
You know I’m not making fun of it, right? After all, my name is Jax. Most of the time when people first hear it that always ask where my ball is.”

  When Alvus glanced down at him, Jax let out a laugh.

  “I don’t mean it that way. You know as in the ball and jacks game,” Jax explained.

  When Alvus flashed a wicked grin, Jax laughed even harder.

  “You knew what I meant all along, didn’t you?” Jax accused.

  “Kind of. I was just trying to make you relax a little bit. I know you are nervous about this part of our training,” Alvus replied. “So, why don’t you tell me how you got your name?”

  Jax let out a sigh. He could feel a heat come over his face, and he had nobody to blame but himself. He had been the one who had to bring up the subject of names in the first place.

  “Promise you won’t laugh?” he asked.

  “I won’t promise something like that,” Alvus shot back. “I don’t want to break it if what you tell me is too funny to resist. I will swear I will do my best, though. But, you have to spill. I told you the deep, dark secret to mine.”

  “There is nothing embarrassing about being named after your grandfather. Mine, on the other hand, is very humiliating.”

  “Oh, you are so telling me now. You can’t drop something like that without a follow-through,” Alvus said.

  “Fine, my mom got it from some soap opera. She is still addicted to the show. She watches it every day. I know because it’s on right after I get home from school, or, rather, when I used to get home,” Jax corrected himself.

  “Is she as upset at you as your dad is?” Alvus asked.

  “I honestly don’t know. She usually goes along with what he wants, but I always felt she did it, because she doesn’t like conflict. At least as far as he is concerned.”

  “Who knows, maybe she’ll call or send an email.”

  Jax didn’t have an answer for that one. Even if he had wanted to answer, they had arrived at the gym. They were only in one section of the training facility. There were several areas marked off by tape on the ground. The area was immense. It was several football lengths with every kind of weapon sitting on racks by the walls. Jax saw swords, daggers, and other kinds of blades he couldn’t even begin to identify. There were even whips, real legit whips made of leather, like the ones he saw in frigging movies and comic books. He was half tempted to run in the opposite direction. Hell, any sane individual would have, but Jax just continued to stare at the objects, like a deer in headlights.

  The air was rich with the scents of sweat, oil and gunpowder. He didn’t hear any firearms going off. He glanced around and saw a sign that read Shooting Range. That area was dark. It must have been closed off for some reason.

  There were thin gray mats covering the floor. For a moment, Jax breathed a sigh of relief. At least if he was tossed to the ground it wouldn’t hurt too much, that was until Jax really thought through and realized that there was no way that small amount of padding would help one bit. All it would probably manage to do is muffle the sounds of his bones crunching. While it may not do shit for him, it would soothe any guilt his attacker might have over maiming him, so boo for him, but yay for basically anybody he sparred against.

  Logan was waiting for them. He had his arms crossed over his chest and looked more intimidating than ever. Jax wondered if there was any soft side to the instructor at all. Like, if he were to, say, smile, would his face crack in half, or did he have permanent resting bitch face? Not that Jax would ever ask either of those questions aloud. He did not want to face one of Logan’s punishments even if Jax still didn’t have a clue as to what they might be. He could only imagine they would be two steps away from torture. Oh, damn! He really, really hoped that wasn’t what the whips were for. Surely, Mitchell wouldn’t allow them to be used on the students. He just didn’t seem the type. Even so, Jax still was going to play it safe and try his best not to get into trouble.

  “The most important thing any soldier needs to know is how to defend themselves. It doesn’t matter how many guns or blades you might have. It doesn’t matter how strong you are. It doesn’t matter how fast your feet or hands are. If you can’t hold back your attacker, you will lose. Every. Single. Time,” Logan said.

  Even though Logan spoke loudly, it was still hard to hear him. The gym was full of soldiers and other students. All of the latter were older classmates. They didn’t share the same dormitory as Jax’s group, so they all hadn’t met. The large area echoed with the sounds of voices, yelling, and the occasional thud of a body being thrown to the ground.

  Logan waved his hand and another soldier came over. He had blond hair and was almost as big as Logan. Jax wondered what kind of shifter-generated steroids they had to be pumping into those guys. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic. Even Jax knew vitamins or drugs didn’t have any effect on shifters. He just couldn’t fathom any other explanation.

  Logan slowly went through the various ways they could deflect a punch. He used the other soldier as a sparring partner. He carefully called out each move as he made it, pausing often to emphasize various points.

  Jax had a great memory, so he had no trouble memorizing the various moves. He just knew he would have a hard time actually doing them. Of course it was only a matter of moments before he found himself facing off against Alvus.

  “Ah, you can go first,” Jax offered.

  “Are you sure?” Alvus asked. “If you’re worried about getting it down, it might help if you start off. That way everything is fresh in your memory.”

  “Yeah, I decided to take pain first, humiliation later,” Jax drawled.

  Alvus smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t go full out when you attack me. You won’t get hurt.”

  “You will not hold back for any reason,” Logan said.

  Jax swore he jumped six feet he was so startled. He hadn’t even seen the instructor approach them. So, much for being on alert at all times. He failed that test right away.

  “But, I don’t want to cause him any pain,” Alvus replied in a low voice.

  “That is part of the lesson. You are all going to be hurting by the time you are dismissed. Pain is a great motivator,” Logan shot back.

  If that was the case, then Jax had a feeling that he would be hella motivated by the end of the day. He didn’t dare say that aloud, though, not with the way Logan was glowering at them. The instructor’s eyes were so cold and dark they made Jax’s stomach drop. It made Jax really regret all the greasy pizza he’d eaten at lunch. He wondered if he would be the only student to puke on the first day.

  He swallowed several times. Relief flooded him as the sour taste eventually left his mouth. At least he averted that disaster. On the other hand, he still had to deal with the fact he had yet to go through the practice.

  “I can handle it,” Jax said.

  His voice sounded so strong and certain, which was exactly the opposite of how he felt inside. At least, he wasn’t coming off as a coward. Maybe that would overshadow some of his dorkiness. Eh…probably not.

  He faced off against Alvus. When Jax saw the pity in his friend’s eyes, it both embarrassed and kind of pissed him off. He knew he was pathetic and small, but it didn’t mean that Alvus had to baby him. Logan did have a point. Jax was going to have to endure a lot of pain if he ever wanted to become a good soldier.

  “I’m serious,” he said. “The Ravens won’t have pity on me because I’m small. So, I have to learn how to compensate for that now.”

  Jax mentally prepared himself. He’d opened his big mouth so he was going to have to go through with it. While, his brain told him he’d been right, he knew his body would be bitching him out for it later that night. Oh, well. Stretching? Sleeping peacefully? Being able to scratch his own ass? All overrated anyhow.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Alvus said.

  “Yes. I do,” Jax replied.

  Chapter Six

  The following Friday, Jax lay in bed. It was early, so early that very little l
ight trickled in from the windows in their dorm. Judging by the snorting and snoring going on around him, Jax felt pretty certain he was the only one who was awake.

  He rolled over onto his side, wincing in pain. Alvus had honored Jax’s request not to hold back, so Jax was sore pretty much everywhere. Even his hair and teeth hurt. Something he had not thought possible until a few days ago. Jax couldn’t bitch either, because he’d literally asked for it.

  Plus, he could tell Alvus felt bad. Even thought they’d only really become friends recently, Alvus was pretty much an open book. Jax saw the way the Jaguar winced whenever he left a fresh bruise. He even frowned whenever Jax groaned in pain when he was thrown, yet again, onto the ground, which he’d been right about—the mats hadn’t helped at all. Alvus had even gone so far as to bring Jax ice packs every day.

  That wasn’t what was keeping Jax up, though. Not even close. It was the fact it was Friday. Since it was their first week there, the Academy was letting students go home after classes let out that day.

  Jax knew he wouldn’t be welcome back at his house. He hadn’t received a call from his parents, not even a screw-off, angry one. All he’d gotten was total silence. They hadn’t even bothered with a damn email, but it had told Jax all he needed to know. His father was still pissed as hell, and, as normal, his mother was taking his side. So, it was business as usual as far as they were concerned. The only difference was, instead of sending him to his room, they’d cut him off. Okay, maybe if was a bit more drastic than usual, but the intent behind it was the same.

  In the end it meant Jax was going to be the only one in his class who would be stuck at the Academy. Ava had said he could go to her home, but Jax couldn’t take her up on it. He knew he’d be too self-conscious around her fathers. He’d met them before. He’d even gone to her home, but that had only been for a few hours. He knew if he stayed the entire weekend, he’d probably end up with an ulcer or something. At the very least, he’d somehow make an ass out of himself.