38.Training

Mia Miller

My body was completely tense. I had never practiced any kind of training; I considered myself weak. The clearing in front of us seemed serene, as if waiting for something to happen. I, however, was far from feeling calm. Ethan had spoken about "training" as if it were simple, but the truth was, I could hardly imagine taking the first step. What did he expect from me?

"You'll have to be patient, Mia. The process of transformation doesn't happen overnight. It takes time for your body and mind to accept your nature," he said, as if he could read my thoughts.

I crossed my arms, feeling the tension rise in my shoulders. "So, what exactly do you want me to do? Just... transform? Like it’s that easy?"

Ethan looked at me seriously, his blue eyes sparkling. "No one said it would be easy. But the more you resist, the harder it will be. You need to start accepting who you really are, and that means awakening the wolf inside you."

Those words echoed in my mind. Accept who I really am. But I didn’t know who I was. I had always thought I was just an ordinary girl, living a normal life. And now, suddenly, I was a hybrid, with a power I didn’t even know how to control.

"First, let’s start with the basics," he said, interrupting my thoughts. "I need you to trust your instincts. That’s what guides us, what strengthens us as wolves."

"Instincts?" I asked, trying not to sound too skeptical. "And how do I do that? I don’t exactly have a manual on how to be a wolf."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, there’s no manual. But you have it inside you. The instinct is already there; you just need to learn to listen. Now, close your eyes."

Reluctantly, I did as he asked. Closing my eyes should have been the easiest part, but as soon as I did, all my thoughts and fears started to swirl in my mind, distracting me. I took a deep breath, trying to focus.

"Feel the earth beneath your feet. The air around you. The beating of your heart," he said, his voice low and controlled. "These are the first things your wolf notices."

With my eyes closed, I started to pay attention to the sounds around me. The light breeze in the leaves, the birds singing in the distance, and slowly, I began to feel what he was trying to show me. A connection, a presence inside me that felt bigger, wilder than anything I had ever experienced. It was as if something was waiting to be released, but still trapped, hidden.

"Now, imagine that this force inside you is expanding," Ethan continued. "It wants to come out, but you need to let it. Don’t fight it."

Part of me just wanted to run, to escape the responsibility of becoming what he said I was. But another part, deeper, more instinctive, was beginning to awaken. I could feel a heat growing inside me, a strange energy, and my heart began to beat faster.

I suddenly opened my eyes, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "I felt... something," I admitted.

Ethan nodded, satisfied. "That’s the beginning. Don’t expect to transform all at once. It’s a gradual process. You need to attune yourself to your wolf before making the full transformation."

I sighed, feeling the weight of what was to come. "So, what do I do now?"

He took a step closer to me, holding my gaze. "Now, you train. Strength, agility, the ability to hear your wolf... all of that comes before the transformation. And I’ll be here to guide you through every step."

The determination in his eyes made me want to continue, even though my heart was still full of doubts. I didn’t know if I was ready for this, but I knew I had no choice. Not anymore.

"Let’s start with the basic strength and agility exercises," he said, a light smile on his lips. "You’ll need both, and I’m a good teacher."

"We’ll see," I murmured, trying to hide a smile. Even though part of me resisted all of this, another part wanted to prove to Ethan—and to myself—that I could do it. That somehow, I could find my way into this new life.

As we started training, the wind gently blowing around us, a small spark of hope began to ignite inside me.

"I..." I took a deep breath as I sat down to rest. "I didn’t choose this, I never wanted this. I was a woman who was about to get married, with dreams and goals, and now I find out my whole life is a lie," I vented.

"No one chooses to be born a wolf, Mia." He sat next to me. "We just are, and against fate, no one can go."

I looked at him. He was actually being nice to me. For the first time.

"If this man, or wolf, whatever, is really my father… Why did he never look for me?"

"I don’t know. Maybe to protect you."

"Protect me? He never helped me." I raised an eyebrow, feeling the indignation bubble inside me. "I was almost starving, my father was sick. I even went to a nightclub that Charlotte introduced me to. I was willing to..." I hesitated but looked at him firmly. "Anything to support my son."

Ethan crossed his arms, his face tense. "On the day of the kidnapping, that?"

I shook my head, resentment growing. "Yes."

"Don’t trust that, Charlotte," he said, his eyes hard. "I’m almost sure she led you into the kidnapping ambush."

"Just because you think so doesn’t mean it’s true," I retorted, although part of me was starting to question Charlotte’s intentions. "What if she didn’t have a choice?"

"There’s always a choice, Mia," he responded firmly, his gaze piercing mine. "Your problem is that you only see the good side of people."

"I see your good side," I said quietly, almost without thinking.

For a moment, silence settled between us. Ethan looked at me with a mixture of surprise and something else I couldn’t decipher.

He shook his head and took a step back. "Don’t expect anything good from me, Mia. Because I don’t want to meet anyone’s expectations."

We stared at each other, and no matter how much I tried to understand who he was, the doubts only grew. Who was Ethan to me? A villain or a hero? The father of my child... or the man I wanted more than anything in the world, but knew I couldn’t have?

It was then that everything happened. I don’t know who took the first step, whether it was him or me, but in an instant, our lips met. The kiss was full of tension, as if all the uncertainty and desire that had been building between us finally exploded. His hand held my face, and I felt a mixture of heat and confusion.

But as quickly as it started, the kiss ended. Ethan pulled away abruptly, his gaze serious, as if he were fighting something inside him.

"I need to tell you something," he said, his voice strangely low.

I felt a tightness in my chest, something warning me that I wouldn’t like what was coming. "What is it?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

He took a deep breath, and for the first time, he seemed hesitant. "I’m going to have to marry Amber."

The ground seemed to collapse beneath my feet. I could barely process what he had just said. "What?" My voice came out in a whisper, incredulous.

Ethan looked away, his face expressionless, but I knew he was just as disturbed as I was. "It’s an agreement between our families. Something I can’t avoid."

I felt an immense emptiness inside me, as if everything I believed was crumbling. "So, what was that? What just happened between us?"

He looked at me, the pain clearly visible in his eyes. "I don’t know," he admitted. "But no matter what it was, it doesn’t change what I need to do."

The weight of his words hit me like an avalanche. The kiss, the desire, it all felt like a distant dream now. The reality was that Ethan wasn’t mine. He never would be.

My world crashed down, and I didn’t know what to do with it.