The Sneaking Impulse

For weeks, Miya’s bold question kept me pondering at night. When she went home that evening, she left me with a map where she discovered a secret passage that could be accessed through my room and a location where I was supposed to head for our secret training.

I glanced at the map and tightly shut my eyes, discouraging myself from my growing curiosity. Every hour, I seemed to keep thinking about sneaking out to train with Miya. But then, I was halted by my fear and agitation. What if my father knows? He wouldn't let it pass without punishing me, that's for sure. He had planned on starving me for days, which he failed without his knowledge because of Miya's help. Truth be told, I was content being abused in our house, yet suddenly I woke up wanting more to achieve for myself.

When I heard a prolonged howl from the outside, a curfew sign in the North Canidae that everybody was already in their respective house, I hastily walked towards my table to check the location Miya gave me.

Miya had mentioned that they would train in the woods after the howl every night.

Cautiously, I glanced at my door and picked up my courage for the first time. My knees were wobbling as I took the secret road that Miya had marked for me. And I was not familiar with the route that's why it took me an hour to arrive. Reluctantly, I examined the place and a frightened gasp escaped my mouth when I felt someone grab my shoulder from behind.

I immediately raised my hands as a sign of surrender. “P-Please... I d-didn't come h-here t-t-to cause t-trouble. I don't want to die!”

“I know,” answered the mysterious man with a hint of snigger playing along his voice before loosening his grip.

I waited for the man to walk in front of me and he greeted me with an impish grin. “Isn't this the stuttering daughter of Alpha Antonio, huh?”

My eyes dilated after I realized that the man was able to recognize me. I thought by wearing a cape and ordinary clothes would suffice my disguise when sneaking out. It turns out that I thought wrong, leading my life to uncertain danger in this stranger’s hands.

Breathing heavily, the rising sense of anxiety grew only worse inside me as I was being stared at by this stranger. I was almost away to beg for my life, ready to kneel down if I was required to, when I heard a familiar voice not far from where I stood.

“Aera?”

“Miya!” I gasped in relief and ran towards her.

“Aera, it’s good to see you sneak out finally!” she exclaimed and welcomed me with a warm hug. When Miya noticed that I was shaking, she turned to the man with her most forbidding glare. “Did you scare Aera? I thought we had an agreement, brother?”

Brother? I asked myself in disbelief. For a sibling, both have contrasting attitudes and one wouldn't think that they were relatives.

The man only shrugged at Miya and remained wearing a deadpan expression.

“Don't worry, Aera. He was the brother I'm talking about that will train us. His name is Mason,” Miya assured me and walked with me toward his haughty brother.

Due to my anxiety, I only smiled at Miya as my answer.

After a quick introduction, Miya and her brother started tonight's training with a friendly wolf battle. They had the same wolf color, a tundra. They were both quick, never showing a hint of uncertainty as they attacked each other and rolled to the ground several times. For a maid and omega, I had no idea that Miya was this powerful and incredibly fast, but Miya's brother, Mason, was faster and even more powerful since he sent Miya to the ground without breaking a sweat and then pinned her using his vigorous paw.

Mason's paw tightened on Miya's neck and she whimpered in pain. With that humble surrender, he released Miya and looked at me, growling, which intimated me for an instant and almost made me stumble backward. Mason and Miya shifted back to their human form after their thrilling wolf battle and wore their clothes after.

The Gomez siblings have a good relationship despite their differences, I can tell. And it made me jealous for a while. It would only be in my dreams to envision me and Aena being real siblings without a pint of envy dangling in our hearts.

“In fighting, you must have good reflexes and instincts," Mason pointed as he looked at me with his assertive eyes. "Basic number one rule, don't let your guard down. Always open your senses every time.”

I was enjoying Mason's lecture until he darted me an arch look that made me look down when our eyes met.

“I heard you can't shift without bearing the pain,” Mason said, which I immediately answered by nodding since it was the truth. “After being physically abused by your own father, you think you can't bear the pain? That was more painful.”

Mason's taunting remarks made me think about that matter. And I have to admit that I never thought about it. My father always punished me and it became a daily basis. After shifting when I was fifteen, I couldn't stand the pain, that's why never bothered doing it again. But this time, I find myself wanting to shift, mainly because I wanted to prove to my father that I can, and that I have a wolf and not just Aena.

“I w-want t-to s-shift,” I said in a low voice, almost just whispering to the air.

“What? I can't hear you, Aera. If you want me to be your mentor, talk to me without stuttering and make your voice audible. In this society full of cruel people, your first power is your voice, remember that. If you can't speak your thoughts with ease, then you might as well forget fighting.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I prepared myself. I closed my eyes and said, “I said I wanted to shift.”

When I realized that I was able to talk without stuttering, a dry flower inside me suddenly bloomed. Something inside me awaken that I can’t pinpoint what or why. I was certain that I was not comfortable with Mason just yet, but then I managed to speak my thoughts this time.

“Good,” Mason said, smiling. “Remember, Aera. You are more than what you think. If you want to change yourself for the better, be courageous. I can see that you have a long way ahead of you.”

An appreciative smile curved onto my lips after I heard Mason’s compliment that seemed like a lullaby, pushing my anxiety away. For the first time in my life, someone believed in my capabilities without doubting me. Just like what I requested, Mason let me shift into my wolf and I endured the pain even though it was excruciating at first and I felt like dying. He said that my wolf form was weaker than my human form, so he advised me to keep training in both forms starting tonight.

On my first night of training, Mason never spared me with his massive strength. I ended up pinned on the ground, defeated, with new wounds on both my arms. But I quite find it challenging to defeat Mason. I found it encouraging to secretly train at night. Being with the Gomez siblings channels my competitiveness, which I never knew I had in me, not until I spent time with them.

When the training ended, Mason required my presence just when I was about to bid goodbye.

“You wanted to end your incapacitated reputation that’s why you’re here, right?” he asked with a steely look on his face.

I froze. Mason was not only blessed with agility and strength, but he was also adorned with intelligence and great instinct. Lying to him would be useless now that he had figured out my notion.

“Yes,” I answered and met his tenacious gaze.

Mason stared at me for seconds and let out a sharp breath. “Looking at how weak and sullied your reputation was, I don’t think training for a decade is enough, Aera. I am not underestimating you; I am telling you what you should expect from now on. It’s not going to be easy... unless you kill a white stag.”