Chương 14: GROWING TAKES TIME

I'm home! I've finished my homework on the train again, and I'm flopped onto my fluffy soft bed. But I was not happy. I'm thinking about Maria. To be specific, I'm feeling unsure about what happened in front of the classroom. And that alone pissed me off. After the incident, some of the human kids thought I bullied the quiet girl in the corner. No s***. Sure, I'm a good head taller, I definitely looked angrier and sounded fiercer, but they should take a good look at the red marks and bruises under my clothes!

They were so ugly, I had on long sleeves and soft long pants because I'd rather not have anyone know. I wish I hadn't looked, but I wanted to see how bad it was. They looked worse than they hurt. That's not to say they didn't hurt, but I'll heal overnight. Probably. Abusive vampire princess. Grrr! Savy popped her head into my room without knocking and announced, "Dinner time — why are you wearing grandma pyjamas?" And then she left without waiting for an answer. Oh the disrespect in my own home! Hahaha.

Savy was THE ONLY ONE who could come and go into my personal space whenever she wanted. She was the only one who could disregard me, diss me, and openly disagree with me without consequences. She was the only one I still giggled with. And she was the only one that I would ever whine in front of should the need arise. Savy's the best friend that my mum gave birth to, and if I could choose anyone in the world to be my beta, it would be her. But I can't. Too bad for me. I already had a beta and gamma.

They were preassigned by birthright and were both stupid because they were currently 14‑year‑old boys. My dad said I needed to give them time.

"In a few years, they will overtake you, and you'll have to look up to them — literally, our pack grows tall boys." My dad joked with pride. It wasn't funny. The thought made me growl. I had been training very seriously every weekend and every school break because I was the alpha. I won't give anyone the chance to doubt my strength. But my dad said that even though I was the fastest and strongest while we were kids, puberty would propel the boys forward. After which they would gain unfair advantages.

They'd be taller, their upper‑body strength would easily double mine, and they would eventually mature, so I shouldn't expect to see them goofing off and being donkeys about their training and pack responsibilities anymore. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I would have to rely on my wolf. In wolf form, my alpha wolf would not lose. In human form, I could alpha command obedience.

But in case that's not enough, once I shift, I'll intensify training to meld with my wolf so that I can siphon her power and strength even in human form. BECAUSE I REFUSE TO LOSE. Accessing wolf powers in our human form takes a lot of mental strength and control. It can get bad for my physical body in the long run, but if I want to be alpha and stay alpha, I can only succeed if I can access my wolf power in highly regulated dosages — which requires perfectly fine‑tuned control.

Of course the guys could also learn this once they shift, and the older teens who had already shifted had started training formally too. It's intensive, and if you aren't consistent, you won't see results. Dad had been training me since I was 10. My wolf was there, just not yet surfaced, and I hadn't expressed any amazing physical power, but I've been working on the mental and supernatural bits. I practiced every night before bed.

That's why I could project alpha dominance and control on command (to a limited extent). And that's why, I realised belatedly, I could put up a fight with Maria's mind link. I remembered the cling‑foil‑like cold clammy grip on my mind. Let's call it a mind wrap from now on, because no mind link can take over your conscious thoughts, wipe your memory, tap into your subconscious registry, or take over your bodily control… or anything else vampires toy with when they visit you in your head.

From my three‑day experience with one single vampire, I think it's all done the same way — they wrap themselves over your mind with their own and proceed to do whatever they want. Maria called it "communicating." Now that I'm no longer pissed off, I think that might be what she sincerely thought it was too, and maybe it was… when living in a coven of vampires. IMAO a wolf's mind link is a form of communication. Whatever vampires do when they plug in is a whole other story.

I couldn't mind link other wolves yet though. That would come with the first shift. I couldn't sense my mate or be sensed by my mate till I'm 18. I couldn't… well, there were a lot of things I couldn't do until my wolf surfaced and matured. But I could train hard and get ready for the day I shift. Any time now, Wolfie, no need to hold back. {Don't rush me.} Eh? I blinked, surprised. Wolfie? Silence. Okay… I'm officially hearing crazy voices. My door burst open.

Savy yelled loud enough for the neighbours to hear, "I TOLD YOU TO COME DOWN FOR DINNER!!!" I was still in shock and followed her down without a word. If she noticed my silence, she didn't show it.

"I saw Jonah's underwear today," she told me as we headed down the stairs…

"It was a pair of yellow SpongeBob boxers. The whole class saw it." We sat down at the table with my parents. My dad was home for dinner tonight, which made me realise it was Wednesday.

"What did the class see?" Dad picked up the conversation again when we had all started eating. I said it before Savy did, "My gamma wearing yellow SpongeBob boxers." I reported. Savy was not to be outdone.

"Lizzy says Ben is wearing matching Patrick Starfish ones." Lizzy and Ben were Beta Luca's twins. They were the same age as Savy and Jonah. So for some totally unfair turn of fate, Savy got lovely Lizzy for her best friend, and I got dumb Ben for my beta. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, may I present the shining next generation of pack leaders — Beta Ben, alias Patrick Starfish, and Gamma Jonah, alias SpongeBob Squarepants.

"Just give them another four to five years to grow up," Dad said in his zen mode. I don't know if he's trying to comfort me or himself. Four to five years! That's like forever! Growing up takes such a long time.