34

They walked to Rolandro and greeted him.

"Oh, good morning, dear. You woke up quite late, Lavana."

"Yeah," Lavana chuckled while rubbing her neck. "Hehe! I'm sorry. I didn't plan for this to happen but I'm here, anyway. Isn't that what counts?"

"Yeah. You're right. So you've never trained before, if I guess right." Rolandro asked.

Lavana nodded.

She was something lower than the Omegas back in the Ralton pack. She was a war trophy, a punching bag. That could be considered a kind of training but training with these cool equipment and kind people? This was a first for her.

"Uncle, where is Pedro?" Beatrix asked.



"He should be with his momma," Rolandro replied.

"Ok. Big sis, I'm off to play."

"Be careful." Lavana reminded.

"I heard you, big sis. You take care too. I love ya!" Beatrix said as she ran out of the training hall, causing Lavana to sigh.

"So, back to business. You… I don't mean to um… upset you but you are quite on the skinny side. But I know that with time, you'll come around. Today, you can just do some little training with me."

"You're gonna train me?" Lavana asked in shock."

"Not just him. I will train you too," said Mel, who just walked over. He was shirtless and sweating.

"Er... good morning. You're not planning on getting me into Regina's bad side, right?” she asked with doubt.

Mel chuckled and walked away. He soon came back no longer sweaty and wearing an oversized t-shirt that almost reached his knees.

“So?” he asked with hands spread sideways.



Lavana nodded and gave two thumbs up immediately.

“Okay. So, my buddy Rolandro will train you today and I’ll do so tomorrow.” said Mel with a smile.

“It’s gonna be a daily rotation?” Lavana asked in shock. She was gonna have 2 tutors?

“Yeah.” they both replied in unison.

“But there’s a competition ahead that’s due in less than a month, right?”

This was the time they were supposed to work even harder so as to get the Alpha position and this nice pack will not disband and merge with others.

Why did they still think they could spare some time to train her?



“Oh, about that. We received information this morning that the competition (for some reasons not made known to us) has been put on hold till further notice. So if I’m right, we should at least have 1*½ to 2 months to train.” said Rolandro.



Lavana was surprised and also delighted. This news meant that she had more time now to become stronger and deal with that damn pack once and for all. She’ll be serious and persevere even if her back is bent!

The 2 men saw the fire light up in her eyes at the thought that she could train for longer now. None of them in this pack were an Alpha wolf. Only Rolandro and Mel were Beta wolves.

The rule of the competition didn’t state that an Omega couldn’t compete. So long as that one defeats an Alpha, he or she will be recognized. If that one endures to the very end, then his wolf can be upgraded to an Alpha wolf, which is a joyful thing for that one’s pack.



When the date of the competition is set, Rolandro will pick out the best among the warriors of this pack and leave for the site it will be held. Both could see that Lavana wasn’t an ordinary Omega. If their hunch was right, they might return from the site joyous. If not, then accepting their fate and looking for other packs to merge with is the only option left for them.

Not all packs treat such people kindly. They could place them in the ranks of an Omega even if their wolf rank is higher just because they can't be ‘trusted.’


Well, those things can be thought about later. Focusing on the present is much better.

“I’m gonna give you private lessons. I mean, anyone can be present but you won’t be training with everyone," said Rolandro.

“No way. I can't accept this offer. I'm sorry. I prefer to train with everyone.” Lavana quickly refused.

“I thought you would say that. You can do that every weekend and spar however you like with the others.” Mel chipped in.

“But… I don’t get it. I’m just an Omega. Why do I get to have private lessons from you two?” Lavana looked perplexed.

“We’ll tell you after a week of trial. So you’re in?” Rolandro asked eagerly.

Lavana looked around the vast hall and saw many shirtless men and ladies dressed in sports wear sparring with each other.

Each of them looked like they could send her to the ground with one blow. Maybe she should give this private tutoring thing a try.



"Um... I guess I can try but if I'm not comfortable with it, you'll let me train with the others, right?"

"Yup." said Mel with a smile.

He shook her hand before Rolandro could.

"Hey, I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll be in a week's time." a lady that had a burly build said as she walked over and patted Lavana on the shoulder. She almost fell.

What the hell? What kind of strength has this lady got? It was just a pat and she was about to crash to the ground. If Mel didn't hold her hand in time, she would have fallen to the ground indeed. That would have been embarrassing, but it's can't be compared to when those Ralton bastards would see her leak out on her period.



"Hehe, I'll do my best, ma'am." Lavana managed to laugh.

"Good. I and my buddies will be looking forward to your performance honey. By the way, call me Begonia." she said with a chuckle before leaving to find another sparring partner.



Lavana looked at the two men who were smiling from ear to ear and could not help but have goosebumps. Just that lady was this strong. It's said that these two men in front of her are the strongest in the pack. Maybe she should find Pedro to teach her instead? But she already promised! Gosh, why didn't this lady come sooner? Maybe she wouldn't have agreed.

"Hey, crying over spilt milk is no use. We have some training to do. After that, you can eat as much as you want." said Rolandro.

'Eat as much as you want!' those words did little to ease the anxiety that she felt in her heart.

"Come on, let's go upstairs, Lava," Rolandro said.

She obeyed, with Mel following her behind.

The stairs were so high that she was breathing hard by the time they finished climbing, whereas the other two barely sweated.

"What did I get myself into?" Lavana wanted to cry so badly.

"Stop complaining, girl. He's already promised that you can eat as much food as you want. Geez, don't you know what that means? More energy for us all. Besides, you've got vengeance to execute. The stronger you are in physical combat, the better your chance of dealing with that pack is. Have you forgotten your resolution so soon? The lazy one doesn't deserve to eat. Come on, cheer up and teach these two what you are made of." Thora preached with all seriousness.



Lavana nearly rolled her eyes. Sure enough, the offer of delicious food was something that this Thora could not resist. She began to wonder if this millenium-old dragon spirit was really in a slumber or just waiting for the chance to absorb the energy from high-quality food.



She followed them to a red door. Rolandro opened it and they all entered. Lavana saw that there was enough space and a few equipments but even an idiot could see that this equipment was on another level. So this was where she’d be receiving private lessons? It’s awesome!

Mel took a seat on a chair and crossed his legs then folded his arms.

“Lavana you have just 10 minutes to prepare. You will fight me in your wolf form.” Rolandro said as he walked to the corner of a room. Then he added: “You are to transform at the last minute. Pick any equipment of your choice to stretch your muscles.” then he sat on the floor at the extreme of the room.



Alarm bells were ringing in her head. She was to shift and fight him in his wolf form or his human form?

She had a few minutes to prepare. What equipment should she pick?

She glanced through the various equipment in the room and settled for the treadmill. She felt she was unable to use any other equipment at the moment.



She started running on it soon, with Mel increasing the ratio until it was close to the highest before he sat back down.

She looked at him but he told her to focus, which she obeyed.

At the tenth minute, she heard Rolandro say, ‘Time up!”.

Immediately, she jumped off the treadmill, leaving Mel to switch it off.



“Shift!” Rolandro said. He was already standing at this moment and counting downwards from 3, he slowly walked forward.

“1…” he said and Lavana who already took off her loose clothes crouched and closed her eyes.

Not long after, her bones cracked, snapped and then reformed. Mel was timing her transformation and when she was done shifting, he raised two fingers.

“2 minutes.” he said before sitting back down.

Both men were actually in awe of her wolf size. It was bigger than the size of a normal Omega wolf. In fact, most wolves higher than her ranking but nowhere near a Beta or an Alpha wolf’s size.



She looked very adorable in this form but this was of no use in a fight. Especially if she met a rogue, would he pity her coz she looked fine? Such an insane creature was best not encountered by an Omega who knows nothing about fighting!

“Lavana, I had high hopes for you but tsk, tsk, tsk,” Rolandro shook his head in ‘pity.’ “You look ugly and stupid. I’ve seen skinny wolves but yours is the worst case.”

Hearing this, the Omega wolf growled and ran towards him with speed, its mouth opened wide, ready to bite his head off; only at the last moment, he simply slapped her away with his left hand.

She fell to the ground and rolled on the floor many times before soon finding her balance and standing up again.

She saw he was whistling while making funny faces at her.

She bared her fangs at him before running towards him again but he simply slapped her away.

She rose again, growling.

She couldn’t even reach him fully to leave a scratch on him but she simply got slapped away. She must find a way to do so somehow, but no matter how she tried, she could not get close to him at all. She got exhausted but still kept trying all to no avail. In no time, she collapsed to the floor after shifting back to human form.



Rolandro walked to her with hands in his sweat pants pockets.

“You lack technique, which is not surprising and I’m glad at how long you lasted without giving up. 15 good minutes! But still, you failed in two things. One, you couldn’t formulate ideas as to how to even make me trip. You know in a fight what matters is the result. To save your life, if there be the need for deceit on the enemy, then do it. You plan on leaving a few marks on me if you could but given my level, you can’t. Betrayal can come from anywhere and supposing it was a close someone who did that, would you be soft and plan to just injure that one a little? You must plan to finish him or her off from the very start. Your wolf rank does not matter in battle! It’s your skill, your technique and smart mind and of course strength is also needed. If you don’t have the latter, use the others to beat the enemy to their own game. You are now in human form. I never gave you order to do that.” he said with a smile.

“Rest for 5 minutes and rise. You’ll be riding a bike for the time an incense stick burns out as your punishment. There might be a few distractions but you should be good.” he said before walking out of the room briskly. Mel right now was listening to music from yellow headphones. Where he got them, she didn’t know. Probably he went out and got them while she was busy thinking of formulating strategies to beat Rolandro in her wolf form.



She just lay on the floor, tired and sighing heavily.

She couldn’t even lift a finger at this moment. This damn Rolandro just gave her a mere five minutes of rest! What was with him? Even two hours would not be enough for her. Why the heck should she even ride a bike as punishment?

“Stop complaining, girl. This guy’s training is somehow disappointing. When the third phase of draconic transformation is completed, I’ll teach you things that no one knows. You’ll even get to teach them two.” said Thora.


“But there are really excellent cooks in this pack.” she added.

Lavana didn’t respond. Whether or not Thora’s training would be terrible, that was in the future. What was at hand was the punishment awaiting her.

“Girl, you suffered things worse than this back there. I don’t mean to say it’s not good to be relaxed for a while but it’s necessary that you be serious about everything. You will rest after executing perfect revenge.”

“I know. Pamela, can you show me some moves. Mel will train me tomorrow. I don’t want to end up in this sorry state.”

“Both are werewolves. Though their wolf spirits are not as old as I am but the training Rolandro is giving you is okay for a beginner like you. When the time calls, each one of us will give you pointers until the final transformation.” said Pamela.

“Alright.” Lavana sighed again and closed her eyes.



Soon Mel rose and took off his headphones.

“5 minutes is up.” he said before leaving the room.

Lavana still remained on the floor but hearing a timer, she quickly rose and managed to stand.

Rolandro came in with a green cooler containing rice and chicken. He sat on the chair that Mel once sat on and started eating in front of her. The food smelled so good. Even though Lavana tried to hold her breath so she wouldn’t perceive the fragrance, she still failed in this task. The aroma was so amazing and she could barely think straight. If not for self-control, she would already be drooling by now.


“Lavana, does the food smell good? My wife made this. Her cooking’s the best in the universe. I’m happy that she is my mate and wife. I can’t do without her.” he said while munching on the food noisily, which made Lavana annoyed. It’s alright that he’s enjoying the food in front of her while she’s here serving the punishment he meted out to her and also dealing with the enticing aroma.

Why does he have to be noisy while eating?

“I know you have grudges in your heart. But dear, perseverance should always be by your side.” he said.


Yeah, back in Ralton pack she knew what was called hunger, what was called embarrassment, what was called torture but she persevered, especially when she heard the voice of Pamela for the first time. She must not be too relaxed. It was just 30 minutes of riding a bike, she won’t die from it. She was the one who agreed to this training. She needed it. Yes, she had the powers of fire, ice and lightning but she can’t use them fully yet and there were other abilities that she was yet to unlock and use by herself; for example, telekinesis.



Before that, having physical strength and technique as back up is a must have.

****


She had successfully served her punishment and was allowed to go out to get food from his wife while taking the cooler along.

She ate quite a lot but not as much as yesterevening.

She thanked Carmelia before returning to the training building. By now, many had left and just some really serious ones were there working hard.

She greeted them and cheered them on before climbing those stairs. Now that she had eaten, these stairs weren’t as hard to climb as before but it still drained her of some energy.

Reaching the private training room, she saw Rolandro lifting weights. She’d seen them before settling for the treadmill earlier. Seeing how easy he made it seem to lift them up, she sighed and looked at her small hands. When will she ever be able to do so?

“You’re back. That’s great. I need you to train your knees.” Rolandro said.

“Er… What exactly should I do?” she asked curiously.

“Go get my phone from the chair.” he responded and she did as she was told.

"See what’s on the screen,” he ordered.


“Okay.” she said and turned on the phone. What she saw made her look at him in shock.

“Yeah, do it from one end of the room to the other for two hours. After that, you run on the treadmill to calm down for just 30 minutes.” he said with a sly smile.

“Pamela, did you say you agree with this training for a beginner?” she was forced to ask but Pamela, just like the others, was 'slumbering' after absorbing the needed energy from the food she ate.

Well, it’s just her luck that’s not good today.

“Yes, sir.” she said.

She returned the phone back to the chair before stretching her muscles for a few minutes.

She then walked to an end of the room and squatted.

Rolandro started playing catchy music after she started doing the frog jump.

“How hateful!” she muttered.

She was gonna do this thing for 2 good hours? Well, she can’t complain, can she? Perseverance must be by her side!

*****


3 hours later, she came out of the training hall exhausted. She was dragging her feet.

She saw Beatrix running over to her and quickly straightened her body, wearing a smile.

“Big sister, you’re finally out. Did uncle Rolandro bully you a lot? Just tell me and I’ll go beat him to a pulp.” she said.

“I did. You can start the beating, young lady.” said Rolandro who just came out of the hall.

“Hehe, I was just trying to cheer her up.” Beatrix laughed sheepishly.

“Don’t say bad things behind others back when you don’t have the guts to say it when they are around and don’t promise what you can’t do. Got it, honey?”


Beatrix nodded her head vigorously.

“Alright, I’m off. Lavana, you did a great job today. Hope you can impress Mel tomorrow.” Rolandro said before walking off.

“Big sis…”

“It’s okay. I’m alright, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not. I saw from afar how exhausted you were.”

“Well…”

“Big sis, let’s go back to our room. I’ll massage your shoulders for you, then you can have your beauty sleep. Okay?” Beatrix offered cheerfully.

Lavana held the little girl’s hand.

“Did you have fun with the other kids?”

“Yeah. Pedro promised to take me to fun places tomorrow.” Beatrix giggled while the adult nodded and caressed her head.

“I need to rest. We’ll be seeing your oldest brother after all in the evening.” Lavana said before they walked away from the training building.