Alpha Temptations

08 | The Camp

Beads of sweat are dripping down my face. My breathing is unstable, and my feet are already shaking in exhaustion. I have been running for a couple of minutes now, and never have I ever seen a single sign that I am getting near to the exit. I have been stuck in this forest for quite a while now, and I am starting to get really frustrated.

I am also being extra careful not to stumble upon any enemies because I don’t think I can still fight them in my body’s state. This is the drawback of using too much strength and energy in human form. If only I could shift to my wolf form, endurance would have never been a problem for me.

I stopped running to take a deep breath and rest. I need to recover even a little amount of strength before I proceed. I looked around while breathing aggressively. The light from this area no longer reaches the land; it has been entirely trapped by the thick layer of leaves above me. And although I can still see my environment, it would be easy for anyone to just blend with the shadows and camouflage. The air has become thinner in this area, too, making it harder for me to recover my breathing.

I was about to move when I felt a presence charging towards me. And it took me a few seconds to react. I quickly tried to find a way to hide, but there’s nowhere I could go to conceal myself other than behind the massive roots of the trees. I lie with my face down to hide myself even more.

I can hear the dry leaves cracking along with the galloping sound that is starting to echo louder and louder. And after a few seconds, everything just stopped, and the only thing I could hear was the heavy breathing of a beast that seemed to be just a few feet away from me.

I gulped and decided to cover my mouth to make sure I won’t make any sound. My heart started to beat fast and loud as I began to realize my situation and how dùmb my decision was to hide instead of running away.

“It’s me…” My eyes widened when I heard Hunter’s voice. “I know you’re in there, Maya. I can smell your foul scent,” he added in his deep, insulting voice.

There is no doubt about it. It’s really him.

I somehow felt relieved before I got up and showed myself. But as soon as I looked in his direction and saw him with no clothes on, I immediately turned around before I could even see something that would haunt me even to my sleep.

“W-Why are you naked?!” I blurted out, totally fazed.

“I don’t have a choice. I was fòrced to shift into my wolf to fight those trainees,” he casually replied. “And please don’t act as if this is your first time seeing me without anything covering my body,” he pointed out.

“Trainees?” I asked, ignoring his last remarks.

“Yeah. I was able to ask one of them and was told that they have to get at least one from any of us to continue training in this camp,” he revealed. “In short, this is also a test for them to prove themselves. We’re basically fighting for our spots here.”

“So you mean if we pass the test, others will fail?” I asked and couldn’t stop feeling bad about it.

“Yes. But we don’t have time to think about others. We came here to enter the camp, and that’s all that matters,” he responded. “Now, if you don’t want to fail, come with me.“

“Are y—“

“I am not,” he cut me off without even letting me finish my sentence. “I am only taking you with me because it would be a problem if you were sent home. No one’s going to take care of the chores for me,” he explained before an obsidian wolf jumped right in front of me. Hunter then lowered his back so I could climb quickly.

He then let out a howl before he started running in a particular direction. And although it’s no longer needed, I still looked around to make sure that there were no enemies everywhere.

After a couple of minutes of running, my face glimmered in bliss as soon as I saw a streak of light a few meters from us, and it’s getting bigger and bigger as we approached it.

“It’s probably the exit, Hunter!” I blurted out while pointing it out.

And I was right. It really is the exit.

There are a few people waiting for us, and one of them is Linton. I saw how they looked at me with curiosity and then at the obsidian wolf that gave me a ride.

“Congratulations on passing the test,” Linton said, eyes still on me. His eyes narrowed as he started rubbing his chin. “We received a report that there’s a girl who wouldn’t just shift to their wolf,” he added, narrowing his eyes on me. “And I am guessing that it’s you, am I right?”

I met his gaze and nodded. There is no point in hiding it since they’re bound to know it anyway. “It’s not like I didn’t. I just couldn’t shift to my wolf,” I boldly replied without breaking the eye contact. “The reason why I was sent here is not just to be of use to the future alpha of our pack but for me to also find a way to connect with my wolf and be able to learn how to shift,” I added with a little bit of lies to make it sound a little inspiring.

I saw how the people behind Linton stared at each other, probably in disbelief that there’s really someone who couldn’t shift to their wolf.

“Interesting,” he said, flashing a small smile. “Even without shifting to your wolf, you were able to reach this far.”

“I couldn’t have made it here without our future alpha’s help,” I replied, looking at Hunter. Although I hate him to my core, I would never ignore his good deeds. He deserves to be credited.

“Is that so?” Linton responded, slowly nodding his head. “But whatever the reason is, still, congratulations on passing the test.” He gave us a smile before pointing in a direction. “Now, time to enter the camp. One of the trainers will escort you to the dorm.”

A petite woman with long blonde hair approached us with a smile. Her hazelnut eyes stared at me with wonder. “I am Elise, one of the trainers of this camp. Congratulations on passing the test.”

I couldn’t stop staring at her. Aside from being soft-spoken, she’s also pretty. She’s so angelic, especially with her smile.

“If you don’t mind, can you shift back to your human form?” Elise asked Hunter.

“He doesn’t have any clothes with him,” I butted in. “I…I left it at the entrance of the forest.”

“Oh, about that…” She sweetly smiled at me. “You can check on your things at the field. We assigned a few trainees to get your bags and bring them over.”

“Really? Thank you, Ms. Elise!”

She just smiled at me before she started guiding us and showing us around the camp. The buildings look pretty normal to me. It’s made of bricks, and some were made of wood. And even without seeing everything, I could say that this camp is way much bigger than I thought, especially the field. It’s so vast that the local school in our pack can fit in it.

“This is where all the trainees from first year to third year train,” Ms. Elise explained while taking us to our dorms. “You will spend most of your time here than in those buildings.”

“U-Uh, excuse me, Ms. Elise; I have something to ask.” I raised my hand to get her attention. And when she looked at me, I continued, “How do we know if we’re in the warrior or alpha class?”

“Oh, another test will be done to determine your class,” she replied with a smile.

“Isn’t it unnecessary?” I couldn’t stop my forehead from creasing. “I mean, before coming to the camp, everyone is already aware of their ranks, right?”

She smiled at me before shaking her head. “This camp believes that anyone can become an alpha, that it is not just inherited by blood but by strength and prowess.”

My mouth slightly parted at her words. “W-Woah…” I blurted out and immediately covered my mouth. “S-Sorry!” I couldn’t stop my blood from rushing to my face. My cheeks are burning in embarrassment!

“That is what this camp is all about,” she replied. “Alpha Camp is not just a name—it reflects the vision and mission of this institution.”

I just gave her a nod because I’m busy absorbing her words. It’s making sense now.

“So, this will be your dorm,” she said, pointing to a house-like building that is made from bricks and wood. “You can freely do whatever you want as long as you follow the rules of this camp,” she added with a playful smile. “Just don’t be too loud at night, okay?”

It took me a few seconds to understand the last thing she said. “N-No, we’re not into that kind of thing, Ms. Elise. We’re not mates,” I quickly explained. I can feel my whole body shaking in disgust—just the thought of having Hunter as my mate scares the hell out of me.

“Oh, is that so? My bad.” She covered her mouth and giggled. “Don’t worry; this has two rooms you can use. I hope I didn’t make things awkward between you guys.”

“It’s fine, Miss.”

She just nodded before she excused herself. And as soon as she left, Hunter shifted back to his human form, and I quickly turned around before I see his dangling thing.

“She’s crazy to mistake us as mates,” he murmured before I heard the clicking sound of the door. “It’s disgusting.”

“You don’t have to say that in my face, Hunter.” I rolled my eyes at him. “As if I want you to be my mate either.”

I heard him scoff. “Grand of you to think of even having a mate, Maya. You can’t even shift to your wolf.” He let out an amused laugh. “Oh, that made me remember something. Brave of you to admit to Linton that you can’t shift, but aren’t you a bit delusional to think that you will really connect with your wolf here? No, let me repeat that—aren’t you a bit delusional to think that you really have a wolf?”

I clenched my teeth because his words really irked the hell out of me. “Well, no one can tell, Hunter. Who knows.”

“I can tell,” he replied. “I can even see it. I can see how you will be disappointed in yourself,” he added before I felt him tap my shoulder. “Just accept the fact that you’re wolfless, Maya. That would make things easy and will save you from any more disappointment. Just do what you were told to—be of great use to me.” Right after hearing those words, I heard the closing sound of the door.

I balled my fist to control my emotions before turning around to face the door. I glared at it and imagined Hunter standing there.

I have been hearing those words for the last two years, yet it still really stings. I know there’s a possibility that I will never be able to shift, but there’s something in me that tells me to just keep on pushing myself, something that keeps my hopes up that someday, I will be able to connect with my wolf. And I just have to believe that. I have to.