Moonlit Desires: The Alpha's Awakening

~Protocol~

Standing by the corner with Naya, Adora waited for the lesson to start. At that moment, one of the Elites walked into the hall. He headed up the podium and faced the room.

“Hello!” In a singsong voice, he addressed the crowd of students. “I’m Elio.” The other students didn’t see anything strange because they were used to his playfulness, but for Adora, who knew nothing about him, it was an amusing sight. “You might know me, but if you don’t, you should probably ask your neighbor who I am.”

A titter of laughter went around the room.

“This year, I will be your assistant trainer. I will be working with Bilal to help all you Lunar loungers become better versions of yourself. So, yeah that will be all for now.” After those words, he walked down from the podium and moved to where Bilal was.

“Take it easy on her,” Elio whispered as he stood beside Bilal. “I could hear your voice from the dorm.”

Bilal was instantly defensive. “Why should I? She doesn’t know a damn thing about our kind and our world, yet, Mama used her power as the head Alpha to put her in this class.” He shook his head, looking disappointed.

“Give her time before judging her, why don’t you? The girl doesn’t even know the powers she possesses. How do you expect her to know our history? Besides, Alpha Dee has been shielding her away from this world, so you shouldn’t blame her.”

Bilal’s eyes narrowed as he turned to his friend. “Hold on, I’m going to give them the easiest riddle, see how she messes it up.” After saying that, he picked up a marker and then scribbled something on the whiteboard. When he was done, he turned back to the class. “Silence!”

The side chatter among the students immediately ceased as they focused their attention on him.

“Look at the board. You have ten minutes to find the answer to the riddle I’ve written down. Just ten minutes. That’s all the time you have to prove to me that you paid attention to the lessons you have been taught and have read the handbook of this academy.”

Bilal then moved aside to allow the trainees to take a better look at the riddle. It went like this:

They are the strongest, but without a piece, they become the weakest in the midst of their kind who are of the same rank as they are. But once they aligned as one, together they hunt, with unity and grace. Their strength lies in numbers, as they prowl in the moonlit forest, their voices howl.

What are they called?

“Just look at her. She has the Tree of Knowledge beside her yet not a single fruit has fallen into her lap or even beside her.” Bilal clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he saw Adora struggle. Good thing he didn’t expect anything else from her.

“Take it easy on her, Bilal.” Elio had also seen Adora struggling, but his reaction was the opposite of his friends’. “Need I remind you that she hasn’t accessed her powers yet and this is her first time doing such a difficult riddle.”

“Every sensible person here is aware that the answer was in the puzzle. If only she paid attentively to what was scribbled in front of her, she wouldn’t be struggling, but apparently, her eyes are for decoration, which is why she is finding it so difficult to solve the riddle.”

At that moment, Adora’s shoulders shrank as she raised her head and saw the disappointed look married to Bilal’s face. The more she tried to prove herself to him, the more she let him down. The day couldn’t get worse than it already was.

“Adora,” Elio’s voice was soft as he called her name.

“Y-yes?” Adora faltered, stepping away from the board. She kept her eyes downcast, not bearing to look at him due to shame.

“Here, let me help you. What do you see while looking at the riddle?”

“Various images, except I don’t know how to place them in the right order,” Adora responded.

“It’s easy. I’m sure you’ve read books about our kind, so you understand the hierarchy of authority.” Following that sentence, Elio looked at her to make sure she was paying attention. He smiled when he saw her nod, then turned back to the board. “Good. No, apart from Betas, Gammas, and the other high-ranking status within our kind, what is the most important to an Alpha?”

“Their power?” Adora guessed, finally looking up at Elio. “Or… The authority they hold?” Sure that one of those two would be the answer, Adora’s smile fell when Elio began to shake his head.

From the side, Bilal watched the interaction. Another scoff left his lips. She still can’t get it even with Elio’s help. Moving to where Elio and Adora were, he folded his arms, a frown on his face, then said to her, “Knowledge is chasing you, but you seem to be faster than it. You’re the last one to submit.”

Teary-eyed, Adora looked at him. Was he indirectly calling her stupid in the presence of the other trainees?

“What?” Bilal’s shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug, looking unfazed. “Did I say something wrong?”

Adora sniffled, shaking her head in response to her mentor’s question.

“Adora.” She looked back at Elio at the sound of his voice to see a sympathetic smile on his face. “Please pay no attention to him and focus on the riddle.

Bilal was still standing there, and because Adora didn’t want to offend him any further, she didn’t answer Elio’s question.

“With all the powers that the Alpha wields, can they be used if they have no one to govern under them?” Elio hinted further in his attempt to get Adora to recognize the answer that was in front of her.

“Oh!” There was an instant moment of realization inside Adora. So, with a confident smile, she rushed to pick up a piece of paper and write her answer on it, before submitting it to Bilal.

Bilal took the paper from her and then asked her to leave. He placed the paper with the others before turning to the class. “Be sure to be here tomorrow by six a.m. sharp. A minute later automatically means you’re dropping out of the class. I will not care to hear any excuses from anyone. Do you understand?”

A chorus of “Yes, Mentor” went around the room.

Bilal’s unfriendly glare traveled through the room, sternly, stopping at Adora. “Your hierarchy does not matter in my class. I don’t care if you have the backing of the head Alpha or if your parents are elders of the creed, I will treat you according to how you adhere to my rules. That will be all for now. Class dismissed.” His warning passed across, he left the class with Elio.

Panic set into Adora. “He was warning me. He was talking directly to me, I was already in his bad book. Oh, Adora, you can’t do anything right,” she scolded herself, hitting her head lightly.

“Adora, come on, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself. I’m sure by tomorrow he will have forgotten all about what happened here.” Naya made an effort to comfort her, but Adora wasn’t having it.

“You can only say that because you weren’t the one being constantly reminded that they don't deserve to be in his class with his parables.” Adora sighed dejectedly, then left the class. Naya couldn’t understand what she was going through, what was running through her head, or the predicament she had found herself in. She was not the one Bilal had been shouting at throughout the training session. It wasn’t because of her he gave such a stern warning at the end of the class. It was because of Adora, she knew it.

Lost in thoughts and unaware of her surroundings, Adora wandered through the hallway with a frown. All that was on her mind was how to make Bilal see her worth.

“Hey, you!”

“New girl, I’m talking to you!”

Suddenly yanked out of her thoughts when she was shoved to the ground, Adora winced. Because of the fall, she had scraped her hands against the floor. Looking up, she saw an unfamiliar girl looking back at her.

“What are you doing? Why did you shove me?”

The unknown girl’s face was pinched, and her voice was full of spite as she said, “Oh, now you hear me? Who do you think you are? I’ve been calling you, yet you ignored me like you couldn’t see me.”

Adora picked up her bag that had fallen when she was pushed and got up off the ground. “I don’t know you, so, I know I do not have business with you, please move out of the way.” She smelled the signs of trouble and wanted to avoid it at all costs.

“Oh, you think you’re all that because you know Bella Howl? You must think that because of Bella you can disrespect me?” The girl scoffed. “I’m going to teach you a lesson. Next time…”

Without waiting for her to complete her threat, Adora moved past her and walked away. She had far more pressing issues to worry about than a wannabe mean girl.

“How dare you!” The girl screamed and charged at Adora. Just as she was about to throw a blow, she was blocked by someone. Instead of Adora, Bilal now stood in front of her.

“Ahh!” Murmurs went around the hallway as the students watched with shocked eyes.

“Oh goddess, I’m sorry, Bilal. It was not meant for you, it was meant for her,” the girl cowered as she apologized.

At that point, Adora had turned around and put together what happened. “Bilal, I…” She was short of words. Bilal had taken a blow that was meant for her.

The boy in question was yet to say anything. Like nothing had happened, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off, leaving everyone involved shocked and confused.

“Tania,” Bella’s voice came from down the hallway. “How many times have I told you to stop acting like this Academy is your Papa’s Pack? You’re pushing it. I’m this close to giving you what you want.” She strode forward until she stood in front of the girl called Tania.

“I’m so sorry, Bella, I was just trying to make the new girl see that there are rules to be followed,” Tania answered, defending her actions.

“What rules, Tania?” Crossing her arms on her chest, Bella tilted her head and waited for Tania’s response.

Tania immediately became defensive. “She’s not of the same rank as us. If we’re going by the rules of the creed, Miss New Girl needs to bow her head when talking to me.”

A slow mocking smile crept onto Bella’s face. “And why would that happen? Are you the head Alpha? Or the head priestess? Need I remind you that your father is the Alpha of your Pack and not you? Besides, we all know you’re not going to take over from him as you have a brother. The only title you can claim is Luna for one of those lazy boys in this academy. So, explain to me why Adora has to bow her head to you?” Bella’s voice, which had once been calm, had now become a shout.

“Also, do you even know what rank Adora falls under?”

“I… I…”

“What? Cat got your tongue?”

Tania, who had been running her mouth only a few seconds ago, couldn’t even utter a word again.

“I should punish you for this rude behavior, but I won’t because it is only the second day of resumption, but next time you won’t be so lucky. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and give you a punishment that you would be imploring for me to take your life instead.”

Without having to be told again, Tania turned around in shame and walked away briskly. Adora had watched the whole interaction without interfering.

Bella turned to Adora with a warm smile. “Have you had lunch?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. Join me and Mama for lunch.” Pulling Adora by the hand, she walked with her down the hallway to the path leading to the Alpha Devara and Leander’s quarters. Soon they arrived at the quarters and the aroma coming from the house was one that could make a filled lion hungry.

“Mama, Papa. We have a guest, one you have been dying to see,” Bella yelled out as they entered the house.

“Bee,” Devara called out as she walked down the stairs, a smile married to her face.

“Adora, you came with her?”

Adora hurriedly went to hug Devara. “Godmother, I am sorry I didn’t come to see you the moment I stepped into the academy,” Adora said as she cuddled up in Devara’s arms.

“It’s okay baby, as long as you are here now, it’s fine,” Devara replied as she stroked her fingers through Adora’s thick wavy hair.

“Mama, you won’t believe what just happened,” Bella announced excitedly as they took their seats at the dining table. “Bilal took a punch for Adora.”

“What did he do? And why would anyone want to punch Adora?” Devara was confused.

“It was Tania. She was trying to use her usual tactics on Adora, but the next thing I knew, Bilal was standing in front of her, taking the punch for her.”

Devara let out a sound of surprise. “Hmm, that’s a first.”

“What do you mean by that? Hasn’t he done that before?” Adora asked shyly.

“He hasn’t. My son does not step into such a situation. He has not done that for anyone, not even his sister, so it’s very strange to me,” Devara replied.

“What?” Adora’s eyes were filled with bewilderment. The same Bilal who had cursed her all day broke his protocol for her? They had to be joking. She shook her head, chuckling in disbelief. There was no way a stuck-up boy like Bilal would do that for her without any reason. She was sure he did it for her to use it as a mockery of her in his next class.