I stand in the darkened corridor for a minute, taking my bearings. Today is a day of revelations. Realizations. Olly is my twin, we have shared our mother’s womb, nurtured our bodies on the same succour, yet we are the opposites of each other. How much ever I pander to the rosy dream of being sisters, first and the foremost, we are rivals.

We did not share anything. We competed for it. The cramped space of the womb, the succour from mother’s body. It was a race for survival. We fought to get the most right since we were tiny embryos. And even when we are grown now, we are still the same.

As to Adam, it could not have ended in a better way. Yes, it’s a disappointment, a splash of cold water in my face. It reminds me of Grandma’s words – I am more worthy of pity than love.

I walk back to the main house as my heart slowly settles. It’s good to know where I stand. Olly had called me a liability. All I want now is to prove her wrong.

I come out of the house, where Gabe stands talking to some soldiers. He comes to me the moment he sees me.

“You okay? You look a little pale.”

“I am fine,” I smile. “Just wanted to tell you that today’s walk was lovely. We should do it again. And also, that I can’t wait to start training with you.”

His eyes crinkle as he comes closer, his beautiful head tilting as his mossy orbs watch me.

“I hope you are sure, Danny. On both counts. I would be very disappointed if you are not.”

“I am sure, Gabe. Or I wouldn’t be here.”

His face relaxes as a huge smile flashes it. His large, warm hand gently covers mine.

“Thank you, Danny. You don’t know how happy I am. I too can’t wait to get started with you.”

I smile as I keep my hand in his a little longer than necessary. Whatever this means, I do not care. All I know is that Olly is watching from a distance. And behind me, a red-hot glare is tingling my neck.

*****

It’s the next morning, as in early, early morning. The sun is just peeking on the horizon and the grass is wet with dew. I walk to the training grounds to the far end of the camp, wearing my black leggings and white t-shirt. Gabe is there, waiting for me, all ready to go.

To my surprise, Olly too is there with Jeff and Billy. The twins look dazed as if on a dope and no wonder why. Olly is wearing her skimpiest of gym outfits till date – A black strappy bralette with green neon shorts that barely cover her bum.

Right. So, the competition is at this level. I should accept defeat now itself.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Billy sighs. I raise my brow. “The morning, I mean. I can never get enough of it.”

Jeff shrugs. He doesn’t need words to convey his feelings. He looks turned on just by the sight of her. His eyes are on her toned legs as she skips around feigning ignorance.

Luckily, Gabe is not paying them attention. He is busy fixing his shoelaces, then gets up.

“So ready, Danny? Let’s start with a simple warm up.”

He puts me through simple moves. I follow him carefully. We do some arm and leg stretches. In ten minutes, we are done.

A few feet from us, Jeff and Billy put Olly through the same moves, only it looks like it’s a competition of who gets to touch her the most. In the end, all three fall down giggling, all training forgotten.

“Please leave if you are not serious. Let us at least work in peace.” Gabe snaps, irritated by the distraction.

Olly looks at him. “I don’t need to train as hard as Danny. I am already fit. You can test if you wish. What say Danny? Shall we have a race?”

Race! The word catches like fire. The twins look super-excited. Olly watches me as her smile turns into a sneer. My heart sinks to the bottom.

I can’t race to save my life, I never have. Olly did athletics club in school, while I did theology and criminal psychology. I was never a couch potato but would rather be in a snail race than an actual race.

“Yes, Danny?" Olly wiggles her eyebrows. "Just a short distance to properly warm up? I am sure you are up to it?”

“Yes, let’s have a race. A hundred meters to begin with. That’s how humans train, don’t they?” Billy chips in, jumping up and down.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I give Gabe a beseeching look. He walks forward, squaring his shoulders.

“There will be no race. This is a training, not a sports competition. And if you want to race, Olivia, I’ll give you a worthy opponent.”

“Oh, yes? Who?” Olly’s smile widens. Gabe points behind her to a girl walking towards us.

“Meet Myra. Jacko’s cousin and Jeff’s chosen mate. I thought I should invite her here to even the number out.”

I watch in surprise as the girl comes closer. She is about five-two with a sweet plump face. Her wild auburn hair is tied in a ponytail, and she wears a ‘Hug-Me’ t-shirt on top of a grey, baggy jogger.

“Hi!” She greets as her eyes flicker to Jeff, who turns away, suddenly red in face.

“So, Myra here will train with Olivia,” Gabe says to a stupefied Olly. “Myra is an avid runner. You can have as many races as you want. And in the meanwhile, I’ll take Danny to the nursery.”

We walk away as Olly’s face falls. Jeff storms away angrily and Billy stands confused, not knowing what to do. I wonder now what Myra will do but her face is calm.

“What was that?” I ask, walking behind Gabe.

He shrugs. “It’s something that was needed. Jeff can’t run away for too long. It’s a match that must be honoured for the sake of our pack.”

I want him to elaborate, but before that we reach ‘the nursery’. I stare in disbelief. What the…?

“So, as you said, you are under-confident, so I thought this was the best place to start. Here we train our baby wolves. Here they learn to take their first steps.”

My face falls as I stare. It’s a small area surrounded by hedges so little ones could not escape. Inside, the ground is covered with soft sand with a jogging track going round it. In the middle are climbing frames, slides and swings. It feels like a playground from back in LA.

“This is a joke, right?”

“No sweetheart.” Gabe smiles cheekily. “This is real. And soon it’s going to get even more real.”

*****

Two hours later, I am flat on the ground. My body is covered with sweat and the sand has plastered itself on it, making me look like a sand-demoness. It’s gone into my hair and eyes and I can’t breathe without sneezing out loudly. My eyes are bloodshot like a drunkard, and the scorching sun above makes me sick.

And all the while, Gabe hasn’t even broken a sweat. He looks cool as a cucumber.

“Let’s stop for today,” I say, propping up on my elbows. He shakes his head.

“When you said you were ‘unathletic’, I didn’t know you meant lazy.”

“Hey!” I am offended. “I am not lazy. It’s just that… I get tired easily.”

“I can see that. And that’s why you need to train harder. You need to build strength and stamina. And that doesn’t come by moping on the floor.”

He holds my hand to pull me up. We go through another set of ‘exercises’. I crawl in the sand on all fours. I climb up and down the slides fifty times. I go on the merry-go-round until I am dizzy and then round the jogging track for another twenty minutes.

This is the hardest I have done in my life. And this is for werewolf toddlers.

Finally, he signals me to stop. “Good. Now let’s get home and feed ourselves. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

I sigh as I gulp the drink he hands me. On the way back, I see Olly and Myra.

Olly is red with fury. I am elated that she looks worse than me. She is splattered with mud all over and her green neons are now brown. Her hair is stuck to her face as Myra makes her roll through the ground. On the side, Billy watches helplessly. Clearly, this is not at all what they'd planned.

“So will Jeff join them tomorrow?” I ask Gabe.

“Oh yes,” he shrugs. “He will, at least after Ma has had a word with him.”

*****

I do not understand what all this is about. It feels like Jeff is being forced. Gabe said it’s for the pack’s good. It feels like Phyllis expects her son to accept it just as they wanted grandpa to accept Annalisse.

But that was a different situation. I do not understand why Jeff must sacrifice. And Myra too. She seems like a sweet girl and deserves someone who’d love her. Although it does look like she is interested in Jeff. It’s a puzzle I cannot resolve.

“Myra’s father is our business partner. He is also a prominent member of the wolf council and a major financier. This match was proposed by him, and we could not say no.”

“But…isn’t chosen mate a secondary option? Don’t you wolves prefer real mates?” I ask, frowning. “And what if you meet your real mate after getting into an arranged marriage?”

“It doesn’t happen often.” Gabe shrugs. “Once you choose a mate, your tendencies shift towards your chosen partner. The bond adjusts its inclination to suit your destiny. Once that happens, the one you married is your real mate for all intents and purposes.”

“But for that, surely you should give the marriage a chance. Here it doesn’t look like Jeff wants it at all…”

“As I said, he does not have a choice. He must change himself, and his bond will fall into place.”

“That’s cruel.”

“Well, what’s crueller, Danny, is the silly chitchat when your trainer expects his payment. How about paying him first before you continue your interrogation?”

I look in surprise as he pulls me to a side, behind a thick bush in a wayside grove. His fingers caress my dirty cheek, grazing the sand on my skin. My heart races as his mouth closes on mine in an urgent demand. I hear its marathon beat, which is faster than any training I have done today.

I relax and give in to his ardour. Maybe this too is a part of my training. And it’s not like I have anyone to care about. This is my life, my body. I’ll do with it as I please.

*****

I arrive home looking like a monkey. Gabe has wiped the sand off my mouth, but the rest of me is still white. I wonder what everyone will think. This is a family of werewolves; they are supposed to have sharp senses. It is impossible to hide anything from them.

I sprint through the main door right to the staircase to hurry upstairs when I run into a hard wall. For a minute, I see tiny stars twinkling in front of my eyes.

“Watch out where you are going.” A gruff voice sounds as I squint my eyes open. “You will hurt people and end up hurting yourself.”

Really! The one and only Mr Gruesome Gargoyle stares at me from the second step. My hackles raise to unknown heights.

“Well, then you could have avoided it,” I snap coldly. “I was rushing, but you were not. You should have stepped aside. It’s all your fault.”

He stares at me with his two-tone eyes as an inexplicable expression flashes across them. I am still frowning to get the meaning when he exhales.

“Yes, I agree, Danny. It’s all my fault. I should have known better. I should have avoided it.”

So he does regret saving me!

My face hardens as I skip past him to go upstairs. For a second he is still as a statue, then leaves without a second glance.

***** *****