She woke up from the sound of the birds chirping above the tree and stood up quickly. She looked around her and saw she was not far from the river. She had tried to focus on the wind as she did before but somehow lost consciousness while trying to stop herself. She felt a slight pain in her feet and look down. She no longer felt the rush she had before, just slight discomfort. She then remembered the race and quickly turn to go back to the pine tree. She met the twins sitting down on the edge of the river and went to meet them.
"I see you made it," Inessa said smiling
"So you had something hidden up your sleeve that was why you told us to race with you," Katya said as she stood up
"And you left us here waiting for you because of a small victory" she yelled
" Sorry I knew you wouldn't catch up on time so I decided to take a little nap" Inessa answered with pride in her voice
"Anyway, do not worry about your spot. I won't be needing it. It's boring to attend any of those meetings. I just wanted to have some fun" She continued
"It's still early so I need to head back before my parents think am up to no good. Don't worry I won't tell anyone I outran the both of you" with that, she turns and start walking home. She didn't want to run again as she just experienced something new. She was not expecting to start manifesting this soon, at least not before the next full moon which was still five months away.
The blood shadow pack had lived in west Siberia for a long time. The pack began its existence when the two brothers Yakov and Yagor migrated from Greece to settle down in Siberia. They both married and formed their pack with Yakov being the pack's first Alpha. The pack expanded over the years as other migrants were joining them. It became one of the largest packs ever known. Most of the werewolves have lived very long, some had died during the great wolf war but a few of the old werewolves were still found among them and the elders always render support and advice to the younger generations whenever necessary.
Mikhail was one of the elders of the blood shadow pack and had lived through generations. His council was always held in high regard. He had taken a special liking to Inessa since she was a child and had been like a mentor to her. Mikhail lived near the foot of the big oak tree at the far end of the town. He smelled her coming from a distance so he came out of his house and sat on a bench outside. He had his beer in his hand as usual.
" You came early today" Mikhail said as she approached
" I had no intention of coming today, but I thought to come and keep you company for a while" Inessa replied
"Come sit with me then" He told her as he gestures for her to sit near him
Inessa sat down quietly beside him and stared at the floor. She was not her chatty self as usual. She knew she had to tell someone what she had experienced and Mikhail was the first person that crossed her mind.
"What is wrong child," He asked her as she didn't utter a word.
"You looked troubled. You know you can talk to me right?" he asked her as he kept the bottle of beer on the floor. She was always cheerful, she never allows the negative comments from some of the pack members to get to her. Even though it is forbidden to mock or insult anyone that has been accepted, some few still disregard it. But since she never complains and gets love and attention from her parents and a few of her friends, then it was never an issue for discussion. So whenever she is disturbed, it has a way of showing even if it is not intentional. So Mikhail noticed her mood immediately she stepped foot into his yard.
" I outran the twins today," she said slowing with her face facing the floor.
" Well, that's a good thing. Shouldn't you be happy about it? He asked her
" It was different. I felt a new surge of power while I was running. I can't explain it" She said
" I know it comes different for everyone, but I have never heard anyone blacking out" she added
Mikhail looks took her hand into his and held it firmly in his for a few seconds. Then he dropped it slowly on her thigh and looks at her.
" For how long did you blackout? He asked her
" I am not sure, but I think with the way the twins reacted, I wasn't gone for long. So it might be just a few minutes" she told him as she stared at him
"Why do you ask? She asked him
Mikhail nods his head and sighed as he stood up from the chair and started walking. Inessa stood up and followed him from behind.
"I need to stretch my legs. Let's walk together" he told her as he stepped into the yard and continued walking.
" Most werewolves don't begin to manifest until they reached the age of fifteen and one month before the full moon. Then on the full moon, they transform completely. And after then, they can transform into werewolves at will" he began
"But you already know that. Only a handful of werewolves have ever transformed before they reached fifteen years of age. But what most werewolves didn't know was that some didn't even manifest at all. They just transformed on a full moon" he paused and stopped walking
" When a werewolf starts to manifest, they experience changes like increase in speed, increase in smell and all that. But never a blackout. They are fully conscious throughout any of the manifestations." He turned and look at her.
"When I took your hand earlier, I was hoping to feel something like a leftover surge from you. But I felt nothing. In a situation like this, your heartbeat should be heightened. But it isn't. It's like the power you felt never happened. And from all the years I have lived, only the strongest of all Alphas could mask their power like that" he smiled
"And those kinds of Alphas are known as true alpha" he concluded
"Are you saying I must have come from a line of true alpha?" Inessa asked him
" It is possible, but lets not jump into a conclusion yet. You need to observe what happens to you from now on. And also you need to be careful" he said then head straight into the woods.
"Go home and rest" he yelled