Meeting the leader

Max pushed the door open as his body shivered, not knowing if it was because of the cold temperature or his emotions.

Max peered inside, being able to see several creatures standing in two lines from side to side; they were all werewolves that shifted into their beast forms. He took a deep breath and while he did so he felt a push from behind, making him jump inside the room.

He looked behind him to see three transformed werewolves, the two that were at the front bore a red glow from their eyes showcasing their rank while another werewolf behind them had a blue hue instead.

Max already knew the brown werewolf on the right, being able to easily recognize Dylan who transformed in front of him before. Looking at the other two though he didn't know who they were and Max found himself staring at them trying to figure it out.

He suddenly remembered what Dylan instructed him; 'The first thing you notice about them will be their smell' Thinking about it Max took another deep breath, concentrating on feeling all of the different smells in the room.

He closed his eyes and after a while, he felt impressed by his sense of smell. He knew there were 43 individuals inside the room without including himself in the count; also, he was able to realize that the brown-furred werewolf in the back was Ernie while the black-furred one next to Dylan was Bryce, it wasn't because he knew their smells before but because he suddenly got the idea of who they were after looking toward them, his nose now feeling like a recognition device.

Max nodded his head toward his three friends who didn't move from their place, seemingly waiting for something. His actions were examined by each of the 43 werewolves in the room and each of them would be judged.

Dylan gave a slight nod as his white teeth made their appearance; a werewolf smiling was a terrifying sight for more than one reason.

The trio made their way forward, leaving Max behind and reaching past the hallway whose walls were made out of werewolves before slightly bowing down to a werewolf standing with his arms crossed.

He looked at the three of them before slightly nodding, looking like an approval.

The three then joined one of the sides at random, Dylan going to the right while the other two going to the left.

Max made his way forward as he saw everyone standing still as if waiting for something. He didn't falter and made his way toward the one who seemed to be the leader, stopping right before him.

They both examined each other, Max looked at the black-furred individual as if it was a huge mountain while the latter looked at Max with an annoyed glance.

"Kid, I don't expect you to be clueless about the whole situation so I'll ask you something only once. Keep quiet and think about your answer." The beast said as his aura got more intense, pressuring Max into feeling like an ant waiting to be squished.

"Do you really believe to be worthy of joining us?"

It was a simple question, yet a tough one. As he was told to, Max kept quiet and thought about it; 'What does he mean?' 'Should I say no?' 'Should I say yes?' He thought of it being a trick question of some sort but he didn't think that his mindset didn't take part in it.

His gaze lingered on the floor as if the answer was thrown over there but no one said anything, they kept quiet awaiting his response for seconds which turned into minutes and even tens of minutes.

'I have no idea' Max began feeling down for some reason, the more he thought about it made him feel not worthy to even be alive anymore.

"It wasn't anyone's fault but my own for forcing Dylan to transform me. I wasn't strong enough to protect myself and because of it, I was one step away from death. I don't think I should answer if I think I am worthy of joining you as I am not even worthy of being alive…" Max could wait anymore, his frustration getting the better of him as he sadly spoke out his thoughts in the end.

"So, you're not worthy?" The individual in front of him tilted his head slightly, asking for confirmation.

"I don't think I am" Max responded but a rule was thrown at him.

"CLEAR ANSWERS!" The leader shouted, his voice vibrating in such a manner that the room shook in its entirety, Max being disoriented by it.

Max, facing the leader once more, felt stressed; feeling his veins pop out.

"NO!" He yelled back.

"THEN GET YOUR ASS OUT AND BECOME WORTHY! DON'T GET YOUR MUTT IN HERE UNLESS YOU ARE!" The leader then ordered, his shout pushing Max away for a few meters.

Max stumbled backward before falling on his bottom; looking directly into the eyes of his leader. He nodded unwillingly before getting out of the room and pacing his way out of this 'basement'. He reached the top of the stairs extremely fast and before he knew it he arrived at his room, slamming the door while doing so.

"That was extremely lame," The leader said as he changed his form into a human and while doing so grabbing a silk robe handed to him by one of his underlings.

The man changed from a mighty, black-colored werewolf into a slightly chubby man which many would recognize as the principal of this academy.

"Wasn't it too easy for him? Sir, did you even had the intention of judging him?" The beast that handed him the robe asked, curious about it.

"That pal has been recommended by quite a number from the pack, recruiters included. He was also being eyed by other races after being a winner of the academy competition so of course, I didn't!" Lutz responded, feeling slightly offended for being asked such foolish questions.

"I-I didn't know. Excuse my rudeness" The other then backed down, knowing now that it wasn't a coincidence the new blood had such an easy run.

"Alright then, any of you unsatisfied with my choice of letting him live?" Lutz asked while looking at the two rows of werewolves.

There was only one that raised his hand, the others kept their heads low in response though.

"Yes… Will, right?" Lutz asked, confirming the other party's identity.

"Yes sir, I am not unsatisfied but rather would you answer this one question for me. Does he have that much potential? And if yes why not train him yourself, wouldn't it make him stronger to be guided by you?" The grey werewolf asked as he kneeled on one knee.

"Yes, he does, and as for the reasoning… he is a type of flower that blooms more beautifully in the wild than in captivity."

***

Max was currently meditating next to his open window; his heart beating fast and loud as he collected all the moonlight particles around him. He already reached the count of 200 and had yet to give up on meditating even though he already passed the recommended threshold placed by Dylan.

His forehead was covered in beads of sweat as his body felt limp all over, the heat not managing to affect him properly like before.

'I'll become worthy' This sudden thought cleared his mind, making his agitation lessen.