Meeting The Old Thru New Glances.

Kristensen's instructor, the person who was going to train her until she could turn, turned out to be an old acquaintance of hers - no - an old acquaintance would mean they knew each other and their relationship was somewhat lukewarm but that wasn't it, her instructor turned out to be her former boss, Ms. Drew, apparently Drew Ly.

At first, she thought it was her mind playing tricks or she was finally crumbling under the twists and turns she went through lately, but neither, it was her former boss.

"This will be your main focus, controlling yourself and being able to turn, transforming into a wolf." Drew's crystal blue eyes swept through the few recruits, the contempt in them unhidden.

Kristensen took a deep breath and let it out for the millionth time. She had to constantly remind herself to keep calm, to act as though she didn't know Drew, but she couldn't - it was near impossible.

It would've been fine if she'd met Drew under other circumstances or she had known from the beginning that she was a wolf and would have to go through all this process, but that wasn't the case. She simply couldn't reconcile with it.

As if it wasn't enough that someone she'd known from Alba had suddenly appeared in Crandale, Drew was an omega, in charge of alphas and carrying herself with extreme dominance.

Kristensen felt stifled, the suffocation of it all, and discomfort turned her aura oppressive. Even amongst alphas, it was distinguishable.

"Ms Ryson, is there somewhere you'd rather be, or do you think an omega can't tell you, big bad alpha, how to behave?" Drew's sharp voice snapped Kristensen out of her daze.

"Huh, what?"

"If you think this is a waste of your time and want to go on a killing spree on a full moon, by all means, you're free to leave or...daydream." said Drew, smirking.

The other recruits snickered, Kristensen clenched her teeth, let out a forced smile.

She had always thought Ms. Drew was a private person and didn't mix business with pleasure, but... Kristensen's eyes turned gloomy. She couldn't have predicted this, let alone assumed. The moon shone in Alba, too, so how had Ms. Drew been unbothered all that time?

"As I was saying, I might be an omega, but right now, all you have on me is your genetics. On anything else, you'll lose. Even your aura can't subdue me."

The statement received an outcry from the recruits, the disbelief apperant. Kristensen couldn't bother thinking about Ms. Drew's stay in the human city then.

"What? You don't believe me? How about we try..."

Drew hadn't finished speaking before Trudy strode forward, her arrogance there for all to see. "I'll try."

The recruits wooed, and the side they were on clear. Kristensen eyes narrowed and let out a half smile.

Interesting.

"Naive." Drew let out a mirthless laugh. "But I like it. Putting down alphas like you is what I like to do the most."

Every recruit's focus turned to the two women facing each other.

"How long do you think it'll take for Trudy to make her kneel?"

"Why's an omega so arrogant?"

"She's so beautiful. I wouldn't mind taking her on."

The comments ensued, with derisive chuckles in between. Kristensen shook her head, her attention entirely on Drew. From what she knew of that woman, she wasn't merely arrogant. She was extremely arrogant and not the kind without any support.

It's really interesting.

Kristensen would've never thought that with that kind of arrogance, Drew was an omega.

"Ready when you are." Drew declared, a glint of challenge in her eyes.

"I'm ready." Responded Trudy, her demeanor unyielding.

Trudy's eyes turned crimson as she released her aura, and the pressure covered the whole room. It was the first time Kristensen had seen someone consciously change without the assistance of any external help, and she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

Their class was made up of alphas only, and yet, there were other recruits who had a hard time after Trudy released her aura.

Drew, however, didn't move an inch. She wasn't the least bothered. In fact, she didn't seem to notice the change in the room whatsoever.

The recruits gasped.

"Ha. With just that?" Drew taunted. "What, is that all your alpha can do?"

Trudy growled, and her eyes started to glow, increasing the pressure on Drew.

The air crackled with tension as recruits began to truly focus, some having a hard time suppressing the instinct to submit to Trudy.

"Well, I think that's all you can do." Drew flicked her hand. "My turn then."

Drew closed her eyes. When she opened them, they shone the brightest blue. Her aura, quite the opposite of Trudy's, neutralized the pressure in the room.

Before the recruits could respond, she flashed towards Trudy in a blink of an eye and held her by the throat.

"You're dead." She tossed Trudy aside like paper.

Trudy hit the wall hard.

A deafening silence followed, and the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

An omega tossed an alpha aside like a sag of potatoes. Unbelievable.

It defied logic, at least what logic Kristensen had.

"Don't be indignant, even if you train your whole life, you would never... ever defeat me. Like I said, just because of a class - alpha - doesn't mean you're superior."

Uproar, utter denial was the response Drew's statement received.

The commotion didn't calm down even when Trudy finally stood and returned limping to her seat.

Kristensen's eyes shone with incredulity. She kept thinking, if it were her, how would she have faired? She didn't know the basics - how to release her aura - then, wouldn't she have made a fool out of herself?

The realization made her extremely uncomfortable. Damn her parents, how could they be that negligent?

"Don't worry yourselves. At least, by the end of this training, you will be able to transform and stay sane during the full moon." Mused Drew.

The earlier arrogance in the room was nowhere to be found. Most recruits eyed Drew with contemplation. There was the tiniest respect, too.

"That'll be all for today. Tomorrow, I want you to come to my class with one thing in mind," Drew's crystal blue eyes swept through the whole room, "what does it mean to be a wolf. Not that - I'm an alpha crap or, I'll beat it out all of you."

She swaggered out of the room, leaving the recruits speechless.

After some time, someone murmured,

"Then, what's the point of all that class? Alpha, beta, omega?"

The question struck Kristensen hard. She wasn't one to clench hard to classes, but she felt deeply shaken.

What was a wolf?

Nobody ever told her she was one.

As the recruits slowly filed out of the training room, the air hung heavy with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. Drew's departure had left an indelible mark on their consciousness.

Kristensen lingered behind, her thoughts a tempest of confusion. She'd thought all she had to worry about after awakening and training would be finding her parents and settling debts yet...

She couldn't shake the feeling of uneasy that Drew's presence and performance brought. When had the norm being challenged ever been easy, and why involve them - mere recruits?

Trudy, nursing the aftereffects of her encounter with Drew, caught Kristensen's eye. There was a flicker of embarrassment beneath the facade. Kristensen thought for a while and then approached her cautiously.

"Are you okay?" Asked Kristensen, rare genuine concern traceable in her voice.

Trudy brushed it off with a forced smirk. "Why not? An omega. Just didn't expect her to be that... formidable."

"Yeah... formidable she is." Kristensen agreed, her gaze drifting toward the exit where Drew disappeared.

"You... you know her?"

Kristensen hummed but didn't explain further. Trudy straightened, her eyes narrowing with determination.

"Omega. I'll show her."

Kristensen couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, it wasn't that simple. "Alright, let's go meet the others, I'm hungry."

As the two alphas exited the room, the atmosphere outside was different. Along the way, whispers and hushed conversation followed them. What happened had already spread, and a mixture of contemptuous and curious eyes were cast their way.

Trudy's fists clenched, and she went for the closest person to her who was running their mouth, and Kristensen held her back. "Let's just go."

They arrived at the cafeteria Trudy fuming. Kristensen scanned the room and found Arson and Mel, with other girls she didn't know. She figured they were from their class and went forward to them, pulling Trudy along.

"Have you ordered? I'm famished." Kristensen said as she took the closest empty seat.

Arson gave them a cheerful smile as she gave Trudy her seat and moved closer to Mel. "Yeah, I figured you'd have lunch with us."

A girl amongst them snorted and threw others a look. They moved their seats to one side, ostracizing Trudy and Kristensen.

"Arson, you don't have to serve them. Haven't you heard? They were beaten by an omega." The girl mocked.

Kristensen held Trudy's hand under the table and threw Mel a look, which Mel acted oblivious to.

"No, that's not it. We, we're roommates." Replied Arson meekly.

"You think they treat you like a roommate or a servant?" The girl sneered.

Kristensen put her free hand on the table and drummed her fingers against the surface. Dammit... she just knew Drew's performance was opening a can of worms. "Who are you? I don't think we've met."

"Maria. Why? Aren't omegas beneath you alphas?" Maria's voice rose, attracting the attention of the recruits in the cafeteria.

Kristensen didn't stop drumming her fingers, only watching Maria quietly. A troublemaker...

"Trudy and I are alphas, but I'm pretty sure Mel thinks we're beneath her. Don't you, Mel?" Kristensen replied lazily, igniting laughter from the recruits.

"You're right. They look down on us more than we do them." A voice echoed from the hall.

"What's so special about alphas anyway?"

"They can't mate."

"They're just mindless brutes."

Another round of laughter emitted from the recruits. Kristensen's eyes narrowed and shifted to Mel. Her gaze questioning.

A snake indeed...

"Maria, stop." Mel said finally.

"Why? At least they know now that omegas can defeat them, too. Why should we restrict ourselves in front of them?"

Trudy burst out with laughter, and Kristensen barely held her's back. Their eyes, though, were honest enough - mocking.

"You don't actually think you're Drew Ly, do you?" Trudy asked between laughter. "Then, wouldn't all alphas be the next emperor?"

The entire cafeteria roared with laughter. Mel and Maria turned blue with embarrassment. Some omegas shook their heads while others with the same thought buried their heads.

"You.!" Maria shot up, releasing her aura as she did. Her eyes glowed, their corner red with fury.

Kristensen clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "You're insane."

For such a person, they didn't need to dirty their hands. She would drive herself over the edge herself.

Four figures watched the commotion from the shadows - Winnie, Tate, Isaac, and Leah.

"This year's going to be long." Lamented Isaac.

The other three sighed. Indeed...