They Met.

In the following days, Kristensen and her roommates delved into their new home, adapting to the rhythm of The Camp life. Kristensen's interactions with Mel took an unexpected turn. Mel saw the face under Trudy's meek kitten facade and decided to take her chances with Kristensen.

Since they had to follow training before finally becoming citizens instead of recruits, Kristensen and the others decided to take their time settling in before reporting for training. The day before they were meant to report, Mel and Arson went to get tested, and their omega class was confirmed.

Trudy, the ever quiet Trudy never looked at them the same again. Her eyes filled with disdain each time she looked at them, creating an awkward dynamic within their house, yet Mel and Arson couldn't say anything. Technically, they lived under Trudy and Kristensen.

The night before they were to report to their respective training, the girls decided to go out, Arson told them there would be a gathering, and people would exchange information and perhaps roommates.

"You were lied to, right?" Mel said for the thousandth time as they took yet another turn.

It wasn't that Arson was lied to. They were lost.

"How about we go back? It stinks here." Mel continued.

"It's not like we know how to get back. We might as well keep going." Trudy snidely, bumping into Mel as she continued through the narrow alley.

Arson and Mel turned to Kristensen, and she shrugged. Tables had turned, it seemed a lifetime had passed from when she met them the first time, and Mel was the one calling the shots while Trudy was her shadow.

In a way, it had.

They could only follow Trudy, Mel threw Arson a furious glance. Kristensen let out a small smile. It meant nothing to her.

After another turn, they finally reached the bonfire.

Mel didn't wait for them and left, Arson smiled at them apologetically, and Trudy snorted. They left one after another, leaving Kristensen standing there alone.

"Childish." Kristensen murmured, shaking her head.

She took in the scene before her and some faces she recognized. There was a long table with food, and many seats were unoccupied, Kristensen passed the bonfire to get there.

Not long after she sat, someone sat beside her. She looked at him, then turned back to her plate. It wasn't her turn to be another Trudy, she thought.

Since the classification, she could tell at a glance what someone was unless they were another alpha and those she made a point to stay far away from, the betas and omegas she could subdue with her aura alone, they didn't bother her.

"You're new here." The guy said after some time. Kristensen cast him a glance but didn't respond. "Then you don't know that training was suspended until tomorrow because some hotshot is coming. He's going to train the alphas. Apparently, he comes from the capital. House of Ly."

He had successfully piqued Kristensen's interest.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. What's the big deal anyway? The alphas are never chosen by any house, and not many live long to establish their own." The guy grumbled.

"Why aren't they chosen?" It was a question that stumped Kristensen. Logic would dictate that every class had to be chosen, if for nothing else, at least to keep the balance within the house yet - it didn't happen so - alphas were not chosen. What logic was that?

"You really are new here. Didn't your parents tell you that alphas, for all that power, they're more troublesome when it comes to mating?"

Mate... mating?

"What did you say?" Kristensen's voice rose a few levels. Her disbelief apperant. Mate?

"Omegas and betas can mate within their classes, and it doesn't matter if it's their true mate or just a bond mate or someone they've taken liking to, but alphas are different. They can't mate casually, and their clock, once it starts ticking, they have to find their true mate or bond mate before it's too late."

Kristensen felt as though her world had been tilted off course. True mate, bond mate...

The..!

"True mate, bond mate, what are those?" Kristensen asked with a calmness that made the guy move a little further from her.

"Eh...I...I hear someone... someone calling me. I'll leave now." The guy didn't wait for Kristensen to respond. He hurried as though his backside was on fire.

Kristensen's eyes glazed as she stared at her plate of food unfocused. "Parents, huh. So, they know all of these yet said nothing. How loving..."

Tate mentioned something along those lines and the guy, too. Then, why did they remain mum? It wasn't as though their relationship could win the family of the year award but something of that importance, her being a wolf, everything it entails, and they neglected to give her a heads up.

She was vexed, and the air around her reached negative five.

"Is this seat taken?" Came a deep voice from above her head. Kristensen didn't respond. Her mind was filled with images of going mad simply because she didn't have a mate. The more she thought about it, the colder the air around her got.

Those who were sitting within her proximity scurried away. "Is the seat taken?"

The second time, Kristensen raised her head towards the sound of that voice. What she saw, she couldn't take her eyes off of even if she wanted to.

How handsome...

She stared, her mind unbelievably blank. She forgot what she was thinking about previously. The man was simply outrageously good-looking, but that wasn't what had her fixated. It was his eyes. Those golden eyes... she'd seen them before.

"N-n-no." Kristensen answered absent-minded. Where had she seen them, though? She was sure she'd remember meeting someone who was that good-looking and yet...

"You should restrain yourself, lest you scare everyone away."

"Oh, there's such a rule?"

"No. It's better manners."

"Manners, what are those?"

He broke off eye contact with Kristensen laughing.

"I'm Ocean."

Ocean's eyes on Kristensen gave her a sense of deja vu, yet that puzzled her. Where exactly had she seen him?

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Asked Ocean, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Don't know. It's my first time attending one."

Kristensen had the instinct to move away from the man she couldn't place. Aside from being an alpha, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him, and yet her nerves, her whole being close to him, felt as though she was constantly fighting for her life.

It made her guard against him subconsciously, a stranger.

"Me too. It's my first time attending one."

She had the mind to ignore him, but his presence made it hard to, and it didn't help that he seemed inclined to have a conversation. Kristensen cursed Arson in her head. It had been a long time since she felt so awkward, wanting to escape but not daring to because of... because of what?

She was extremely frustrated. Who the hell was he after all, and why did he make her feel out of sorts?

"You shouldn't mind too much what that guy said." Ocean's deep voice broke the silence.

"What?"

Ocean turned his face towards her, and she barely held herself from gawking like a lovestruck fool. He wasn't close to her, yet it felt he was only inches away. Kristensen cursed his bewitching face in her head.

His chuckle brought her out of her mesmerized phase, and she blushed. She coughed awkwardly, trying to hide her embarrassment. "What?"

"Mating isn't as simple or complicated as he made it out to be. As an alpha, it's better to wait for your true mate than make a mistake."

Kristensen's eyes had a rare look of confusion. It made her entire face look extremely innocent, a blank canvas for one's free use. Ocean's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing too quickly for her to catch.

"You shouldn't worry about this now. You're only a pub." Ocean extended his hand and covered her eyes. "Still too young."

"You..." Kristensen tilted her head back and stood abruptly. "I...my...I need to leave."

The laughter that followed behind her made her scurry faster. It wasn't until she reached the bonfire that she stopped, turned back to look, and found those golden eyes, like fireflies in her direction. She quickly turned her head.

Her heart was beating so fast that she had a hard time formulating any thoughts.

Who was he?

Ocean watched with a smile in his eyes as his cub scurried off. Patience... he had the time to be patient.

"Come out." He called out emotionlessly. His gaze still following Kristensen.

A figure came out from the darkness, Isaac.

"Your... your majesty." Isaac's voice shook.

"You've been following my pub. At first, I thought you were a guardian her parents left, but you're... you're from the Maddisons' House."

Isaac's whole visage was terrified. He went down on his knees.

"I, I'm one of those in charge of recruits this year. Your... your majesty..." His voice trembled as he spoke.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to paint me as a bully?" Ocean cocked an eyebrow, his voice mellow.

"I...I wouldn't... wouldn't dare."

"Get up. You're no fun. Tell me, I saw what happened in the awakening room but not the class. What happened?"

Isaac stood with much difficulty. It was his bad luck, he lamented. Of all the people he could've run into, he ran into THE ALPHA.

"Those old men couldn't sit still. To think they already have their eyes on my person..." Ocean said lightly, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"It's not like that, your majesty. I was just worried... Kristensen... Kristensen and her group, there are two alphas within the group. I... just..."

Two other figures appeared before Isaac continued. They threw Isaac a glare.

"Are you going to be satisfied after we've lost our lives because of this damned group? Isaac, why did you do that?" Tate roared, throwing a punch at Isaac.

Isaac didn't dogde. He kept throwing them looks, but Tate and Winnie didn't respond. They were furious.

"You... why didn't you duck?" Tate mumbled, retracting her already raised fist.

Beats of sweat rolled on Isaac's face. His nerves were at their wit's end. They were usually noisy, but when he needed them to be, they couldn't focus.

"You actually volunteered me... me to be a trainer for these... dammit Isaac." Winnie shouted.

Tate and Winnie glared at Isaac, waiting for him to say something. It was only when he remained silent that they realized something was wrong.

"What?" They asked at the same time.

Isaac turned his head towards Ocean. It was only then they realized someone else was there, but they didn't see anything out of the ordinary and couldn't understand Isaac's peculiar.

Ocean stood up, threw a lasting look at Kristensen, and turned his attention back to Isaac.

"I'll come find you." He left. Winnie and Tate were bewildered.

Isaac slumped on the nearest seat. He let out a long breath...