"Come on! Give it your best!" Mr. Orion yelled, trying to motivate me to emerge from beneath a pile of bricks. I had been trapped under that heap for a solid fifteen minutes now, and my frustration was growing. Given that I hadn't felt any different despite attending all these sessions, it was fair to say that I might be just wasting my time. Today's session was meant to trigger our wolf instincts, pushing us through stress and pain to awaken our inner wolves for our own protection. But since I still couldn't feel my wolf inside me despite my hard efforts, it seemed she couldn't care less about me. "I think it's not wo----rking for me," I struggled to form a complete sentence, while Mr. Orion appeared annoyed with my constant complaints. "We provoke the wolves inside of you to come out and reveal themselves in what is known as a triggering exercise," Mr. Orion explained. When he didn't seem to listen to my concerns, Mr. Holt stepped into the hallway and reiterated the same information. He wasn't wrong because I had witnessed one of the students connect with her wolf during this exercise. Everyone had already gone home, but I was still stuck under the pile of bricks, my bones pleading for relief. Throughout all my struggle, I felt nothing stirring inside me. I was becoming weary of the whole training process because I hadn't sensed anything for three days, and the challenge was about to begin. I felt doomed. "I've had enough of this," I began gesturing to the guy on the side to help remove the bricks because I was done wasting my time. The man looked to Mr. Holt for a signal, and upon receiving one, he approached me and started removing the bricks from my back. "Mr. Orion!" Mr. Holt cleared his throat, appearing somewhat embarrassed by my behavior in this session. "Thank you for your assistance. I'll handle things from here," Mr. Holt excused Mr. Orion, who looked thoroughly annoyed with me at that moment. Once the bricks were removed, I stood up, dusted off my clothes, and turned to Mr. Holt with an indifferent expression. "You're being impatient, Cynthia," Mr. Holt said, shaking his head. "I understand that, but I don't have time. Everyone despises me after what happened at school. So, my wolf needs to wake up. I can't afford all this," I explained to him, my tone filled with concern. "If I lose this contest, my father will never let me leave the house again," I explained, emphasizing that my father's only interest was money. I was tired of the fact that he had allowed me some freedom only because he believed I could win money from this competition. "Isn't there an easier way? Something faster?" I asked, more like begged, for an alternative. "There's only one other way, and I've already mentioned it. If you can get any of your mate, whether they're first, second, or chosen, to accept you, your wolf will awaken after mating with them. But it has to be mutual acceptance," he explained, his voice slowing down as he reiterated that option. "How can I----," I began but shook my head, unable to complete the sentence."My mates hate me, and as for a second chance mate, I don't even have a wolf. How am I supposed to figure out who my second mate is?" I gave up, hoping he would grasp that finding a new mate was not like shopping for something in a store. His green eyes displayed concern, and his black hair gleamed as he faced me with his hands on his waist. Yet, there was another emotion in his eyes that I couldn't identify at the moment. "How did you find your first mates then?" He asked, his broad shoulders moving in a slight shrug before he abandoned the idea and remained stiff. "I could hear my wolf back then," I said, feeling frustrated that I had to recount that painful experience repeatedly. "And you haven't heard from Thea after the whole -----o-block incident?" He remembered it being perfectly fine since we had discussed it along with many other things. "Hm! Maybe your second mate can find you then," he stated with determination. I had a lot of trust in him since he was the most knowledgeable trainer. "What about---- that fey issue? We never discussed it again. What if the counselors are already informed and are on their way for me?" I raised another concern that he had promised to address but hadn't taken any action on so far. "Why do you think they haven't taken action already? I told you I was handling that issue," he retorted in a harsher tone. Lately, I had noticed that he became irritated whenever I questioned his ability to solve my problems. I interpreted it as a blow to his ego. Clearly, he didn't appreciate a rogue omega questioning his decisions. "Your shirt---," it was only then that he frowned and pointed at my back, "It's, umm, torn---," he awkwardly looked away when I turned my back to him, attempting to get a glimpse. As I quickly glanced at my reflection in the large mirror on the side, I realized that the bricks had not only ruined my dress but also exposed my red bra strap for all to see. "Oh!" I wrapped my arms around myself, attempting to reach my back and cover the torn area, but it proved futile. "It's okay. I'll get you a new shirt," he whispered and lowered his head as he guided me to a side room where they stored spare clothes. Once inside the room, he handed me a black shirt and turned his back to me. I couldn't help but find it a bit strange that he didn't leave me alone to change but instead stood there like a guard, his face turned away. With my mind consumed by too many thoughts, I didn't notice the sharp object sticking out from the shelf. When I turned around in a hurry, I let out a scream at the top of my lungs as it pierced my waist. Mr. Holt swiftly turned around to assist me, but he found me standing there completely exposed.