THE RISE OF AN OMEGA

Kira’s POV

"You’ve got a lot to learn Kira" Ryker said

"I know, I have a lot to learn."

"You have to be back at the training ground tomorrow so we can pick up from where we left off."

I nodded my head. After he finished dressing my injuries he left to his home.

I spent the remaining days thinking about how my day went and how nice Ryker and a few other people in the pack have been to me.

That night, I slept with a wide smile on my face. I was happy I was able to take down those two men, even with their werewolf strength.

******

Ryker began to lecture me on the need to be faster in my response; he told me not everyone was slow in their attacks.

"There are people, and enemies you would come across that are a lot faster than you can ever imagine; you won’t be able to save yourself with this pace," Ryker said pacing to and fro a particular distance.

He had decided that I needed to train more, I agreed with him because my encounter with those men made me realise that there’s still a lot for me to learn.

"It’s time to push beyond your limits Kira" Ryker said smiling

He began to challenge me in ways I had never experienced before; not like I have been doing a lot of training, but this particular way was quite different from the previous ways.

He changed my training beyond basic sparring to a kind of rigorous survival exercise that tested not just my strength; it tested my endurance, instinct, my ability to attack without calculations, my moves and my resolve.

Ryker led me into the forest. This time, it wasn’t my usual place. It was a more secluded area, and it was far from the main training grounds.

"These are the things we would be working on today; we train on evading more predators, scaling steep terrain, and mastering defensive manoeuvres against larger opponents."

"Wow! That sounds tough" I said

"It is tough, actually, but don’t worry, you will scale through." He assured me

I found myself struggling from the outset; it felt like I had not undergone any kind of training before; my muscles were aching, my breaths came in ragged gasps, I was sweating profusely, and my mind wavered between determination and doubt.

All through this, Ryker was there he refused to let me falter. His sharp words, commands, and encouragement kept me moving. His words were a mix of encouragement and critique.

"You are stronger than you imagine, Kira", He growled when I hesitated before climbing a rocky incline.

I wasn’t sure if I believed what he said about me being stronger than I could imagine. I had always been weak; even during my training, I still felt weak.

Maybe it was because I still hadn’t felt my wolf yet.

I was tired, but I had to push through, I managed to drag my feet across the uneven surface, and my arms trembled as I fought to hold my own against the unrelenting drills.

Yet something inside me wouldn’t let me quit, the need to become stronger was overwhelming. Each stumble I made was met with a renewed mind and effort, my resolve was getting stronger, burning brighter with every step.

As the drilling and gruelling session continued, Ryker decided it was time to test my progress in a way the entire pack would witness. After we had finished with the survival drills he called me to the training grounds where other wolves were sparring.

I could see Marcus, Emilia, Chad, Clara and Riley on the ground each of them sparring with their opponents.

He whistled sharply, bringing the group’s attention to himself; their gaze seemed to be fixed on me. My body was dusty, and I was exhausted, but I still stood beside their alpha.

"I want her to join in sparring," he said, pointing his fingers at me "Is there anyone here who would like to take her as a sparring opponent?" He asked

A few hands were raised; among them were my friends, Marcus, Emilia, Chad, Riley, and Clara. But I knew that he wasn’t going to pick from any of the five.

Ryker kept looking around, observing the faces of the people who had raised their hands.

"Okay, I am pairing you with Damien,", he said, pointing to a brown-skinned-looking young man about the same age as Ryker.

I looked at the young man’s face; I suddenly remembered my brief encounter with him; Damien was one of the people who didn’t like my stay in the pack.

At that moment, I knew that Damien wasn’t going to go easy on me. Damien was one of the strongest wolf warriors in Ryker’s pack. He was known for his brute strength and his very aggressive nature and style.

My heart sank; I couldn’t find my earlier confidence anymore; it was like it left me the moment I realised my sparring partner was Damien.

I could hear the murmurs of other warriors in the pack, their doubts their fears; I looked at the faces of Marcus and Co one by one, all giving me the reassuring smile that I could win this.

I wondered how I was supposed to win a wolf, not just any kind of wolf but a warrior wolf.

Rykers words suddenly echoed in my mind again: ’You are stronger than you imagine’ I felt a surge of strength instantly. Determined not to fail, I went closer, my hands were trembling, but my jaws were set.

The first clash came hard and fast, and Damien blow forced me to retreat. Each time I stumbled, I pushed myself back up.

Marcus and my other friends kept cheering me up, my earlier exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm me.

Those people who had been mocking me began to keep quiet as they saw how determined I was to win. Each move I made became more calculated; I blocked every one of Damien’s attacks more precisely.

Something in me refused to quit. Just as I was fighting, I felt a kind of strength from within. I didn’t know where it came from, but I wasn’t going to lose my guard.

I decided to take the opportunity, and I watched Damien get closer. I immediately got under his attack, and then I punched him with all the strength in me.

The force sent him flying across the training ground. "What just happened?" I won

Later that day, Ryker began to ask me about the strength, but I didn’t know how I came about such strength, so he decided to investigate my lineage.

I wondered if he would ever find anything; I also wondered what he would find if he did find something about my lineage.