Ade's POV

"Now we confirm that she is special," Mum whispered to Dad

"Yes. I think I understand what my Mum meant, but how is that going to manifest? She can't rule the pack, she is a female," Dad whispered back.

They were both in my room and they thought I was asleep. After pack members had turned into their wolves and welcomed the moons enough, we all returned to our rooms. But I suddenly felt dizzy and fell.

Dad had to carry me to my room but when he put me on the bed, I started to convulse. Mum had wanted to raise the alarm, but Dad closed the door and told her to be quiet.

Right there in the presence of my parents, I shifted into my wolf for the first time. Dad talked me through it. By the time I shifted back to my human form, I was so weak that I couldn't lift a finger.

"I am sure that she is not bearing the mark of the double moon for nothing. The moon came out on the day I gave birth to her and today again when she turns eighteen. It is not mere coincidence sweetheart," Mum said.

"I remembered that my mother said that the moon coming on the day she was born was not a mere coincidence," my Dad said.

"Let's just hope the journey ahead of her won't be a hard and difficult one. She is a precious one in the sight of the moon goddess," Mum said sounding sad.

"She might wake up. Let's go. We will talk about this later," Dad said and they both left my room.

I didn't understand most of what they were saying about my grandmother, but I understood the fact that my wolf had the mark of the moons, and the moons also appeared the day I was born.

I groaned weakly as I tried to sit up. I gave up when I saw that it was too much work on my limbs to sit up. I closed my eyes and slept off.

When I woke up again, It was the sound of Amethyst shrieking that jolted me out of sleep. Surprisingly, I no longer felt weak; in fact,, I felt as if I had suddenly become powerful.

"Can you keep it down Amethyst?" I hissed.

"No. I am not keeping it down. Happy birthday, bestie," she said again at the top of her voice.

"She is not your bestie. She is mine," Will said, coming to stand at the wide-opened door. Amethyst had obviously left it open.

"Will, can you excuse me for a minute before you come back in?" I said to Will. I could see his confusion, but he didn't argue and just left, but he also closed the door behind him.

I quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and put them on. I could see the shred of my night dress in a corner of the room. It tore to pieces when I shifted the previous night.

"Why were you naked under the duvet Adelia?" Amethyst asked raising a brow.

"I shifted last night after we came inside from welcoming the Double Moon," I explained.

"What?" Amethyst asked in surprise. I ignored her and walked to the door, opened it, and asked Will to come in.

"Why is your face like that Amethyst?" Will asked.

"Adelia shifted last night," Amethyst answered.

"What?" Will frowned looking lost in thought. I wasn't supposed to shift until I shared blood with my father. I was supposed to shift in front of everyone present for the party. They cheered in happiness, after which I was supposed to go back to my room and wear the original clothes prepared for the party. So it has never been heard of.

"That is weird," Will said after a while so I went ahead and told them what I heard from my parents.

We sat down in silence for a while after I told them what I heard. Will was the one who broke the silence.

"If I previously didn't know what I lived for, I think I have now. You are special Adelia. Put your heart to it, and you will surely achieve this, and I will be supporting you all the way," Will said, then stood from where he sat beside Amethyst and bowed the way one would bow to his Alpha.

"Me too Alpha. I will support you," Amethyst said and also assumed the same position as Will.

My chest puffed in pride. I could feel a part of me stare awake and howled in pride. I smiled and asked them to rise just the way I had seen my father address pack members.

We soon got so wrapped up in preparation for the party that we threw all the discussion into the background and enjoyed ourselves.

When it was time for the exchange of blood with my father, my Dad made a cut on his wrist and poured the blood into a bronze cup and he made a cut on mine and poured it into the cup.

The moment my wound sealed up, the cup caught fire, and everyone gasped in surprise. Before the fire went out, I shifted into my wolf making the murmur increase.

Mum stylishly blocked everyone from my view as she led me upstairs to my room. When she asked me to shift back, I shook my head to indicate that I wasn't shifting yet.

I walked to the mirror to see what my wolf looked like. It was black like the night but on my forehead was the Double Moon, standing side by side. Because of my black fur, the drawings of the moon were so obvious. I knew then what my parents meant that I had the marking of the Double Moon.

I shifted back and Mum helped me get dressed. Amethyst was happy but I could see the wheels of her brain turning loudly. She had questions just like me.

"Mum, why did the cup start burning? I have never seen or heard of that before?" I asked my Mum.

"It happened because you are special," Mum said simply then kissed my head before she rushed us out of the room.

The party was a success quite alright and people talked about it for days. Dad evaded my question about the burning cup so I let it slide.

Will, Amethyst, and I only speculated about it. Drawing and dumping a lot of conclusions but at the end of the day, we had to let go and focus on the task ahead.

"The training camp will be opening in less than two months; I think you should start using the medication,' Will said two weeks after my birthday, so I started using it.

I minimized my discussion with my parents because, within two weeks, I began to notice a change in my voice. I was happy; in fact, I was ecstatic.

The first time I used Amethyst oil for shifting body aura, I purposely went into my mum's room and she looked at me with a frown.

"I would have sworn that it was a man that walked in. What perfume are you wearing? It doesn't suit you," Mum hissed.

"I am sorry. Will gave it to me," I said smiling happily. My aim was achieved.

Will helped me get a friend of his that cut my hair to the style I liked a night before I left for the camp. I had to cover my hair with my nightcap to avoid suspicion.

As the time to go drew closer, I felt sad. Leaving my parents and sister was going to be hard. I had been too concentrated on my mission to see the pain my disappearance was likely going to cause.

Will was waiting for me with a car he arranged to take me to the training camp. I almost changed my mind about going but I didn't.

I took the bag that had all the male wears we had bought, and for one last time, I opened my parents' door and peeked at them before I walked away. Then I stopped at my sister's room. I went inside and kissed her on the head. She stirred but she didn't wake up as she murmured my name in her sleep.

As I walked away from her room, tears streamed down my face. It was the most difficult goodbye I had ever said. A silent but painful goodbye.

I got to where Will was waiting and kissed him goodbye before I got into the car. Amethyst wasn't there. I knew she was not just able to say goodbye so I sent my love to her through Will.

The car took off, but I was looking back, staring at Will until I couldn't see him again. Then I let the tears flow freely. Yes! I was going to cry that night, but I was going to let all the pain of staying away from all my loved ones for that long be my driving force, and the fact that I was going to see them again was the reason I kept pushing.

By morning, the car got to the camp, and I got down, walking perfectly the way I had practiced, like a boy.

When I got to the gates. Two males dressed like soldiers sat with a registration book in front of them.

"Your name?" One of them barked at me.

"Tate. My name is Tate Side," I said confidently.

"You are the first to arrive. Go inside. The first turning by your right is where you take your Alpha blood test," one of them said.

My heart missed a beat. As prepared as I was, I didn't know we were going to take a test to prove I was of Alpha blood. I just hoped it wouldn't be detected that I was female.

I wasn't so confident anymore as I walked inside. My heart kept beating so fast. Was it going to end before it even started?

Ade's POV

My heart was beating too fast in my chest as I walked to the place where I was to take the test. I was sure my blood was going to show I was a female Alpha blood since they only tested male blood. The variation was going to show.

"Are you a new trainee?" Somebody asked from behind me as I stood at the door.

"Yes," I said, looking at him from head to toe. He looked about my age, too, and he was dressed in simple jeans and a shirt with a bag over his shoulder.

"Wow. That is cool. I had thought I was here too early," he said and sidestepped me to open the door.

I had been contemplating changing my mind and running back outside because I was scared to do the test. But the new boy took that option out of my hands as he opened the door. I was forced to follow him inside.

There were two males in the room wearing lab coats. One of them smiled at us while the other wrinkled his nose, complaining that we were too early; it was just some minutes after nine o'clock am.

We were asked to sit down while they prepared the kit. I asked the boy who arrived after me to go first when they were done with his, the smiling lab attendant came to me and took my blood sample with a needle.

"Your heartbeat is all over the place. Relax, it is just niddle. It won't hurt much," he said, smiling, and I tried smiling back. He thought I was scared of the needle. If only he knew what was going through my head.

I waited in trepidation for ten more minutes before the unsmiling laboratory attendant came to us and gave us our results.

"There is a white building to your left. Enter through the blue door and someone will be there to welcome you," he said quickly and left. I quickly unfolded the result and sighed in relief.

Tate Side, Male, Alpha. That was how my name was stated. I smiled triumphantly to see that I passed the test.

"Why are you smiling?" The boy asked, distracting me. "Sorry, my name is Tristan, and you are?" He asked, smiling and extending his hand for a handshake.

"Tate," I said shaking his extended hand.

"I can see that your hand is soft Tate. Do not worry. By the time you spend two weeks here, you will be as tough as a nut," Tristan said, smiling at me.

I quickly made a mental note not to shake anyone else for a long time until I was sure my hands were no longer as soft as a girl's.

We walked side by side to the white building. Tristan kept talking while I listened as we went. He was actually a handsome boy and quite tall for his age. I wasn't short myself but I was inches shorter than him. Besides, it felt good to meet such a nice person within one hour of getting to camp.

We got into the building, and indeed, we met a lovely-looking female waiting for us. She gave us our dog tags and instructed us on how to clip them after putting the necessary information in space there.

"There are two people in one room. Would you like to stay together or would you prefer to put you in different rooms?" she asked sweetly.

"We should stay together, Tate. What do you think?" Tristan asked and I shrugged. There was no harm in it besides he looked like a nice person. So Tristan and I ended up in the same room.

The room wasn't too spacious but it was neat and had two separate beds there. There was an adjoining bathroom and toilet. I sighed at that. I wasn't going to be sharing the bathroom and toilet with a lot of boys.

Tristan and I were soon grateful that we arrived very early because the camp soon got filled up with people from different packs.

Some parents were there to drop off their sons and the registration soon got rowdy as everyone wanted it done all at once. Soldiers had to step in to avoid chaos.

When it was time to feed us, we all went into a very big hall where timid females served our food. I wondered why they kept blushing and wouldn't maintain eye contact.

"Why do they keep blushing like that and won't even make eye contact?" I asked Tristan.

"They are Omegas," Tristan answered and I frowned in confusion.

"And so?" I asked.

"There are over seventy pure Alpha males here. You can't feel what they feel because you are an Alpha blood. I hear it is quite intimidating to be with one Alpha blood in the room so to be in the presence of this volume must be quite intimidating for them," Tristan explained.

"I see," I said.

Before we went to sleep, we were given the uniform we were to wear as trainees. We were given two pairs and under no circumstances were we to wear anything else unless the commandant says so.

That night, I slept and dreamt about home. I dreamt of playing in the trees and playing with my sister. When I woke up, I felt like going back to my dream. I checked the time to see that it was some minutes past four o'clock am.

I took my phone out of my bag and switched it on. There were messages from Will and Amethyst. I quickly replied to them that I was okay and safe in the camp.

"You haven't spent twenty-four hours, and you are already breaking the rules?" Tristan asked, staring at me from his bed. I knew cell phones were not allowed in the camp but I had brought it along so that I could get in contact with Will and Amethyst once in a while.

"I promise you that I am not going to touch it after today again. I just want to assure my parents that I am okay," I lied.

"Relax, I was just pulling your legs. I have mine tucked somewhere in my bag, and I am sure most of the trainees brought theirs, too," Tristan said,d, smiling.

"What happens if we get caught?" I asked.

"I don't know but don't get caught," Tristan said.

I quickly sent a text to my Dad assuring him that I was fine and I would be back and he should make sure to calm Mum down. When I added that I loved them, a tear escaped from my eyes and I quickly cleaned it up before Tristan would see it and bombard me with questions.

When I was through, I switched off the phone and tucked it back into my bag. It wasn't morning yet so I tried to go back to sleep since I didn't get much sleep the previous night.

I had barely closed my eyes when the noise of the whistle rented the hair. I sat up and so did Tristan.

"It is five o'clock am. I think we had better go outside," Tristan said.

"Are we going to be waking up this early?" I grunted.

"I guess this is our story for the next four years," Tristan said playfully.

I grunted as I took my dog tag, wore it on my neck and speed walked with Tristan to the open field.

Some trainees were already there standing as rigid as statues while soldiers blew their whistles as if their lives depended on it. When the soldiers were satisfied with the turnout, they stopped blowing the whistles while one of them stepped forward to address us.

"You are welcome here where dreams are made. What you get here is what becomes your driving force after you become the Alpha of your pack. I believe you have all read the rules and regulations guiding your stay in camp..." He had to stop as a commotion at the gate caught his attention.

"I think the commandant is here," Tristan whispered to me.

"The Commandant?" I asked.

"Yes. He is the Alpha of Blood Moon. He is a very dangerous male. More dangerous than the Alpha of Double Moon," Tristan said and my heart beat faster at the mention of my father. I didn't know that my father's reputation traveled that far. It made me conclude that Tristan's pack wasn't far from mine.

The soldiers stood at attention as the person walked in. I could feel the shift in the atmosphere as the most delicious smell came to me making my stomach rumble.

My wolf stirred in my head as the commandant came into view. He was taller than Tristan and I could see that he was way more handsome. His shoulders were broad and there was nothing soft about the way he looked.

I had the urge to run forward and embrace him but I gritted my teeth and stood still. My wolf howled in annoyance and then screamed 'mate' in my head.

As my eyes came in contact with the coldest eyes I had ever seen on earth, I made a resolution, there was no way I would accept the commandant as my mate. His eyes looked like he had no soul. He was handsome and attractive but I didn't want or deserve a cold mate. Besides, he was going to stand in my way of achieving my goal.

With the new determination, I caged my wolf in and blocked her off as I stood staring into the commandant's cold eyes with no emotions whatsoever.

Delvin's POV

"Alpha, we might have to leave early," my Beta, Kent said from outside my bedroom door.

"Go away Kent. I am not ready to leave here yet," I said and I heard the female beside me chuckle in excitement.

"We must leave as soon as possible Alpha. It is the first day. You have to at least address them," Kent insisted.

I groaned, the female beside me decided to turn to me at that moment and placed a hand on my bare chest while she pouted.

"Why don't you ask him to go away for real this time, Alpha? I might have some tricks up my sleeves to keep you entertained," she said, trying to sound sexy, but she sounded like a dying cat.

"Get out," I growled at her and she immediately stood up and started scampering around the room to gather her torn clothes before she ran out.

"Alpha," Kent greeted as he came in after the female had run out.

"What is the worst that would happen if I don't address them today, Kent?" I asked.

"You will then have to postpone until you are ready to do it. They will be there for the next four years, remember?" Kent said putting emphasis on four years.

"I will be out in a minute," I said and Kent left me to get dressed.

It wasn't as if I didn't like addressing the new trainees. I just hated the rigors that came with training them. I hated the way some of them gave up in the course of the training.

I went through worse training but I kept pushing because I knew that anyone that would lead Blood Moon Pack couldn't be a weakling.

Blood Moon was known for its training because my great-grandfather accepted the royal proposal to have the camp training Alphas in his pack since he was one of the most powerful Alphas of his time. Since then, Alphas have been brought to Red Moon for training.

We had four locations for the training. The first location is where the new trainees are welcomed and they stay for one whole year before they are moved to a new location to allow new trainees in. Trainees spend a year in each location, and as the years roll by, their tasks become more and more difficult, hence the change of location.

I got dressed after having a quick bath and I went outside to see that Kent had gotten everything ready. It was just some minutes to five o'clock am.

"How many trainees do we have this time?" I asked Kent as the car started and we moved.

"We have eighty of them Alpha," Kent answered.

"Eighty? Have we ever had that many?" I asked frowning.

"No, Alpha, but we have the facilities to accommodate them," Kent replied.

"Fine," I said.

There was silence in the car after that but I was suddenly feeling restless. At some point, I felt hot and wound down the window on my side so that I could let in the morning breeze.

"The air conditioner is working, Alpha," Kent said, glancing at me briefly.

"I don't think the air conditioner is working. I feel hot suddenly," I said, and I saw the driver increase the car air conditioner, yet I could still feel the heat.

At some point, I discovered that the heat was coming from within. I closed my eyes and summoned my wolf.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"I don't know. I feel restless all of a sudden. Something in the air is getting to me," my wolf answered.

I closed the link and tried concentrating on my environment. My wolf had never been confused about what was to come. If there was danger looming, my wolf would point it out so I was very worried about his confusion at that moment.

"We are here, Alpha," Kent said, bringing me out of my musing.

I nodded and got out of the car. The instant the morning air blew my way, my heart began to beat faster. I placed a hand on my chest and massaged the place where my heart was.

"Are you okay Alpha?" Kent asked looking worried.

"I am fine. I just feel restless all of a sudden," I answered.

"We can postpone this if you don't feel comfortable being here," Kent said.

"No. I should get it over with," I said, and then asked Kent to lead the way.

The more I approached the place where the new trainees were, the more restless I became. It was annoying. I needed to look confident and in charge. Fidgeting wasn't part of my person.

I walked into where the trainees were and the most beautiful smell hit me. My wolf almost made me stumble from excitement. I was happy but something about the smell was not right. There was a masculinity to the smell.

As one of the trainers introduced me, my eyes met with a gaze that was cold and distant. My wolf howled in excitement. I blinked twice trying to see if the mirage would disappear. I never thought that it would be possible for me to be mated to a male.

I had always believed that I was a straight male. I had never felt attracted to a male and I never planned on doing that. I wasn't that adventurous.

From the look on the face of my so-called mate, it was clear he wanted nothing to do with me. Anger rose in me like a furnace and I stared back at him with coldness. I had to get myself in check.

"You are welcome to Blood Moon. I do not see any reason why anyone should die in training. If at any point you feel like quitting, please do. Do not further tarnish our already tainted reputation. I guess you have already been informed that this is only a temporary resident for you and you will be here for just one year. The second year is for your training amidst the Blood Moon soldiers. If you perform very well in your first year, you will join the Blood Moon soldiers for the next year of your training," I paused and looked around as the trainees murmured.

"Quiet," Kent shouted and they all kept quiet immediately.

"I will be training you myself for your third year and your fourth year will be the most hectic of all. You will have tasks that will make you rue the day you were born but then after that, you will go back to your packs ready to defend them against invasions and rogues. Do you understand?" I said trying not to look at my mate.

"Yes sir," they responded.

"You," I said pointing to my mate. He stepped out without hesitating for a second.

"Yes sir," he said standing in front of me and making it more difficult for me to breathe as his scent made me feel weak.

"Follow me," I said, and then turned and started walking away.

I led the way to the office I used each time I was on the camp. My mate wasn't dragging his feet. He walked as briskly as Kent.

"Wait here," I said to Kent then made my mate follow me inside. I saw fear in his eyes when I asked Kent to stay outside. Good! I could take any emotion but coldness.

I closed the door behind my mate and waited for him to turn to me. I wanted to be sure I wasn't hallucinating so I walked towards him. With each step I took, he took one backward until his tigh hit the mahogany table, and he had no option but to sit on the edge.

"Why are you running away from me?" I asked.

"I don't want a mate especially not you," he said. His voice was like music to my ears.

"What is your name?" I asked as I stepped closer and gently used a hand to separate his thigh so that I could stand between them.

"My name is Ad Tate," He said, stammering.

"Ad Tate? What type of a name is that?" I asked.

"My name is Tate," he answered again swallowing hard. His voice shows that he was just maturing. It wasn't as deep as it should be.

"I am Delvin," I said.

"Why am I here Alpha?" He asked staring into my eyes. His eyes were beautiful and I felt more attracted to him.

"Are you ignorant of what is going on or are you pretending? You know why you are here," I said gritting my teeth.

I brought him there to be sure I was truly mated to a male and I was attracted to him. I needed him to allow me to prove that I didn't want him, but the more we were together, the more I wanted him, and my wolf was going mad in my head.

I pulled him up from his seat and kissed him. Contrary to his sex, his lips were soft and delicious. I just couldn't get enough of him. When I finally pulled back so I could breathe, he seemed to recover and pushed me off him before he ran out of the room.

I staggered, not from the push but from the fact that I was mated to a male and I enjoyed kissing him. He felt soft in my arms and he felt like I was touching a girl. Damn it! I was going mad.

"What is going on Alpha? Why did he run out like he had the devil after him? Why did you bring him here in the first place?" Kent fired one question after the other.

"Shut up, Kent," I growled at him before I took my seat on the sofa.

"I am sorry, Alpha, but I need to know," Kent said. I was out of the sofa in seconds and holding Kent by the throat. My grip was hard enough but not hard enough to cut his air supply.

"It is none of your business," I growled at him.

"I am sorry if I annoyed you, Alpha. It is not my intention," Kent said. Quickly finding a way to calm me down.

I hissed and sat down again. I held my head with both hands as I felt it throbbing. My wolf wanted me to go after my mate but I couldn't. It would destroy my reputation. Everyone knew I was tough, I couldn't be seen running after a boy.

"I am in trouble Kent," I said minutes l later.

"What is it Alpha?" Kent asked.

"That boy that just ran out of here is my mate," I said raising my head to meet Kent's eyes.

"That is impossible," Kent said with his eyes wide.

That was what I thought too!