Kneel Before the Werewolf Queen Novel – Usually candidates would laugh at this joke every year, but this year no one laughed. Who would? When somehow she seemed to fit right in there with them. From time to time, since she arrived at the dormitory, most of the guys’ eyes would trail off to the only female candidate. She was beautiful, quiet and she looked quite frail on the outside, like she would break if you were to hug her just a little bit tighter, but even so her aura felt powerful.
Please keep in mind that there are only 10places , no exceptions are granted . Placement in the first ten will result in your acceptance in the watcher course which will last two years, finalizing with your direct employment.” She sternly stated. “And that concludes my explanation of the selection process. Any questions?” The secretary asked politely, as they arrived in front of the room the Academy had prepared for Ciara. “Only one.I somewhat know of the process prior to the admission in the watcher course, as I have studied it in the past. So I was aware that even last year, the exams only happened after 6months of training.
Why was the exam pushed forward this year, without allowing the participants to have the preliminary training ? ” She did not really care if the exam moved forward, she had secretly prepared for it for a long time already. Most of her free time was used for this purpose. She was just curious to know the reason. “I was not informed what the exact reason was, but from my understanding it could be because of the housing. The Academy is quite large, but it is not only used for watchers. Pack doctors, trackers, betas, gammas and other warriors also learn here. This year, the requests for the watcher course were many. Normally, there are only about 300 or more people, considering that there are only 3watcher posts each year.
But this year there are 10 posts available, hence the rise in the requests. This is also why the exam is taking place now before normal classes for the other courses begin,it would normally be held in autumn not in the summer. So when the other students arrive, there will not be enough rooms for everyone.” The secretary was a professional. She answered the question without mockery or haughtiness. Ciara could see that she did not look down at her for being the only female candidate,and for this she was grateful. “Thank you for the information. I will be alright from here on out. Also I am sorry for taking so much of your time.” “It is alright. This is my duty.” Briefly replied the secretary and for the first time smiled.
As the secretary had already accomplished her duty, Ciara bid goodbye to her, before she started to arrange her clothes and check her room. It was not luxurious per say, but everything in it seemed brand new . She already knew the king put a lot of effort in education and personally oversaw the management and the budget. He even came each year for inspection. Being away from her pack, she had thought she would feel somewhat sad, but she felt more at home here than in her pack territory, which was strange to say the least. The people she met so far who were only three in number, seemed far warmer than any of her pack members with her family included, beside her brother. Even the room prepared for her, felt more comfortable than the room she had at home. Another plus to being away from her pack was that since she arrived at the airport or, perhaps even earlier than that, she did not experience the pain that haunted her these past few days.
Not even a little bit of the pain that had previously affected her repeatedly each day, hurt her since she left the pack border , and she was away for more than twenty four hours already. By now it should have already started, if it were to follow the pattern from before. The alarm she set on her phone went off half an hour before dinner, just as she finished organizing her things in the wardrobe and bathroom. Feeling quite hungry, she took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes and hurriedly exited her room. She found her way easily, following the maps on the hallways which pointed to the various rooms there were , and soon enough found the common room. Taking a deep breath, as she stood outside the door, she shakily put her hand on the doorknob. So far on her way here she did not see anyone , but inside there must surely be other people who came to eat.
She was bold enough to come to the selection, but she was not a people person and it was difficult for her to interact with other people, even for a normal small talk. She was even more frightened of gathering attention, for most likely being the only female candidate. Just as her hand tightened on the doorknob twisting it, having collected herself, the door was briskly opened from the inside. Her inattentiveness coupled with her nervousness, caused her to lose her focus for a moment, making her unable to react in time and step aside, thus the door knocked her head a little. The person on the other side froze , as he realized what he had done , and opened the door slowly this time, looking for the person he hit. Spotting the lowered head which had a small delicate hand rubbing it, he immediately apologized sincerely. “I am so sorry, I should have opened it more slowly. I did not see you…” He wanted to say something more, when the small head rose, causing any words he still wanted to speak in guilt to remain unsaid.
He initially thought it was another man, a candidate like him, as the person in front of him had her hair in a ponytail and he did not see how long it was. Plus there were only males in the building, with the exceptions of two three secretaries who were easily distinguishable in their professional suits. But seeing her fair delicate face, he was shocked. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before. She was tall, almost as tall as him, but her face was small, her chocolate eyes were beautiful and her skin was flawless, it glowed even though she had absolutely no makeup on. Even the t-shirt and the pair of jeans she had on, which were nothing special, did not diminish her beauty. “It’s alright. I also did not pay attention.” She replied sincerely and wanted to pass by him to get inside. But even though her intentions of walking through the door were clear enough, the man stood frozen, so she had no choice but to speak again. “Ummm…I am sorry, but do you mind if I enter?” She asked, more like whispered. Finally processing her words in his head, he realized his rudeness and hearing her voice, which was as beautiful as her appearance, hurriedly replied. “Ohhh I am sorry. I am being rude. Sure!”
He immediately made room for her to enter ,but he seemed to had forgotten that he wanted to exit initially, and quickly followed her inside. “I am Jake. Might I ask who you are?” He asked smiling, as he sat in front of her at one of the tables she found closer to the door. “Ciara, Ciara Brown.” She replied suppressing the stutter, then remained silent. She felt awkward because the man was showing no intentions whatsoever of leaving the table she had chosen,despite her apparent lack of enthusiasm. But she felt unable to ask him upfront to leave. “Well Ciara, are you one of the secretaries that are showing the candidates around? I have been here for a few days, and have not seen you around the area.” Considering how big the Academy was,it was quite normal to not have met her before even if he had been here for a week already, but he did not know how to start the conversation otherwise. “I arrived today for the selection. I am not one of the secretaries.”She replied without a change in her expression, as always you could not read her face. Though inside her mind she felt a bit bewildered about the familiarity he was showing. He had directly started to speak on first name basis with her, without asking for permission first.
“For the selection? You mean the watcher selection? Is one of your relatives taking the exam?” Jake asked curiously, hoping she would not reply boyfriend or husband. “No, not one of my relatives. I am the one taking part in the exam.” She said without other explanations. It was her dream to become a watcher, so she should bravely tell it without fear of ridicule from other people’s part. And beside on the next Monday, the truth would also be found out be the rest of the candidates. He froze again, like how he had stilled in place seeing her face, as did most of the men who were spread around in the common room, at the various placed tables. Everyone’s eyes were on her since she first walked in and, as they were the best ranked werewolves their hearing was higher than normal ranked ones, so they had been listening to each word she had said. “Ohhh. Then I am pleased to meet you, fellow classmate.”
Contrary to her thoughts and fears, the man had no mocking expression on his face. In fact the only change in his visage had been his initial bewilderment, before breaking into a bright smile, as he extended his hand towards her. In reality, Jake had various more questions inside his head, questions most of the men present in the room had also wanted to hear the answers to. But he was afraid to sound rude if he asked what a girl was doing at the selection of watchers. Anyway, If he became her friend, in time he could find out more. Asking her too many questions now,and she might avoid him later. He was not sure if she could pass all the exams, but she did not strike him as someone who would take the watcher exam on a whim. He was a handsome man, with quite a few conquests of beautiful women in the past, and his clothes and appearance screamed money, but she was not trying to hold a conversation or even look at him much for that matter.
Her presence at the Academy was truly for the sake of the future selection. He reckoned that if he left, she would not even bother to give him another glance, let alone, try to stop him. It was the first time a girl was not charmed by him. “Nice to meet you.” Ciara replied briskly and only slightly held his hand , her palm barely touching his. Her expression still did not appear to change at his welcoming words, but she truly felt relieved inside her head. It appeared he was a guy she could easily get along with, despite her initial impression of frivolousness that she assumed dominated his character. Happy she did not brush him off completely,he finally asked permission to join her for dinner , and receiving it , they ate together.
She only mostly answered his questions, not asking any of her own,and he could only feel some interest and replies more eager from her when he talked about details concerning the exams, but he was still satisfied. He learned she was truly interested in taking the exam, as her eyes shined each time the subject was mentioned. Sighing in relief, as he found a common subject to discuss with her , he tried to keep the conversation alive using this subject throughout the dinner. Most of the next few days she spent in her room, as she felt like the other candidates were watching her intently, each time she walked out of it, and she did not understand why. Was she really unusual looking, or did it bother them that a girl was taking the exam with them ? Sometimes, she would even look at her phone’s screen, using it as a mirror, thinking that maybe something was on her face, but every time she checked she never saw anything out of place.
The feeling she got from them was like they were watching her, wanting to say something, but did not dare approach her. So awkward under their gaze, she stayed mostly inside, and only went out for the meals. Meals which she had accompanied by Jake,who coincidently or not, sat at her table every time. She was not used to men , but he was not very intrusive and mostly talked with her about the exams, which picked her interest. His information regarding the selection was even more extensive than hers, so their discussions were quite informative. Soon enough Monday came and it was time for the first test. The test was to be taken in alphabetical order and, as her name was Brown, she was among the first to undergo it. As the secretary previously explained to her, the first test was the Seer test, of which she still had doubts on how it would go.
But her fear was slightly diminished, if only for the fact that the teacher in charge of the test would be the only person aware of her power. She was not sure of how powerful she really was, but she did not want other people to know her secret or the fact that she shifted so young. She had never in her life been tested by the Seer, as it was normally not done, unless one asked for the testing expressly. She knew her sister had went to the doctor , on the second day after she shifted, eager to find out just how powerful she was, and had told her mother she was a fifth rank werewolf. It was news celebrated by all the members of her family, as it confirmed she was Luna material. All the candidates that were scheduled to be tested on the first day numbered about 150 people out of the one thousand or more werewolves. Jake was also near her, as his last name was Black.
Until the teacher in charge came in the Amphitheatre, all the examinees were still chatting and murmuring amongst themselves, but they all went silent when he stood in the center of the room and started to explain the test. “Hello. My name is Gabriel Collins and I will be the teacher in charge of your general education for those who will pass the acceptance test. For today I will be examining your wolf and its power using the Seer. For those of you who do not know exactly what the Seer does, please listen to my explanations. Those who know what it does, please stay quiet, as you are all obligated to listen anyway,like it or not.” He informed them smiling. It was good that he was the first teacher, his age looked like it was not too far off from theirs,coupled with his joking manner, it made all the candidates relax and even laugh. It lessened the tensed atmosphere present in the huge room. “Now then, The Seer has been used since ancient times to display the information for those who touch it and release some of their wolf’s aura. The information it will show are the following 3things.
First is rank. The rank of wolf extends from rank 1 to 10. One being the highest rank a wolf can achieve and 10 the lowest. There are also werewolves with wolves that,unfortunately, cannot be ranked. They are the omegas who do not possess the strength necessary to power up the Seer to check their rank. Regrettably their aura is too weak to even start it up. Now then for the ranks, we have: Rank 10 are normal pack wolves and worker wolves. Rank 8 and 9 are tracker and warrior wolves. Rank 7 are delta wolves. Rank 6 are gamma wolves. Rank 5 are beta wolves. Lunas of a pack also hold this rank. Although we are all guys here so it does not concern the following test ! ” He trailed off ,chuckling, but his small smile froze when his eyes met Ciara’s. Only then did Gabriel remember there was actually also a female candidate this year. Realizing his blunder, he coughed to hide his awkwardness at the oversight, and continued explaining.
Usually candidates would laugh at this joke every year, but this year no one laughed. Who would? When somehow she seemed to fit right in there with them. From time to time, since she arrived at the dormitory, most of the guys’ eyes would trail off to the only female candidate. She was beautiful, quiet and she looked quite frail on the outside, like she would break if you were to hug her just a little bit tighter, but even so her aura felt powerful. Strangely, she also did not submit when she passed by them, as weaker werewolves did when higher ranked ones would walk near them. Moreover, as the power exuded by most of them was in the rank of alpha and beta categories,they were used to having ladies fawn over them,but she was different. Other than the meal times,you would hardly ever see her, which they felt was unfortunate. Not to mention, most wanted to court her, why would they want to laugh and ruin their chances ? “Rank 4 wolfs are normal alphas. Rank 3 wolfs are stronger alphas. This is also the rank we expect watchers to have. Rank 2 wolfs are the members of the Council. Rank 1, also named “one man rank”, is held by only one alpha, the alpha of all the packs together,our king.
Please do not feel disheartened as you see your rank, for those who do not know already what your rank actually is. You should not feel it is weak,no matter what I will inform you . Every rank in fact, has also 10 sub ranks. To understand it better it means that if you hold the 5th rank, then you are 10 times stronger than the 6th rank . Or if you hold the 5th rank sub rank 5then you are 5 times stronger than the 6th rank sub rank 0. As a side note, all the teachers you have are as powerful as watchers, that means each of us hold the 3rd rank, but with a lot of experience in fighting added to it. Please keep this in mind, if you try to argue with one of us.” Gabriel explained eloquently, trying to maintain a proper teacher’s stance. He needed to regain his lost prestige. The crowd was confused, they knew about ranks, but not about sub ranks. “Teacher we have never heard about sub ranks.” Dared to say one of the candidates unable to abstain his curiosity at the finding.
“Well this is possible. The Seer the pack doctor uses cannot identify sub ranks, and the pack doctors also cannot recognize them. I think I should be the only one with this ability.” Gabriel stated with a normal voice, but a proud undertone could still be sensed. “Can I ask another question?” Asked the same person, and receiving permission, proceeded. “Why is the first rank named “one man rank”?” Intrigued inquired the young man, confused, as each rank was held by more werewolves than one. “Are there more kings for our kind?” Gabriel replied with another question, smiling as he looked from left to right in the room. Then after a few moments of silence, explained further. “Only one person holds this rank each generation, and that is our king, hence the name “one man rank”. All the other ranks are held by more people.
His rank is also the rank without sub ranks,because the difference of power between rank 1and rank 2 is 100. That means it would take 100people holding the second rank to attack and kill our current king.” They all quieted down stunned, before small murmurs erupted at various places. They knew their king was powerful, but they never knew just how powerful he truly was. So the revelation made their heart fill with deep admiration. “Alright settle down and let’s continue.” “The second thing the Seer will show is your wolf, and it will do so without you needing to actually shift. It can also compare it with other wolves and even let me know if your wolf has other talents, other than the normal ones that each wolf has. What I mean is it will show just how fast the wolf can regenerate, how strong it is and how big it is. As for the special abilities, it will show if your wolf has affinities with the elements of earth, wind,water and fire. The third thing the Seer can show, is whatever health problems you have.
This is the ability pack doctors mostly use for medical care and diagnosis. But , as I am not checking your health , I will only be focusing on the first 2 things I explained. Now gentlemen … and lady, in alphabetical order please step one by one as you are called in the conference room, where you will be analyzed. Another two things I should mention are, first do not worry as the room is under a spell so no information will leak out. Second, I am sure you have been explained by your guide when you first arrived , I am under a curse and cannot divulge anything I find out from your analysis. The only thing that will be displayed to the public will be the fact that you are accepted or rejected. To be accepted, you have to be at least rank 4or 5. Of course, ideal for us is rank 3, but we will at least let you pass to the further tests, if you have these ranks.”