"Concentrate!", Fabian shouted from afar. Napahigpit ang pagkapit ko sa mga basang damo sa lupa habang pinipilit gawin ang kanyang utos. I've been in a training for almost two days now. Ngunit tila ayaw makipag-usap ng lobo ko sa akin.

"Feel it from the inside, Dianne. Connect with your wolf. Talk to it and trust it.", dagdag naman ni Karleen. I turned my head in her direction and she gave me an encouraging smile. Nagbuga ako ng malalim na hininga bago muling pumikit.

I closed my eyes and concentrated with myself. Hindi tulad ng dati na sa paligid ako nakatutok. This is a different style, a new technique which is very foreign to my system. Kaya naman nahihirapan ako sa paggawa.

I breathed in and out, slowly and surely, as Fabian said. I could say that he's one-of-a-hell trainer, taliwas sa pagiging malamyos nito kapag si Solene ang kausap.

"I said concentrate!", his voice bombarded on my ears. Kahit ilang metro ang kanyang layo mula sa'kin ay masakit pa rin ito sa tainga.

I lost patience and decided to open my eyes. I saw Duke standing few steps away in front of me. Hindi ko siya lubusang maaninag dahil tumatama sa'kin ang sikat ng pang-hapon na araw. Kailangan ko pang takpan ang aking mata upang makita siya ng malaya. Naglakad ito palapit at yumuko upang lumebel sa'kin.

"How are you feeling?", aniya. Umiling lang ako dahil sa pagod. I've never been this exhausted before. Pakiramdam ko'y nanunuot hanggang buto ang sakit ng katawan ko.

"I'm drained.", sagot ko sa kanya. He gestured Vil to hand me a glass of water. Nang makita iyon ay saka ko pa lamang naramdaman ang matinding pagka-uhaw. I gulp the water immediately. Taas-baba ang aking balikat dahil sa paghahabol ng paghinga pagkatapos ko itong maubos.

"Maybe your wolf isn't ready.", he stated. Pagod akong umayos ng upo sa damuhan, hindi inaalinta ang duming kakapit sa'kin. I closed my eyes and tried to normalize my breathing. I want to freaking lay down and sleep but I need to do this. Hindi pwedeng ipagpaliban ko ito at maghintay na lamang ng kanyang paglitaw. Who knows, Marcus and his battalion is already moving? Ayokong mahuli ako kapag ganoon.

Duke's hands suddenly met mine. Napadilat ako at napatingin sa kanya.

"Free yourself. Feel like your floating. Eradicate all your thoughts, all of it.", utos nito sa'kin. For the nth time this afternoon, I heavily breathed out. Umayos ako ng upo ganoon din siya. He squatted in front of me and held both of my hands with his. He smiled, his pearl white teeth showing. Mas lalong nadepina ang kanyang mukha dahil sa kaunting sikat ng araw na tumatama sa kanyang balat. Nang pumikit ito'y nagsimula ko ng gawin ang kanyang utos.

Gaya ng sinabi niya ay hindi ko inalintana ang paligid. Isinantabi ko ang lahat ng kaisipang mayroon ako ngayon. I let my body feel the cold afternoon air as it brushes my skin. Unti-unti'y gumaan ang paligid. I felt my body floating and swaying with the direction of the air.

Ilang sandali pa ay naramdaman ko ang pagsindi ng isang pakiramdam mula sa aking palad. The feeling is familiar. It was the same feeling I've felt the first time I saw Duke in their garden, like a volt that sparked. Kung noon ay nanggaling ito sa loob ko, ngayon naman ay tila nasa palad ko na lamang. I felt the volt moving in my palms, crawling all over my body. Para akong nakukuryente sa pakiramdam. The volt slowly enveloped my whole system. Tila nawalan ako ng kontrol sa sarili ngunit alam kong hawak ko parin ang utak ko.

Few more seconds and I felt a small growl inside of me. Gustuhin ko mang dumilat dahil sa pagkagulat ay hindi ko magawa. My body enjoyed the feeling of the tickling volt, it feels so foreign yet good.

The growl inside of me became louder. Ang madilim na paningin ay unti-unting nagliwanag na tila ba isang apoy. At first, it was dark red then it turned to orange and finally yellow. Napangiti ako nang makita ang isang lobo sa gitna ng dilaw na paligid.

Is this even real? Am I really seeing my own wolf? Or was it only my mind?

I heard it growled and growled. Tila nagwawala ito sa aking loob at gustong makawala. I started to panic when I can't control it. Nag-apoy ang aking pakiramdam na tila ba unti-unti nitong nasusunog ang mga lamang-loob ko.

"Dianne...", a soft voice called.

"I'm in your head, Dianne. Talk to me.", dugtong nito. It was Duke's voice! In the midst of the fire, I've found his comforting voice.

"Duke...", I answered. Or was it me? Hindi ko naramdaman ang paggalaw ng aking bibig ngunit narinig ko ang sarili kong boses mula sa loob. Shit! Is this even good? Am I doing it right?

"It's okay, Dianne. I can hear all your thoughts. You're mind is widely opened.", his voice is lively.

Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari pagkatapos. I woke up in my bed inside a familiar gray room. Napatingin ako sa paligid at nakitang bukas na ang puting lampara sa aking gilid. I immediately sat up to check what's the time. Una akong napatingin sa labas ng bintana at tanging kadiliman lang ang bumabalot doon. I glanced at the wall clock and saw it's already seven in the evening.

Dali-dali akong naligo at nagbihis.I chose to wear a black, short shorts paired with white tank top. Malamig naman ang tubig ngunit pakiramdam ko ay mainit parin. Napahinto ako sa pagsusuklay ng aking buhok nang maalala ang nangyari. Is it a dream? Did I passed out? Ngunit pakiramdam ko naman ay totoo iyon. Did I really saw my wolf?

Umiling ako at muling tinitigan ang sarili sa malaking salamin. Nang makuntento'y agad akong bumaba ng hagdanan.

The whole squad is laughing at the living area. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mayroon ngunit lahat sila ay nagtipon-tipon doon. Maging sina Audrey at Mela ay nakisalo na rin sa isang palagay ko'y selebrasyon.

Nang tuluyang makarating sa ibaba ay agad kong nalanghap ang amoy ng isang bagong lutong pagkain. By the smell of it, I knew it was Solene who cooked. Ilang araw pa lang ako sa kanila ngunit kabesado ko na ang amoy ng kanyang niluluto.

Dali-dali kong tinungo ang kusina. Tila hindi na rin ako napansin ng grupo dahil patuloy ang kanilang kwentuhan doon. I walked towards the kitchen and saw Solene mixing something.

"Hi.", pagbati ko at nabaling sa'kin ang kanyang atensyon. She smiled vibrantly and I returned it back. She handed me a glass of lemonade before returning to her business.

"Duke's outside.", aniya at muling napatingin sa'kin. Tumango ako at ngumiti pabalik bago lumabas ng kusina.

The cold air welcomed me as I stepped outside. The leaves of the trees are swaying to one similar direction. Agad kong napansin si Duke na may kinakalabit. I'm on his back and he didn't noticed my presence. Siguro'y tutok na tutok sa ginagawa. I stared at him for a few minutes. His muscles flexed in his back as he move. Na-engganyo ako sa pagtitig sa kanyang perpektong likod. Suddenly, I smelled the roasted meat mixed with the air.

Naglakad ako palapit sa kanyang tabi. He glanced at me one moment then returned his attention to the meat he's grilling. He turned it from one side to another before finally speaking up.

"How do you feel?", tanong nito. I smiled as an answer. I am too astonished at his face. I stared at it while the light from the fire illuminated on his eyes. His brows are thick and his lashes are long. Mas lalong nadedepina ang kanyang panga dahil sa ilaw mula sa apoy. His nose is sculpted in the most perfect way a man could ever wished for. I saw his lips forming into smirk when he probably noticed I'm staring him for too long. Napailing ito at ibinalik ang atensyon sa niluluto.

"'Yong nangyari kanina. Totoo ba 'yon?", tanong ko sa kanya.

"Yup", he answered, emphasizing the 'p' in it. Napangiti ako dahil doon. I'm sure I made it right, though.

Nagkwento ito sa nangyari. I passed out after the mindlink. Yes, we did the mindlink. Aniya'y masyadong nabigla ang katawan ko doon. He said he didn't expect me to perform it right away but he felt my body raging from it, and he knew I could do it well. He even explained how it works and how am I going to control it, like when I want to close it or not.

Sabay kaming pumasok sa bahay pagkatapos. We made a simple celebration. Dumating din kasi sina Theron at Gesa mula sa ibinilin kong misyon nila. They said, they've already discussed it with Fabian and the others. Ngunit ayaw nila itong ipaalam sa'kin agad-agad dahil alam nilang napagod ako sa dalawang araw na diretsong training. I've already had enough today. Makakapaghintay iyon sa ibang araw.

We ate and talked and sang the whole celebration. We had few drinks with the girls and the boys had theirs, too. Kwinentuhan ako nina Lara at Karleen tungkol sa kanilang unang wolf shifting. Ylva shared hers too while Gesa's in awe the whole time.

"No alcohol, Ylva.", Duke reminded her little sister as he passed by our place. Umirap lamang ang kapatid sa kanya. Bumaling ng tingin si Duke sa'kin, maybe to check me out. Tumango ako at hinayaan siyang bumalik sa kanilang pwesto. I am not sleepy yet. Pakiramdam ko'y buhay na buhay pa rin ang apoy sa loob ko.

It was already ten in the evening when Duke pulled me out of the circle. I excused myself as he enveloped my hands with his. Nang makalayo ay bumilis ang kanyang lakad hanggang tumakbo na ito. I laughed carelessly as I copied his pace. Nang tumigil siya'y halos habulin ko ang aking paghinga.

I'm still laughing but when I saw him silent, I stopped. Tulala ito sa kanyang harap dahilan kung bakit nagtaka ako. I followed the direction of his eyes. The next thing I knew, I gasped in awe.

A tiny yet modern-type of house is in front of us. Napapalibutan ito ng iba't ibang klase at kulay ng bulaklak. I can clearly see the inside of it because of the glass windows. Even though it's dark, I can see the rooftop. The pin lights around it are opened, giving us enough brightness to see its exterior design.

"You like it?", tanong ni Duke. Napatingin ako sa kanya, hindi matigil ang aking pagkamangha. He held my palm and caressed it slowly. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Literal akong napatulala dahil sa ganda nito.

"I'll take that as a yes.", aniya at ngumisi. Wala sa sarili akong nagpatianod sa kanya nang hilain nito ako papunta sa loob ng bahay. We walked on the stone path towards the main door. Sandali pa akong natigilan dahil hindi maproseso sa utak ko ang nangyayari.

"Come on, Dianne.", ani Duke. Nabaling sa kanya ang atensyon ko at nakitang nabuksan na nito ang pinto. I smiled and walked towards him. Nauna akong pumasok sa bahay at dali-daling pinagmasdan ang loob nito. The exterior is astonishing but the interior design - it's breath-taking. Hindi ako nagtagal sa pagtitig sa sala at agad na umakyat sa ikalawang palapag. Tinungo ko ang kwarto sa dulo ng pasilyo.

The pin lights are red when I opened them. Ngunit hindi tulad sa baba, ang mga pin lights sa kwartong ito ay nasa lapag, sa apat na sulok ng silid. Lumapit ako sa kama at hinaplos ang kumot na bumabalot doon. The moonlight illuminated on the bed sheet, making it from color white to silver gray. Napatingin ako sa itaas at nakitang wala itong kisame. The ceiling is made up of transparent glass, the shining stars and the dark clouds are freely seen from my spot. I was once again in awe because of it.

I heard the door locked. I turned around and saw Duke silently standing behind me. Nakabulsa ang mga kamay nito sa kanyang shorts. Seryoso ang mga mata nito habang nakatitig sa'kin. I immediately felt the volt inside of me fired up like a mad ape. Nagulat man dahil sa intensidad noon ay pinili kong manahimik. Duke's piercing eyes directly flashed into my system. His iris became pitched-black, I could almost feel his fire few steps away from me. And I don't get why, but my body embraced the odd feeling.

"You love me, Dianne.", he asked with an intensifying voice... no, it wasn't a question, it's an statement. I stared at him and absentmindedly nod. Agad na kinain ng kanyang malalaking hakbang ang espasyo sa pagitan namin.

"Let me make you feel the same.", his voice became husky and warm when he reached the bed. Unti-unting nanindig ang balahibo sa aking katawan nang maramdaman ang boltahe mula sa kamay niyang dumampi sa aking balikat.

The silence enveloped - only our burning eyes and minds speaking - as he slowly yet passionately made his moves. And under the gazillion stars and the moon as our ultimate light, I found love.