Without thinking, I stand up to face Lyall. "Why?" I cry out. "Why can't I?"

He blinks at my reaction. Perhaps he didn't think I would react this strongly. I didn't think I would too.

"Yeah," Ganesh raises his cane to the air, almost hitting Lyall again, "Why can't she?"

Lyall looks at me with a penetrating glance before he sets his gaze on Ganesh. "It's exactly because of how unique her power is. I don't want anyone else knowing."

My mouth gapes open as I curl my fists so hard that my knuckles turn white. Words pile at the edge of my tongue. If I could let out just one word, the rest would tumble like a fountain. But all I can do is just stare at the lycan king. His green eyes pierce through me as if challenging me to speak up.

'This is unfair,' I want to say, 'Why do you get to control my life?'

But I can't. The words won't come out. Because he does control my life and death as of now. If he doesn't think it's worth it to keep me here, I'd be dead outside of these walls unless I go to the human realm. Even then, I'd spent my entire life being hunted and hiding from my own kind. On the other hand, Lyall has offered me freedom with protection within his walls, provided that I could deliver my end of the bargain.

"I have never seen a healer magic like hers," Ganesh explains with passion. "She can trace and manipulate Elisa's emotion! This is one in a million ability!" He stands up even though it's difficult for his knees, just to make his point while I let his words sink in.

Me? Power that only comes once in a million?

I tilt my head to the side, trying to reprocess the words, thinking I must have heard wrong.

"I am actually baffled that Mason's pack has been hiding a healer with this caliber all along!" Ganesh raises his cane to the air again. His body wobbles to the side because of imbalance, so I catch his thin arm to prevent him from falling. "And you! You look like you never realized your power all along."

"Uh... my senior healer in my old pack told me it's just me being a 'female,' and she told me to hide it so people won't find me ridiculous," I explain.

Ganesh's eyes soften. "Where is your senior healer now?"

"She uh... She ran away from the pack," I brush the back of my neck, feeling all eyes are on me. This is rare information about a werewolf pack. Because no werewolves in their right mind would choose to sever ties with their pack unless it's truly necessary for survival. Werewolves and lycans are social beings that depend on their packs. Yet from my own pack alone, two werewolves have tried to run away.

"She believed her daughter was left to die in the operating room after giving birth because the other healers in charge only ever wanted to save the baby and didn't help her save her daughter from bleeding to death." I look down at the floor, remembering the body I saw that day. The woman who everyone immediately forgot, as if she never mattered.

That woman was my senior healer's, Jen's, only daughter.

"So she took the baby and ran away from the pack after the celebration for the newborn," I continue my story, "I was the one who cleaned up her daughter's body and buried her."

The room immediately becomes silent. It is a heavy story. A story I have always kept close to my heart. It's the reality that made me depressed for days, thinking that I could be the next body in the operating room.

Ed noticed my unusual silence those days, but he wouldn't understand my grief as a female and I never tried to explain it to him. He had lived his life with nothing to worry about because he was a male. On top of that, he was a warrior. I didn't even understand why that incident impacted me so much.

"And that's one of the packs that are considered the friendliest to females," Ganesh murmurs, "I heard other packs cage their females, only keeping them alive for the males' pleasure. Sure, they hide behind the goal of procreation, but we all know some males have been taking unfair advantage of the unfortunate natural circumstance."

I grip the hem of my dress. Ganesh is right. I had it easier than other female werewolves. But it doesn't mean we all don't deserve more.

"I think your senior healer must have tried to protect you by telling you to hide your power," Ganesh says, "Had Mason known about your ability, he would probably lock you or even want you for himself since the beginning. There's been a theory going around that females with a higher level of magic are more fertile–"

Ganesh's words are cut off by a sudden growl from Lyall. He shows his fangs to the old man as he pulls me back to his side. "No one is taking her away from me now."

A smirk blooms on Ganesh's face. He chuckles at the lycan king. "I never thought I'd see your angry expression again, boy." His light chuckle turns into full-blown laughter. "Oh Goddess, this is a glorious glorious day! I will have to tell Bryan, my mate, about this!"

Lyall quickly returns his expression to normal, but he keeps his hand on my arm.

"But My King," Ganesh says after his laughter, "It's too late to hide her ability now, isn't it? The entire royal infirmary and your warriors have seen her magic with their own eyes. So why not just cultivate the magic she has now? We can train her magic, make her stronger, and be able to defend herself. It's safer for her too, I reckon."

"I can... defend myself with healing magic?" I tilt my head. Never in my life have I thought of healing magic as something I can use to protect myself. I have always been taught that this kind of magic is not powerful, it's not something that can be used in combats.

"My dear," Ganesh says softly, "What you have inside you is not just healing magic. It's raw, powerful magic that accidentally resembles a healer's power. You can not only figure out someone's emotions and beings, but you can also manipulate them."

"A healer can only manipulate flesh and bones to heal faster, but even then, none of my healers could heal a wound as fast as you," the old man continues, "And certainly, no ordinary healers can manipulate sensation as well as emotion just like you did to suppress Elisa's fear and pain."

I remember the fish that was entangled in nets when I touched Elisa. Could it be... that all this time, this imagination of mine has been a hidden proof of my potential as a magic user?

It seems unbelievable that this is happening to me. Me! An ordinary werewolf girl!

"It makes sense now why when Naver tested you," Ganesh walks to me with a warm smile, "you couldn't see any demons like everyone else."

His big eyes look straight at me as if waiting for me to make the connection myself. But I can't, I can only blink at him.

"You are blessed by the Goddess, Mars!" Ganesh says excitedly. "There was a tale of an extraordinary sorcerer that could manipulate emotions. He could open people's eyes and he ruled at the behest of the Goddess. I believe the Goddess has bestowed on you the same ability."

I blink even more.

"B– but... I'm not... I'm...," I stutter. Never in my life have I ever thought I could be someone special. In fact, for half of my life, I thought of myself as less... because I am a female that could only either be an omega or a healer.

"At the hands of evildoers, the ability is dangerous. But I'm sure in my healer academy, we can nurture Mars's power," Ganesh looks at Lyall, in an attempt to negotiate with the king, "She can even be useful in interrogating the rogues you've captured, which you're finding extremely hard to crack, aren't you?"

Lyall's grip on my arm tightens. But somehow, I have the courage to grab his sleeve and plead with him, "Please. If I can know how to grow my power and control it, you don't have to worry about my safety." Although I still couldn't make sense of how manipulating emotions can help me against those that might want to harm me, I trust Ganesh's words. Besides, I have never wanted anything in my life like this other than being a warrior. "I can help you and this kingdom, too, maybe even prevent more lycan females from being kidnapped."

Perhaps this is my redemption path for me to become a different kind of warrior.

I deliberately widen my eyes, making them bigger and doe-like. Not forgetting to glaze them with tears a bit, to give that crystal effect. Ed fell for this trick of mine most of the time.

The lycan king's gaze seems to waver when he looks at my 'puppy eyes.' Even Ganesh can see that because the old man chuckles heartily.

"Well, I'll let you two bird lovers think about it then," he says, "You know where to find me."

He winks at me as if saying that I would most likely win this battle with Lyall. "Now get out because I need my 12 hours of rest since no amount of magic can reverse my age." Only Ganesh and Naver can speak like this to the lycan king. And honestly, it's a nice change from the usual fearful reaction I see from his other subjects. Because I know then that Lyall trusts Ganesh and Naver.

Why am I happy knowing that Lyall still has trustworthy people around him? I don't know. I guess because I want him to be less lonely, even with the curse on him.

Before Ganesh would start hitting Lyall again, we walk out of the healer's office and make our way back to Lyall's room. It's quite some distance to walk, and we spend it all in silence.

When Lyall opens the door of his room, I gather the courage to beg him again. "Please..."

He motions me to enter, so I do. "Lyall, please. Just this once."

"I've agreed for you to train as my warrior," he says with his back to me as he closes the door. "I can be confident that you'll be safe under my sister's watch, but the academy is open territory, Mars. I can't make sure you're safe all the time there. There are many spies in that academy. They can get to you to get me in the academy easier."

"T–there's Ganesh!" I cry out, "He'll keep me safe!"

He turns to me with a tired look on his face. "Ganesh is a hundred and two years old. He's a frail and ancient item that would break into pieces if you so much as blow at him."

"We–well, Athena can keep me safe!"

"Athena needs to train her warriors," Lyall says, "I can't be with you all the time, too. I need to take care of my people's needs."

"That's true...," I don't want to burden Athena with my problem, anyway. Why should she stop her training session just to protect a weakling like me? And for Lyall to abandon his duty to his people for me? I could never live with that conscience. "What about you give me a warrior that you trust?"

Lyall sighs, then massages the bridge of his nose. "There's that. But like I said, I can't guarantee your safety in the academy as much as I can if you only train with Athena. Why don't you want to just stay in this room, anyway? Is it worth risking your life?"

I try to blink away the tears piling in my eyes. "Is it a life if you can only hide and do nothing?" Lyall looks surprised by my words. "Is it a life if you are forced to amount to nothing when you could've been anything?"

"You won't understand because you were born with all the privileges. Everything is within your grasp and you easily succeed in life. The sky is your limit." My voice is higher than I thought it would be, but I can't stop myself. "But I wasn't born like that! I've lived life being told what I could and could not do. This is my one chance to prove to myself and everyone that I can be someone. That I can make a mark in this world and would not just be forgotten like that woman I saw on the operating table!"

My breath is heavy after I've said all I couldn't say before in Ganesh's office. This is the deep anger I have been carrying for a long time that it became an invisible cage for me. I thought being a warrior could solve this, but my body is not compatible to be one. Now that Ganesh has offered me a way to free myself from this cage with a different path, I refuse to back down.

I will not be just another woman whose purpose in life is only to deliver a baby to the world.

Lyall's eyes soften for a fraction of a second. His face looks twisted as if a storm is brewing inside him.

Without answering me, he walks to the low table near the bed, takes out a cigarette, and pops it into his mouth. He looks at me for a few seconds before finally going to the balcony to smoke. I know if I am not in the room, he would have smoked inside. Yet he remembers that I once asked him to stop smoking near me.

My heart sinks little by little while he keeps smoking. I can see clouds of smoke coming out from his mouth through the balcony glass door.

Really? He'll just smoke as if he has not just ignored me and disregarded my feelings? I mean, he brought me to his kingdom for a purpose, but... but...

Defeated, I sit at the edge of the bed, trying to bandage the wound in my heart. I am just about to curl myself on the bed, feeling depressed, when the balcony glass door opens.

Lyall has put out his cigarette outside, so no smoke comes into the room. He walks until he is only two feet apart from me on the bed. His eyes are darker than before. I don't know if it's the low lighting of the room, or if it's just Lyall being more intense.

"I'll let you go to the academy with a warrior I have chosen," he says in a low tone, "But I'd like you to do whatever I say for only ten minutes."

I can only look at him, not really understanding his request.

"I won't do what you're uncomfortable with. Trust me. I won't take advantage of you," he continues, "I just... need you to play my game, be an obedient girl for a few minutes."

He pulls my hand, caked in dry blood, to his mouth. His hot breath fans the inside of my wrist, sending shivers down my spine. Lyall locks eyes with me. Then he licks the sticky blood on my skin. Slowly, with his eyes still on me.

"What do you say?" he whispers the question.

I gulp as I realize what he's actually asking me. I've done this game before.

"Yes," I breathe out the word.

"Yes, what?"

Another gulp before I answer, "Yes, Sir."

–to be continued–