"Is it really safe to have this kind of conversation with them so close?" Melina asked, her voice straining with anxiety as she glanced quickly toward the hallway. The thought of Erika hearing her made her visibly nervous.
"Relax," Alison said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "Emma's distracting Erika and Rose. We have time."
Still, Melina hesitated.
"Anyway..." Alison leaned back on the couch. "Tell me, are your growls getting more intense lately?"
Melina nodded slowly. "Yes. They're getting harder to control. Sometimes they just... get away from us."
"It's normal," Alison replied with a small, knowing smile. "Growling is instinctual. As you get older, the impulses sharpen. It's like a muscle that gets stronger over time."
Melina frowned. "But... how long exactly?"
"Years," Alison said, her tone a little more serious.
"Years?"
Alison nodded and pointed to her throat. "The glands responsible for growling, whether you're alpha, beta, or omega, form gradually, just behind the pharynx. Development begins at birth and usually takes about eighteen years to fully mature."
Melina stared at her, a flash of understanding dawning. "So... that means..."
"Yes," Alison said quietly. "From the moment a pup is born, its body begins to mold the type of wolf it will become. It's a long process, but it completely defines who it will be."
Melina clenched her fists. "So if Erika..." Her voice broke.
"You're thinking about what Erika went through as a teenager, aren't you?" Alison stared at her. "How do I try to force myself to be a beta?"
Melina nodded, the sadness deepening on her face. "Yes... I keep thinking that if I'd known sooner, maybe..."
Alison's voice was soft. "You're not the only one who thinks that. I went through the same thing when she told me about her past. It's hard not to."
"But... It's impossible, isn't it?" Melina's voice barely rose above a whisper.
Alison nodded solemnly. "You can't change your secondary group... Not after the corps completes its formation; that's implemented at a fundamental level."
"I see..." Melina lowered her gaze, biting her lip hard for a few moments, then slowly releasing it, taking a deep breath.
"Do you want to continue explaining the glands?" Alison asked with a slight smile.
"Yes... You said they define someone's aptitude in life... What did you mean?"
"The quality and strength of those glands affect more than just your identity. They influence how much authority you can project, your sensitivity to pheromones, and how others instinctively respond to you," Alison explained. "It's one of the most determining factors of the kind of life you'll have. One that determines which wolf rules over which wolf of the same kind." She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. "And then... There are the exceptional cases."
Melina raised an eyebrow. "Exceptional cases?"
"Those who meet the requirements early." Alison smiled slightly. "They develop at twice the speed. Twice the sensitivity. Twice the potential."
Melina blinked. "Does it have a name?"
"It's not official; there aren't enough of them for the system to recognize them as a separate category, but people call them Gamma in hushed whispers. You're one of them."
Melina remained silent, her expression unreadable, then asked in a low voice, "How strong will I be when I grow up?"
Alison didn't respond immediately, looking at her thoughtfully before speaking. "It's hard to say so early in your development. And already… you could probably take me on equal terms."
Melina's eyes widened.
"If you keep growing like this, you'll have the ability to command dozens, maybe entire packs of alphas at once. That kind of control could put you among the highest-ranking leaders in the world."
"…I don't know if I want that," Melina murmured after a pause.
Alison nodded, her face turning serious. "It's dangerous, Melina. People kill for that kind of potential, and if they can't get you under control… they'll eliminate you."
Melina swallowed hard. "Has that ever happened?"
Alison clenched her jaw. "A few years ago, there was a girl like you in the East Coast packs. A young gamma alpha with a bright future... She disappeared at ten years old, leaving no body, no trace, nothing. But with everyone knowing why."
Melina's throat went dry, taking a moment to store that information and keep it as a silent reminder to herself.
"How do you know all this?" Melina asked, looking at the older alpha with interest.
"Hmm?" Alison blinked, confused and surprised by the question.
"How is it that you... knowing so much?"
Alison laughed, although a little awkwardly. "First of all... Ow! That hurt. Second... I have friends I talk to, and at some of our get-togethers, some of them get very indiscreet after a few drinks... Third... it's your turn."
Melina blinked. "A what?"
"So far, I've answered what you wanted without holding anything back... but I want you to answer something that's been bothering me since I discovered your little secret... tell me... when exactly did you show up?" Alison exchanged glances with Melina, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"... fine," Melina sighed, then looked down at her hands. "It was three months ago. I was reading in the living room while Rose was asleep in our room, and Erika was working. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to kill time until she arrived. I don't remember exactly what time, but all of a sudden, my body felt... different." She placed her palms together, crossing her fingers, her gaze distant. "I remember sitting completely still... and suddenly, I was in the kitchen, clutching raw meat as if I'd hunted it myself, feeling my fangs showing... then waking up the next morning as Erika was coming home from work, smelling her before I'd even seen her... That's when I knew."
Alison chuckled. "So it was... I wish I'd been there." She raised an eyebrow. "What happened to the meat?"
Melina looked away, her cheeks flushing. "Erika didn't find a trace. Let's just leave it at that."
Alison let it go, smiling sweetly. "Okay. No more questions from me... you go on."
Melina grew serious. "Why haven't you told Erika? I know you hate keeping secrets. You tend to speak so freely, sometimes too freely... as if you can't help but drop hints with a bit of humor."
Alison sighed. "You're smarter than I thought. You're probably right. I hate lying... you could say it's one of the things I hate the most... especially to someone like Erika. But I understand there's a time and place to tell the truth and when to hide it."
Melina nodded slowly. "I see... I owe you and Emma more than I thought."
"You don't owe us anything. Emma and I are doing this because we want to, that's it," Alison replied with a small dismissive gesture.
"But as you'll get the idea... this will come out sooner or later. Maybe by accident, or maybe because you'll have to intervene and protect your family... but somehow it will happen," she said softly, kneeling in front of Melina and placing both hands on her shoulders. "Until then, you have to stop suppressing your growls. Suppressing them is fine, but suppressing them can do much more damage than you think... find a safe place where you can think freely and let them out at will. Your growls are part of you... don't dismiss them as if they were just something."
"I'm aware of the risks..." Melina nodded, her eyes brightening slightly, taking on a yellowish glow as her pupils narrowed slightly. "And I appreciate the advice."