Author's note: this is from Aldus's point of view

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I was in my lab in Munich with Damiano's son.

We started early in the morning as I wanted to run many tests, and Serina was due to join us around lunchtime.

She decided to come later so that she can spend a few hours with Zeiroi.

It's three days how the elf came into our house.

Zeiroi is obedient when Serina is around, and slacking when she is not looking. Scoundrel.

Does he think I don't know how his favorite thing to do is to be lazy in the garden?

However, I let him be because Serina is putting extra effort to teach him things necessary for survival. I have a feeling that Serina is doing this to prove to me that she didn't accept a useless parasite in the house.

To be honest, as long as the elf stays out of my way and doesn't cause trouble, I don't care what he does, but I won't say that to Serina. I like to see her busy.

Thanks to that, today I've got time to talk with Mateo one-on-one, without Serina eavesdropping or interfering. She is overprotective of the boy like I'm going to eat him.

"Mr. Mezzanotte…", Mateo called. "Can you be honest with me and tell me what the chances are of my wolf awakening?"

"For someone who didn't know that his father was the Supreme Alpha for two and a half decades, you accepted this easily."

He shook his head, indicating that I'm wrong. "I'm not sure I believe any of this. I mean… I knew that I'm faster and stronger than an average kid, but a werewolf? It sounds fantastic. However, that story also fills in many things I couldn't explain otherwise. How I see it, these tests can't harm me, and if it turns out that there is really a powerful creature within me, I will embrace it."

"Why are you set on awakening your wolf?"

"I am aware that Serina is special. She always was, even before becoming your daughter. Serina suffered a lot, yet she still had an innocent smile that can light up the room. I want to protect that. In my current state, I'm a liability. If I can become stronger, I will take it. For her."

I liked that the boy spoke about protecting Serina as his priority and I appreciated that he knew he is a liability.

"So?", he asked. "What are our chances of success?"

"I can't give you a percentage and stand behind it.", I responded honestly. "Is it hopeless? No. How much hope there is? I don't know. No one ever did anything like this. Your body is in perfect shape. I can't detect any anomalies or foreign matter. The problem is with the spirit, and that's the unknown."

"Spirit? Can you explain more about it?"

"You could talk about this with your Shaman."

"Sergio?"

I confirmed. "Without knowing what put your wolf in this state, I'm leaning toward an approach to give him a jump start. It will be a shock to the spirit that can awaken your wolf. However, that can also backfire and harm you."

Mateo was not pleased with the possibility of him being harmed. "I'm not suicidal. How can we increase chances of success?"

"I'm still researching the right way to do it.", I admitted. "But there are a few things you should do. First, strengthen your body and your mind. Your wolf amplifies your strength and speed, and normally, your body would have time to adjust, but for you, it will be different. Once your wolf is awake, it will be like an energy surge and if your body is not sturdy enough, you might get injured. Also, there is a chance that he might take over."

"Take over?", Mateo repeated with a frown.

"That's another thing you should discuss with your Shaman as I'm not an expert in the area. Once I figure out the approach that might work, I will talk to Sergio as well. Right now, I can tell you this much… For werewolves, the wolf and the human are two minds in one body. Normally, you would feel your wolf in your early teens and the two of you get used to each other over time. By the time you reach eighteen years old, both of you will grow and become stronger, and you should be able to communicate mentally. Think of it like making friends."

He nodded, indicating that he is following me so far. Well, now for the bad news.

"Assuming we succeed, you will find yourself with another creature in your mind. That creature is not a pup who is eager to explore the world and get to know you, but it will be a full-grown feral wolf who acts on instincts because he didn't have a chance to learn anything else."

Mateo fell into his thoughts and several minutes passed before he asked, "Is there a chance that I will harm Serina?"

I didn't have an answer to this question. The only person a werewolf can't harm is his mate, assuming that he is in the right mindset. However, that applies to a normal werewolf, and here we are talking about an Alpha who is not used to his human half, or humans overall.

It will be literally like putting a feral beast in the middle of a city. He will be in an unknown place, confused, scared... and the challenge will be to calm him down so that he listens.

Serina forbid me from talking about mates with Mateo because it will only make him worry, and he won't be able to find any definite answers unless his wolf awakens.

As much as I hate that only Serina is concerned about the whole thing with mates, I agree that this boy can't do anything about it at this point, so I decided not to meddle. It will only make things more complicated and put a strain on their relationship.

Serina is concerned, but she is happy as well, and I have no way of predicting how he will react if he finds out about it. It's best to leave that to Serina to handle.

"We will take precautions.", I assured him. "I remember that Damiano was resistant to silver, so cuffing you in silver shackles and chains will probably not do much. However, there is wolfsbane that can weaken you and we will need to get a few strong creatures to hold you down because we can't give it to you before your wolf is awake."

Mateo rubbed his forehead and I understood why he was troubled. As much as I dislike that Serina's mind is muddled since she reunited with this boy, I can't deny that he is prioritizing Serina in every situation. That's why I'm here, helping.

"Try not to think about it for now.", I advised him. "I will continue my research and your job is to train. I will give you some pointers on various exercises you can do, physical and meditation. When my research is done, we can sit and assess the risks, and then you can decide if you want to proceed with the procedure."

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