After Vahem confirmed that her training would start the next day, Canary could hardly sleep. And not just because of that, but because she was still sleeping in the same room as him.

The next morning, she got up very early. But to her surprise, Vahem was no longer in the room.

She stood up, confused.

"Good morning." She jumped at the voice of Merydia, already entering the room.

"Good morning. How..."

"I felt that you were awake, so I decided to come to you right away." Canary gave her a sidelong glance.

"You… felt?" She laughed, looking at Canary.

"It’s something I’ll tell you later. For now… we have better things to do."

Soon after, she gave orders for some women to enter the room. They all brought various clothes for Canary.

The clothes were laid out on the bed, and when the women left, Canary ran to the pieces, examining each one a little hesitantly.

"They… they’re for me?"

Merydia nodded, smiling.

"I had them made for you. As the moon of the lord of the village, you need new and proper clothes! And in your size." She looked at the loose nightgown Canary was wearing.

Canary touched each piece as if they might disappear at any moment.

Without saying a word, she went to Merydia and hugged her tightly. Merydia seemed confused at first but returned the gesture.

"I’ve never had clothes, especially not ones this beautiful! I always wore whatever I could find, and it was never very… presentable. Always a little too big, or ripped. This is… perfect, Merydia! Perfect in every way." Merydia smiled happily.

"Well, we have casual clothes, but we also have training clothes. After all… you can’t train in a huge, flashy dress. Try some on, and we’ll see how they fit." Canary nodded excitedly to test all those clothes.

They all fit like a glove. Some were… a bit too flashy, but in the end, those were the ones Canary liked the most.

"You’re a little thin at the moment, but I know you’ll soon gain muscle and need new clothes, so… leave it all to me." Canary nodded to her. She put on a training outfit—a short-sleeved black top and matching black pants, very versatile.

Soon after, Merydia helped her braid her hair, and she was ready.

"Thank you, Merydia, you’re an angel."

"I know." She smiled, and Canary smiled back.

"Alright, now let’s go… Vahem has been waiting for you for a while… and he gets a little annoying when he waits too long." Canary nodded quickly, and the two of them went downstairs.

                                     —---

Merydia led her to the mansion’s garden. It was huge, spacious, and had a large training area.

Further ahead, Vahem was standing there. He wore an outfit similar to Canary’s, but on him it looked much more… striking.

Seeing her approach, he swallowed hard.

"Calm down, little brother, you’re drooling," Merydia teased him, making Canary blush. Vahem didn’t lose his composure.

"Getting grumpy?" she teased him again. But Vahem put his arms behind his back.

"Not at all. I have no problem drooling over beautiful women. Especially… if she’s my moon."

Canary fought not to shrink back. Merydia rolled her eyes.

"You’re such a pain."

"Runs in the family." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed.

For a moment, Canary wished she could have a sibling bond like that.

"Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. Canary… he has a weak spot on the back of his neck, just… bite there if needed."

"You’re not going to stay?"

"Unfortunately, I have to go, but I’m rooting for you," she said as she walked away.

"Thanks for the tip."

"YOU’RE WELCOME!" she shouted from afar, and Canary laughed.

When she turned forward, Vahem was right there. She swallowed hard.

"Don’t believe her."

"Why not?" she asked, defiantly.

"Because I have no weak spots." He started pacing around her, as if searching for something.

"Why do I feel like that’s a lie?" she asked.

"Want to find out?" he whispered in her ear. She didn’t flinch.

"Maybe… are you afraid I’ll discover it?"

"Oh… of course! It would be terrible for you to find any weakness in me." His lips curved slightly upward.

"And why is that?"

"Because… you’re cruel." Canary looked at him quickly.

"I’m not… what…"

"You are, Canary. You just need to find that side." Their eyes met.

"Are we going to keep dancing… or are we training?" He smiled and stopped abruptly.

"I’d love to dance with you someday." Her throat tightened.

"Perfect. Let’s go then."

                                    —---

Vahem spent half the day teaching her basic strikes and tactics, since Canary was more inexperienced than a child. By the end of the day, she was exhausted from listening to him talk about the properties of transforming into a lycan.

"When will I learn to transform?" she interrupted him. He looked at her quickly.

"It's not that easy, nor that fast. Especially for someone who spent half their life without training, like you."

She huffed and stood up.

"So it’s going to take forever for me to take revenge on Kyra?"

"Not 'forever,' but it won’t be in four days or even a week."

She rolled her eyes.

"I can’t wait that long."

"I know you thirst for blood, but you’ll have to be patient."

"I’m very patient, you have no idea," she said, heading toward the mansion. But Vahem overtook her and blocked her path.

"Are you mad at me?" The way he asked made her heart race.

"What?"

"You’re furious, Canary. You hide your anger in shyness and nervousness. But I… I know you’re furious, and that you’ve wanted to punch me for a long time."

She took two steps back.

"Are you reading my mind now?" He laughed.

"Maybe… Come on, take out your anger on me."

She stepped back even further.

"You’re crazy!"

"Afraid of me? Is that why you don’t want to try?"

"No! Of course not. Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Because I’m a lycan?"

"Vahem, stop!" she said, feeling her blood boil.

"Come on, Canary, since when are you afraid?" he said, stepping closer.

"Back off, you idiot!"

"So you are scared, what a pity! I thought you were determined." He moved even closer, but Canary pushed him.

"So weak." His yellow eyes glinted.

"GET OFF ME NOW!" she yelled, shoving him.

She tried to punch him, but Vahem dodged. He avoided every punch with grace.

"COME ON!" he taunted, making her increase her speed. The way he kept laughing made her tremble with rage.

"Ahhh!" She punched him in the face, but he caught her hand.

"Sorry… darling."

Then Canary grabbed his neck with her other hand, used the strength of her body, and threw Vahem to the ground. She fell on top of him, pinning his hands to the floor.

Her sweaty forehead glistened; she was panting.

"Congratulations," he said, smiling.

"Stop smiling now!" He widened his grin even more.

"That annoys you!?"

"I hate it! I hate it." He continued smiling.

"I’m going to punch your teeth out."

"Go ahead." With incredible speed, he flipped her off him and pinned her to the ground, now restraining her hands and legs.

"GET OFF ME, YOU IDIOT!"

"Oh, what a foul mouth you have."

"I’m going to kick your balls." He smiled even wider.

"We both know you can’t do that." He grinned triumphantly.

Furious, Canary only wanted to wipe that damn smile off his face. Without thinking, she lifted her neck—after all, their faces were close—and kissed him.

She kissed him intensely for the first time, claiming him completely.

Vahem accepted her invitation, letting go of her hands and grabbing her waist. He lifted her off the ground and placed her sitting on his lap, pulling her body close to his.

Canary grabbed his neck, drawing him closer, then broke the kiss and bit his neck, right where Merydia had told her. He screamed and fell to the floor. Panting, Canary stood, staring at him.

"Well, well, well… Now that little grin is gone," she said triumphantly as she headed back to the mansion, feeling every piece of her scream for more, savoring the memory of Vahem’s tongue for a few more minutes.