Luna's Struggle

• CHAPTER 39 •

Busted!

Luna's Struggle

2355 words.

"Alright, Luna. Now, I want you to listen carefully." Alpin gestured for the resting albino, who tilted his head signaling for him to continue, "There are two things you should do when you face a high-ranking wolf. One to avoid conflict and another to stand your ground. The main rule is to never provoke a higher-ranking wolf. Your aim is to always avoid conflict and to never make them sense your weakness."

Killua nodded, "How can I do that when I can't even control my wolf? I still can't transform freely." After his full transformation, Killua kept transforming all of a sudden, which resulted in a worried Gon. Right then, Gon banned him from going to his school before fully controlling his wolf. And here is Alpin wasting time on some normal training instead of teaching him how to actually make his wolf stay inside!

"Here's the thing," Alpin raised his finger, "To avoid conflict with a higher-ranking wolf, you should show a specific amount of submission. Turning to a wolf would be a sign to provoke the wolf, so you shouldn't do that. Instead, you should avoid eye contact and lick your lips. You can also nose-nudge in the direction you wish to go in order to communicate without provoking the wolf."

"I don't understand how this would make any difference. If a wolf is aggressive then he's aggressive." Killua shrugged, crisscrossing on the ground and staring at Alpin with boredom.

"All wolves are aggressive, Luna. They tend to be protective of their territories and belongings, so if you happened to stumble upon them, acting cocky or defensive would do you a lot of harm."

"I see." Alpin chuckled at Killua's chill reaction.

"Let me illustrate that a bit better. As a werewolf, you consider your mate yours. He belongs to you. So if someone seduced your Alpha, you—"

"Would kill them," Killua mumbled and stared away. His cheeks flourished slightly at Alpin's light chuckle, "I get your point. Please, continue."

"Alright, so another tip to keep in mind: Always keep a respectful distance because any wrong step, you'll invade their personal space and deem yourself a danger to them, so that would trigger them." Alpin took a breath before continuing, "Finally, you should always wait for permission before doing anything or approaching any of the higher-ranking wolf's resources."

"Okay. Can I ask you something?" Alpin sat next to Killua, whose body was drenched with sweat after a physical combat they'd done prior.

"Of course, Luna."

"Why do you have to teach me these sorta things? It's not like I'll be leaving to another territory unless I want Gon to kick my ass."

"You don't know what might happen or where you would encounter a higher-ranking wolf. You looked so inexperienced in the welcoming ceremony when you dealt with higher-ranking wolves. If Alpha didn't explain at the beginning that you were raised in different circumstances, then they would've considered you disrespectful."

"Ugh. Too much to keep in mind."

"Where is your notebook?" Alpin smiled at Killua's dizzy look and waited for him to fetch his notebook out of his bag. He flipped to a new blank page and titled it 'Ways to prevent Conflict with a Higher-Ranking Wolf'.

"Alright, now, it is important to stand your ground if a wolf is too aggressive and wants to attack you. Just keep in mind that standing your ground doesn't mean you should provoke the wolf further." Killua hummed and continued jotting the information in his notebook, "What you should do is stand tall and use confident body language, but avoid direct challenges or aggression. Then, maintain personal space and communicate your presence with low, non-threatening growls or barks to show you're aware but not seeking confrontation. Finally, Keep your gaze averted or use peripheral vision to signal non-aggression."