: The Dominance Test

The moment Nene stepped out of the car, she knew something was off.

She expected to be greeted by her grandmother, maybe a few training instructors—but the field was empty.

Just her, Li Hua, and a quiet tension that made her instincts prickle.

Her grandmother stood at the center of the private training grounds, arms crossed, watching her too closely.

Nene narrowed her eyes.

Something was up.

"You're late," Li Hua said smoothly.

Nene snorted. "Yeah, yeah. What's the big deal?"

Li Hua tilted her head. "Come here."

Nene hesitated.

Then, slowly, she stepped forward—

And the second she crossed the invisible line of distance between them, it hit.

A wave of pressure.

Not physical—but instinctual.

Her stomach tightened, her pulse jumped, and her wolf—**the part of her she had barely begun to understand—**suddenly snapped to attention.

Because her grandmother wasn't just watching her.

She was testing her.

Li Hua's Alpha presence expanded, slow and deliberate, curling around Nene like a silent challenge.

Nene's breath caught.

Oh.

Oh, so that's what this was.

A dominance test.

Her grandmother was pushing her instincts, trying to see exactly how much pressure she could take before submitting.

And Nene?

She hated submitting.

Her body tensed automatically, heat rushing up her spine, muscles coiling like she had just walked into a battlefield.

Li Hua smirked. "Feel it yet?"

Nene's jaw clenched.

She wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Not at all," she lied.

Li Hua chuckled. "Good. Now push back."

Nene froze.

"What?"

"You heard me," her grandmother said smoothly. "Push back."

Nene hesitated.

Because she didn't know how.

Sure, she was an Alpha by blood, but she had never used her instincts like this before.

Never tested them.

Never had to prove herself against someone stronger.

Li Hua raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Your husband handles it just fine."

Nene's eye twitched.

Oh, hell no.

She inhaled sharply, digging deep, searching for the instinctive part of herself that refused to be controlled.

And then?

She pushed.

A silent, invisible surge of energy, a flare of her own Alpha presence meeting her grandmother's.

And for a split second—

The air shifted.

Li Hua's eyes flashed with something new.

Recognition.

Satisfaction.

And maybe—**just maybe—**the tiniest hint of surprise.

Nene's stomach twisted.

Because that?

That meant something.

And she wasn't sure if she liked what it meant.

The second Nene pushed back, the shift in the air was instant.

For the first time, she felt it—

Her own presence.

Not just as a person, but as an Alpha.

It wasn't as sharp as her grandmother's, wasn't as controlled—but it was there.

And the fact that Li Hua paused, just slightly, meant that she noticed.

Nene exhaled, heart still racing.

Li Hua tilted her head, studying her like she was something new.

Then—a smirk.

"Interesting," she murmured.

Nene frowned. "What?"

"You're stronger than you realize," Li Hua said, crossing her arms. "Rough. Untrained. But strong."

Nene rolled her eyes. "Great. Can we get to the actual training now?"

Li Hua chuckled. "Impatient. Another Alpha trait."

Nene huffed. "That wasn't an Alpha thing. That was a 'you're being annoying' thing."

Li Hua laughed, actually laughed, before giving her a sharp, knowing look.

"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked. "The instinct to push back."

Nene hesitated.

Because—yeah.

She had felt it.

That deep, unspoken part of her that refused to back down, refused to be dominated.

It had snapped awake the second her grandmother applied pressure.

And now?

It wasn't going back to sleep.

Nene crossed her arms, scowling. "Yeah, yeah. So what?"

Li Hua smirked. "So now I know exactly how to train you."

Nene's stomach flipped.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Before she could react, her grandmother cracked her knuckles, turning toward the training mats.

"Come," she said. "Let's see how much fight you really have."

And just like that—the real training began.

Nene barely had time to process her own instincts before her grandmother moved.

One second, Li Hua was standing still—calm, composed, unreadable.

The next?

She was already on the mats, motioning for Nene to follow.

"Come," she said smoothly. "Let's see how much fight you really have."

Nene hesitated.

Because… wait.

"Hold on," she said, narrowing her eyes. "We're sparring?"

Li Hua raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

Nene bristled. "Shouldn't I, I don't know—learn the basics first?"

Li Hua smirked. "You don't learn how to be an Alpha by watching."

Nene groaned internally.

Of course she didn't.

Of course her grandmother was a "throw them into the fire and see if they burn" type of trainer.

Fantastic.

Still, she wasn't about to back down.

Nene inhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders as she stepped onto the mat.

She could do this.

Probably.

Maybe.

Li Hua studied her stance for a moment.

"Good posture," she mused. "Too stiff, though. You're thinking too much."

Nene scowled. "What, you want me to just go feral?"

Li Hua grinned. "Yes."

Before Nene could even react to that insanity—

Her grandmother attacked.

Fast. Brutal. Precise.

Nene barely had time to dodge, her body moving on instinct as she twisted away—but Li Hua was already adapting.

A sharp kick to her leg, forcing her balance off.

A quick movement to her blind spot.

And then—

Nene hit the ground.

Hard.

The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, and for a moment, she just stared at the ceiling, stunned.

Li Hua stood over her, arms crossed.

"Too slow," she said, smirking. "Again."

Nene groaned.

This was going to be a long, painful day.

By the time Nene dragged herself off the training mat, sore and mildly humiliated, her phone was already buzzing.

She groaned, pressing it to her ear without checking the caller ID.

"If this is Alexander, I'm hanging up," she muttered.

A pause.

Then—

"Nene," her mother's voice came through, dry but amused. "I see training is going well."

Nene sighed in relief.

"Oh, hey, Mom," she muttered, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Yeah, Grandma's trying to kill me."

Li Xiu chuckled. "She's trying to make you stronger. It's a compliment."

Nene rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure. What's up?"

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Then—

"You're starting camp today," Li Xiu said. "After lunch."

Nene froze.

"…Wait. What?"

Her mother sighed, like she had been expecting this reaction.

"The Beta camp for young wolves raised in human environments," she said patiently. "You agreed to go."

Nene blinked.

Oh. Right.

She had agreed to that.

Back when she thought it was just a far-off, theoretical thing.

Not a 'pack your things, you're going today' thing.

"For how long?" she asked, rubbing her sore shoulder.

"Three months," Li Xiu said. "Every afternoon from one to four. It's structured, monitored, and safe."

Nene groaned. "So, basically, werewolf school."

"Essentially," her mother said. "It'll help."

Nene wasn't convinced.

She already had combat training from her grandmother.

She was already dealing with Alexander's control issues.

Did she really need to add camp to the list?

Li Xiu must have heard her hesitation, because her voice softened.

"Nene," she said. "You need this."

Nene exhaled sharply.

Fine.

She'd go.

But if one person tried to lecture her on 'pack hierarchy,' she was going to lose it.

Nene dragged herself off the training mats, sore and mildly defeated.

Her grandmother, of course, looked perfectly fine, not even a single strand of hair out of place.

"Done whining?" Li Hua asked, smirking.

Nene glared. "I wasn't whining."

Her grandmother chuckled. "You were making a noise. It wasn't dignified."

Nene rolled her eyes. "I need food before I drop dead."

Li Hua grinned. "Good. You fight better on a full stomach."