Kyra-
Why I needed to stay until my birthday was beyond me. Yet Alexia and I had both agreed. It would give us plenty of time to figure out what we would do next. I didn’t want to continue to fear who was after us. It was time to start coming up with a plan, instead of always running and having nowhere to go.
After talking it over with Alexia, she also agreed it was high time we stood our ground. We needed to stop running in fear and figure out who was even after us. My father had not disclosed too much information, we seen no reason to ask questions.
We knew that the alpha from the pack we ran from, considered me an abomination and that my mother stayed behind to give my father a chance to escape with me. He claims my mother is still alive, but it has been nearly eighteen years, and four years since my father died.
There was a very unlikely chance she was still alive. We knew that the other packs we have had the misfortune of running into either wanted us for power or to kill us.
Rogues became blind with rage when they come across us, we suspect the reason, though do not actually know. We knew that my father was adamant about us running and that someone was chasing us.
Yet I was trained to fight, of course to protect myself, but he also taught me how to infiltrate enemy camps, how to disguise my scent to get inside pack territories undetected, and he taught me about pack life.
He taught me the rules and what was expected of someone in a pack. He taught me about the things that were redundant if all I’m going to do is continue to run. He even explained mates and the fundamentals of how it all works.
If all I was needed to do was run, why would he teach me all of that. He taught me more than just survival. He taught me how to live. I wanted to know what it was like to be accepted and whether I believed Hunter or not, I wanted to at least experience the life I have dreamed of.
I wanted friends, family and I would even love to have kids. I still don’t believe I was meant to have a mate, but what if it was possible? If I stop running, I could potentially meet my end, but at this point even that was better than the constant running and living in fear.
I will stay for now, then I will leave, and I will take the fight to the ones that seek to destroy me. In the meantime, I will make memories and I will experience a life I could never have before. If Hunter is so adamant about what he says, then what is the worse thing that could happen to see if what he says is true?
I mean I could leave now, could he really stop me if I did? I guess it is a possibility. I did try to escape once before, but I am back here. By staying, I get a chance to figure out what I need to do, instead of just trying to survive.
After leaving Hunter’s office, I made my way outside, I mean if I wasn't a prisoner, I wanted to be outside. I didn't like feeling like I was encroaching on someone else's home.
If I was wanting to experience things and make memories and maybe even enjoy not running anymore, I needed to start trying. I wanted to explore and watch people interact with each other. Mostly, I didn’t trust Hunter, no matter how hard I tried.
When I stepped out, I seen a group of kids playing with a ball. They seemed to not have a care in the world. I never really got to experience that. I was just about to turn to keep exploring when a little girl with blonde pigtails came running up to me.
"Hi! Do you want to play with us?" She asked.
I could see the look of hope shining brilliantly in her big round blue eyes that I just didn't have the heart to tell her no.
"Sure, I'll play with you." I didn't even care they were just a group of young kids. I had only ever watched from a distance as kids had a chance to play and run. Plus I feel like I’ve been cooped up, so a chance to let off some energy thrilled me.
The little girl pulled me towards her friends and for the first time in my entire life, I ran around laughing and playing. I was entirely out of my element and I appreciated every second of it. It was exceedingly bizarre to have another person, kid or not, want to be around me.
I didn't even care that I felt as if I was being watched. I continued to play with the kids for a bit longer. When some of the kids took off running and chasing each other, I decided to hang back. I was starting to think that maybe it wouldn't be all bad staying around here.
I found myself walking towards what appeared to be a school, a girl probably about my age sitting on the front steps. I was just about to turn around when the girl I met earlier came running up.
"Kyra! I was hoping to run into you again." Riley said as soon stopped in front of me.
"Hey." I didn't really want to seem rude, I just wasn't particularly good at talking to others.
"You going to be sticking around?" Riley asked.
I nodded my head and she let out a squeal of delight. It was going to take some getting use to her.
"So, you're the girl everyone keeps buzzing about." The girl that had been sitting on the steps to the school said.
I looked at her with curiosity. I hadn't even heard her approach. Well not that I probably could over Riley squealing. I felt Alexia become alert at the girls sudden appearance.
She had a short black pixie haircut and chocolate brown eyes. I felt warmth radiating off her. She wore a light blue shirt that had the words 'eat me' in big pink letters over a picture of a piece of chocolate cake.
She had a pair of dark blue jeans that had a couple tears in them. Though what really caught my attention was the pair of shoes that were probably originally white, painted to look like chocolate cake.
"I guess." I said to her.
"My name is Melanie, but everyone calls me Mel. It's nice to finally meet the girl everyone is buzzing about. You don't smell like a rogue or sound like one."
Oddly I didn't feel annoyed by the statement, I figured I would, but I mean it is the truth. I was for all intent and purposes a rogue.
"Her name is Kyra!" Riley yelled at Mel, seemingly upset.
"Go away, I was here first!" Riley stomped her feet and crossed her arms. I have only seen a tantrum once before and that had been when we had been staying at the apartment when I was younger and seen a small child from the window of the room I was in, throw one because his mom told him he couldn’t have a sucker.
I was just about to tell her that there was no reason I couldn't talk to them both when Riley's gaze became hazy. As soon as her vision cleared, she looked at me and hesitated, then quickly ran off.
"Don't mind her, that's the Alpha's little sister. So how old are you?" Mel asked.
"Seventeen." I didn't see any reason to say I was almost eighteen. It didn't really seem like a big deal.
"Awesome, so you going to go to school here Monday?" She asked.
My father taught me everything I needed to know, and I was never able to go to school. What more could going to school teach me? Granted I felt like going to school would be a mute point, but I was genuinely curious about it. I actually liked the idea of giving it a try.
Perhaps I needed to ask the Hunter if that was even possible. Though the thought of talking to him again made me second guess myself. For some unknown reason I felt calm around him and that was something that both confused and frightened me.
"I don't know." I said, deciding I would ask Hunter.
"Great! Would you like me to show you around a bit?"
I agreed to let her show me around and I learned a lot about her and the pack. I found out that every pack family all had their own house. There was an apartment building for unmated wolves and even an orphanage for children that lost their parents from rogue attacks and wars.
I learned that Hunter had a reputation of being the cruelest Alpha in any of the packs. Evidently, he was harsh in his punishment of rogues and killed women and children. Mel claimed they were just speculations.
I mean so far, he didn't seem terrible, but I decided I would make my own opinion about him. I still believed it was a trick. He claimed to be my mate and I genuinely believed that I would be mateless.
Mel showed me there was a small clothing store, a couple restaurants, a coffee shop and even gift shop. She explained that if I couldn't find anything I was looking for, just ask the Alpha and he would order it. Not that it really mattered to me, I had no money.
She told me all about herself being the youngest of three and she had just turned eighteen. She still lived with her parents, even though theoretically she should be able to move into the apartments now.
Her oldest sister was going to be moving out soon, now that she has met her mate in another territory, and she was waiting for her mates transfer to come through. Her father was the pack doctor and as soon as Mel graduated college, she was to become the next pack doctor.
We talked and walked for hours and I felt myself wishing that my life could be this simple. Mel had to go home to her family, and I started walking back on my own. I was walking by the line of stores when I suddenly stopped.
I smelled something so familiar and delicious. I turned to look through one of the store windows and a seen it was a restraunt. When my stomach rumbled, I turned away and smacked into a hard chest.
I felt a slight tingle dance across my skin and when I looked up, I found myself looking up into Hunter's deep blue eyes. His arms had wrapped around me to steady me when I ran into him. It was unnerving to have him so close. Yet for some reason, I couldn't pull away. Standing in his arms I felt as if a sense of warmth wash over me. Almost as if I could feel safe in them.
I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I heard my stomach rumble again and it caused him to chuckle. I stepped back and looked down, becoming nervous.
"Come on, I'll get us something to eat." He spoke gently.
I looked up at him, then at the restaurant again and I nodded my head in agreement. He led me inside and sat us at a table near the door. With him on one side and me on the other, my back closest to the entrance. I wasn't sure if he did that deliberately or not, but knowing I could escape, made me relax.
When the waitress came with the menu's he shook his head and asked the lady to bring two big bowls of their home-style chicken noodles and mashed potatoes. I watched him curiously and wondered if he had been searching for me or just found me by chance. I decided not to ask. Instead, I asked him the one question that had been plaguing me.
"Can I attend school?" I asked in a rush. Part of me hoping he would say no, but the other part hoping he would say yes.
The question seemed to startle him, his eyebrows shot up and choked on the water the waitress had brought for us when she took our order. The corner of his lips turned upward as he nodded his head. "You can have anything you desire little one, I will get you set up in school on Monday."
I didn't know how I felt about that statement, but I decided to let it go. When the food came, we ate in silence. For the first half of the time, it was marginally uncomfortable, but it didn't take me long to just enjoy the company.
After eating we walked back to the pack house in silence. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he kept to himself. After reaching the pack house he led me up to my room and wished me a good night.
I had thought maybe the room had been his, but as I watched him walk back down the stairs, I wondered whose room I was staying in. Not that it really mattered. I closed the door, locked it, then climbed into bed after taking my jeans off.
As I laid in bed, my thoughts drifted to my father. For some reason I felt as if I needed to remember something. There had been no reason to ever question him, so why did I feel uneasy about something?
Just as I was about to slip into a deep sleep, I heard a whisper so gentle and warm, "You need to remember child."
I knew I had heard the voice before, but I didn't know where. It was a womans voice and hearing it, I felt like I needed to listen to what she was saying. There was something about her voice that made me feel love. But what did she mean I needed to remember? Is there something about my dad that I had forgotten?
Why did I feel like I was connected to the voice and why was this uneasiness feeling filling me at the thought of my father? My conscience was apparently trying to tell me something, but exhaustion took over.
Kyra- It was now Sunday evening, it's been three days since I've agreed to stay until my eighteenth birthday, and tomorrow was supposed to be my first day of school. I had spent my time trying to keep to myself. I hadn't really seen Hunter since the other night when he walked me to my room and wished me a good night, not that I was really complaining. I liked the reprieve a bit. I still wasn't sure how I felt about him. I made friends with the kitchen staff, I've actually spent most of my time in the kitchen. There was an older lady that I came to think highly of. Her name was Lucille, though she went by Lucy She was probably the sweetest lady I had ever known, and I couldn't help but think that if my mother had been around, I imagine she would have be
Hunter- I was happy Kyra was letting her walls down and connecting with my pack members. I wanted her to feel safe and welcomed. Though watching her with others, brought on a burning rage that was so intense that I felt as if I was being crushed by an elephant. Others got her smiles, laughter, and even her carefree attitude. She was my mate, even though she didn't recognize it yet, but I didn't know how to reach her. I thought by giving her time and distance that she would not see me as a threat. Standing against the frame of my office window, I watch her wolf run towards the tree line, Caleb's wolf struggling to catch up. She was sublimely astonishing. She ran with grace but was exultant and powerful. Jealousy started forming at the pit of my gut.
Kyra- The next morning, I laid in bed completely awake. I hadn't slept all night and I tossed and turned as I tried to understand what I had just witnessed. Had I really been wrong about him? Was he really my mate? I admit I felt something for him, his touch was light a light electric charge over my skin and he smelled like sandalwood and pine, which seemed to soothe me when I was around him. But other than a few minor things, I didn't feel any pull towards him. I think perhaps I am just reaching, trying to understand what it was I felt for him. I admit I didn't essentially hate him, but I didn't really like him either. I was intrigued by him. I don't know what happened between him and that girl, but whatever it was, I doubt it really concerned me. Turning over onto my side, I faced the window and could see the sun just peeking out over the horizon. Today I was supposed to start school. Not sure how good of an idea it was, bu
Sitting at the table in Hunter's office, I looked over the test. I had already completed it, but I kept staring at the subtext at the top that said to show my work. I didn't know how. It hadn't been a difficult test for me, I was able to figure out the problem in my head. If I didn't show my work, would I not be able to attend? "Do you need help with a question or something?" Hunter asked from his desk across the room. I didn't respond right away, which caused Hunter to come to stand behind me, peering over my shoulder. " You finished already? " He sounded surprised by that and I wasn't sure if I was done, I still had to figure out how to show my work. "I am trying to figure out how to show my work." I admitted. "Well, how did you figure out the problems?" He asked as he gazed over the test. "In my head. The math was uncomplicated for me, my father taught me a lot about different topics. I understood the problem and
Kyra- Why had I thought going to school was a good idea? By the end of the day, I was mentally drained. I had no trouble with any of the assignments, or at least I didn’t think I did. Hunter had walked me to the first three classes until Mel offered to take me instead. I was relieved, I didn’t like the way everyone kept making smug comments about me being the Alpha’s plaything. I had wanted to rip their tongue out. After my second class, a group of girls had made some snide remarks about how I’m the only female living at the packhouse and all the guys most likely take turns with me. I had literally growled at them and if it wasn’t for Hunter dragging me away, I probably would have done a lot worse. He had told me to not listen to them and he would address it, but I didn’t want him defending me, it would probably just get worse if he did. So, when Mel took over walking me around, I appreciated the reprieve. I still heard the whispers, but it wasn’t abo
Kyra- Alexia and I were elated to be going head-to-head with both the Alpha and the Beta. Even if we could tell they were holding back, I was finally getting a workout. Neither of them gave me the kind of challenge I wanted, but they were keeping me on my toes. I was starting to feel my endurance waver. I could tell from each attack they both held back their punches. Both smiling and laughing as they advanced on me. Wanting them to take it seriously, I knew I had to give them more. I was holding back as well. I hadn’t used the full extent of my abilities. This time when they attacked, I focused all my energy in my palms and heaved my arms out in front of me, hitting both guys directly in the center of their chest. The look of disbelief was evident on their faces as they flew backward, soaring through the air. I had discovered at a young age that I could focus my energy to make my attacks more effective. I even possessed magic but had no idea how to in
Kyra- As we sat in his office, I thought maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I was nervous and kept fidgeting with my hands. Even Alexia was feeling apprehensive about telling him. Though we knew we had to and after his reaction on the field. We both recognized he wasn’t like the others. Then there was the fact that there was so much more I didn’t even know about myself, and I didn’t know where to even start looking. I needed to ask for his help. Or I needed to leave to figure it out on my own. Though the notion of going at it on my own terrified me. I’ve concluded that what my father had told me was limited. If someone was chasing me, I needed to know who and why. I needed to know why I was different. To know why I have been hearing a female voice in my head that wasn’t my own or Alexia’s. I needed to learn more about my abilities. I couldn’t just wait around for something to happen anymore. If I was truly safe here, then I needed answers and perhaps even
Kyra- I felt better now that I had opened up to him. It was as if a weight had been lifted from me. For the first time in years, I was going to give my trust to someone. Perhaps not my complete trust, but it was a start. No idea what the future held, but for one thing I knew, I was going to start getting answers. We continued to talk for a few more hours as I told him more about my past than I remembered. Something was gnawing at me though and I wasn’t sure what it was. Hunter had brought Caleb in to inform him he would now be taking overtraining for the pack and he would start working with me privately. Caleb hadn’t been too thrilled about it, but he agreed. Hunter told Caleb he would find him later and then dismissed him. I was truly looking forward to training with Hunter. He told me he would contact his uncle to see if he knew about a way to explore my abilities. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I felt about another knowing about me, but if it would help, I wa