Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 19 - What Now

Chapter 19 - What Now 

I knock and wait for Nora's soft "come in" before opening the wood door.

"Hey, Nora," I greet the girl, holding up a plate of waffles. "I brought breakfast."

She sits up silently, and I carefully hand the plate and utensils to her.

"How are you feeling?" I ask as she takes her first bite.

"Better," she responds quietly.

"That's good," I smile, being cheery. "Whenever you're ready, you can move into the extra bedroom in the main house. Is that ok with you? Right now, all our extra cabin space is taken"

"That would be nice, thank you."

She continues eating in small, noiseless bites, balancing the plate on her right leg, which is tucked in in a half criss-cross-applesauce form. Her other long, thin leg, the injured one, rests straight out in front of her, her toes almost reaching the end of the bed. Although it has gained back some color, her small, slim face is very pale and smooth. Large, brown doe eyes peek up out of her long lashes, creating an innocent look, and in spite of her tall, willowy form, Nora looks rather young.

"Where did you come from?" I blurt out, worrying after that it's too soon to ask this question.

Nora looks down, awkwardly fumbling with the fork. "Arkansas. My father was a rogue, kicked out for disrespecting his alpha, but he was a good man. We lived in a little trailer out in the woods, and one night a group of rogues broke into our house. They wanted him to join them and killed him when he refused. I ran."

She looks up at me, her voice cracking and her eyes watery, "My dad was the only family I had, and I just watched them kill him."

A lump forms in my throat at her words, and I concentrate on the light fixture for a few seconds, willing the feeling to go away. "Your dad wouldn't have wanted you to get hurt too," I tell her. "He would be happy to see you safe now."

"I guess," she says in an emotion-ridden whisper.

Tears fall from the corners of her eyes. I struggle with myself, wanting to help her but needing to control my own emotions also.

I hear her take in a shaky breath. "I killed one of them when he tried to come after me. I felt the knife pushing into his flesh, saw the life fade from his eyes..."

Her words drag me out of my memories. "You were defending yourself. He would've killed you had you not."

"But..." her voice fades, unable to argue with my statement yet still coming to terms with the death.

"How'd you get the wound?"

"I tripped over a fallen limb running away, and one of its branches was sticking up." Distracted by the memory of the wound, her eyes have stopped watering, yet a dismal look remains permanently on her face.

The door opens at the perfect time, and Dr. Maria comes in. "Morning, girls," she greets, "I'm here to check up on Nora's wound."

I smile at Maria, "I'll be on my way then. Nora, I'll drop by again later."

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From the moment I walk into the gym, I know Mateus has something new planned. Standing in the middle of the floor, arms crossed (biceps on full display), legs slightly spread, he follows me around the room with his eyes as I place my water bottle on the bench, retie my shoe, and pull my curls into a ponytail. They drill holes into my back until I finally approach him, stopping a few feet away from him and mimicking his stance. Feeling a little sassy today, I exaggerate it a little for effect, arms crossed tightly, left hip popped up, right foot pointed out.

He raises his eyebrows.

I drop my pose. "What now?"

"We need to practice fighting in your wolf form."

"Ehhhhh..." I switch from standing normally to standing on the sides of my feet then back repeatedly.

"We have two weeks left before the tournament, and wolf fighting is the third level." Mateus states, arms still crossed.

I hate fighting in my wolf form. Fighting as a human requires so much strategy; it doesn't really matter what size you are. In contrast, fighting as a wolf is harder when your opponent is larger and heavier than you. Getting pinned down harder to maneuver out of.

"And I assume you want me to fight you?" I ask.

Instead of voicing a response, he gives a slight nod with his head.

Great. Getting up close and personal with him is already hard enough as a human.

"Today, I'd like to just see your current technique," Mateus states.

"Fine," I sigh. There isn't any "technique" in the way I fight in wolf form, so this is probably going to be embarrassing.

I walk to the side of the room, heading for the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" he calls after me.

"The bathroom," I reply. "This tank top is a nice color. I wouldn't want to lose it."

"It's black."

"Exactly," I pivot around, and because I still feel a little cheeky, I wink. "It's like my soul."

Once in the bathroom, I crack the door a bit, so I can push it open with my nose. Quickly, I strip, change forms, and strut out of the bathroom.

Mateus's spot is now occupied by a fairly large, medium brown wolf. He's facing the other way, so I quietly creep up on him before jumping onto his side. I back off when he turns and playfully bark in his face. In this form, his pine and cedar scent is even more prominent; it's intoxicating.

He stares me down with eyes just as blue as his human ones, and I wag my reddish-brown tail in response. I take a few steps closer, wanting to see if the brown specks are still there in his irises. When I notice them, I let out another playful yip and prance away.

Mateus barks loudly as if telling me to get back to business. I stop a few feet away from him, not wanting to make the first move.   

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This is another split up chapter (hence, the awkward(ish) ending). Anyone else distracted by the Olympics lately? And oh my gosh, last night the USA women gymnastics team was absolutely fabulous. (That's why I forgot to post, sorry.) I was glued to the tv the whole time.

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