Malika (#Short, Incomplete)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Her hair is noticeably dark, the black glossy locks pooling over her shoulders, the skin lush with a warm brown, deep in colour and darkly tanned, smooth for the most part. Scars settle deep into the surface, deep and thin, now emanating a slightly darker brown shade, remnants of battles won. A few peek out from the thin white tee she had been dressed in, crawling down her arms. It's nothing compared to her back though, which was practically deteriorated, no longer the same.

What catches Ezekiel's eye, isn't the abnormally dark freckles that paint her features, bridging into her nose, mirroring particulates of onyx; it's not how her brows are arched, furrowed even in deep sleep; it's not even the curve of her full pink-toned lips and thick lashes. It's the sole jagged scar that dips from the curve of her chin, all the way to the centre of her chest.

The other scars were old, thin and almost clean in a sense – like they'd been clawed or struck down in war. They healed not long ago, settling almost beautifully into her. This one was different, thicker in girth and width, jagged and rough. It's inflamed even after it's cause had been long ago, body never healing from this particular type of hurt. It makes the male uneasy.

It were these types of scars that also ruined her back, made from pure utter hatred. Another is lashed on her face, cutting through the left side through her eye. He dimly wondered what sort of sheath had struck her throat, how she would survive such a strike and how many times the wound had been reopened.

His eyes then fall to the red patches of skin in distinctive areas of her body, randomly placed. The skin is burnt, not having healed yet. He tilts his head in questioning.

The wolf is curious, more than he should be.

It was the next morning, almost delving near noon. The events of last night were a fever dream, the beta barely remembering any of it. The juvenile and this female had both been rushed to hospital wards. The juvenile was still held, his wounds needing healing, but overall doing well and far from the verge of death. He'd survived and was stable, doing well, surrounded by family and encouraged to rest.

Adir had currently gone to check on him with Akila.

The female was a mystery though.

Even now as Ezekiel's wolf takes too much interest in her, his brows furrow in thought.

She'd turned up out of the blue, and of all places their pack, their homelands. She had allegedly saved the juvenile, Mason, though Adir yet had to confirm the events of last night. She had no scent to her either, leaving open questions about what exactly she was, alongside the how and the who.

A sigh comes from him.

The female was still in a comatose state for reasons that were unknown, baffling even the highest of healers. She had no wounds, no internal bleeding – physically she was okay. But she hadn't roused from unconsciousness even after being hydrated and warmed. So, the hospital decided it was a thing of the mind, and she'd wake when she would be ready. They sent her out, needing to keep their beds free.

Adir had her taken to a guest room in the palace, where Ezekiel had stopped by.

He didn"t know why he was here, but the wolf within him was bugging him a little, wanting to see the female who stirred up all sorts of questions.

The male should have left long ago, but got distracted.

It's been several minutes since Faiza's been at the threshold of the door behind him, watching his eyes brush over the female on the bed, features curious and wide-eyed. The male is obviously intrigued by her, perhaps even drawn.

Faiza clears her throat, startling the beta male who immediately retracts from the bed, hands coming up to the nape of his neck. Her eyes narrow at him.

"Is she-?" her head tilts, red hair spilling over her pale skin. The male is clearly embarrassed from this incident, and with a few flustered coughs he shakes his head.

Faiza only looks at him curiously; his features were unsure.

He pauses, deep in thought, before shaking his head with more confidence.

"No," he tells her, his voice low and heavy.

The wolf within him was speaking the truth. The mate bond was a match that lit a flame – he had no fire dancing within him, his soul hadn't reached out to this female. They were not destined to be together.

It seems this fact hasn't yet registered within the wolf residing in him, who was still all too keen to get to know this female. He had placed it on simple curiosity, but the wolf within wasn't acting as a male protecting his wolves from an unknown potential threat, but rather a puppy. His ears had flattened, form laying with his tail wagging out, eyes doe-like and obedient.

Before Faiza could ask further on the questionable actions the male was conducting, she's disrupted by Adir and Akila making an appearance. She enters further into the room, letting the gamma close the door and give them some privacy.

No one really notices, but the witch watches the beta"s body move naturally back to the bed. Her eyes narrow further, lips pursing, even as Adir sweeps her to him. She tunes into the conversation the King and gamma have.

"-she"s going to be moved to a more secure location, where we can question her," Adir finishes his statement. The gamma hugs her belly, features disagreeing with his plan.

"Mason said clearly that this female was responsible for saving his life. He said that earnestly, and I choose to trust him. We should be treating her like a saviour, not a threat," Akila is persistent. Adir shakes his head.

A King looked at everything.

"The boy was dishevelled with the events, with several black spots in his memory, therefore rendering his version unreliable. We don"t know anything about this female, nor exactly what happened," Adir explains, tone reasonable.

"She's a threat in this instant. She was there with Mason, with the attack. She could"ve potentially been involved. We're not to trust her just yet, let alone deem her hero," the conversation is final.

Faiza watches the beta tentatively move a lock of hair from the forehead of the female in question.

"I trust Mason's perspective. You should trust him too," Akila is determined. Her eyes are stern with Adir, who loosens up slightly. Before he can say something, Faiza uses her elbow hard to nudge his side.

He looks at the witch, who juts her chin to the other side of the room. All eyes fall on the beta, whose eyes can't move from the female, wolf almost lulled in this moment. His body is relaxed, drifting. Questions arise from the wolves.

"They aren't mates," Faiza mutters, clearing the confusion.

Her head has thoughts spinning. Adir knows the look on her face too well, features curving fondly, a kiss to the top of her head.

"What is my little witch theorising?" she only gives him a sultry wink.

"I think she's siphoning him," the statement catches even the beta's attention, finally pulled from the trance and nearing them.

Siphoning was something used to explain the transfer of energy between two individuals, hence sharing strength, lending energy and power. It is exclusive to those who held magic in their bones, only two species in both realms being able to do so – the Witches and the Fallen.

But just because they had the capacity to do so, doesn't mean they always could. Siphon bonds were extremely rare, the Moon gifting them to those she favours alone. You couldn't chose who you siphoned, and you only ever could siphon one person alone.

The siphoning bond is not a substitute for the mate bond. It only supplies the abillity to transfer energy, and evolutionary was only for survival purposes. It means practically nothing in day-day ordeals, though was extremely advantageous in battle/war. It merely enhances capabilities between two individuals, nothing more, nothing less.

The siphon bond only bore a mere millionth of what the mate bond offered. Though, the two normally went hand in hand – you only ever siphon with your mate. But, in extremely rare cases, especially in times of need or when an individual was on the verge of death, a siphon bond could form outside of the mate bond.

"That's impossible. They aren't the same species, and of all people, why Zeke?" Adir questions, authority ringing in his voice.

"It's just a theory, calm down. No, they aren't the same species – I'm not sure, maybe the Moon was giving her mercy. Individuals with a siphon bond hold close sentiment, especially when the other is in need of dire healing. It draws them together, like a soft light, as opposed to the fire that the mate bond brings. Zeke hasn't taken his eyes off of her at all, much less step away from her, so it made me wonder. They aren't mates, so it could be the siphon bond drawing him to her so she can heal," Faiza murmurs.

"And why Zeke? Well, hypothetically if she's really weak and without much magic left in her – too weak to lift herself out of consciousness like when we found her – she could"ve potentially latched to any nearby source of power that resonated and aligned with her own, and one the Moon allowed. Zeke was one of the first people she came in contact with – at least physically. He's a whole beta, perfect for juicing some energy," Faiza explains her thoughts.

"Suggesting this is true – which it isn't, it's fucking impossible – it'll mean she's most likely a Fallen. Faiza would recognise a fellow witch," Adir states and Faiza nods.

"How does it work? The siphoning aspect?" the beta speaks, green eyes dark.

"Well, it happens naturally. It might be why you're feeling all cosy and relaxed, lulled even. Your strength might be going to her, your energy building her up. It's done within the mere presence of you being near each other. You could also actively conduct it, but that takes a lot more out of you, and isn't normally recommended unless you really need to," the witch trails with cunning features.

"But?" Ezekiel rolls his eyes.

"You can try and actively siphon her for a little bit. That way we could test my theory, and if it's correct, at least you know what she is. It also might help her stop being-," Faiza waves a hand over her.

"Like this," the redhead finishes.

The beta stops to think for a moment, eyes clashing with Adir, whose features tell him it was his call. The beta nods in agreement a moment later, the news baffling him.

"How do I do it?" he asks.

"It's quite simple. Hold her hand. You focus it with the sheer willpower of your mind. If there is a siphon bond, you'll know it's working," she shrugs.

The beta turns back to the bed, his fingers gentle as they cusp hers. The other three watch in anticipation. Ezekiel's eyes close in concentration, letting himself and his wolf fall to the soft drowsiness enveloping him, nearing the light. The front of his brows converge together, jaw locking hard, muscles in his arms contracting hard enough to the point where the veins begin to show.

An orange hue emanates from their hands, their point of skin contact, physically showing the energy flow.

"I'm a fucking genius," Faiza flips her hair, before heading towards the beta and preventing him from anymore active siphoning, before he harmed himself. He feels a little lightheaded, form stumbling away from her.

"Okay, so she's a Fallen. Now what?" Akila directs their conversation the more important matter at hand. They could contemplate how the impossible happened later.

"I can get in contact with the Fallen King, let him know of her presence here," Adir suggests, but Faiza's expression tells him otherwise.

"Are you both forgetting the miracle that just happened? You want to send a fallen back, when she's siphoned with a wolf? That might not go down that well, considering it's pretty unnatural and we have no information," Faiza comments, pausing briefly.

"I don't want to be mean right now, but she's also a fucking vegetable. She was weak enough to have to siphon in order to survive, you think she'll be able to cross realms?" raising her brow. Her words ring sense into them.

"Anyways, she's siphoned to Zeke now. She'll be useful. They'll both grow in skills and power once they work together. This might be a good thing," Adir isn't focused on the abillity of what this would do for Zeke.

"We know what she is, we don't know how she got here, nor her intentions. Am I meant to welcome a potential threat with open arms?" raising a steady brow.

"All the more reason to keep her here. You'll get those answers," the witch inputs.

"I don't think she's a threat. If she was weak to the point she needed to siphon, she could"ve potentially mustered all of her power saving Mason in the first place, which is how we got here - lower realm creatures are known to be practically human here. She saved Mason Adir. One of our own wolves. She is now one of us," Akila also suggests something very possible.

The wolf in Adir falters, the gamma's words seeming likely.

"Okay. She can remain here under protection for now, until we know more about her, and until I get answers from Mason," he gives in. Akila smiles happily.

"In the meantime, this all stays between us. The female siphoning to Zeke, the fact that she's a fallen and that she's utilised her powers beyond the realm - supposedly. It's to be mentioned to no one, both within and out of the Kingdom. This is something that could be seen as unnatural, as a resolute to gaining more power and ruining balance, and other Kingdoms may not like it. I don't want something like the Hunt of the Twelve occurring again. Until we know more, proceed with caution and keep it to yourselves," he finalises.

"I'm good at keeping secrets," it's another wink from Faiza to the King, whose lips curve into a smirk.

They would have discussed more, if they hadn't noticed dark, murky blue eyes staring at them defensively from under the covers.