The Alpha and the Oracle (The Belesone Pack #1)

Chapter 14

Leo sat back in his seat during Math class and watched as two rows in front of him, Milo laughed at something Katarina said.

He didn't like it. It wasn't normal. He didn't know what had changed his opinion of her so quickly, but he most certainly didn't approve. They kept whispering to each other and whenever the teacher turned round, they would be hard at work, as if nothing had happened.

He even noticed the way that Katarina leaned over to Milo's side of the desk and started pointing things out to him. She was helping the Alpha with his class work! The Alpha didn't need help.

Leo was fuming mad at his best friend for acting so crazy stupid over a girl, when their teacher was called away from the room. He made his way over to their table only to notice that Milo was brushing his finger over a spot on Katarina's neck.

"I'm sorry I left my mark on you, little wolf. I didn't mean to be so rough."

He was apologising. The Alpha was apologising to someone as low as Katarina. That broke Leo's patience.

He knelt down at the side of her end of the table and demanded answers. But before he could get the words out, he noticed the mark Milo had been touching. "Milo! Did you give her a hickey?" He asked incredulously. He wasn't aware of how loud his voice was until he noticed that a few people close by were staring and laughing.

Milo didn't even look bothered. "Not yet." He answered smoothly, as if he had no care that everyone was now eavesdropping. "I'm not sure these could be considered love bites. My little wolf was just too scared to stay still." He mused, brushing his fingertip over the marks again thoughtfully.

Leo was shocked and disapproving.

Katarina watched him, delicately running his finger over her bruises. As if his movements soothed her.

"What are you talking about?" Leo moved closer, to keep the conversation private.

"Katie was scared and in her wolf form this morning. She wouldn't leave the safety of her room so my wolf went in and made her." Milo was very serious about what had happened that morning. "I'm afraid my little wolf struggled against me and my teeth left a mark." He confessed. He didn't bother whispering, but he did keep his voice low.

***

The class was full of shifter kids, so Milo didn't have to be careful what he was saying. However, he didn't want anyone making fun of Katarina for her special talents. Or her fear.

"Little wolf, you never did tell me what you were so afraid of." He reminded her suddenly. Katarina looked at Leo and then at Milo and decided it wasn't information fit for gossip. She leaned in and whispered her reply into Milo's ear.

"I was dreaming of running, as someone else. They killed another shifter. I was scared." She confessed, before pulling back and shrugging at him.

Milo wasn't surprised such a thing had scared her. They were too young to have seen war close up and she had never had to see another shifter be killed. He tried to soothe her, by kissing her forehead, but she still looked terrified.

"It wasn't you, Katie. You couldn't harm a fly. You can hunt and catch, but you never kill. You've too gentle a heart for that." Milo wanted her to know that she had nothing to fear. She was not secretly killing other shifters in her sleep. She had seen a battle either past or future, that was all. He had countless real events that he could tell to her, to prove she was incapable of violence. And it seemed his words worked. She looked shy and embarrassed but no longer afraid. He was going to change the subject when Leo asked for an explanation.

"What does that mean?"

"It's none of your business, Beta. This is between me and my mate. Now shoo." He waved his friend away, hoping to get back to discussing his miscalculation in his homework, with Katarina.

Leo got to his feet and stood there, disbelieving. "Did you just...shoo me? Like a common mutt?" He asked in anger.

Milo raised his eyes to look at him and laughed. "No, you twat. I shooed you like an annoying fly. Constantly buzzing around my head." He corrected the assumption and returned his attention to the homework Katarina was helping him double check, before it had to be handed in at the end of class. He really wanted Leo gone.

This homework covered topics he had been forced to rush his way through upon returning to school after his two year absence. He wanted to make sure he hadn't misunderstood or miscalculated anything.

***

Milo was quite aware that Leo was displeased with him. His mood lasted right until the end of the day.

Katarina had gone ahead to deposit her books in her locker, while they set up the gym for their training. His Beta never spoke a word. At least, not until he realised that Katarina was five minutes late. He grumbled about it non-stop, while Milo patiently loosened himself up with some stretches.

He didn't care that Katarina was five minutes late because he knew she would come eventually. If ten minutes passed, he would go to her locker, to make sure she was okay. But other than checking her safety, he didn't care what she was doing.

Ten minutes late, Katarina bounded through the gym doors with a smile. She was changed into a pair of joggers and a sports top with her hair held high off her head.

Milo couldn't help but think that she looked delicious. But as soon as he thought it, Katarina smiled and flushed deeply. He realised he was projecting his thoughts to her again. He shrugged it off. Considering he had said a nice thing, he didn't care that she had heard him.

"Sorry, I had to stop off and pick up my drinks. The receptionist couldn't find the right key." She apologised before stopping in front of them and looking ready to get down to training.

Milo turned and raised an eyebrow at Leo, hoping he would apologise to her, but he didn't. Since he wasn't going to, Milo ignored him. "It gave us time to set up. Now, I never got to ask you earlier, what is your usual training regime?" He asked, trying to keep his eyes up top and not let them drift to her bare stomach, which surprisingly showed some nicely defined abs, or her ample hips or bust. He had to keep his mind clean for their training.

"Well, Monday nights I usually go for a wolf run for an hour, after dinner and I study while I'm on the bike. Then weights and aerobics before bed." Katarina explained, making Milo smile. She seemed to have a nice variety of tasks in her routine.

He wanted to turn and see the look on Leo's face, to have him admit that she wasn't as weak as they all thought, but he didn't bother. The concentrated look on Katarina's face was keeping him occupied.

"Tuesday is for homework. Wednesday Josanna and I usually go to a Zumba class in town and then a family hunt after dinner in the woods. Thursday is homework again and Friday, family movie night. Saturday and Sunday, whatever comes to mind." She recited her schedule to them.

"Oh and that all kind of depends on the upstairs department behaving. If that acts up, my schedule gets tossed around." She admitted to the complication her talents added to her fitness regime. It was difficult to stay mentally and physically fit when her talents drained her most times.

"Which is why your father thought of the drinks?" Milo guessed, making Katarina smile and nod. "Alright then, do we have to be gentle with you?" He wondered, considering she had a God awful night and a vision during school hours. But her ponytail just bobbed as she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm all set." She smiled eagerly.

Milo had a sudden wish to wipe that smile from her face with more than just some tough exercise.

"Easy, Alpha. You're projecting again." She giggled as she gave him a playful push.

Milo was so surprised that he found himself grinning before he even registered her playfulness. So she was reading his dirty thoughts; that was her own fault for snooping. And her little push had given him an idea.

"Boxing. We'll start with stretches and then boxing." He decided.