Call Wolf

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Maria dodged a fatal blow. Her eyes caught the slight movement in her peripheral as some hairs fell to the ground, victim to the blade. She dove to the mat, rolled to the left as a boot clamped down just right of her head. Another aimed for her exposed wrist but she managed to get away there too.
Maria pulled her knees underneath her and, after blindly sending out a surge of fire, staggered to her feet. She threw her hair back.
The fire had caught Kripin slightly off-guard but he was quickly preparing for another attack. He gripped the dagger tighter, his calculating eyes shooting around her body. They lingered on her glowing hands. He seemed to consider attacking once more but then paused and straightened. He threw the dagger to the ground, stretched his fingers and let his eyes narrow at her briefly in a silent threat before smiling.
The circle of younger packmembers surrounding them laughed warily.
"And that is how you use the dagger even when your opponent has otherwordly abilities," Kripin said. "Don't let its size fool you, there will be times when it's all you have at your disposal. Wouldn't you say its quite effective, Maria?"
She shot him a glare.
"Nevermind. Today's lesson is over. Tomorrow you will be the ones practicing your handling so make sure you've found a partner by then."

It wasn't until every youngster had vacated the small cottage that Maria felt it safe to take her eyes off Kripin. Even then it was just to step off the mat.
"I don't see why you had to use me."
"You've been burrowing in Alpha's den for a few days. Now it seems you're staying here indefinitely, and I thought it best you make yourself useful."
He didn't feel completely comfortable turning his back on her either but nevertheless began rolling up the mat.
"Still. You could have told me what we were doing," she growled, rolling her shoulder still aching from his first, rather unanticipated, punch. "I could have hurt you."
"I doubt it."
"I hurt your friend, didn't I?"
He was by her feet at that point. He paused his rolling and scowled up at her.
"Listen, pyro, don't think for a second that I'm afraid of you."
"Then don't expect me to be fine with you pushing me around," she spat back. "I'm not a part of your pack, dog. I don't need your blessing."
Kripin shot to his feet. His face was centimeters from her.
"What did you call me?" he hissed.
"Careful," Maria smirked, feeling power tingle in her fingertips. "You're running pretty hot."
He took in her words. Paused. Then took an adamant step back. Just as he grabbed the mat off the floor, the door flew open between them. Both jumped.
Charles' dark gaze flew over the small space, immediately finding a flushed Maria and tense Kripin growing the distance between them.
"Hi, boss."
"I heard there was a fight."
"Just practice. Harmless," Kripin assured, earning a sharp look from Maria.
Charles nodded towards the far-end wall. They all turned to see a smoking burn mark, burrowing well into the wood.
"That doesn't look very harmless."
Maria and Kripin both refused to meet his gaze.
"Two weeks. That's it. You think you can manage without killing each other?"
"Yes, boss - sorry, boss."
"Sorry, Charles."
A subtle glare from Kripin that Charles thankfully either didn't notice or chose to ignore.
"Good. Maria, you're coming with me to the den. Kripin... clean this up immediately."
An adamant silence.
"Yessir."

"Forgive me, Charles, I didn't mean to start any trouble," Maria said once the door had slammed shut to the alpha's den. It was the first sentence either one had uttered in the walk between the training facilities and Charles' house. She looked down at her hands, followed him into the kitchen.
"You shouldn't have allowed yourself to come in harm's way," Charles said, looking through cupboards instead of her.
"I didn't get hurt. Not too badly."
"You're bleeding," he explained and pulled out a small wooden box from a drawer just above him.
Maria looked down and, to her surprise, Charles had been right. The dagger must've gotten her in the midst of it all and a thin stream of blood was now trickling down her outer thigh.
"Sit."
Without much fuss, Maria hopped up on the wooden counter. Charles positioned himself in front of her and opened the wooden box. Inside was a neat collection of cotton swabs, bandage wraps and a clear liquid bubbling within a small bottle. As if he'd done it a thousand times, Charles took a cotton swab and doused it in the clear liquid before putting the box aside.
He brought up her skirt to reveal the wound.
"I really am sorry," Maria murmured as he pressed the soft material against the cut. "I didn't know we were going to cause such a ruckus."
"Can I give you a word of warning?"
She tried to ignore the sensation of his fingers riding up her skirt further and nodded.
"I don't fully know what we are," he continued. "But I do know we are predators. We're sly and dangerous, some more than others. You shouldn't have allowed yourself to be lured in."
Maria drew a harsh breath as the liquid stung at a particularly deep part of the cut.
"You should never be alone with a predator," he ended, pulling back the cotton and instead taking out the bandage.
"But I'm alone with you."
"Do not for a second mistake me for a common specimen, Maria. I'm one of the strongest of my kind, and yet I can still feel your blood from meters away, calling to me. You're strong, but don't underestimate a hungry carnivore."
Maria sat silent, not sure what to respond, until he bit off a piece of bandage.
"What are you doing with that?" she asked.
"Stopping the bleeding."
"No, it's not necessary."
"Maria, I just told you, you can't go around bleeding here."
"No," she interjected and brought her skirt back up to reveal the wound. "That's not what I meant."
Under Charles' watchful gaze, Maria put her index finger to the cut. Her fingertip heated to the point of almost catching fire and she then pressed it against the severed skin. She ran it down the length of the cut, leaving skin melted shut behind.
By the time she was done there was a clean, if not a bit wobbly, scar left behind. But no blood.
Maria sweated as she let her skirt fall back and said, "See? Just as new."
"How did you learn to do this?"
Her gaze darkened but, as oppose to other times, she seemed to want to talk about her past.
"I had to," she said lowly. "I realized that when I was around seven, after a particularly gruesome converting therapy session."
"Converting therapy?"
"You've seen the scars..."
And it all fell into place.
"They tortured you. Just to try and remove your powers?"
Maria neither confirmed nor denied. Instead she said, "I've been saved from bleeding out a lot of times using this method."
"Maria, I don't--"
"I'm going to go to bed. If that's alright with you."
Not waiting for an answer, she hopped off the counter and gave a weak smile not reaching her eyes before staggering off. Charles watched after her until he heard the door to her room open and close. He then quickly turned around and headed for the hallway.

"Boss? What are you doing here?"
Before Kripin could say anything else, he was thrown back, crashing into his hallway's wall before tumbling to the ground. He quickly got up, ready to fight back, when he saw Charles' livid face in his doorway. They knew very well he couldn't harm his Alpha. With wary eyes, he lowered his fists.
"I don't want you to hurt Maria anymore, Kripin."
"What? Boss--"
"This isn't a request, Kripin. I do not wish to discuss it. Have I made myself clear?"
There were a hundred things he wanted to say but forcedly repressed them. He lowered his head.
"Yessir."
"Good. Tomorrow I do not wish to be disturbed with any news similar to the ones I recieved today, and if I do then you'll be to blame."
"Yessir."
Charles nodded, seemed to want to do more, but then turned back around. He exited the cabin with a roaring heart and let the door slam behind him without another look Kripin's way. His gaze ascended to his den where Maria was probably asleep. She would remain unaware of what he'd done for her. He'd make sure of it.

Or it would just complicate things further.

A/n
Goals, amirite?