Chapter 130

130 Chapter One Hundred Thirty

Fortunately for Katie, the rest of the night went uneventfully and the couple slept peacefully. Katie considered this fortunate when she woke up without the urge to kill Crysta that morning. It was a refreshing feeling. Letting go of the anger from that incident had proved impossible the night before and she’d gone quiet just to conceal it. It wasn’t like there was much she had to say anyway.

“It’s five in the morning and you’re awake already?” Cole groaned when he felt her roll out of the bed.

“Says the man that’s awake at the same exact time,” she countered, rolling back so that she faced him.

“Well, I have to make sure to put Caden through hell in today’s pack training. Waking up at this time is just a small price to pay for that,” he answered.

“I don’t even know what to say right now. You woke up this early for revenge... on your best friend... after losing a game of pool where he was drunk... the last part is quite embarrassing though,” Katie giggled.

“That is not helping. I would have thought you’d be trying to save him from his torment,” Cole tried, pulling the girl closer to him, a mistake that he realised later. His wolf surged forward and tried to seize control of him.

“Umm Cole, am I imagining things or does something happen to you every time we hug?” Katie asked, after noticing the silence that took over them. Every time he embraced her, she would feel him go tense and he’d go silent. His scent got stronger as well and she’d notice how hard it was for him to let go of her.

“I do remember you asking for some time before we got to that,” Cole explained, “Even though it gets harder to watch you walk around without my mark on your neck.”

Fear coursed through Katie’s body chilling her to the bone at the mention of being marked. She’d only heard rumours about how werewolves bit their mates to signify that they’d been claimed by another. It was something they took pride in, but at the time, all she saw was a painful barbaric practise that wasn’t even logical to her. At the time, she was human, but now...

.....

“Cole...” she whispered into his ear, forgetting everything she’d learnt in hunter training. Cole wasn’t a random wolf that she could beat up at the slightest sign of trouble. This was Cole... the last person that would ever want to hurt her. The same person that was able to save her from her comma when she nearly died a week ago.

“I can hold my wolf back, but there is a limit to how many times I can deny him the opportunity of marking you. You must make up your mind about this soon, Katie. Receiving a mark is nearly painless when there is consent. If I lose control and mark you against your will...”

“What makes you think you can... Why wouldn’t I fight back?” Katie’s voice had never sounded smaller. It was like the Prometheus gifts that made her powerful simply refused to intervene...

Cole placed a kiss on the girl’s neck and marvelled at the effect it had on the girl sending shivers through her entire body, “Do you still think you’d fight back?”

“Would you really lose control of your wolf if I take long to accept your mark?” Katie asked.

“I honestly don’t know... I’ve heard of werewolves losing control and doing things I would never dream of doing to you. I don’t think I would let my wolf stoop to a level that low,” he explained to her, however, the more he took in her scent, the more he realised just how hard it was to keep his word, “How ironic?”

“What’s ironic?”

“I can’t be affected by poisons and drugs... and yet, your scent has an overwhelming effect on me,” he replied. His wolf began to calm down and retreat having confirmed the difficulty level of the task at hand. Katie felt the man’s hands finally relax around her and she was able to relax as well.

‘You better let him do it soon. I know it’s scary, but we can’t put him through all that,’ Ashley piped in, smitten by the man who had his arms wrapped around them.

“Cole, you said something about pack training,” Katie asked all of a sudden, pulling away from their hug to look him in the eye.

“Oh yeah, that. It’s common for all packs. The able males and females are trained in combat and everything else required to keep them capable of protecting the pack from a variety of enemies,” he explained.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? You have your whole revenge thing going on and I have to find Sandra and get the results of the drug you drank yesterday,” with that, she broke out of their embrace and began to prepare for a morning training session.

Cole sighed, craving the warmth of her near him, but unable to complain about it, “I might just let Caden off the hook. I’m interested in challenging Drake once again. He says he’s gotten a lot better since the last time we trained,” Cole mused, trying to formulate a plan for the morning.

...................

The morning was cold and refreshing against the hunter’s skin. Sandra’s parents weren’t kidding when they said the place was cold this time of the day. She’d found the junior hunter’s room and woken her friend up for training. Like her mentor, she was responsible for all her training and she’d been slacking off in her duties.

Sandra rubbed her palms against her bare arms in an effort to generate some kind of heat. Katie had insisted they train with less clothing so that the girl would get used to the cold, but Sandra held underlying suspicions that the girl had ulterior motives. They finally walked out of the palace and into the backyard, which had already been cleared. Werewolves were scattered about the place in small clusters, all dressed in similar outfits.

“You made it. I thought Sandra woke up as early as you,” Cole called out to them while he jogged up to them, his two ‘henchmen’ in tow.

“I’m human, Cole. Do not compare me to your monstrous girlfriend,” Sandra barked at him, wiping her eyes once more, “I should be fine after a few minutes of jogging.”

“You’re still an exceptional human,” Jason spoke up, placing a kiss at the back of Sandra’s hand, with a smirk on his face.

“Good morning, Jason,” Sandra replied, “Caden, what’s wrong with you?”

Caden rubbed his forehead and grimaced in pain, “Just a terrible headache. Nothing a few painkillers won’t be able to fix. That’s if I don’t heal by the time we reach the training grounds.”

“Training grounds?” Katie asked.

“Yeah, that’s where we are headed. I hope you can keep up big sister,” a new voice joined them. Lina walked up to them dressed in a baggy tracksuit. Her face beamed when she realised she would have to run with her sister.

“No, no, no... She just started walking again. You are not going to push her to your insane speeds so early,” Cole complained, stepping in between the two of them.

“I agree with Cole. Little sister, take it easy on your Monstrous Sister for a bit. When we are sure that she’s fine, we’ll let you race with her,” Drake pitched in.

“Did you just call me...”

“Still working on it... I’ll soon find the right title for you. Until that time comes, you will have to endure the choices I’ve drawn up. Isn’t that fine, Murderous Sister?”

“Lead the way, Cole. I am not having this conversation,” Katie screamed, pushing the alpha to start jogging out of there. The rest laughed at her before falling in line. Lina groaned when she realised just how slow they were going and decided to run ahead. Katie couldn’t help but overhear her mumbling complaints, ‘First, they dress me like a dead body in a body bag, then they stop me from having fun with my big sister... What more will they stop me from doing?’

After a while, they’d split into two after Caden challenged Jason to a race. “Lina is treated like Daddy’s little girl,” Katie couldn’t help, but point out.

“Oh yeah... Father would never let anything happen to her. She used to hate it until Mother told her the story of your disappearance eighteen years ago. When Mother and Father were blessed with another daughter, Father vowed against failing her the way he feels he failed you,” Drake explained.

“But he didn’t...”

“We’ve tried to convince him otherwise, but there is nothing that can be done about it. He loves his daughter too much,” Drake cut her off.

Katie almost let the thoughts get to her before something else hit her mind, “Hey Sandra, what did you find out yesterday? I heard you went all the way to the Hunter’s Agency. I appreciate that. Now, what did you find out?”

“Oh, is the cripple trying to join us in training as well... That’s going to be interesting,” a feminine voice pitched in before Sandra could answer her. The hunter looked up into the early morning sky... ‘Are you up there, Celeste? Forgive me if I end up dismembering one of you werewolves...’

‘I don’t think prayers work like that... You know what... Never mind,’ Ashley sighed upon hearing the girl’s utterly ridiculous silent prayer.

.............

Celeste, on the other hand, was having a fit of laughter when the prayer reached her. Seth sighed heavily at the oddly phrased prayer...