Pushing Boundaries Ch. 01

"I don't remember sniffing around the girls you take around that silly contraption of yours."

"Sure you do or you wouldn't have known that I take them on my Suzie," he replied, referring to his Suzuki motorcycle.

Her eyes flared open in curiosity and shock. "You don't really mean take them... like take them do you?"

Alex shrugged and flashed her a charming grin. "Maybe."

"Cassanova."

"Baby."

She threw a pillow at him. "At least I'm not the one who still sleeps with his stuffed panda!"

Alex's eyes widened.

"Now I've got to strangle you to keep my secret safe."

***

Back in Culzean's Castle...

"Grandmama... do we really have to do this?" cringed Naira as she sat in front of Josephine; her back cradled in the ancient Vampire's lap.

"Yes. You're becoming too absorbed with sharpening your attack abilities. I don't like that." Naira knew what her grandmother was referring to. At eighteen, Naira had almost honed her mental offence capabilities to knife points. She had no idea why her grandparents insisted on teacher her 'soft' skills of sensing emotions or interpreting the future. Both were weak and useless in combat.

"You might see your opponent before they attack and you think that's useless?" Draven's voice interrupted her thoughts. The young girl scowled. Somehow her father didn't seem to want to teach her how to put up barriers to protect her mind from being read.

"Serves you right," he said warningly. "I've told you many times not to read others' mind without permission and still you do it."

"Oh baby boy, you know she can't help it," Josephine defended. Draven paled at his mother's words.

"Mother, you're going to spoil her if you don't instil discipline in her." His face was grim when she didn't reply him. "Alright, she's yours for now. Don't stress yourself out. There's still Gabriel to run after," said Draven, referring to the six year old terror of a brother.

After Draven left, Naira lifted her face to stare at her grandmother. She'd always considered her mother the most beautiful of all but her grandmother was second on the list and both of them adored her.

"Are you angry at me?" she asked innocently.

"Of course not baby. But don't you go giving me that puppy face now."

Naira laughed and cuddled close to Josephine's body. Puppy was a reference to her status as a wolf pup within her mother's pack but in truth, Naira couldn't shift; not even to draw claws... and it bruised her ego.

Her mother, Amber, had been trying to figure out the problem; obviously worried why her daughter couldn't shift. It was as if Naira only expressed the Vampiric blood in her genes and while she knew her mother didn't judge her for not being able to shift, she still felt the deep sadness in her soul. Maybe that's why she didn't like picking up on others' emotions. It sucks.

***

Eian was standing with his arms crossed, staring at his daughter sitting on a chair opposite him. He didn't like doing this disciplining but he had no choice... especially when his daughter had just fought off a couple of the twenty-something year old male wolves. Okay... fought was too tame a word for she had throttled them and sent them landing on their ass. Eian sighed.

Keona was only eighteen and she was already being challenged by the older wolves for dominance. He understood their curiosity. They wanted to 'test' this half-breed –oh he knew about the name calling –and rub it in her face that she wasn't able to shift. They weren't aware that by doing so they rubbed humility in his face too. He was the Alpha and if a group of young kids started questioning his genes, he was sure that sooner or later, some of his own Beta wolves might take up the hint and challenge his status.

Not that it was a problem. A good display of dominance was always necessary to adjust to shifts within the pack hierarchy. It just so happened that no one in this pack had shown enough strength to take on an Alpha status... except now.

Eian didn't want to think of himself as supporting nepotism but the fact was clear: Keona carried the scent of a very strong and very dominant female... except that she could never be a wolf... and by default would not earn the absolute trust or loyalty of the other wolves.

As a father, it broke his heart.

"You're supposed to be angry at me Daddy..." his daughter pointed out, in that cool, flat tone of hers. Apparently that was something she inherited from him. Girls were supposed to be bubbly and feisty like Fiona... but then again, Eian didn't think he'd like his baby girl so girly.

"Did you use your abilities?" he asked; knowing that while he was expected to ask the question, it was a great insult to his daughter that he even had to ask.

"I never use my abilities outside the home. You know that. You made up the rules."

Eian's lips thinned to a line. Yes, he made rules... even more stringent ones specially imposed on his daughter and yet she heeded every one of them. He had to be harder on his daughter because he didn't want anyone in the pack to think he favoured one pup over another... but of course, he loved her the most as much as he loved her mother.

Keona smiled –a rare delicacy –and Eian knew he couldn't stay angry with her for long.

"Did you kick their asses good?" he asked, watching her drop her guard and smile even wider as she nodded. Eian smiled back. "Want to spar with me?"

The smile widened into a laugh and Keona leaped off the sofa to jump onto her father.

***

It was much later in the night... or early morning since the clock showed two o'clock that Alex curled himself into bed. It had been a very long day and Marine had exhausted him out yet again on their runs. He wouldn't admit it to her of course but she was getting better and faster.

He snorted and a few seconds later fell into deep slumber.

"RING!!!"

Alex groaned; his hand absentmindedly searching for his phone on his bedside table.

"RING!!!"

"Where the fuck is that damn phone!" he roared; forcing himself to wake up to shut the bloody thing up. Werewolf hearing was so sensitive that even though a volume of 'one' was set on the ringtone, it echoed over and over in his head to the point of bursting.

Stumbling out of his bed, he groped for the jeans that he'd toss carelessly on the floor and found the bane of his existence. His eyes were still blurry as he tried to find the right button to cancel the call when he noticed the number.

"Shit!" he pressed the call retrieve button instead. "Hey Alpha..."

"You don't sound pleased to hear me," said the voice on the other line.

"Uh... it's kinda two in the morning Eian..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Alex... I keep forgetting the time difference. Should I call back?"

Alex stifled a yawn. "No, it's okay."

"Good, 'cause I wasn't planning on calling back." Alex managed not to roll his eyes. "I'd like you to come home and see your family Alex. You've only come home twice over the past four years and you know how dangerous it is not to bond with the pack."

"I have Marine and her family. I bond..." he replied defiantly.

"I mean with actual wolves Alex. But this is not a request. This is an order. At least come home and rub noses before you disappear for another few years."

He reined his wolf's growl and muttered, "Okay. I'll arrange for the flight tomorrow morning."

"Good. Sleep well Alex. I'll see you soon." Then he disconnected.

Alex didn't bother crawling back to bed. He simply passed out on the floor; face down and snored his worries away for the next five hours.

***

1 week later

The grim, rain-bound skies of London greeted Alex the moment he stepped out of Heathrow Airport. He had expected his family to pick him up but to his surprise, he didn't see or scent anyone familiar. He had scanned the entire arrival area for familiar faces but none came up to him to say, "Hey!" or "Welcome home!" Strange.

He debated whether to simply take a cab or call one of his sisters to fetch him. He knew they should be back in the compound now that they've finished their bachelor degrees. Neither Clara nor Mira had plans to further their studies and he knew that they'd rather stay in the pack and start finding their mates soon.

"Women!" he muttered, chuckling to himself. "Ah well, cab it is."

He was walking towards the line of cabs when someone waved a hand directly in front of his face.

"Alex?"

Pushing the hand away, he turned to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator. She was cute but nothing special. Pass.

"Maybe."

Then he continued walking. He had no idea who she was so what's the point of talking to strangers right?

"So maybe Alex, would you like a lift back home or would you rather behave like you have a stick up your arse?"

Geez! Haven't heard that word in a long time.

"Yeah well. Come on. Everyone's waiting at home," she said.

Alex frowned then came closer to sniff at her. Immediately she stiffened.

"This is why we do not let dogs out in public," she warned, clutching the lapels of his coat.

"Oh Naira... come on. You're such a meanie!" he complained but followed after her nevertheless.

"Yeah yeah. Took you so bloody long to recognize me. You walked right past me and acted as though I was part of the wall!"

"Well, you don't look like a skinny lizard anymore so you can't blame me! But I knew I should have stopped when I saw your face. It still has that cross-eyed lizard thingy that looked vaguely familiar... oww!" he winced when she smacked his head.

"Welcome home Alex," she grinned when he growled at her. "Get in. I think they're having a party in your honour."

Alex rolled his eyes and opened the door to the backseat. There was no way he was going to risk anymore bodily harm in the presence of the still skinny but taller and more violent nineteen year old. Naira never paid much heed to the fact that she shouldn't use her abilities and he knew first hand just how lethal she could be when angered.

"How was your A'levels?" he asked a while later.

"Good actually... well, not as good as Keona's but I should be able to get into one of the universities."

"And she?"

Naira shrugged. "You can ask her later. Fiona's in charge of the cookout so Key's there to make sure we don't get poisoned."

Alex caught Naira's eyes in the rear view mirror and grinned. Well... some things never changed.

***

Okay, he was wrong. Some things do change... and he noticed.

Prying his eyes away from the slender girl/woman for the hundredth time that night, Alex tried to focus on what his mother was saying.

"Oh babycakes... I don't want you to stay in the States anymore! I miss you so much. Why don't you do your studies here?" asked Pearl in her most persuasive voice. Alex almost got suckered.

"Mama, I've already received the acceptance letter..."

"Oh pish! You can always transfer! We have Cambridge, Oxford..."

"I love you Mama but excuse me," he said, leaning forward to give her a tight hug before escaping from her grip.

Making sure he stayed close to the shadows, Alex crept his way to the back entrance of his Alpha's house. Since Fiona had insisted on hosting the welcome home party, they had utilized her backyard for a cozy little family gathering. Both she and Eian were busy at the grill at the moment so he knew this was his chance to find his prey.

He could scent her; a scent so heady he was sure she poured a whole bottle of perfume on herself. However Keona wasn't the kind to put herself on display –neither abilities nor emotions and definitely not her sexuality.

He continued following her scent and for a split second almost didn't sense someone coming from behind.

"Why are you looking for me?" she asked in a flat, almost bored tone.

"Who said I was?"

"You kept looking at me the whole night... I suppose you had something you wanted to say to me?" She didn't sound too excited about this.

"Err... nothing."

"I'm in my home," was her simple warning. To an outsider it wouldn't mean a thing but to pack members, it meant that she was fully capable of exercising her abilities because her home was the only place she was allowed free reign.

But Alex wasn't intimidated. If he could handle Naira's bullying, he could handle Keona. The two girls were of the same age and the same mixed parentage so they should have the same strengths and abilities.

"You look... different. I wasn't sure if it was you at first and I wanted to tell you that my wolf likes what it sees."

She raised one eyebrow at him but displayed no emotion –not even a flicker of pleasure at his words. Other female Weres would have been pleased at the compliment... but of course Keona wasn't a Werewolf and her inability to shift into wolf form intrigued everyone.

"If you have nothing else to say, then you should return to your family. I think they're about to leave. Goodnight Alex," she said before turning to go up the stairs.

"Wait!" Alex blurted. Why'd he ask her to wait for? She was staring at him now, with that jaded look in her eyes. "Umm, I'll be here for a couple of days and I know it's your holidays now..."

"Get to the point Alex." It was an order.

Alex heard his wolf huffing in annoyance. Did this gangly creature just tried to boss him around? Alex frowned at his wolf. Gangly? Didn't it just whistled at the sight of her like an hour ago? Stupid animal!

"Actually, I wanted to ask you to go out with me but..." he was raised a wolf; he knew what she was trying to do by giving him an order. It was a dominance test and since she started it, he'll play along. "I'll meet you at your front yard at 8am. Hand-to-hand combat; no wolf, no abilities. If I win, I get to date you for a day."

She smirked, clearly interested now. "And if I win?"

"Then you can torture me to sweet death for the whole week," he said, flashing her his charming smile. "Not that I won't enjoy every minute of it."

She was about to argue when he leaned forward to press his lips against hers; just a peck. It startled her enough that she stepped back in alarm, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

"See you tomorrow morning," he grinned. Two points to Alex.

***

At 7.50am, Alex was already at his Alpha's house. Somehow the news of their 'showdown' had spread for they had a few spectators waiting eagerly for them.

"What is this I hear about you going on a date with my daughter?" asked Eian protectively.

"You did not hear wrong Alpha but you missed out the part where I'd have to knock her off her feet first."

"Oh Alex!" Fiona appeared from the kitchen; her face flustered and worried. "This is ridiculous! You don't have to do this you know. It's not like she gets asked out much..."

"Mummy!" Keona intervened. Alex raised his head up in time to catch a blush on her face. Good. If she can blush that means all is not impossible.

"Good morning contender," he greeted, smiling at her. Alex knew she was trying not to scowl at him. It made him even more eager to draw those rare emotions out of her. Oh he's so going to enjoy this.

"I'll wait for you outside," she said tonelessly but not before flicking a trembling gaze at her father.

Eian simply shook his head and ushered her out, leaving Fiona and Alex alone in the living room.

"Don't you hurt my baby!" she warned before letting out a long sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if she should have been born a boy instead. And that Eian! Always encouraging her to be so... manly! I can take stubborn and bitchy but not this... argh!"

"I won't hurt her... I promise," said Alex, drawing Fiona in for a hug. "Wish me luck!"

Then he jogged out to the front yard.

Keona had taken off her baggy sweatshirt and was dressed in one of those tight lycra t-shirts and just ordinary shorts. He'd seen her wear these many times but somehow now that she had curves filling out the loose material it was distracting him. She looked so small and feminine...

In contrast, Alex wasn't beefy. In fact he didn't go to the gym much and the only exercise he had was running in the forests. But he knew he was much bigger than her. So? He's not giving baby punches.

"Okay kids. Three rounds. Two out of three wins is the winner. Mortal combat only –that goes for you too Alex. Keona won't use her abilities."

Alex nodded. Taking his place opposite Keona, he took his stance and waited...

"3, 2, 1... fight!"

Alex didn't hesitate. His right fist came swooping down, intending to block her first punch... except that a blink of an eye later, he was on his ass.

"What the?" he stared up at her face. She freaking did an Uchi Mata on him! Basically what she did was to use his own force of energy to 'swing' him downwards; using her inner thigh to kick him off balance and pin him down. Damn!

Alex scrambled to his feet and saw Eian's beaming face. "My baby wins this round," he smiled.

"Ok. You've improved. I'll just have to up my game now," he muttered under his breath.

The second round was intense. The two of them remained in a low stance position, simply circling each other, waiting for the other to deliver the first strike. Alex didn't trust himself this time so he waited.

Her leg moved so fast that he barely caught a blur of her toe missing his neck and thanked god that he jumped backwards in time to evade her kick. It was a good move. Basic but she upped it by moving just that one kick close to 40mph. In other words, if he got hit, his vocal chords might have ruptured.

"So you're a kicker huh? But not good enough." he whispered; barely audible to taunt her.

Her eyes flared upon hearing it and as expected, she charged at him with another kick... but he was ready for her. She shouldn't have used the same leg twice, he mused. Silly mistake. The moment her right leg moved, he came at her, pressing his left arm on her right shin to grab the leg before it could execute its kick. Then he used his own left leg to kick her only remaining leg on the ground; effectively destabilizing her and knocking her flat on her back.

She screamed.

It wasn't pain but pure anger. Alex smiled. So she kicks and screams. Sexy.

Eian however wasn't looking too happy when he rounded them up for the last round. But Alex had a feeling that the Alpha was trying his best to be fair. He managed a grin towards him before returning his gaze to his beautifully angered opponent.

"Fight!" Eian's voice echoed between them for this time, neither Alex nor Keona moved; simply staring at each other in concentration... as though trying to read each other. Alex knew she could read him –and she could but would she? –no, she would never. Since young, they'd been paired up (why?) but she never used anything but her own human force to win or lose a match.

Damn damn him! Thinks he's so sexy and suave. I'll kick his balls I swear I'll kick it so hard...

"Keona?" Alex was stunned. He cannot read minds... and definitely not her mind. "Umm... I'd like to keep my balls safe please."

He didn't give her time to react; striking a low kick that landed his heel directly against her abdomen. She was thrown back a little but still on her feet... and she was angry. Alex wasn't sure if she was angry at the fact that he had caught her off guard or that he had heard her thoughts. Probably both, he mused.

Alex couldn't help it. He grinned. The first lesson in combat training was not to feel anything for your opponent –no pity, no concern and definitely no anger. Anger would work against yourself... like now. It's sambo-time.

Sambo stands for some complicated Russian word that Alex could not pronounce but he knew the technique well. He learnt it in the illegal street-fight tournaments his friends dragged him to. Oops.