Makara Ch. 02

I felt the urge to reach out and touch him. I kept my hands firmly at my side, this time without the underlying feeling of fear.

"Now I think we both know that the only thing keeping your legs closed is your will power. Your body craves me. Am I right?"

"Yes." I admitted, the need for release building, making his statement all the more obvious.

"I will try to seduce you. You can refuse me, if that is your choice. Or you could tell me to stop if you don't think you're strong enough to resist."

"And what will you do with me in the meantime? Between seduction attempts, I mean." I questioned, hoping to distract myself from how easy it would be to say yes to him.

"I actually haven't decided that yet." He stepped back, moving towards the living room. I quickly followed him through the archway. "For now, Cade will show you around, he'll get an idea of your skills and whether you're trustworthy or not. You are, afterall, technically a stranger."

I considered arguing. I didn't need a babysitter. But once I thought about it, I realized it made sense. Silas had no real way of knowing if I had any hostilities toward his pack, except for my word and what good would that be if I was only here to cause problems.

"Wait for breakfast. They should be bringing something anytime now. Afterwards, stay here until Cade comes to get you."

With that, Silas disappeared into his bedroom.

I looked around the room, hoping to find something to occupy my time. I didn't have long to look as I heard a gentle knock on the door. I moved to open it but it swung into the room before I reached it.

A women stepped in carrying a tray with various dishes and plates. She was older than me but still relatively young. Almost immediately her head snapped up to me and what had been a friendly smile shifted to an angry scowl.

My ears rang as the tray clattered to the floor, distracting me as the woman pounced towards me, catching me off guard. I felt my lip split as her fist made contact, and the shooting pain in my head as it hit the floor.

Instinctively, I raised my foot, catching her in the chest and using her own momentum to send her flying past me. I quickly got to my feet, knowing that I was vulnerable in my current position. I waited as she mirrored my stance.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked her, trying to figure out why she would attack me.

"Fighting the bitch who hasn't figured out it's a bad idea to trespass."

She launched herself at me. Pivoting, I landed a punch to her ribs. Not at all deterred from her attack, I caught her elbow as she attempted to drive it into my stomach, and pulled her arm behind her back, knowing it was twisting painfully.

"I'm not trespassing. I'm a guest here." I felt the blood seeping from my split lip.

I pushed her forward, away from me. I didn't want to fight her, but I would, if she insisted.

She scoffed and darted towards me again, throwing jabs in quick succession, hoping to overwhelm me. I met them shot for shot, using my forearms to redirect her assault. I allowed her to land a punch to my stomach, tensing my abs to prepare for the impact and seizing the opportunity for a quick uppercut of my own.

She grunted as I made contact but didn't step back. She moved to strike me from the side. Grabbing both of her shoulders to fend off the attack, I hooked my foot around hers and jerked as hard as I could, sending her face first into the ground. I put all my weight on her back with my knees, keeping her arms pinned underneath her.

"If you're going to wrestle, I'd really prefer if you did it naked." Silas' voice interrupted our struggle.

I looked over to him as he walked towards us, now fully clothed.

"Makara, if you would be so kind as to let Emery up."

Cautiously, I raised out of my kneeling position and wiped the blood away from my lip.

"Emery. Do you know who this is?"

"Yes. Everybody knows Rune, and his family."

"Why would you attack her?"

"I thought she was here to hurt you."

"And why couldn't you defeat her?"

"She's an Alpha's daughter, sir. I didn't have much of a chance from the beginning."

"Exactly. Her werewolf blood is more potent than yours, even unshifted as she is." Her eyes shot to me as he spoke, as if she didn't believe what he said. "That, combined with years of advanced training has, no doubt, made her far more skilled than you. This is not an insult, Emery," he added as she cast her gaze to the floor. "You are very good at many things, just not fighting. I admire your initiative, but if Makara had been an intruder, she most certainly would have killed you, and then been free to carry out whatever nefarious plan she cooked up."

"Of course, Alpha. Next time I shall notify somebody who's more equipped for the challenge."

If he noticed the sarcasm in her tone, he didn't mention it.

"That's a good plan. Now clean this up." He motioned to the scattered breakfast and quickly slipped out the door without another word.

Emery began to pick up the fallen items, starting with the serving tray. Following behind her, I reached for a shallow bowl, gathering the fruit it had contained. I knew Silas' order hadn't been directed towards me, but I felt compelled to help. Emery had thought she was doing her duty by protecting her Alpha, it wasn't her fault she's not a match for me.

We worked in silence for a few moments.

"Hey!" I shouted as the bowl was slapped from my hands.

"I don't want your help."

"Why not?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"I don't care if you are an Alpha's daughter. You don't belong here. You think just because I can't beat you in a fight, that somehow means you're better than me. But there are other ways to win around here."

"What?" I asked, half to myself, confused by her hostility towards me. Sure, I had won our fight, but she was the one who attacked me. I didn't hold a grudge against her, I knew why she had done it, so why would she hold a grudge against me?

"Just don't get in my way."

"Right," I responded, as if I somehow knew what she was talking about.

"Let's go." Cade appeared in the doorway as he spoke. Once again, I cursed my unshifted senses as I hadn't noticed him walk up.

"Hi, Cade!" Emery stood, her excitement evident in her voice.

Now I understood.

"Emery." Cade nodded towards her. "Makara," He said, in less of a greeting than an impatient prompt.

Scrambling to my feet, I snatched a banana from the ground. I turned to see Emery's pointed glare as I met Cade at the door, flashing her a smug smile in response. If she was going to be petty, then so would I.

Not particularly interested in our display, Cade was already halfway down the hall by the time I closed the door.

Running, I finally caught up to him at the elevator.

"Cade, wait." He turned to look at me impatiently. "Silas said you were supposed to show me around. We just passed like three hallways and the only one we went down is the one for the elevator, which I already know. What kind of tour is this?"

Now that he was facing me, I could tell how much he looked like his father. He was definitely Silas' son. He had the same chiseled features and hard muscles bulging from underneath his shirt, but there was something softer about Cade's expression.

Sighing, he motioned behind me.

"Silas has half the floor, I'm sure he's given you a tour of his suite." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter, he can show you later. The other half of the floor is individual rooms for important guests."

"Important guests like other Alphas and vampire clan leaders who might be here for a committee meeting?" I knew that Silas was hosting the upcoming meeting, but I wasn't very keen to sleep a few doors down from Rodan. I hoped Cade was referring to some other important guests.

"Right," Cade said, dashing any hope that I had.

He pressed a button to call the elevator. It arrived almost immediately. I followed quickly behind Cade as he got on and selected a floor. With a gentle lurch, we started our descent.

"So what's on the other floors?" I questioned, trying to distract myself from sharing a floor with my brother.

"The first floor is filled mostly with conference rooms, except for a large ballroom where we host parties. The second floor has the kitchen, the gym and the pool."

"There's a pool?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes. Don't interrupt. There was a second ballroom in the basement that we converted to a training facility, and we use the courtyard for an outdoor sparring area as well. The rest of the basement is mechanical stuff, laundry and the like."

"And on all the floors in between?"

"Suites and rooms of varying sizes. Most of the unmated wolves stay in the hotel."

"What about the mated wolves?"

The elevator slowed and pinged, the doors sliding open. A quick look at the illuminated floor told me we were in the basement.

"The mated pairs usually build or inherit a house in the village just down the road. Their children stay with them until they shift and then they move into the hotel. The pups learn to be independent and are free of the watchful eyes of their parents as they try to find their mate."

As he spoke, I followed Cade down a hallway that lacked all of the elegant decor of the floors above.

"So you're not going to take me to any of these places, are you?"

"Just one."

Various grunts, yells and growls rang out as Cade swung open a rather plain looking door. The room was sectioned by padded mats that covered the floor, leaving space only for the walkways between sparring areas. The back wall had a row of punching bags and there was a fridge tucked away in the corner. If it was anything like the training room back at the estate, I knew it would contain only water.

He waved me into the room impatiently.

"That's great, Cade. I now know where everything is, while simultaneously not having a clue where anything is. Very informative tour."

"You're a big girl, Makara, I'm sure you can figure it out." Cade moved toward a group of male wolves near the back of the room. "My father asked me to bring you here to see how you fight, so why don't you go take out your pint sized aggression on a punching bag."

Stunned by his comment, I froze, looking over to the punching bags.

"I don't think so." Turning back to him, I realized he had kept walking. I jogged to catch up with him. "Cade, why can't I spar with you guys?"

"You want to spar with over two hundred pounds of werewolf muscle?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Why not?"

"What would I tell my father if you got hurt?"

"We're sparring, not fighting to the death. I'll be fine, I can handle myself."

"This isn't like fighting Emery, Makara."

I was surprised by his deduction. There was no way he had seen our fight.

"I know you fought her, and I know you won," he said in answer to my startled look. "You have a split lip, but she has a broken nose. And she was favoring her right arm, which I assume means you had it wrenched behind her back at some point, whereas you don't seem to have any other injuries."

"Well, there you go," I stated smugly.

"Emery is not a fighter. These wolves are the best we have, at least from our generation."

"I am an Alpha's daughter, the same as you are an Alpha's son."

He stared at me silently for a long moment.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." He continued towards the group of males. "Bash, you're sparring with Makara. Everyone else, pair off."

Bash pointed to himself, eyes wide. Cade ignored him and Bash made his way into the center of the mat, the rest of the group finding their own areas.

Realizing Cade wanted me to fight right away, I quickly peeled my banana and shoved a bite in my mouth, placing the rest on a nearby bench. I hadn't had a chance for breakfast, I was starving.

"No fair, she's trying to distract me by seductively eating a banana."

Bash laughed as I tried to ask him what was so seductive about it, the mass of banana distorting my words.

"Stances," Cade said, once again, ignoring Bash. I choked down the banana and joined Bash on the mat. I took up my stance. Across from me, Bash did the same. "Whenever you're ready."

We watched each other for a moment, and Bash let me make the first move. I lunged forward with a kick, aiming at the leg closest to me. He crouched down so my foot glanced harmlessly off his meaty thigh.

Attempting to keep my balance, I allowed myself to slide to the ground, bringing all my weight to my left leg and swinging my right leg around to sweep him.

Realizing what I was doing he stepped over me, but he was too slow. I caught one leg, bringing him down to one knee.

Twisting, he grabbed my arm as I threw a punch to his ribs, tossing me across the mat.

I ran at him again, this time aiming high as I launched the heel of my hand square into his chest. He grunted as I made contact, and stumbled back a few steps.

Before I could make another move, Cade interrupted us.

"Stop."

I returned to my side of the mat triumphantly. Sure, I had been tossed, but he hadn't managed to land any other hits.

"Bash, why are you holding back?"

I looked to Bash incredulously as he scratched at the back of his head.

"She's just so itty bitty."

"Hey!" I protested, but they paid no attention to me.

"She insisted. She knows what she got herself into."

"Does she though?" Bash started. "I mean, she made that decision having never seen us fight."

"I'll have you both know that I was at the top of my class, and I regularly sparred with my teachers," I challenged them, not appreciating the belittlement. "What makes you think I can't handle myself?"

"The fact that you say things like 'the top of my class.' This isn't a classroom, Makara," Cade shot back at me.

I was getting ready to give him a piece of my mind when Bash interrupted.

"Okay, listen, after we got back last night, Uncle Silas may have told us about Rune always babying you, and what happened with Rodan and the Alpha title."

I hadn't realized that Silas was his uncle, or that Silas had such a loose tongue. I hid my surprise well. There were more important things to discuss at the moment, I would get back to that.

Cade threw him a scolding look, but stayed silent during our exchange.

"So?"

"So, if he was babying you, why would he want you to train?"

"That's what's expected of an Alpha offspring. He was keeping up images."

"Right, but if it was just for the appearance, then why would he bother letting you get good? In fact, you said he didn't hesitate to declare Rodan the new Alpha after the challenge went sideways. What if he wanted Rodan to succeed him all along?"

I thought about what he was saying, trying to piece it all together.

"So you think that he would have stunted my training so that Rodan would win the challenge even if I hadn't forfeited? That they planned it this way from the beginning so that I would stay a helpless little girl, rather than leader of the pack."

I balled my hands into fists. Somehow, I knew he was right. My father never wanted me to lead. He had more control over my life than even I knew.

"I don't know for sure, but think about it, did you ever spar with Rodan?"

I shook my head, prying my jaw from the clenched position my anger had put it in.

"My father said it was unseemly for siblings to fight, even for training."

"That's weird, isn't it? I mean, Cade and I grew up together, I consider him my brother and we spar all the time. He doesn't want the two of you to fight, but he had no problem with Rodan challenging you for Alpha?"

"The only reason to keep you from sparring with Rodan," Cade offered. "Is to keep you from learning about the gap in your training."

"So that's why Silas wants to assess me?" I directed my attention to Cade

"Basically. Being the child of an Alpha, you will likely be an inherently better fighter than most others, he says it's a waste to let you believe you're at the top of your game when you're not."

"It's not like I'm completely useless in a fight." I was angry, but my pride was wounded as well.

"Bash wasn't supposed to say anything," Cade shot him another glare. "We weren't going to mention it until we knew for sure."

"Hit me." I turned back to Bash, lifting onto the balls of my feet and preparing for an attack.

"What? No!" Bash's eyes widened and he took a step away from me.

"I need to know for sure," I growled defiantly, determined to find out the truth. "Hit me!"

"But I don't want to break you."

"Dammit, Bash!" I yelled. "Fucking hit me!"

I ran at him, fists primed. I wasn't a doll who would just stand there while someone told me the thing I was most proud of was a lie. I was vaguely aware of Cade dismissing a crowd that had begun to gather.

Bash dodged as I swung at his face, my other hand aiming at his stomach. I made contact, but he didn't even flinch.

I struck at his shoulder, his ribs, and his face in quick succession, all dodged or blocked by Bash.

Frustrated, I stopped my onslaught.

"Please, Bash. I'm not asking you to beat the shit out of me, just fight back so I know where I stand. Maybe I'll only last thirty seconds, but at least I'll know."

Bash eyed me for a long, quiet moment.

"Dammit," he mumbled under his breath, preparing a fighting stance. "If I break anything important, I'm gonna kill both of you."

The following moments were a blur, the only evidence they were even real was the pain that I felt. I barely had time to block one strike as Bash hit me with another. He was quick and precise with his movements, and the few times that had failed him and I was somehow able to dodge or redirect him, he relied on his strength to overwhelm me.

We had three matches, and Bash had won all of them. I had managed to land a few hits but it was nothing compared to what I received.

I laid on the ground, willing my body to take a breath, Bash's face appearing above me.

"Oh my god, are you alright? I knew this was a bad idea."

My lungs finally gave in and filled with air.

"I'm fine! You just knocked the wind out of me, that's all." I squeeked between pants, purposefully leaving out the numerous bruises I knew would already be forming.

"You're bleeding."

"Well, yeah, but that wasn't you." I grimaced as I touched my lip.

A sharp pain shot through me as Bash reached forward to touch my forehead, his fingers covered in blood when he pulled them back.

"Oh." I held out my hand for some assistance standing. "That's new."

"Yeah, it's new." He pulled me to my feet. "And so is the bruise on your eye, the one on your calf, the ones I know you're hiding under your shirt and the friction burn on your shoulder. Can we be done now? Are you convinced?"

"Yes, I'm convinced." I admitted sullenly, my anger subdued by the beating I had taken. "My father and brother are even bigger assholes than I thought they were."

"Makara."

I turned my attention to Cade. I hadn't seen him walk away, but he was now digging in the fridge.

"Drink this." On reflex, I reached out to catch the bottle he threw, wincing as I irritated a bruise.

I tried to figure out what the liquid was as I walked over to him. It seemed to have the consistency of water, but was tinged a subtle purple color.

"What is it?" I asked, unable to identify the mixture.

"Water." He tossed another bottle over my head towards Bash, this one with clear liquid. "It's infused with nectar from the postium plant. It helps with healing."

"I'm a werewolf, Cade, I don't need help healing."

"This is better than our naturally enhanced healing. Besides, you're unshifted, it'll take you three days to heal all of these bruises. With this, even your worst bruise will be gone in a couple hours." He poked a particularly angry looking mark on my arm.

"Ow!" I yelped, slapping away his hand. "And why does everybody feel the need to bring up that I'm unshifted? It's really not that interesting of a detail, hardly worth mentioning."