Female ✔️

14: ability of ears

The song buzzing in my head was gritty and dominating, echoing off the walls of my skull and driving me forward. Marching, running, snarling. I dance the intricate dance of the fight, facing off with Kieran. There is no routine this time, just skill. It's been a few months already, nearing the middle of my sixteenth year. The heat is sweltering and thick, pressing down on all of us, turning olive skin pink.

Kieran doesn't burn, always he taunts me with this. Says the sun loves him more, I just tell him that the moon couldn't be jealous over a lover's pet. Grinning at this.

Charging me with arms up, I assume the position of defense, blocking my body with quick and effective movements that meet his with fluidity. We know each other, how we fight, down to a primitive science of survival. This week is skin, and next week fur. It doesn't change with our hearty routine. Sooner or later we won't train together so much anymore with my progressions.

I can feel the sleeplessness tugging at my limbs, darkening my eyes, making me work that much harder.  A price to pay.

I recall waking up in Jack's bed earlier that morning, the nightmare once real still fresh on my mind. It always haunted me.

We mark each other up until we are bruised and bloodied, he doesn't hold back anymore because I'm stronger. I have displayed my power, and he has paid attention.

We stop by his que, he's grabbing my upper arms, cutting off any more movement, looking down at me with a proud grin. "There's my mountain. Stronger than ever."

I beam at this, my hands fall to my sides and I smile at him with all I've got. It feels so good. "Really?"

"Really. I think you're ready to train with the big wolves now." Kieran's smile fades a bit but he's still proud, and finally he let's me know this. "You've grown up." Faking tears and cries he pulls me close to his sweaty chest and I hug him back tight. I love this male like a brother. Inhaling his comforting scent underlined by the smell of pure outdoors.

The big wolf lets me go with a small smirk. "You better talk to Alpha to see what squad he's gonna toss you into. Also, you've kinda' thrown caution to the wind and he's noticed, especially with what's coming up..."

"What's coming up?"

"Oh come on- Montana- What? You really don't know?" His eyes are wide and alarmed. "Shit, female!"

"What's coming up!" I cry in panic.

The look is wiped off his face. "Nothing, Alpha will tell you." His eyes distance and I know he is mind linking.

I nod and turn eagerly to run to John's usual daytime spot only to be halted short by a beefy hand on my arm. "Not today. Tomorrow. Rest up first, go hang out with JK for a bit, maybe." He wiggles his eyebrows as if he knows the connection between me and that male.

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Yeah, maybe I will." He let's go of my hand and I dart off, instead of finding Jack near the training fields, I head west to the greenhouse to continue my day-to-day. It stands like a welcoming beacon, zipper doors to the front swaying in the wind, letting the near summer air in.

Ducking through, I find Jermayne cleaning up his area. I run a hand over his head, ruffling his hair, laughing as he growls.

"Stop doing that!"

"Oh please," I say, just as I've heard Opal say so many times to Alpha John. "you love it."

Despite our run in and my break down so long before, things actually settled between us into something like a mutually distant friendship. Fine by both of us as we joke sometimes and he even taught me what a prank was. I've gotten Jack with a few of them, much to his frustration. I'm pretty good at jokes.