The Wolf

Ch. 39: The Forest for Sinner's Souls

Blake looks up at the sound of my voice and smiles. "Hey, Nico, about time you showed up."

I scoff. "I can't be that late. It's not my fault you like to be here at the crack of dawn." I stifle a yawn and stop in front of him.

Blake has changed too. He's become even bigger than he was before. Height wise, I swear he grew at least three inches. His muscles are thicker, rather than lean. He looks like a full-blown Beta wolf.

"So where's Kayla?" I inquire, looking around to see if I missed her somehow.

Blake shrugs his shoulders, his muscles rippling underneath his shirt. "I'm not sure, she hasn't shown up yet. I think we can get started without her, though."

I nod my head and walk over to our equipment. It's weird that Kayla isn't here, she's usually on time. My mind drifts back to last night and Alex's strange behavior and his remark on seeing Kayla. Maybe those two are together right now... in bed. My heart stings with hurt, but I shake my head. No time for dawdling.

"Are you ready?" Blake asks with a taunting grin. He holds his bo staff at the ready.

I smirk and get myself into position, my knees bent and arms holding the weapon firmly. "Are you?" I ask. And with that, we both break into a sort of dance. A battle of back and forth as we collide, attacking and defending effortlessly.

The two of us are so engrossed in training, we don't notice Kayla walk into the clearing and take a seat. I smash Blake in the shoulder and his arm goes slack as it becomes numb. He aims his bo staff for my legs, but I jump over it and plant my feet into his chest, sending him wheeling backward. He stumbles but catches himself just in time to parry my next attack.

The two of us stand still, breathing heavy, glaring at one another, daring the other to give in first. Sweat pours down my back and slicks my forehead, getting into my eyes. The sun has risen higher in the sky and beats down upon us. Our trance is broken as Kayla claps.

"Alright, boys, that's enough," She declares, standing up from her spot and walking between us.

My eyes widen in surprise. "Kayla? When did you-"

"A while ago," She says curtly.

I blink at her brusqueness, shocked. What's up with her? I see her eyes are lined red and look puffy and swollen. Has she been crying? I go to open my mouth, but she cuts me off.

"OK, it's my turn," She states, grabbing the bo staff out of my hands.

I put my hands up defensively and retreat to the outer edge of the clearing to sit in the shade. Kayla and Blake begin to spar, while I rest. I put my hand over the dead earth and whisper a spell. Flowers begin to pop up from the dry soil one by one. I smile as they bloom into beautiful things.

My magic has gotten stronger and it comes so naturally. Sometimes I don't even need to speak a word of power to use my ability. I haven't told that to Luca, though. I don't want him thinking that I'm strange because I'm so different.

Growling, I remove the silver bands from around my wrists so that I may recover before it's my turn once again. I stuff the pair of them inside my pockets. My eyes flick back and forth as I watch Blake and Kayla dance across the training field, locked in a battle of skill and strength. Kayla is both fast and cunning, while Blake is experienced and strong. Watching two opposites go up against one another is truly amazing.

I lean my back against the bark of a tree, the surface rough through the material of my shirt. I take a deep sigh. The sky is a cerulean blue with a scattering of fluffy clouds. A heat wave passed through recently, so it's beginning to warm up. I can't wait for the winter to pass. I'm done with being numb.