"Don't just stand there and come in, Miss Dawson."
"No, I'm just here to deliver your food."
"Did Jesslyn send you?"
Ori just nodded in response as she handed over the eco-bags full of food to Hailey, who had a conflicted expression on her face; it made her wonder why the freshman had such a face, but did not pry. Right now, all she wanted was to get this over with and go already; catching a glimpse of Katherine inside made her chest swell with a little guilt.
She did not wish to confront Katherine right now, unsure what to even tell her. There was silence between them for the whole journey back yesterday and she did not know how to even approach their problem – if there was one. All she knew was that Katherine seemed distant after that, completely bothered by what had happened.
All throughout her journey, she wanted to ask for her forgiveness and apologise for what she did, but as much as she wanted to, she felt that it was not necessary as though what happened was just by sheer accident since her mind blanked out. The knots in her stomach were mixed with regret inside her heart was not something she planned and was trying hard to forget it.
Katherine had her eye on the door, but did not wish to say anything; she watched as Ori handed over the bags one by one – three in total. It made her wonder what Jesslyn bought for them and noted the scent of the meat; but as she took in its delicious and succulent scent, she also inhaled Ori's.
There was a bit of confusion in her as much as she could hear her heartbeat pulse unsteady – slow and disrupted. Her eyes shot past Hailey's back and met Ori's eyes, but felt herself embarrassed and immediately looked away; she could not understand why her eyes lowered to her lush pink lips that seemed to have sped up her own pulse.
"That's all of it," Ori told Hailey in a slightly cheerful tone, then turned to leave, "Bye now."
Cecilia rose from the stool, "Miss Dawson, don't forget to fetch Kathie for the meeting," she reminded the blonde junior as she approached Hailey to help her with the bags, "I would do it myself, but I'm going to attend my own meeting later."
"Understood," Ori replied as she gave a slow nod before she walked away without even looking at Katherine; she let out a soft sigh as she tried to control herself, not really up for discussing yesterday and was already nervous about later.
Hailey stared at Ori's retreating back and narrowed her eyes in wonder. She was certain that there was tension in the air the second she opened the door; she felt it even without so much as touching Ori just from the way she acted – a little too nervous. Her hands quivered as she handed her the bags, but did not question her and only wondered even more.
What could they be hiding?
"Finally some meat!" Cecilia exclaimed as she procured small, rectangular, transparent, plastic containers from the eco-bag and placed them on the counter top, where Katherine took the liberty of clearing it. "I would've burnt her to crisps if she bought seafood again."
Hailey approached her stool, "What do you have against fish?"
"Nothing really," Cecilia replied as she popped open one container and smelt the succulent pork escape the sealed storage, "I just prefer meat over anything else."
Hailey hummed and turned to Katherine, "What about you, wolfie?"
"No qualms," Katherine replied instantly as she opened her own container, "I eat anything."
Hailey smirked, "Would you eat me?"
"W-what?" Katherine darted towards her in surprise; her eyebrows high as much as her eyes were wide. "Don't talk nonsense, fae."
Hailey leant on the counter as she kept her gaze at Katherine, who was equally staring back at her, but with much more of a glare than anything. Katherine was bothered by her words as the thought of it ran amok inside her head and Hailey's loose-fitting shirt did not help ease it; she can see the cleave of her chest and could quantify how big they were just from looking. Even the slight peep of her black bra strap did not help either.
"No flirting on the table," Cecilia spoke without looking at them; her eyes locked on the book. "Eat your food, or else I'll eat it."
Gazing away, Katherine resumed her meal and tried her best to ignore Hailey as much as she tried to banish her ill-wanted thoughts. Why did she have to tease me so? she wondered as the thought of Ori's lips once again invaded her mind, but no longer stopped in that moment and ventured further to consuming her.
There was no denying the want she felt as fire coursed through her veins and begged her to commit to what her mind played; her skin burnt at the thought of just undressing Ori, but she knew that it will not be doused by a simple strip. She wanted more and everything there was, but at the same time she wanted to hold back, not really feeling up to doing such incredulous tasks.
Observing silently, Hailey shot a few glances at Katherine as she tried her best to ignore her sense; there was an anger inside her that wanted to be lashed out on the wolf beside her. Why she was angry was another question as much as what was she angry about anyway. Katherine had done nothing to upset her physically but her sense seemed to burn out just by being beside her.
"I'm going out for minute," Cecilia announced and caught both their attention, then watched her hop off the stool to approach the door, "I'll be back before the next hour," she told them as she adjusted her long, red, leather jacket, "If I'm late, then take just take out your book and flip to 69."
"Where are you off to?" Katherine queried as she felt a little nervous being alone with Hailey, especially after their playful banter.
"The library," she replied as she opened the door without even touching it, "I need to walk by the infirmary too," she told her as she took a step outside the apartment, "For your wheelchair."
The door slowly slammed shut and left the two teens alone. Katherine could no longer catch a whiff of Cecilia's scent and knew that she used a chant; she did not expect her to since she knew that she was not fond of using her chants if not for something. The idea alone of her laziness as an excuse to use her chants was not really a model other mages should adapt from her – not exactly the best role model figure.
There was silence in the room. Katherine kept to herself, but could feel Hailey's stare from time to time; she would admit that she was tempted to turn, but felt the regret come the second she decided to. It conflicted her, not because she does not want to look at her friend, but because of the fire inside her that would burn just looking at her.
There was no denying it; she was under heat. Katherine knew about this from what Athena's father – her uncle – told her before, the stages Athena had gone through when she first turned into her full werewolf. First, Anger would often come even before her transformation into full – regret, self-pity, and rage came with the package.
Everyone goes through it, Kathie, even your master must have at some point.
A sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head at the recollection; the memory alone peeved her at what came next. Shaking her head, she tried to sweep the thought away as much as she tried to divert her attention by focusing on how delicious the meat was; she was wondering if it was braised pork over curry rice or beef curry alone.
The taste was mild spicy, but there was a hint of lemon inside, which was not something you would find in curry. So, what could this dish be that has set her taste buds to the moon? Taking another bite, she tried to think of the ingredients in her head, staring at the dish before her as she focused.
Whilst she had her eyes on the dish, Hailey was done with her own food, merely waiting for Cecilia to return. Gently pushing her plastic container to the side, she rested her head on the counter and stared at Katherine as though asking for attention. The blonde did not seem to notice her as she pursed her lips to one side as though in deep thought.
"What do you think this dish is, fae?" Katherine asked her as she kept her eye on the container, "I can't really decide if its curry or not."
Hailey smiled softly, "Why? Going to try and cook it?"
"No, not really," Katherine replied before she shook her head, "It just tastes so delicious."
Hailey laughed a little, "Did it blow your mind, wolfie?"
"Possibly," Katherine shrugged as she turned to her, "You never told me how your meeting went."
Hailey pursed her lips, "It was alright, I guess," she shrugged as she sat up and put her hair into a high pony, "It wasn't as exciting as your dragon ride."
At the mention of the dragon, Katherine steered her eyes away as Hailey caught on to the red that dashed her cheeks. A smirk fell upon her lips as she rose from the counter and inched closer to her, trying to figure out what was in her head at that moment; it has been bugging her what ran inside her mind whenever she saw her flustered yesterday.
"Hey," Hailey spoke as she gently placed a hand on Katherine's thigh, which made those beautiful grey eyes dart up to hers, "What's on your mind right now?"
Your cold hand.
Katherine muttered as she silently took a sharp intake of air, "N-Nothing."
"Are you sure?" Hailey questioned a low, raspy voice that seemed to make Katherine's pulse rise just hearing it, "There's nothing in your mind?"
Pulse ringing against her ears, Katherine's mouth hang slightly agape as her eyes stared into Hailey's dark amber eyes that glistened with mischief; her eyes could not seem to stare away as though her eyes were so beautiful – the only thing majestic in the world.
Her eyes remained on those beautiful orbs as she felt them come closer, their breaths almost crossing. Hailey leant even closer as she kept her eyes on those grey eyes and saw them slowly drop, aware where they were looking; a smirk played on her lips as she leant even closer, the tip of their noses almost grazing each other.
Pulse rising, mind going haywire; Katherine bit her lip for a second as she stared at Hailey's lips that seemed to have captured her mind – captivated her even. Every second she stared at them, she recalled Ori's lips against hers, but right that moment, it would not be Ori's lips she would feel, but Hailey's.
Moving a little higher, Hailey's hand sent a chill down Katherine's spine as she let out a shaky breath; Hailey's other hand cupped Katherine's cheek to hold her steady. She could feel Katherine shiver under her touch as much as she felt her emotions soaring through the very roof of this tall building.
Slowly, Hailey leant closer as she eyed Katherine's lips; their breaths mixed – the smell of pine trees and cinammon entered their minds. Katherine's eyelids slid down as her mind completely blanked as Hailey smirked wider in anticipation, inching closer as their lips almost grazed each other.
"Okay, time to-"
Gazing up from her book, Cecilia looked at the duo with an arched brow, wondering why both of them were acting so strange; Katherine had her faced shoved deep into a book whilst Hailey had her head rested on the counter whilst looking away from Katherine, her eyes locked at the windows.
"Are you both alright?" Cecilia walked over to her stool and placed the book on it, "You both seem... strange."
"S-strange?" Katherine stuttered as she dropped the book on her lap, the sharp edges poked her thigh's skin that made her jolt in place, "Shit."
Hailey sprung from the counter and looked at her, worried, "What happened?"
"I-I'm fine," Katherine replied as she kept her gaze away from Hailey, who was genuinely concerned about her, "It was just a scratch, no worries."
Cecilia sat quietly on her stool and noted the look in Katherine's eyes; the redness of her cheeks also gave her a clue as to what was happening before she suddenly warped into the room. A smirk played on her lips as she cleared her throat and caught the duo's attention, which made her wipe the smirk away almost instantly.
"Long break don't you think?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So you return," He spoke with anger held back, but evident in his tone, "With the dragon too."
Ori glared at him lightly, not really up for an argument, "Just leave her in peace, Prince."
"I will if she pulls her weight," He replied with sarcasm in his tone as he opened the metal chair he had in hand. Ori watched him carefully as he looked at them once he backed it enough to the cavern wall. "It's for her to sit on."
Ori nodded, "What about me?"
"Why?" He smirked at her as he eyed her top down before meeting her gaze, "You're not cripple are you?"
"Thanks for the chair," Katherine spoke even before Ori could begin a long winding argument in front of her, "Pack hound."
Prince turned to her with a soft, but angry are, before she returned his hardened gaze to Ori, who had an equally angry glare ready for him to see; there were sparks in between them, enough for Katherine to feel a dragon and a tiger behind them. She cleared her throat loud enough for them to stop their silent war, but she could smell their annoyance regardless.
"Don't cause problems again," Prince warned in a low tone, "You hear me, Orianna?"
With that, he turned away and left for the stage. There were already a few stares directed at them as the pack entered through both entrances, which made Katherine lower her gaze in a little bit of shame; she could already feel the embarrassment inside her and did not wish to feel their scrutinising gaze.
"That's the dragon from yesterday."
"What is that Morphling doing here? Again?"
"They better not cause trouble today."
Katherine kept her gaze on the floor as she heard them deprecate her as though she could not hear them; she knew that they did that on purpose, aware that she had caused yesterday's mishap. A sigh escaped her lips as she fiddled with her hands whilst the room was crowded by bodies with their attention at the pack hound, who had his legs dangling over the edge of the tall rock.
"Welcome my brothers," Prince greeted them, "I just have one thing to say today, before we have three matches at the same time," he told them as she the crowd murmured with excitement, "For those that had been here for three years, you all know what I'm about to say," he smiled as he stood up and looked at the crowd that had quieted down. "We have enough time to prepare for this and this time," he paused and smiled at the crowd before he punched the air, "We will conquer!"
A round of howls erupted as much a round of applause came after. Katherine did not understand what he meant as she kept her eyes at him, waiting for him to reveal what the hype was all about. She watched as he calmed the crowd of its cheers and held his cleft chin high as he took a deep breath.
"The Moonlit Battle will be ours!"
Ori frowned at the mention of it as she let out a sigh and walked around Katherine, who has yet to speak to her; she was not truly in the mood to listen in on Prince's speech about the challenges. It felt as though she was spying on them and was certain it would bite her in the ass later on; she was not really interested either as her mind was elsewhere – namely the crippled blonde she was walking away from.
Ori, just to talk her about it!
It's not that easy, Chase, she groaned mentally at the memory during lunch hour, before Jesslyn approached her. She did not expect the coach to approach her after she had gotten Katherine battered; despite her swollen eye completely healed, she still regretted the damage she has caused the young blonde.
Pacing out of the cavern, Ori let out a deep sigh as she felt the calm, afternoon wind brushed against her cheeks; she inhaled the fresh scent of the mountain breeze, taking a deep whiff of the pine trees before her. The forest was lively as much as she could hear the frogs sing with the birds overhead.
Grow a pair and fix what you did, Ori.
Rolling her eyes, Ori let out an exhausted groan as she pinched the gap between her brows that had been scrunched up; she pulled her head back and took a deep breath in hopes of calming herself. She wanted to talk to her and correct her error, but there was a part of her that did not wish to; a guilt riding her heart.
Just talk to her, she tried to convince herself as she released her pinch and stared at the trees. The whole journey to the Den was silent between them and Ori wanted to break the silence once they were inside, but thanks to Prince, they did not have a chance to – at all.
"Orianna."
Looking over her shoulder, Ori slowly turned to face him once again, which made her roll her eyes; she was not really in the mood to talk to him. Not after what he pulled yesterday. She shot him a quick glare and looked away as he heard his footsteps draw closer; she was quite angry with him especially after she told him to stop the fight yesterday, but he did not.
"Hey," Prince spoke in a near whisper as he got closer, "Are you still angry?"
Ori kept her back at him, not really up for a conversation. All day he has been trying to approach her and even when they crossed paths in the hallway he tried to get her attention, but she did not wish to give him her attention. Even Chase had to talk to him just for him not to talk to her.
"Orianna," He called out her name in much more soothing tone as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Baby, please talk to me."
Ori brushed his hand off, "Stop calling me as if I'm yours," she seethed as she took a step back, "We're not together anymore, Prince."
"Baby," He soothed calmly as he took a step forward, "Please don't be like that," he took another as he placed both hands on Ori's shoulders to keep her in place, "We haven't broken up."
Ori slapped him, "That's not enough to express my anger at you," she spat angrily as his face moved from the force, though did not hurt much, "You fucking cheater."
"You don't speak to me like that," He spoke calmly as his eyes turned golden as Ori felt a little bit of fear creep up her spine, "I say we didn't break up and that's how it is," he smirked as he smirked cockily as Ori felt her fear rise even higher from his threatening glare, "Now give me a kiss."
Ori tried to pry his hands from her shoulder as Prince held her down; his nails almost dug into her skin as Ori winced in pain and let out a soft yelp. She tried to push him away, but he stood taller than her and she was not strong enough to push him – at least not when she was in human form.
She wanted to change, but with him holding her down, she could not; her kind needs to be cleared of obstruction – namely not held down by another living thing – for them to able to shift. If he did not hold her shoulders, she would have transformed into a humongous lion that was enough to put him down; scare him shitless even.
"Let go of me, Prince!" Ori shouted as she struggled to keep his dirty lips from touching hers; she did not wish to taste his deceitful lips against her. She struggled to keep his lips away, but being in human form, she was unmatched for his strength that even in his human form, was prominent.
He held her arms by the wrist in his vex and held it above her head as he pulled her by the chin to face her. He smirked in victory as he saw the fear cross her eyes that seemed to amuse him – possibly arouse him too; he leant in closer and moved to her ear just to lick it for a tease as Ori bit her lower lip from expelling a sound she knew he really enjoyed hearing.
"Just give in to me," Prince whispered against her ear as he slowly loosened his hold, "I know you want to."
Ori gritted her teeth as she faced him, "Go fuck yourself."
"You don't talk to me like that," Prince spoke calmly, nearly a hiss as he raised his hand to hit her, but felt his wrist held by something; he looked over his shoulder and saw golden eyes darted down at him with a glare. "So, you've come to save her have you?"
"You heard her," Katherine replied as she gripped his wrist tight and pulled him, then spun him around for her to grip his neck with just a single hand, "She doesn't want you," she growled lowly, "So stop pestering her."
Ori took a deep breath to regain herself from the fear, before she realised what was happening; taking a step forward she placed a hand on Katherine's arm and the blonde immediately turned to her. Realisation also struck Katherine as she lowered Prince, but like yesterday, she threw him a few feet away from Ori.
"I'm sorry, Ori," Katherine apologised in her slightly gruff voice as she looked away, "I smelt your fear amongst the crowds," she explained as she sat down for Ori to look down instead of look up, "I didn't mean to hurt your friend."
Ori gave a small smile past her concerned look, "It's okay," she told her as she heard Prince shuffle onto his feet, "I think we should go," she told her as Katherine looked up to her then stood up as well, "The announcement was over so, I think you're free to go."
"Ori," Prince called out to her as he dusted off his vest, "We're not done talking."
Ori glared at him, "Were we even?"
"Okay I went too far," Prince admitted but lacked remorse for his actions, "I'm sorry," he apologised, but Katherine did not smell a hint of sincerity, "Let's talk again," he smiled, but lacked genuine kindness, "When you're done with her."
Katherine growled at him, anger rising as she looked at him; she was not going to fight him, but she was willing to intervene and incapacitate him should he touch Ori again. Once again, she felt Ori's hand on her bicep and stopped her growling then turned to her; she nodded at her upperclassman and lifted her before she ran out into the forest.
Anger roamed the air behind her as she ran, aware that it was Prince who was seething behind her; she did not wish to stay there any longer, afraid that Ori would see them scuffle again. Even though she does not know why Ori does not want to see a fight, she did not wish to pry; she did not mind waiting for Ori to explain to her instead.
Running past the trees, Katherine smelt the water and headed towards it as she leapt onto a branch; the feeling of having legs was better and she really enjoyed having the wind against her skin. Having legs again felt pretty nice as she leapt from tree to tree as though she was never crippled before.
Wind against her skin, the red and orange autumn leaves danced above her as much as she felt herself calm. Ori could hear a soft purring from Katherine's chest and felt a smile creep up on her lips; she did not expect to hear that from her – the sound every wolf made when they were very relaxed, happy, or in love. Ori did not know which one she felt, but either way, she was happy that Katherine was better.
She looked up at her, beyond the amount of fur she has gotten and her golden eyes, she still looked beautiful, even more stunning than anything; there was a rough allure to her beauty as much as she could feel the firmness of her muscles. Ori could not help but stare as Katherine looked really comfortable, happy even though she was not smiling; she could hear it well enough from the soft purr she was letting out.
"Uh," Ori mumbled as she realised the time, "Where are we going?"
Ears perking up, Katherine missed a step and slipped off the branch, but was fast enough to hold onto it; she was distracted by Ori's slight yelp and only realised that she was there. Pulling herself back on the branch, she sat on it and looked at Ori, who had her arms wrapped around her neck tightly.
"Sorry," Katherine mumbled as she looked at her with regret, "I was too happy to walk," she spoke as she seated Ori on her lap properly, "That I forgot you were with me," she confessed as she looked away in a bit of shame and embarrassment, "Sorry, Ori."
Ori shook her head and smiled, "Looks like all I ever hear from you is sorry."
"Sorry," Katherine spoke as Ori found her reddened face cute, "I don't mean to."
Ori cupped her cheek and heard the purr louden a bit just from her touch, "You don't have to apologise to me."
"Sor-" Katherine held her tongue as Ori closed her palm on her cheek and pinched her cheek; it did not affect her, but nonetheless, Katherine furrowed her brows. She looked into her green-blue eyes and saw the orange of the sun graze her irises, which gave it a golden glow. "Ori."
"Yeah?" She responded in a whisper, but Katherine heard her perfectly.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Ori nearly mumbled as she felt her cheeks heat up from Katherine's slightly, intense gaze.
"Why did you kiss me yesterday?"
The question took Ori by surprise as her eyes widened a fraction before she looked away; she anticipated the question by did not expect it to be that soon. She had expected it to be at least a few days away from yesterday; she was not prepared to give a proper response as she tried to find a convincing explanation.
Katherine examined her closely and even listened to the beat of her heart – slow, fast, but most of all unsteady; she can smell her confusion and uncertainty, but of what, she does not know. Silently, she looked at her and waited for an answer. Beyond all the unanswered questions she wanted to ask of her, this one was not something she would blatantly ignore.
"I," Ori spoke as she kept her gaze away from Katherine, "I'm not sure, Katherine."
Katherine felt her pulse slow down, but kept her eyes at her, "You're... not sure?"
"Katherine," Ori exhaled her name as though trying to find relief, "I don't know, okay?" she finally looked at her and met her golden eyes that was slowly shifting back to grey as much as her body was reduced back to human size, "It just happened and-"
Unable to hold back, Katherine brushed her lips against Ori's and wrapped her arms around her slender waist; the answer she got from her was insufficient, but sufficient enough at the same time. She figured that you do not need any reason or excuses just to kiss someone and that was what she was doing; she had no reason or cause to kiss her, but the fire inside her body could no longer be contained.
Caught by her lips, Ori tried to pull away from Katherine, believing that this was not supposed to be nor was it supposed to happen; she did not intend for her to kiss her, much alone know that she would kiss her again.
All this time, she believed that Katherine was angry at her for what she did, but from the way she was kissing her hungrily, she could tell that she wanted to kiss her; she can feel her need, her want to fill herself with the desire to the feel of her lips.
Giving in, Ori wrapped her arms around Katherine's neck once again and pulled her even closer as she felt Katherine's tongue graze her lower lip like how she did it yesterday; it was as if she was tracing her carefully, but at the same time she was asking for entry – something Ori was a bit reluctant to give at that moment.
Pulling her closer, Katherine diverted from Ori's lips and trailed light kisses from her jaw to the bottom of her right ear; she can feel Ori quiver under her as she heard her whimper quietly, but enough for her to hear. It fuelled the fire of desire inside as she pulled back and held Ori by the chin, then looked at her in the eye.
"Sorry," Katherine apologised as she allowed Ori to stabilise her heartbeat that she could hear was rapidly palpitating. Their breaths were heavy as they both tried to catch their breath. Ori had her eyes on Katherine's grey that seemed to dawn flexes of gold from the orange the sun had swept to the trees. "I shouldn't have-"
Ori pressed her lips against hers. It silenced the wolf and she heard her chest purr once again as much as she felt her own body heat up; there was no denying it any longer – she wanted Katherine. I shouldn't, she reminded herself mentally as she tried to pull back, but Katherine's lips attacked hers relentlessly that prevented her.
Pulling back, Katherine took a deep breath and allowed her senses to focus, but all of them were lost in the beauty that was in front of her; those green-blue eyes have capture her in her voluptuous gaze with half-lidded eyes that seemed to shackle her then and there. She wanted more, but she knew that she should not.
Her mind was filling with lust.
"Ori, we," She tried to calm her breathing, "We shouldn't co-"
Peeved, Ori pulled her back down and pressed their lips together for the third time as she tasted her sweet lips; she was almost certain that it would already be swollen by now, but she wanted keep going until she was sure that it was.
Ori pulled back and allowed the blonde to breathe; their breaths mixed as they leant their foreheads together, their eyes staring at the others lips as though they wanted more. Katherine could finally smell her surroundings and felt as though there was someone watching them, but she did not care.
Instead, she pulled back and looked into Ori's eyes and was about to speak, but Ori pulled her back down and planted a quick kiss on her lips. She tasted cinnamon, but was unsure if her mind was once again playing with her, but she did not care. She was hungry and she wanted more of this sweet bliss.
"Just shut up and kiss me."
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A/N: Things are heating up and its almost time for snow lols. I feel bad for Hailey somehow, but hey animals don't know sin do they? kudos if you remember that reference xD Also, what do you guys think... of an Scent of Blood MANGA? Wouldn't THAT be awesome? xD lols
Dedicated to HealWithWords, for the undying support and always ALWAYS there to comment straight away. I really appreciate people who tell me their thoughts cause I'll know where I went wrong and where I did good. (:
Vote, Comment, and Follow if you haven't! (: All support is welcome ^^
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