The next few days fly by. Kiera wrist is completely healed only two days after the incident that fractured it, but her neck still has tell tail signs of abuse with thin, almost unnoticeable scares. Part of her hates seeing them, the other part doesn’t really mind since it seems to remind the young, obnoxious Revokers not to mess with her.
Kiera almost goes mad with nothing to do since Chase won’t let her train with the Revokers in case she gets hurt again.
After an hour of watching Chase and the ever changing opponent dance around each other, she’d had enough.
Crevan had offered them things to do while she worked out the battle plan, keeping both wolves in the loop as she figures out the detail. For now, Chase and an older Revoker are teaching the younger Revokers how to fight wolves. For years they’d trained to learn how to fight, but fighting people never helped them prepare for wolves. Creven said the first fight for every Revoker killed 3 out of every 5.
Even using wooden knives and plastic swords don’t stop Chase from being covered in fresh bruises by the end of the day.
Kiera quickly takes the steps to the training mats below the observation balconies above. Few Revokers mill around watching the session but none notice Kiera as she undresses and shifts at the base of the stairs.
The fight is way to fair to be real; it does nothing to prepare them. One on one, with Chase holding back to not even touch them, is like dance practise more than anything.
Kiera is going to prepare them; she doesn’t care how many bruise she receives or gives.
She’s not going to fight beside a bunch of kids who can’t protect themselves let alone can’t defeat a wolf.
She pauses a moment, hunching low to the ground. The Revokers back’s at to her and the new opponent and Chase are prancing around each other, too busy to notice her. Not once does the fighter cover their back, not once does she glance behind her
Way to easy.
Kiera tenses where she is, still hunched low and ready to pounce. When she finally bursts forward not even the older guy is attentive enough to stop her.
Kiera quickly dodges through the thin crowd and into the play fight where she barrels into the Revoker girl without pause. There’s a scream of surprise followed by a thump as she hits the ground and Kiera pulls up beside Chase, shoulder aching slightly from where it had collided with the girls leg.
Chase grumbles his displeasure, but Kiera ignores him as she spins around and leaps at the fallen girl again.
The girl screams as Kiera pounces on her, throwing her arm up. The wooden knife is gone, discarded on the soft mats beside the girl, so her arm is her only shield which Kiera easily ducks under til her nose is near the girl’s throat. She freezes there, teeth bore in a attack.
The girl trembles but is otherwise paralysed with shock. For a moment the room is still, silent as it holds its breath.
“Your dead, Jami,” says the man after a long moment of choked silent.
Kiera slowly pulls back, carefully not to stab the girl with her claws. When Kiera steps off the girl she pulls in a quick breath, coughing as tries to stand on shaky legs that almost refuse to hold her. A friend moves in to support her.
Kiera moves back beside Chase who nips her shoulder in warning. She twists around, biting at his face in annoyance. He growls. She can tell Chase is unhappy that she’d hurt the girl, but Kiera doesn’t care. If he doesn’t want to hurt them, other wolves will, and they will kill the Revokers without pause. There’s no mercy in war. Kiera will hurt them if it means that they last an extra two minutes in a fight, if it means saving their lives.
The teacher watches Kiera until she blinks at him, which he nods at, as if understanding her point without any words being exchanged. He turns to another kid.
While the teacher organises the next mock fight Kiera turns to Chase with a growl and raise her tail. Instantly Chase copies the action, refusing the let her get away with the dominance right now. Very slightly, Kiera drops her tail to show she’s not going to challenge him, and turns back to the fight.
The next guy watches them, already in a fighting stance. His face is a mask of determination, but his eyes show his fear; as if he doesn’t already smell of fear strongly enough to tell anyone in a fifty meter radius that he’s about to wet his pants.
It’s the kind of fear that will draw every wolf looking for blood, will make his moves sloppy, his mind irrational and his death quick. He’d be an easy kill.
Kiera’s already dropped into a low stance instinctively. Fire burns through her body as the beast in her awakens; the same one who would have killed this kid instantly a few months ago, but now it’s an almost motherly instinct to teach her kids how to protect themselves. It was lacking the motherly affection though, and instead wants to shake them up until they learn something.
She snarls at the thought. This must be how Bree felt with her, which is odd the think because the kids are only a year or two younger than her, but so much less experienced.
The kid shifts his feet slightly, hand tightening on the fake knife. “Kane,” says the older Revoker, “don’t hold back. As far you are concerned right now, this is a real fight, and your life is on the line.”
At the Revokers words Chase drops into a crouch but Kiera’s already lunching herself forward without pause.
The kid gives a shout, jumping back and sweeping the knife in hazardous arch.
He’s too scared, she thinks to herself as she easily slides under his arm. The fear isn’t helping him, but instead helping her by clouding his thoughts and making his actions wild. Chase hasn’t even moved before Kiera’s knocking him to the floor with only her front paws and forward momentum.
He falls hard, but keeps the knife in his fumbling finger. One swipe of her paw and the wood dagger clutters away.
“And you’re dead too” says the teacher.
Kiera again backs off until she’s beside Chase who grumbles a compliant.
A moment later another kid is pushed into her circle. This time, Chase bursts forward in a blur of brown; refusing to be out matched by Kiera.
“Ah…I think my whole body’s bruised” says one of the Revoker kids. He rubs his shoulder with a grimpse.
Kiera huffs a bitter laugh; they’ll get more then bruises in a real fight. She shifts and takes the offered towel from the yeacher- Andrew she thinks his name is.
The group turn away as she wraps the towel around herself. Kiera shakes her head. They don’t like seeing her or Chase naked, and always turn away with they’re cheeks burning pink. She can’t understand why; it’s only skin.
She’s grown up always seeing people naked; it was a part of nature for the wolves, but the Revokers seemed to have a different view on it.
“Get over it” Kiera snaps to the complaining group. If anyone was bruises, it was her and Chase. She and Chase managed to ‘kill’ them all, but when the Revokers had finally gotten over the main fear, they’re learned to hit back; some harder than others. Now Kiera’s body aches sweetly from the work out and stings where bruises are already forming and healing at once. Within a few hours the bruises will have come and gone.
Chase hangs an arm over Kiera’s shoulders, fingers trailing over her collar bone lightly. “I’m just glad you were bashing them up, and not me; I’m sure I’d hurt a lot worse right now if you had. Give them some slack; it’s not every day they get to fight someone as amazingly vicious as you.”
Kiera shrugs off his arm roughly but can’t help feel the flutter in her stomach at his words; regardless much she disagrees. “They’ll get themselves killed if they’re too scared to get a bruise.”
“You don’t know that.” Chase again slings his arm around her neck, pulling her close.
She raises an eyebrow at him.
Slowly Chase grins. “Yeah, okay, you’re right; you almost always are anyway. But this is there first lesson. Next time you can beat them up if they complain, and the time after you can beat them up if they even think about complain. How’s that?”
Behind them, some of the kids grumble, but Kiera ignores them. “Fine. But I’m going to bash you up if you think of complaining as well.”
Chase groans loudly and tips his head at the roof. After a moment he sighs and holds out his hand. “You run a hard bargain, but okay.”
Kiera looks at his hand, feeling childish even considering grabbing and shaking on the fake bet; but finally she relents. Chase grins, holding her hand firmly with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Before he can say anything Raymond’s in the same hallway, calling their names. He’s glares as they look up. “There’s a wolf who wants to talk to you outside. Get out there now” he demands and storms down the hallway.
Kiera hurries after Raymond but almost freezes when she figures out who it’s most likely going to be. Only Kadar knows they’re out here. What if it’s an ambush? What if he’s bringing them a threat from the Alcrests. She almost stops in the middle of the hallway, but then reminds herself it’s her fault Kadar knows. He was following her, because she had said those things what seems like months ago now. He’d found the hole while following her scent, and now everything is royally screwed. No way would Kadar not tell the Alcrests unless he wanted something.
She can’t image what he would want, except maybe to kill them.
“Can’t we get dressed?” Chase shouts. All he’s wearing is a thin yellow, flowery towel.
Kiera makes a face. “No! Clothes will just get in the way if we have to shift!” she pulls the towel higher; half tempted just to drop it because it’s in the way. People watch as they run down the hallways and Kiera’s aware that Chase isn’t the only one following her. Most of the small training group is charging after them as well as the odd sticky beak.
She throws the door leading outside open harshly and stumbles up the small slop. Too keep the place hidden the Revokers had constructed an underground bunker. It was fairly small, with only enough space for a kitchen, cafeteria, social area, a few rooms all with bunk beds, a small hospital and training room, all crammed into one small building easily hidden in the blankets of snow.
Anyone can walk past without knowing.
The Revokers keep a look out in circle around the safe house. The snow freezes against Kiera’s bare feet and stings her legs. Ignoring the bitter cold Kiera follows Raymond through the snow towards where the invader is.
Drawing closer, Kiera can smell Kadar’s scent, thick and lingering. But it’s not the only one.
Kiera slows when the person comes into view. She’s sure Raymond had said only one person, but there is four, all standing awkwardly in the snow.
“They just showed up” says one of the Revokers and motioning at the werewolves. He’s keeping a gun trained loosely on group, although none are aggressive or in wolf form..
“Cody?” Chase asks in shock. Kiera hadn’t even noticed he’d come up beside her.
Cody’s eyes are clear and warm as they lock onto Keira and Chase. “Good to see you two are still alive”
Kiera can’t find the words for a moments; her brain seems to have shut down. Within a few stumbled steps she’s throwing herself at her mum and Hunter. She hadn’t realized how scared she was they were going to be hurt because of her. Rebellious tears spring into her eyes but she doesn’t let them fall. “What are you doing here?” She blurts as she pushes them away. Worst case scenario’s scramble through her head.
Hunter smiles adorably. “Mum says you’re consorting with the enemy, but she says she doesn’t care. What does consorting mean?”
Bree swats Hunters shoulder. “Hush, you. Kiera, what the hell were you thinking the other day? Challenging Kadar. You are an idiot!” she sighs; looking tortured, but persists on. “Cody told us she knew where you were. I couldn’t just say no…”
Cody shrugs a slim shoulder. “Kadar talks in his sleep, but then he told me this morning where the exit was. The Alcrest’s don’t know a thing.”
“He didn’t tell them?” Kiera asks in disbelief.
The blond shakes her head. “No. I figured out why you two clash so hard- you are way too alike. He doesn’t like being told what to do any more than you do. He knows even if he gets to be Alpha-which he’s pushing for by the way- he still won’t get to run the show. He won’t stand in the way if it means he gets the Alcrests away from his throat.”
Kiera bites back the disagreement that she’s not like Kadar, but stops herself. She glances at Chase, who has Carter sitting on his hip. The kid looks much younger than normal and a lot weaker. Part of his face is bruises, and his shirt has a small patch of red on it. Bree must have brought him, but why he can fathom. “So this is what it’s like to be married to Kadar…” Chase grins weakly. It doesn’t meet his eyes, and Kiera looks away.
“So what’s the plan?” Cody asks smoothly.
“To kill the Alcrests in one final battle.”
They all turn at the new voice to find Crevan watching them, a dark splash against the grey world. She seems unconcerned that Cody could tell the Alcrests, like the rest of the Revokers seem to be. The others shift uncomfortably, but Crevan’s unfazed.
Cody hums a sound, never looking away from Kiera. “That’s going to be bloody.”
Kiera nods. Suddenly something is in her throat. She’d never thought about how many people would die in the attack, but the word blood seems to drill it into her mind. These are her friends she will be attacking. Her own pack. It’s their blood that will spill, not just the Alcrests who are responsible.
“Kiera. Are you prepared for this” Cody asks softly.
Betrayal. Treason. Treachery. To kill her pack mates. To ruin everything. Kiera glances at Chase sideways, meeting his eyes. For a moment she has to remember why she’s fighting, for her freedom, because we’re getting lied to, enslave, because they kill us for no reason.
Because they killed Romy.
Kiera nods. “Yes”
Cody glances between the two, eyes knowing. “Good; I don’t want to follow someone who isn’t prepared to fight, but I can see that I don’t need to worry, you will be great leaders.”
Her mouth is suddenly dry. Leaders. She doesn’t feel like a leader.
Out of nowhere Hunters being passes to Kiera by Bree. “Take him, please” she begs, and when Kiera’s fully holding him she steps back quickly.
“Mum?”
“I don’t want them to hurt him” Bree whispers. Finally she lets the fear show, and Kiera holds Hunter tighter. “The Alcrests know your missing, they’ve figured it out. I won’t let them hurt him; you can’t let them hurt him. Look after him Kiera, look after him.”
“But-“
“Kiera!” Bree shouts. Her voice drops low and shaky as she says the next words, “please. I don’t want him to get hurt. They will hurt him.” Her eyes flick to Carter.
“Where are you going?” Kiera blurts. No, no, no, no, no. No. Please don’t go.
“Home” Bree forces a smile. “They will come after me next. I have to tell Jess to be careful, she doesn’t know yet. …You’ve really screwed everything up, haven’t you, Ki?” Bree’s fake smile suddenly turns real, but slightly sad. “I’m so proud of you darling.” She turns to walk away but pauses again, this time looking back sadly. “Oh, and Chase…I’m sorry about your Sadie”
Again they turn away, but Kiera can’t help call out for Cody. She won’t be able to stop her mum, she knows. Her mum won’t stand for it. But Cody…she can’t let Cody go back. She will get hurt, probably killed.
Cody turns around. She doesn’t look scared or worried. “I’m going to round up your followers, silly. How else do you think we’re going to start a riot?”
Kiera watches as the two disappear back into the forest.
The tears are back.
She glances at Chase after a long minute, feeling her heart go out to him. She doesn’t say anything in fear she will further crack the mask he’s trying so hard to keep. He takes her hand when she holds it out.
Chase steps closer, and Carter clings tighter as Chase leans down and presses a brief kiss to the base of her neck.
Despite the small army of confused Revokers, having Chase and Carter beside her and Hunter on her hip, Kiera’s never felt more alone.
So hopeless.
So weak.
So lost.