"You're lying. You're just trying to get me to come back, right?" Malina states from over the phone.

Nya stood in between the double sinks in her bathroom staring into the steamy mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, not only from an hour-long shower but from the sleep her mind wouldn't let her body have. She held up her white towel and clutched the phone to her ear. I wish I was."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know." She hasn't heard from him since he left and her heart ached to know if he was okay.

"Are you sure about this, Nya? I mean, this is... just hard to believe. He can't... I mean..."

"I'm sure... but don't say anything to anyone yet. No one else knows except Beta Bent and me."

"What? How can no one know?"

"It happened and he left after... And I don't know what to say... or if I'm supposed to."

There was a ruffling noise from over the speaker for long moments before Malina talked again. "I have to go. I can't...I just can't believe..."

"Lee..."

"No... no Nya, I have to go." Beep beep beep. She hangs up.

The cool air from the air conditioning fanned over the open pores in her skin when she swung the bathroom door open. She switches on the lights for her closet and slips on a pair of jeans and a fitted V-neck top before going downstairs.

She doesn't entertain the thought of breakfast. She passed right by the kitchen, sat on the sofa, and turned on the tv.

When was he gonna come back? What was doing? Is he okay? She had a keen ear practicality pinned to the front door just waiting for the sound of him walking through. What if she never saw him again? What if he got caught up in a brawl with the Rogues. A twang sprang in her heart and it felt like someone twisting a knife in it.

Her phone chimes suddenly. She flips it over to see it was the alarm for 10 am training. The day was passing again.

She picks herself up and begins walking to the training yard. She was almost late. She walks so slow, but nevertheless, she finds her spot at the back of the line with the others in her rank. The sun was beaming in her eyes as she looked forward and saw Shay watching her with a smirk.

"Hey!" She hears on her left, looks over and it was Watson with a huge smile. He waves.

"Hi." She tries to smile back.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." She nods.

Shay goes on to introduce them to a new weapon. It was these silver spheres and on the top middle was a button that would release three triangular razor-thin blades. She called them traces. She demonstrates how to use them and how to be accurate by hitting the center of one of the nine targets set up. Then she asks for volunteers to go first while looking directly at Nya.

Normally she would be the first to volunteer but she didn't this time. She stayed right where she was at the back of the line.

Others went, but eventually, her spot became first.

She picks up a trace and inspects it for a second. "Ow!" She felt a sharp pain on her arm. She looked at the area and it was bleeding.

"Today Mutt!" Shay barks as the trace she sent to cut Nya's arm comes back to her.

Nya doesn't bother wiping the blood dripping down and aims at the target. The trace sticks to the bottom of the board. Way off target.

"Seriously?" Shay who had her hand on her hips quirks up a brow. "Was that even a try? You know with this kind of weapon you can stop a fight before it begins but it doesn't look like you care about that. Do it again."

She curls hair behind her ear before walking over and getting the trace. She goes back to her spot and takes a better look at her target this time, but at that moment a gust of wind picks up and blows hair in her face.

"Nya." She hears. She looks to her side and sees her friend, Cammy, handing her a hair tie knowing Shay's patience was limited. "Thank you." She takes it and ties her hair in a ponytail quickly. Then once again she aims but this time she does even worse missing the board completely. The trace falls to the ground.

"Pick it up, Mutt, and do it again now."

She goes over again and just as she bent down to pick up the weapon, "Aaah" Shay's foot came stomping down the back of her neck and pinning the side of her face to the gravel. "You've been marked!" She hollers.

Even with her ear pressed to the ground she could hear the gasps from around the pack. Marked? She did feel some kind of scar when in the shower but it wasn't a mark.

Shay grabs her by the ponytail and picks her off the ground. Her left eye was blurry as blood leaked in and her head was swinging like her brain might have hit her skull.

"It's not a mark" She blows out and try's to get her hair out of Shay's fist but instead she is turned harshly so her back was facing the pack. "Look!" Her hair is lifted showing everyone the proof.

"Noo" Nya denies.

"You little liar." Shay spins her, clamps her hand around her neck, and lifts her off the ground.

Nya gasps for air, struggling to breathe and trying to pry Shay's fingers from around her throat but it was pointless. She squeezed even harder. Darkness was taking over. The last thing she hears before losing consciousness was the cracking of a bone and Shay whispering "that's the mark of an Alpha you little half-breed slut."

*Diiiiiinnnng* As her senses come back to her body a ringing in her ear is the first thing she registered. She opens her eyes and sees the clear blue sky above her, and she feels the gravel beneath. Through her peripheral vision, she makes out a form beside her so she turns her head, and there lies the unmoving body of Shay. She inhales deeply feeling a burning in her throat. The next thing she knew someone blocked the sunlight as they stood above. She blinks the image into focus and it was Beta Bent.

"Are you okay?"

She could read his lips more than she did hear him but before she could answer Vince came into view. Her insides jolted upon seeing him. He doesn't hesitate when he scoops her into his arms. "Alpha Vince..." a hoarse whisper was her voice.

"Shhh..." He inspects her momentarily while grinding on his teeth. "You just had to last a few more minutes without getting yourself into trouble but you managed somehow."

Her mouth opens.

"Shut it." He began stalking through the onlooking gazes as he carried her through a crowd of low ranked. He puts her into his car and drives the short distance back to the mansion.

She opens the passenger door once he puts the car in park and steps out. She shuts it and when she turns around he is there. Her face nearly collided with his chest. His scent travels up her nostrils making her feel drugged for a second. She doesn't protest when he lifts her into his arms once again and takes her inside. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel a bit dazed.

He doesn't set her down when they get in like she thought he would. He takes her into his bedroom, then into his bathroom, and puts her on the sink while placing himself between her knees. She could finally get a good look at him and holy hell did it feel good to see him. Surprisingly he appeared healthy. Maybe they were wrong about the wolfsbane.

He cups her cheeks, angling her head to see the cut near her eye and the bruise on her head and cheekbone. He then gets the hand towel hanging nearby, runs it under some hot water, and cleans the blood from her face. I'm sorry." He breathes softly.

He didn't look like he was dying. He didn't act like he was dying. His skin was still the same golden bronze and his eyes weren't sunken in or dark beneath. She tries to speak but he covers her lips with two fingers and shakes his head. "Don't say anything."

But she needed to know. She pulls his hand down. "How are you?"

"Don't worry about me..." He rinses the rag and begins wiping her ear. "You're hurt."

"But-"

"I'm fine, Nya."

"Where did you go? I was so worried..."

"And when did you get the right to question me?"

"I just-"

"Shh..." He drops the towel and slides palms around her neck and his fingers end up feeling over the scar on the back.

Her eyes widened. "It's not a mark... I don't know why..."

"Shhhh..."

"But-"

"No one's gonna hurt you."

She noticed his gaze was much softer than ever before. "I don't care about that... Al-"

"Shhh..." he pulls out her hair tie from its messy ponytail and grazes his fingers along her scalp where there was drying blood. "You need to shower."

"Did you find Anderson?"

He clenches his jaw. "When did you get so curious about what I'm doing, huh? No." He backs away. "Go get the blood out of your hair. I can't keep looking at you like this."

She was suddenly conscious of her appearance. She curls hair behind her ears and looks down at the blood on her shirt and dirt on her pants. "Okay but..."

"Now."

She jumps off the sink and hesitantly heads to take another shower for the day.

To be continued...

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