153 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Three
The bell for the end of the last lesson finally went. Katie was still staring at the board at a discussion a student had decided to start with the teacher over a concept that heâd arguably understood differently after reading ahead. Watching the two of them try to reach the same conclusion had been fun for the hunter, but not for the rest of the class that had no idea what was going on. The student had clearly read a more unorthodox method of reaching the conclusion, but the teacher wanted to set him straight and this seemed to drag on the lesson longer on one concept than it should have been.
Trevor had made a comment to arrest the boy for assaulting werewolf brains with his conflicting formulas that got the class laughing before the teacher continued to curb her lessons on the boy. Eventually, the lesson ended and here they were. An emptying class and a confused Jason later. Sandra helped her friend with the work he had not understood and Cole closed his books, leaving his work unfinished, âHey, arenât you going to finish that?â
âNo use... Iâve already understood. You barely write a thing. I donât see why I should have to,â he complained, âSchool feels like such a waste of time when I think of the lives that weâll live afterwards.â
âThatâs not exactly right,â she told him, âBut I know where youâre coming from.â
âSo, I checked the database yesterday and turns out you check out. Youâre a hunter after all,â Trevorâs voice chipped in. The girl had tried to pretend she hadnât seen him approaching, but his presence was hard to miss.
âThat is what I told you. What brings you here anyway?â she asked him.
âWhy would you ask me such a question? You are a hunter, arenât you?â he scoffed.
Katie finally understood what he was meaning, âYes, I am. And one that highly outranks you, junior hunter. Whatâs your point?â Katie asked.
âOh, are you suggesting you want the position of head of hunters? Iâm not giving that up,â Trevor quickly said.
.....
âWell then, I donât see why I should have to answer to any obligations you assume fall to me as well. You might want to change the way you manage your security though. Move with hunters around you only when you are also on patrol. Otherwise, you are only reducing the effectiveness of the hunters here. Or do you suddenly feel you have everything here under control?â
âAs long as you and your new lot donât cause any trouble, there will be no trouble in this school. Is that understood?â he tried gaining ground over her.
Defiance shone through Katieâs face for a moment before she decided this argument was not worth it, âWhatever... Are you done, Sandra?â
âAlmost...â the junior hunter had been distracted by their discussion that her explanation had come to a pause. She proceeded with her explanation even though she was now sure Jason was just asking her these questions so that he could have some private time with her. He seemed to be getting the hang of everything faster than she thought he would, but she indulged him.
âWhatâs her deal? Whatâs a human doing hanging around werewolves?â Trevor was still here. Katie sighed and placed her head on the desk before her... âThis will never end. Kill me Cole...â the royal laughed at her antics.
âIs there a problem, officer?â Jason asked Trevor, speaking for Sandra.
âI was speaking to the lady. What are you, her mate?â Trevor spat. Jason was about to stand when Sandra held his shoulder and forced him back down.
âKatie is my mentor. Is there anything else you would like to know or is todayâs inspection over?â Sandra spoke so kindly that it got Katie to look up from her desk.
âSo, youâre a junior hunter. We have a meeting in a few,â Trevor spoke up.
âMaybe not today, Trevor. Iâll hold onto her for a bit. Sheâll help you out when sheâs free maybe. As of right now, she has quite the training to go through,â Katie spoke up.
The head hunter scoffed at the group and walked away shaking his head in disappointment, his henchmen right behind him. âDo you think that was the last time we are going to hear of him?â
âNo, Iâm afraid not,â Katie replied.
...............
âDo you really have to go?â Cole held on to the girl. Katie had just dressed up for her training with the Mighty warrior. However, her mate was not liking the thought of having a Mighty Warrior hammer more hours of training into his beautiful mate, âHeâs going to torture you. I can already imagine the wicked smile on his face while he makes you go through hell,â the man complained.
âNow you are being overly dramatic. Do you want him to put me through more hell for being late?â Katie complained, although secretly loving the attention.
âIf itâs okay with you, would you stay just a little longer? The hell will be worth it then,â he whispered.
âAh, that is evil of you,â Katie hit the man playfully with a pillow. Cole had her pinned down and once more in this unfair world of werewolves, she found herself utterly powerless against him. Asking nicely seemed to be the only way out of this one. Cole chuckled but showed no sign of letting her go. Instead, he snuck a kiss into the crook of her neck, her ultimate weakness, âCole, how about you escort me to the training grounds then? That way, we shall part much later than you would like and I wouldnât be late to my first ever training session with one of the four Mighty Warriors.â
Fortunately, this reasoning reached the royal and he reluctantly let his mate up from the bed, holding her in his arms and setting her down like glass. âCharmed, Iâm sure,â Ashley piped in with the richest British accent she could manage. âShall we?â Cole asked the girl.
âYeah, sure,â the royal offered to take her to the training grounds riding on his back claiming it would save her the energy she would need during her training. Her guts, however, told her this was a big mistake, but how could she say no to the man pleading before her. And with all the times she had enjoyed riding on the back of the black wolf, how could she deny the opportunity to experience that once again.
Before she knew it, she was atop the back of a massive black wolf racing through the woods at maximum speed with the wind whipping through her hair. It was a liberating feeling that she still enjoyed to this day. Whether she was running in her human form using her gift or in her wolf form or even when cole ran with her on his back, she enjoyed every second she spent at high speed. She didnât understand how the werewolves would come to oppress one of their own who had been blessed with the chance to experience what she could.
Alas, her joyride came to an end. The faster and more enjoyable it was, the quicker it would end. A detail that she did not like herself. Frank was found pacing about the field with a scowl on his face. When he noticed a black wolf bringing the person he was supposed to be training, his face went red, âYouâre late.â
âI know I know and Iâm sorry. I didnât mean to come...â she paused when she saw Lina and Sandra going through intense sparring drills on the other side of the clearing, â...late. I didnât mean to come.... How long have those two been here?â
âThey got here thirty minutes ago. Mr Lycaon, would you try to refrain from detaining my student when I set a time for her to train,â Frank barked at the wolf. The black wolf bowed in respect to the man and walked to the side of the clearing settling in the shade cast by the shadows of the trees that bordered the clearing. Katie realised he was here to stay. The words sheâd heard that morning echoed through her mind and brought a smile to her face, âWhat are you smiling about?â
âOh, nothing. What are we starting with, âmasterâ? That word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth,â Katie pretended to cringe as though sheâd bitten into a lemon.
âWell, if itâs so bad, then you might want to call, O Great and Powerful Apollo... You know, because Iâm the greatest,â the man joked.
âI donât think that specific god would be too happy with being impersonated. Cupid might be a better name...â
âOh, you know me too well. Cupid will work just fine, dearie,â the man retrieved the quiver on his back and unfurled his pink custom bow. Weâll start with boosting your agility. Iâll tone down my speed and work you up. I hope youâre ready. Jim told me youâre fast. I just hope youâve got the speed to back such high praise from a mighty warrior,â Before Katie could get ready, an arrow whizzed right for her. She quickly tapped into her gift and dodged it, however, that was not the end of the assault.
âGood thing you brought a ride. You wonât need your legs to go back home,â Frank added, firing three arrows in quick succession before Katie had the chance to recover. âWait, what...â The girl thought as the arrows came straight for her. She quickly cartwheeled out of the way, but her senses told her she had far more arrows coming her way. A simple evasion of the three didnât mean a thing. Her muscles burned from the strain that came from no rest. âHeâs going to kill me...â Katie mentally whined, getting on her feet to flee the arrows that followed her, whizzing past her too close for her liking.
âThe only way youâll be able to pass this training is if you can get the bow from me. I wonât go all out because that would make this impossible, but donât think Iâll fight you at a level below that of Jeremiah,â the man finished the instructions, short and simple. But Katie also knew there was no way she could get to him at her current speed. She could barely dodge the barrage of arrows that threaten to fill her with holes. That was how Katieâs training with the Mighty Warrior, Frank Silver began. It wasnât a walk in the park.