Chapter 13

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I had finally figured it out. Kieran Quinn didn't want to be my mate. He wanted to torture me slowly and leave me to die.

I groaned and flopped backwards onto the gym mat.

"Oh, will you stop whining?" Kieran sighed. "You wanted this." He reminded me.

"I wanted you to teach me how to defend myself." I muttered.

"It's pointless to teach you to defend yourself, unless you have strength to do so." Kieran said and helped me off of the floor. I rubbed my arms.

"How am I supposed to defend myself if I can't move my arms?" I complained.

"Why don't we just call it a morning? You're clearly ready to give up." Kieran said, giving me an annoyed look.

I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"I am not!"

"We've only been at this for 30 minutes and you haven't quit whining." Kieran shrugged and turned away from me. "Some people just aren't cut out for it, and if you are okay with being the stereotypical runt of the pack then maybe my job here is done."

I don't know what came over me, but I felt something inside of me spark to life at his words. I growled and jumped on his back.

"Don't call me a runt!" I yelled. He only struggled for a couple of seconds trying to shake me from his back before I found myself airborne, and then hitting my back on the gym mat with a hard thud that almost took the wind out of me. My vision went white for a moment and when it came back, Kieran's bright blue eyes were inches from my face, and he had that damn smirk plastered across his face.

"I have no idea what just happened."

"It's rather simple, I know what makes you tick love, I knew if I made you angry enough, I'd get you motivated. Wolves are naturally stronger than humans even in human form. However, for whatever reason, you haven't tapped into that strength."

"I Know I have, several times." I frowned. "It just kind of comes and goes when I'm-"

"When you're upset?" Kieran asked. "I've noticed that your senses aren't always up to par either, which can be dangerous, deadly even if you find yourself alone."

I sighed heavily and rolled away from him before standing up.

"So basically, I'm useless." I said and turned away from him.

"You aren't useless Mara. It's something we can fix, it's just going to take a little more work than we thought.  The only time you've ever truly been allowed to show your potential is when you were allowed to shift, therefore you became a completely separate entity from your wolf when we are supposed to be one in the same. Am I making sense, love?" Kieran asked softly as he stepped behind me running his hands over my shoulders, working his thumbs in the stiff spots.

"Kind of." I muttered. "I just don't understand why my father would do this..."

"As much as it hurts darling, your father never saw you as any more than someone he could use to breed, He never saw any point in making you strong because the only thing he wanted you to be used for was to keep his bloodline going."

"That's not true." I said, shaking my head. "He loved me. I know he did. Before my mother passed, he was different. We were happy."

"Any father who truly loved his child would not do what he's done to you." Kieran said. I scoffed and pulled away from him.

"Amara, I'm not trying to upset you. I'm just trying to help."

"By telling me my father never loved me?" I asked and turned around to face him.

"The truth hurts sometimes, love. Come on, the last thing I want is for you to be upset with me."

I sighed.

"Let's just move on. I don't want to fight." I said and shrugged. I didn't have the energy to fight with him. "How are we supposed to fix me?"

"Well, as I said it's going to take some work and some patience, but I think if we can get better control over your emotions we can work from there and I think, perhaps we need to find you a sparring partner, who is closer in size to you." He chuckled and then looked like he was thinking about something.

"Give me just one moment." He said and left the room and went up the stairs.

I could only imagine what was going through his mind at this point. I knew deep down that he didn't mean to hurt my feelings, but part of me was still holding onto hope that my father loved me. He was the only parent I had left. How could a parent just not love their child?

I looked up to see Kieran walking back down the stairs with Lacey in tow.

He's got to be joking.

Lacey made it a point to hang around Kieran whenever she could and flirt with him. She also made it a point that I knew exactly what she was doing.

"What is this?" I asked.

"This is your sparring partner. You've met Lacey." He said.

Lacey just smirked and raised her eyebrow challengingly at me.

"Unfortunately." I said under my breath. I knew she and Kieran fooled around before I got here. Kieran had mentioned it, but it was what he called meaningless fun, and she apparently felt the same, but not from what I could see. She wanted more from him, and I'd be damned if she got it.

"I just want to get an idea of how you move and what kind of defense you already have." 

I stepped up to Lacey, and Kieran could obviously sense the tension between the two of us.

"This is only for practice." He reminded us. "Play nice."  He said and stepped away.

Lacey circled me and I just stood there. This was a bad idea if I'd ever heard of one.

"Are you really just going to stand there?" Lacey snorted.

"Well, Kieran did say play nice, so I'm trying my best to follow instructions." I shrugged.

Lacey swung her fist, and I barely dodged it.

"Please, I've seen Kieran save your ass so many times, you honestly think I'm afraid of you?" She laughed.

"I'm not incredibly experienced, but that doesn't mean I won't wipe the floor with you. I" I snarled.

"Mara..." Kieran warned.

"I've seen the way you look at him, the way you talk to him." I said. "If you haven't noticed, he wants me. Not you."

"As if." Lacey said and pushed me. "You know, I don't know what he sees in you. He needs someone strong and independent. Not someone he has to babysit constantly, Pup." Lacey snarked.

"Lacey, you're out of line." Kieran snapped.

"Maybe, next time you wander off, stay gone. He'll realize he was wrong. Leave him to me, you couldn't handle him. It's time to go home to Daddy and let him make all your decisions for you." Lacey smiled.

Fuck playing nice.

I reared back and punched her straight in the nose, Lacey held her nose for a moment and pulled her hand away looking at the blood that pooled in her palm.

I could hear Kieran let out an exasperated groan, knowing he had made a mistake.

Lacey grabbed ahold of my hair and pulled me to the floor with her, and from there it was a bloodbath. We slapped and clawed at each other's faces rolling around on the floor.

"Enough!" Kieran shouted, but neither of us listened. I rolled Lacey onto her back and pinned her down with strength I had only rarely felt surging through me. I grabbed a fist full of her hair and reared back my other fist to punch her in her stupid slag face before I felt strong arms around my midsection and I was pulled off of Lacey, seething and seeing red. Lacey stumbled to her feet growling, and spitting blood on the floor. She stepped towards me, and Kieran and I let out a growl that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Upstairs! Now!" Kieran shouted at Lacey. Lacey bowed her head and sulked up the stairs.

"What was that?" I asked, catching my breath. "Why did she stop like that?"

"Because of the way you growled. You were letting her know I am yours and she's to keep her paws off."

"Oh... I'm sorry." I mumbled. Not exactly sure why I felt I needed to apologize.

"I'm not mad.. Well not about that at least, next time I say enough, listen to me." He snapped.

"But she started-"

Kieran's eyes flashed silver and he glared at me. I bowed my head.

"Fine." I mumbled.

I felt his hand under my chin, and he tilted my head up so I was looking up at him.

"It's partially my fault. I should have known it was a bad idea to bring Lacey in here. Gotta admit though, it was kind of sexy how you kicked her ass because of me, and then when you staked your claim..." He smirked and pushed my hair out of my face. "Chills." He grinned and his eyebrows just about flew off his face. "Here sit down, Lets clean the blood off your face."

I sat down and he grabbed a first aid kit from a shelf behind me and started cleaning the blood away from the scratches on my face.

"Only kind of?" I asked and tilted my head, biting my lip. "I didn't even realize what I was doing."

"You kind of went into a blind rage." Kieran chuckled. "But that's what I was talking about earlier. You're incredibly strong, as you should be, you're the daughter of an Alpha. We just need to work on getting you to a place where you are strong all the time, not just when you are provoked. We'll get there." Kieran smiled.

"Well at least maybe Lacey will keep her damn hands to herself." I muttered. I was still confused how I had managed to scare her off, it was like even though I still didn't feel ready to just jump into things with Kieran, the wolf inside of me was ready, so what was holding me back? Why couldn't I just let go?

"She won't. She can't actually. You made sure of that just now. You let her know that I was yours and she has to back off."

"So why did Colt attack me?" I asked. Why was Kenneth being a total creep the other day.

"Because love, I may have stated to you that you are my mate, but you haven't been marked."

"Well... I didn't mark you, I just growled." I said this was all so god damned confusing.

Kieran chuckled and finished tending to my face before putting the first aid kit back up.

"I know your father kept you in the dark, but did he honestly not teach you anything? Marking can only be done by Alphas. Any other wolf can stake their claim the way you did with Lacey just now Marking lets anyone, from any pack know that you are to be unharmed, and untouched, or face certain death, it's a sign of passion, love, loyalty and protection." Kieran explained and pulled the collar of his shirt down so I could see a scar I hadn't noticed before between his neck and his left shoulder, it looked like a bite mark. I reached out and ran my finger over the raised skin.

"Michela?" I asked.

"Aye." He nodded and his eyes clouded over. "Once she passed from this life, the mark lost its power. We mate for life, but in the event of death, it is possible to find a new mate, not..likely but possible which is why I know you are more special than you think. I never knew I could feel this way again since Michela." He smiled.

My heart fluttered in my chest.

"How does one get marked?" I asked, curiously. Kieran raised an eyebrow and gave me a devilish grin.

"It happens when mating." He said bluntly and turned away from me before starting to walk out of the room.

I tried to mentally will myself not to blush as I hopped out of the chair and started to follow him.

"So, until we... do that... Anyone can do whatever they want to me?" I asked.

"They can try, if they fancy their arms being ripped from their sockets." Kieran shrugged. "Marked or not, I will protect you at all costs."

"I'm sorry I just don't know how all this works." I sighed. "You do things so differently here."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kieran asked.

"No… it's not." I said softly. "Isn't there supposed to be some ceremony involved?"

"If you live stuck in the old times, I suppose so. I prefer things to be more private. I would never put you on display like that. It's awful, degrading, and I want my eyes to be the only ones that get to see every bit of you." He said and turned to face me again. I found myself backed into the pool table in the game room. I swallowed thickly.

"You couldn't handle it." I purred.

Where the hell did that come from Mara?

He leaned in. His lips were just inches from mine, taunting me.

"Perhaps it is you that couldn't handle it." He whispered and his lips crashed into mine, taking every bit of air I had. I reached up and tangled my fingers into his dark shaggy hair tugging slightly, he let out a low growl that set fire to something deep inside of me.

Check mate, Quinn just take me now!

He pulled back, His lips hovered over mine for just a moment before he pulled back completely

"You aren't ready yet." He smirked and walked away, leaving me breathless, and unsure of everything but one thing.

I was his.