by Noelle Marie
Bastian landed on his paws.
Rogue did not.
And before he could roll off of his back, Bastian had placed his big, black body atop of his, paws on either side of Rogue’s face as he growled menacingly, nostrils flaring and spittle dripping down his chin as he bared his teeth.
Katherine could recall play fighting with Bastian during the last full moon. He’d pinned her to the ground much like he had with Rogue. But he didn’t look nearly as frightening then. This was different. This was real rage.
Foolishly, though, Rogue refused to surrender and show his neck to the other alpha. He tried to squirm out from under him.
It was a mistake.
As soon as he’d moved, Bastian sunk his teeth into the other wolf’s shoulder, not letting go even as Rogue let out a pained cry and began to writhe underneath him. After a minute or two of struggling, Rogue finally cooperated and lay prone. Bastian released him and the tawny wolf grudgingly bore his neck.
All around Katherine, wolves starting barking and yapping excitedly. Sophie, whom Katherine had paid only a minimal amount of attention to up to that point, was hopping up and down and butting her head against Katherine’s affectionately.
But she only had eyes for Bastian.
Katherine watched as he stepped down from his position over Rogue and made his way to where she stood with the rest of his pack. His blue eyes were bright with remnants of adrenaline and anger undoubtedly reserved for her. But he didn’t snarl, bark, or even glare at her.
He bounded up to her and pressed his face hard against hers before he began to brush his side up alongside hers. It could be taken as nothing but the tender gesture that it was.
Obviously, he was just relieved that she was okay. Katherine was glad that he was okay too.
When she attempted to pull away from him, though, he growled – the noise low and originating from deep within his throat. She immediately pressed herself back up against him, whining softly in apology.
Alright, so maybe he was still a little mad. Somehow Katherine doubted she’d be let out of his sight any time soon.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Please, Katherine. Please, please, please.”
The small brunette sighed, trying hard not to let her aggravation show as she leaned back against Markus’s red truck and listened to Melanie plead with her for the umpteenth time that day.
Monday and Tuesday she’d been forced to endure her friends apologizing every other minute – apparently they’d felt responsible for her getting lost in the woods at the moon gathering. Once she’d convinced them that she didn’t blame them, however, and that she wasn’t in that much trouble with Bastian, they’d moved on to begging her to go out with them on Friday after school.
They’d launched their campaign on Wednesday, cajoling her every spare second they had. Even Penelope, whom Katherine strongly suspected didn’t even like her, was insistent that she tag along. And today – Thursday – they had moved on to phase two of their little operation…
“Please Katherine.”
… which basically involved wearing down her defenses with the overuse of the word please.
“Melanie, you know I can’t go.”
The girl in question frowned – though it would have been more of a pout if her lips weren’t so thin. “Can’t or won’t?” she demanded.
“Can’t,” Katherine answered honestly, crossing her arms over her chest. While it was true that Bastian hadn’t been nearly as mad at her as she’d thought he’d be after her disappearing act at the moon gathering, he’d still been quite obviously upset. Even more obvious was that he didn’t want her wandering far from his sight.
Not only had he driven her to school every day that week, he’d picked her up too – even though Markus was already there and could have easily done it. Today, in fact, was the first time since the incident that he was actually allowing his beta to chauffeur her home.
And Katherine assumed the only reason Bastian was even permitting it was because he had some sort of important meeting scheduled with Cain that afternoon.
Katherine didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been getting used to Bastian’s constant attention and had been a little disappointed that morning when the man had informed her he wouldn’t be able to pick her up after school.
Thankfully, her excitement at the prospect of Markus and Zane being able to resume her secret fighting lessons had quickly overshadowed it.
She just wished that Markus would hurry up whatever he was doing in the gym so she could escape her friend’s probing gaze and they could get going.
Melanie’s eyes narrowed at her answer. “Have you even asked Bastian if you can go?”
Katherine shifted uneasily, her fingers fiddling with the thick hair of her ponytail as she debated what to say to the girl. Because the short answer was no, she hadn’t asked Bastian.
She didn’t doubt what he’d say if she did, but the truth of the matter was that she didn’t want to go.
“Come on, Katherine,” her friend whined when she took too long to reply. “It’ll be a blast. We hardly ever get the opportunity to leave town.”
And that was precisely why she didn’t want to go. Her friends weren’t just going out anywhere after school tomorrow. They were actually leaving Haven Falls altogether to hang out in some other city. Fort Something or Another. According to Melanie, it was about three hours away by car.
From what Katherine understood, they were planning on eating out before, as Penelope put it, they hit the clubs.
It all sounded so… normal. Like something her friend Abby would have tried to coax her into doing before Miller Road – before she’d been bitten by a gargantuan wolf with sharp teeth and piercing blue eyes.
But she had been bitten by that wolf. And for whatever reason, the very idea of doing something so normal in an ordinary, human town made Katherine uncomfortable. Nervous, even.
And thus, she’d said no each and every time her friends had urged her to go with them.
“Sorry, I just can’t. Maybe next time,” Katherine finally offered.
Melanie allowed her shoulders to slump. “Fine, okay,” she muttered, looking down and making patterns in the sludgy snow that covered the parking lot with the toe of her boot.
Both girls startled when the sound of a door banging open echoed through the nearly empty parking lot. Katherine glanced at the school, sighing in relief when she saw Markus heading toward them, shrugging on his worn, plaid jacket as he did so.
About time.
“I guess that’s my cue,” Melanie sulked for a moment, before abruptly changing her demeanor and offering Katherine one last smile. “But, hey, if you change your mind, we’re heading to my place right after school tomorrow. I have a couple of outfits that would fit you if you don’t have anything club appropriate to wear. See you!” she called as she walked away.
As fond as she was of her friend, Katherine barely managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes at Melanie’s exuberance. Apparently, however, she couldn’t completely mask her incredulity from Markus, who smirked when he saw her expression.
“Ready to go, princess?” he asked, digging the truck’s keys out of one of his jacket’s many pockets and unlocking the vehicle’s doors.
“Definitely,” she agreed, not even bothering to object to the man’s ridiculous nickname for her as she pulled herself up onto the beige passenger seat.
Markus had the truck started and was darting out of the parking lot before Katherine even had the chance to pull the safety belt across her chest. “What’s the rush?” she asked, struggling to pull the strap free from the loop over her shoulder.
Huffing in mild annoyance, Markus reached across the cab, buckling the seat belt for her with his right hand while his left remained firmly on the wheel.
Katherine struggled not to blush. She must have successfully kept the red that threatened to blossom across her face at bay as he refrained from commenting on her complexion. Instead, he smirked a
t her. “No rush. I just thought you’d want to fit fight club in before Bastian got back from his uncle’s place.”
Katherine beamed.
#
Katherine glared.
When the words “punch me” had escaped Markus’s mouth, she’d been suspicious. Especially when she’d spotted Zane’s amused half smile.
Despite her reservations, however, the brunette had listened to the man. She’d balled up her fingers and swung. And then, when her fist was inches from his face, Markus caught it. Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, he easily shoved her fist – and as a result, her – away from him.
He’d pushed hard enough to knock her over, and she landed on her butt. Of course.
Hence, the glaring.
“That had to have been the saddest excuse for a punch I’ve ever seen someone throw,” Markus scoffed loudly as Zane, whose half smile had transformed into a full-blown grin, helped her to her feet.
Flat out ignoring the way she glowered at him, Markus grabbed her right wrist as soon as Zane had pulled her up. “Hey!”
“Thankfully, I’m here to teach you the right way to do it. Now, make a fist.”
Katherine rolled her eyes at the man’s abrasiveness, but did as she was told, curling her fingers around her thumb just as she had moments before.
Markus frowned, using the hand that wasn’t holding her wrist steady to quickly unbend her fingers. “Never tuck in your thumb like that. If you’d actually managed to hit me earlier – and your thumb was like that – you probably would have broken it.”
Katherine blinked. “Oh.”
She applied his correction, making sure her thumb stayed on the outside of her fingers this time as she made a fist.
“Better. Now, do you see how your knuckles protrude a bit when you ball up your hand? When you throw your next punch, make sure you lead with them, alright? Not the flat your fingers.” Markus released her wrist. “Zane, fix her stance.”
Jumping into action, Zane helped her separate her feet so that they were a good twelve inches apart, her left foot well ahead of her right. “The key to putting your weight behind a punch,” he explained, “is to shift your weight from your back leg to your front as you lean in to hit your opponent. There’s no need to actually wind up and pull your fist behind your head. Think jabs, not swings. Got it?”
“Got it,” Katherine assured, replaying both men’s instructions in her head. Shift weight forward. Jab, don’t swing. Lead with knuckles.
“Alright,” Markus said, stealing her attention, “now let’s try this again. Punch me.”
Wary after what had happened the last time she’d complied with that particular request, Katherine hesitated. When Markus sighed impatiently, however, she forced herself to disregard her misgivings and once again took aim.
Just as before, the man stopped her fist well before it could connect with his face. “Wrong,” he sniped, making his displeasure clear.
Tearing her hand from his before he could push her over again, Katherine furrowed her brows. “Wrong? What do you mean wrong? I was following your instructions.”
“Sure,” he agreed, “but you went for my face – easy to anticipate and block.”
“I was aiming for your nose. You’re the one who taught me that it was one of the body’s main weak spots,” Katherine argued.
“You’re right. But while a broken nose would hurt, it would only incapacitate your opponent for so long. If you could even connect your hit at all, that is. Not only is it easy to anticipate, but a nose is a pretty small target. A much smarter move would have been to go for the throat.”
Katherine brought a hand up to her slender neck. “But couldn’t that seriously injury someone?”
Markus looked exasperated. “Yeah, Katherine, it could. Even if someone as little as you was doing the punching. So if you’re ever really in trouble, you don’t question it. You go for the throat, alright?”
“Alright,” she stammered, forcing her hand to move back down to its place at her side.
“Good. Now tell you what, princess? You actually manage to land a hit on me in the next five minutes and I’ll let you choose what you want to learn next. Deal?”
Katherine narrowed her eyes, recognizing a change of subject when she heard one, but she wasn’t about to pass up on that offer. Maybe she could sweeten the pot first, though? “I land a hit and not only do you let me pick what you teach me next, but you go a whole week without calling me that nefarious nickname.”
Markus grinned. “Deal.”
As Katherine sized up her opponent, she was only vaguely aware of Zane groaning and muttering to himself not far away. “Not a good idea, guys.”
Ignoring Zane, Katherine aimed low, attempting to kick Markus’s legs out from under him instead just punching wildly. It didn’t work, of course. And as the first and then second minute ticked by, she resorted to doing exactly what she had wanted to avoid – punching wildly.
She’d punch left and then right, adding in a cheap shot here and there, like a shoe to the shin or a knee to the groin. Unfortunately, the infuriating man managed to block them all of her attempts with ease.
As the fourth minute withered away – Zane, acting as their official time keeper, kept them well informed – and one of her punches came a hair’s breath away from connecting with Markus’s ribs, however, he’d clearly had enough. Grabbing first her right fist and then her left the next time she jabbed them at him, he quickly spun her around so that he had her hands trapped behind her back.
“That’s not fair!” Katherine protested, trying to hit him in the nose with the back of her head like she’d been taught. But, of course, Markus was ready for it and already well out of reach.
Refusing to give up, she lifted her leg and stomped down hard on the man’s toes. With a startled curse, Markus let go of one of her wrists. Caught off balance and with one arm still restrained behind her, Katherine squealed and fell forward, somehow managing to drag Markus with her.
It would have been entirely hilarious if the brunt of the man’s weight had not have landed on her, knocking the wind right out of her lungs.
“Damnit! Are you alri-”
Concerned with the way Markus had cut himself off so quickly, Katherine looked up from where she’d been inadvertently pinned.
And immediately understood why the man had been unable to finish his question. Why Zane was staring, his usually dark-skinned face downright ashen, at the same exact spot as Markus.
Bastian stood in the entryway.
They hadn’t heard his SUV pull up or the front door open over their noisy tussling, but his presence was impossible to miss now.
With his jaw clenched tightly shut and his attractive face quickly turning a fiery shade of red, he looked the very definition of anger. Katherine could even see a vein throbbing on his right temple from where she lay, uselessly trapped under Markus.
Zane was the first to find his voice. “Bastian, it’s not what it looks like.”
It became evident that Bastian thought it was exactly what it looked like, however, when he crossed the floor before Zane had even finished his sentence. He grabbed Markus by the scruff of his shirt, lifting him off of Katherine and throwing him against the nearest wall.
“Bastian, man, seriously-” Zane tried again, but a sharp look from his alpha had him hastily shutting his yap.
Katherine picked herself up from the floor, but her voice was stuck hopelessly in her throat.
“You have one chance to explain to me what I just saw before I beat the snot out of you,” Bastian snarled, shoving Markus against the wall again when he made a move to approach him.
“Really?” Markus scoffed, sounding awfully confident for someone who found himself being threatened by a man as powerful as Bastian was. “And what is it that you think you saw?”
“You were hurting her,” he spat, obviously enraged. His whole body was tense, the muscles of his arms straining against the sleeves of his white shirt.
Mar
kus actually laughed at that – the disbelieving chortle ringing throughout the room. “You actually believe that? That Zane and I would hurt her on purpose? What – that we torture her while you’re away? Pick on her, push her around?”
“Shut up!”
“She’s pack. Why would we hurt her? Listen to yourself.” This time it was Markus shoving Bastian.
“I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes,” he said, stepping into Markus’s space. The difference in the two men’s heights was miniscule and as they stared each other down, they were nose to nose.
Zane’s eyes were imploring Katherine to intervene. And finally finding her voice, she did. “Stop!” she demanded, reaching out to grab onto Bastian’s taut forearm. She attempted to pull him away. “Markus wasn’t hurting me.”
Those words seemed to have a calming effect on the man. He relaxed his stance some, allowing her to tug him away from Markus. But he still didn’t look entirely convinced.
“If that’s true, then what was going on when I walked in?” he demanded.
Katherine licked her suddenly dry lips. Of course. This is how he had to find out about her secret fighting lessons. “Uh, well. You know how I ask you to teach me how to fight a few weeks ago and you said no.”
Bastian frowned. “Yes.”
It was now or never. “Well,” she paused, glancing once at Markus and then at Zane before finally allowing her eyes to land on Bastian’s. The admission spilled out, so fast the words nearly blended together. “I asked Markus to teach me afterwards and he said yes.”
It took a moment for him to digest the words. To Katherine’s surprise, he remained calm – deceptively so. “And that’s what I walked in on? Some secret rendezvous where Markus and Zane were teaching you how to fight.”
Katherine took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
“And how long has this been going on?”
“A couple weeks,” she admitted.
To be honest, Bastian’s non-reaction to the entire situation was beginning to freak her out. She couldn’t stop herself from babbling nervously. “I just wanted to learn how to defend myself. I know that you’re the protector of the pack and all, but I just felt it was important that I learned a few techniques, you know? I mean, it just makes sense that-”