Athindrya

Chapter 12

It’s been about ten minutes since Shane left her in her room. Ivy had been surprised to find a pair of pyjamas folded on her bed. Clearly her little investigative mission had not gone unnoticed.

She hobbled over to the bathroom door, expecting to find a simple bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink. Instead she was met with a sparkling white bathroom, equipped with a shower and a bath. The opaque window above the bath let in the evening light, reflecting off the mirror on the wall.

It’s a bit too bright for my taste. Lilka thought out loud.

Ivy could only agree as she picked up an equally white towel. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the bright white, just in moderation. It was a good thing she wouldn’t have to stay here too long or she might go blind.

As Ivy ran herself a bath she undressed, careful not to touch her wounded leg. The steam coming off the hot water enticed her. In Athindrya, she had only ever had showers, a bath like this was a foreign concept. She swiftly unplaited her hair, anxious to get in.

Lifting her injured leg, she cautiously manoeuvred herself into the porcelain bath. The water consumed her as she let herself unwind. She could feel her tense muscles easing up. Her eyes closing, she let out a breath of contentment.

Leaning her head back, her hair swayed around her, following the small ripples in the water. Ivy felt at peace, she never knew washing could be so calming. She stayed like that in the bath for who knows how long, until she finally decided to clean herself up.

Back in her room, she realised the sun had already gone down, the only source of light being the moon’s glow. She walked over to the edge of the bed where she picked up the pyjamas. Lilka’s disappointed huff sounded when she realised, they didn’t smell of her mate. Ivy on the other hand thought it quite considerate.

Once dressed, she snuggled under the thick duvet, facing the window. Some might have preferred to close the curtains, but the moonlight came as a comfort to her. She found herself wondering if the moon would look any different once she was free.

                                           ***

Ivy woke up wrapped in the warm and comforting duvet. It was a nice contrast to the agitation the night had brought. Lilka had woken up only an hour after falling asleep, just to announce that Azai had officially gone to bed. From then it had been a nightmare trying to sleep. Lilka had been pacing around in Ivy’s head, desperate to cross the hall and be with their mate.

Now that she wasn’t half asleep, Ivy could feel the pull of the mate bond. It took everything she had not to spring out of bed and indulge in Lilka’s demands. Slowly she set her feet on the wooden floor, testing the strength of her damaged leg.

Standing up, Ivy went over to the bathroom for a quick shower. It was still early in the morning, the hustle and bustle she had heard yesterday had not yet begun. Then again it was four forty-five in the morning. Normally she would’ve headed over to the training rooms for some quality time at the gym, then gone back to bed. But she had to make do with what she had.

She grabbed her clothes from the day before sliding on her t-shirt. Pulling on her trousers, she realised they still had the slit the doctor had made. Dammit. At least the doctor hadn’t cut through her pockets with her knives.

Ivy took one out and cut her trousers into cargo shorts. She wasn’t too pleased to have to cut into them, but, well it was either that or walk around half naked.

I’m sure Azai would appreciate that. Lilka’s seductive voice mused.

Ivy just chose to ignore her mate crazed wolf as she finished sewing the hem of her new shorts. Once done, she slid into her boots and headed off into the deadly silent house.

She could hear Lilka’s whining as they passed by Azai’s room door. Clearly Azai was still in his room. Ivy made her way downstairs, grabbed an apple, and headed outside. The crisp morning air smacked Ivy in the face. The grass was still wet from the morning dew, a deep rich green, inviting and alluring.

Ivy was so entranced by her surroundings that she walked towards the edge of the forest, barely registering the pain in her leg. It was as if it was calling to her. The wind speaking her name; the trees swaying, welcoming her with their branches; and the moss covered ground ready for her silent run.

She shed her clothes, eyes trained on the foggy horizon. Her bones snapped. Breaking and reshaping themselves to fit her wolf form. Her neck snapped back instinctively wanting to howl in glee. Though she knew if she were to do so, it would bring unwanted attention her way. Ivy ceded control to Lilka who sprinted off into the depths, disappearing and fading into the mist.

The pine smell did wonders to her senses as she sped through the trees. There was a hint of an ocean scent to the air Ivy would have like to investigate, but she needed to stay close to the pack.

Once Lilka had had her fair share of short lived freedom, she relinquished control back to Ivy. She took her time to go back to where she had left her clothes. She dressed herself then returned to where she had stashed her ‘getaway bag’. During her walk she realised the mistake she had made. Her leg was healed now. Azai would have no reason to put off making her Luna.

And that is bad why exactly?

Because if we become Luna, we can’t be free, we can’t travel and we’d have endless responsibilities to people who abandoned us.

Yes. But if I may propose an objecting statement. OUR MATE IS HERE! Lilka all but screamed.

Ivy settled by the fallen tree. She took a breath before removing her obsidian knife from her boot, her throwing knife and her dagger out of her pocket. Marcus’ push dagger was only a last resort.

Taking an offensive stance Ivy began slashing at one of the trees in front of her. She moved swiftly as if practicing a well-choreographed dance. Her knives would need sharpening after this impromptu training, but surely, she would find a rock or something to use instead. 

She soon finished cutting the poor, defenceless tree, so she moved onto her hand to hand combat moves. Her knuckles were becoming redder and redder, until they were eventually bleeding over her and the tree. Thankfully, this time she had no reason not to have Lilka help her heal.

Ivy watched as the blood stopped running down her hand, and the skin on her lacerated knuckles slowly knit itself back together, leaving no evidence of her training session. She made sure her knives were back in their rightful place before returning to her room in the pack house.

She walked up the stairs, taking advantage of the fact that no on was around to see her walking normally. Though she did slow down close to Azai’s room in case he stumbled across her. Lilka’s reason for slowing down on the other hand was very different. It had more to do with the fact that Lilka was busy imagining what Azai would look like when he woke up.

Back in her room, she ran her hands under the tap, washing off the dried blood. She then proceeded to rebandage her leg, not looking forward to having to fake limp in front of people.

Looking at the clock on the wall, she noticed she had spent a little over two hours in the woods running and training. Surely the Alpha should be up already. Maybe he didn’t wake up early on weekends. Maybe he knew she had snuck out and was ignoring her on purpose. Maybe…

For someone who claims not to want a mate, you seem awfully concerned about ours.

Ivy rolled her eyes, shutting out the smug wolf. If she was going to pass the time, might as well go back to sleep. Ivy twisted and turned in her bed, desperately trying not to think about the devilishly handsome man across the hall.