Runaway Lycan Mate

MALIA'S POV "You should never turn your back on your opponent, I always tell you that," Darys, my uncle, said as he held his wooden sword to my neck, and I rolled my eyes. Why can’t I ever remember to always be on guard? "I need to rest. We have been training for hours now." He raised an eyebrow, "I have told you there is no rest for you until you do what is necessary. Skill will not just come to you if you don't train, so while I take a little rest, run forty laps around now." "What? Forty?" "You can’t do it?" I looked down as I dropped the wooden sword and took off on my heel. His words that always reminded me why I was going through this rigorous training filled my head as I ran. "Remember, you were wronged, your family was wronged, but the only way to get back home is if you get strong enough to be able to stand up to those who stand in your way." "You are stronger than you think, and the fact that you cannot use your powers now does not stop you from training hard. You are who you are because you are a true-born, not because of any powers." He always says things like these, but he never told me who I really am. He has always talked about powers, but I have never been able to see the prospects of all these trainings. I always forget everything he teaches the moment he does, and no matter how much I tried, I have never been able to win a fight with him. Maybe if I tried to fight someone else, but the problem is we have lived alone in the deep forests ever since I was young. He has always said he needed to keep me safe until he was sure that I could be revealed to the world without compromising my identity. There were times that I wanted to see what other people were like and maybe play with others my age, but he’d never allow it. As I ran, I tripped and fell down a steep hill. I looked down at my legs, which were burning really bad. They were bruised. I looked around to see if I could find a medicinal plant to put on it. One of the things I learned, even if my martial arts skill wasn't the best yet, was to hold pain in and also about plants and what each can do. As I looked around, I suddenly heard the sound of feet coming closer. I hid immediately behind a large shrub. Daryl had taught me a lot of hiding strategies in case this ever happened. My heart thumped loudly and fast, but I knew that I needed to keep it steady and quiet because I cannot afford to be found out. Daryl could always find me by my smell, heartbeat, and many other things, and if these people are anything like him, then I should pray for luck. The footsteps got closer, and four men came into view. They were the first I would see aside from Daryl, and it made me extremely curious because they did not look like him, not that I was expecting that they would look alike. Despite that I have been kept away from the world, Daryl made sure I learned everything there is to know. They were dressed in plain dark similar clothes, but the one who stood in the middle had on a different kind of attire that made him look like he held a higher position than the other men. "Where did you say you found the rogues? We have been searching for hours, and it will soon be dark." "Apologies, my lord. Not too far from here." "Are you sure my brother was duly informed about this search, Damien?" "The Alpha authorized the search and said you were the only one fit to apprehend them if we ever found them." "And since when did my brother acknowledge my ability? That is what makes this even harder to believe." They stopped not too far from where I hid, and as I tried to hide better, I winced from the pain in my leg. At least I have been able to stop the bleeding. I saw the two men at the back exchange glances as they all stopped near a tree stump, and right before I knew it, one of the men slashed the one in the middle, who seemed to be their Alpha's brother, with his claws right in the neck. The bleeding man looked shocked as he fell to his knees while holding onto his bleeding neck. The men looked at him, watching him fall into a pool of his own blood. “Why?” He managed to say before the men turned around and began to walk away. “The Alpha wanted a clean job. You are sure that would kill him?” “Yes, we should hide his body.” “There is no need; the birds will feed on him before dawn. We should get back to the Alpha and break the news to him,” Damien said, and they began to walk away, but suddenly, Damien’s nose flared. “Someone's here.” My heart skipped a beat as he looked in my direction. While I was sure he hasn’t seen me, I knew he could anytime soon, so I did the only logical thing; I ran, and they gave chase immediately when they saw me. How did he even notice that I was there, and they had just killed a man who did not even seem like a stranger to them? I need to tell Daryl. This, but I knew that I could not go straight home because I would be leading them to our hideout, so I decided to take them on a wild goose chase, and after a while, when I was sure that they were no longer following me, I sat at the foot of a tree and began to gasp as I tried to catch my breath. “Don’t move.”