Frustration was an understatement, it had been a while she had done something this rigorous. Kara tried not to glare at Frederick laying under a tree and focus on her tenth lap. She stopped in front of him, heaving.
"Wanna make a deal?" He asked her with a smile she was wary of.
She straightened her back and rubbed her sweaty palms on her trousers. Her beanie was tucked in her trousers.
"What is it about?" She narrowed her eyes at him and resisted the urge to fold her arms.
He picked a stone and flung it, pressure coming from his index.
"You win a fight against me and I'll run the remaining 10 laps." He stood up and straightened his back.
She snorted. "Win a fight against a seasoned badass, I think not."
"One lap. We both run a lap, whoever comes last runs 9 more laps."
The deal was very enticing. But...
"I'm tired from running 10 already, don't you think that is a bit unfair." She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms.
He shrugged took his position beside her.
"Nothing in life is fair." Frederick whispered to her before saying loudly. "Dimitri, call it for us."
Kara's head whipped in direction of approaching footsteps. Footsteps that revealed a very angry Dimitri.
"You better have a good explanation for missing..." He started, his eyes turning a deep mud brown.
She turned to Frederick. "Meet you at the finish line."
She took off. She heard Frederick laughing as he came after her and Dimitri cursing. She knew Frederick would catch up to her but kept pushing. She arrived at the end 2 minutes after him.
"You are fast." He said, not a pant noticed from him.
Kara glared at him playfully and tried to catch her breath. She almost forgot Dimitri.
"You better breath well enough cause you are doing 20 more." He said to her, tapping his feet with folded arms.
Her mood took a red turn. It was like someone flipped the switch.
"What!"
"You'll know not to miss your classes next time." He retorted.
"Classes that are clearly not going to help my future. Who is going to care if I know how alkaline reacts or it's chains or whatever else is filled in chemistry and physics." She blew up. "Good for you if your kind turn into scientists or whatever but I am sure, as you are, that I am not going to need whatever is being taught in that class."
"Young lady..." He began, moving close to her menacingly.
"You don't train me anymore. Class class class is all you go on about. None of that is going to help me. Save me or keep me alive."
"The history.."
She stood her ground and cut him off. "Your history is boring. I sleep through every class so I assure you I have better things to do than attend non productive classes."
They were both fuming. Frederick fought the urge to bust into laughter. She was an adorable little hurricane.
"Run off the anger." He ordered coldly. He could not afford to be soft on her.
"What?" Her cheeks were flushed as she remembered his presence.
"Kara..." His tone held authority. "You respect those older than you and respect our history. You may not have lived here all your life but you will show respect to that which we are. Run off the anger."
"We? I am not like any of you." She said out of spite.
The air was sizzling.
"Yet your wolf ears are up and your claws out." His fangs came out.
Maybe it was Hera's betrayal or what Klaus had said about her mother. May it was because for a minute while running with Frederick, she had imagined what it would have been like to run with her father. Maybe it was because she realised she had never met them and if not for Adrian, she wouldn't know their face. All Kara knew was that she couldn't take it anymore.
"Uh uh, but I haven't met this 'pack of the North' nor has my father deigned me worthy of his presence." She growled, her fangs showing.
"That is the pack's beta you are speaking to." Dimitri snarled from the side.
Really? Was that all they got from all she had said. Her lack of respect.
It felt like a rumble in her chest. Like something thick and heavy had exploded. The next words she spoke brought chills to their spine... and hers.
"And I am the next alpha!" She snarled, her body on alert.
They called it the alpha's might. The ability of an alpha to speak and demand respect from his/her pack. Few had possessed it, even Alpha Alonzo couldn't muster it. But standing before her, their knees weakened and they almost crumbled to the floor.
"Go to the clinic." Frederick said to her and gestured to her hand.
In her clenched fists, her nails had dug into her skin and blood trickled to the grass.
It seemed to bring her back to her senses. Kara took in a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay."
She left them. Wolves heal fast, so she knew he meant she should cool off. She felt embarrassed that she had exploded. Next alpha?! What had she been thinking.
Supernaturals and humans had distinctive smells. Humans had a leather like smell, she had noticed as a kid and felt it was normal. But after meeting the supernaturals, Dimitri had explained to her.
Mind weavers had a book like smell. Wolves had a particular animal smell that was just theirs. Elemental smell just like what they are, earth, smoke from fire and dampness. Air was a little hard to pick up at times, they were more on the side of heard than smell. A subtle swoosh sound.
Ezra was the only shadow she had met, except for the other boy she barely noticed, and he didn't have a smell. Dimitri had explained that one had to be attentive to notice. The lighting changes when a shadow passes by, he had said. Shadows were darkness in a way, it was hard to detect them in the night or a dark alley.
She was on her way to the clinic and the hallway on her right wasn't lit. Kara was surprised she had noticed the movement of shadows with her emotions all over the place. Or rather, a particular shadow. The light was off in a way..
She squinted and tried to make out what was there.
"Ezra?" She called out.
Something was drawing her in. It was as if all her senses felt something good and enticing. Her heart was beating fast and her skin tingled. The scar on her back burned a bit but not in a way she felt hurt.
Someone was staring at her from the shadows. She was excited yet scared.
Kara licked her lips that felt dry and turned away. Increasing her pace, she hurried to her room and bolted the door. She'd watched enough human horror movies to know she was not to go into a dark hallway.
Kara chuckled to herself. Maybe she was a little dumb, after all, she had followed a mythical Griffin to a dark mansion... Or rather, school.
....
"Your brother is a fool." Frederick said to Dimitri as he stared at Kara walking away.
Dimitri sighed and sat on the floor. "No one can force him."
Frederick shook his head. "I can't believe he wouldn't let her come home for the little break. Isn't he the least bit curious about his own daughter?"