She woke up better, fully energized… and positive. Then she turned her head and found Ryker staring at her. She glared.
"Creepy much."
His face relaxed and he grinned at her.
"Hello Kara, sleep well?"
She ignored him and got up. He said nothing, watching her move around the room then proceed to the bathroom.
"Do I get some privacy or it says I shouldn't on the mate guide book?"
She turned to him and gestured to the door. Blushing and clearing his throat, Ryker hurried out. She came out a few minutes later and found him sitted by her door.
"Do you have nothing better to do?" She sighed and scoffed when he proceeded to follow her.
Ryker placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her moving. "You didn't have a problem with me before, do you really hate us being mate that much?"
She bent her head slightly to the side and surveyed him.
"What if I'm in love with someone else?"
He froze and his eyes darkened. "Who?"
She chose the first name that came to mind and reminded her of her almost romance. "Adrian… Adrian Frost."
When he said nothing, she turned and walked away. She felt bad and wanted to go back to him but forced herself not to cave. She wouldn't deny the attraction she felt but romance was the least of her worries. She had escaped it with Adrian and wasn't planning to fall into another.
Reginald was waiting for her in the same room she had been in the day before… before the freezer.
"How did you know I'd be back?"
"You are like your mother."
"You almost killed me."
"And you want an upper hand." He stared at her, daring her to deny.
Kara sighed and came to sit in front of him. Upper hand against what?
"Tell me about my father."
He frowned. "What about him?"
"What do you know about Alonzo Cahill."
"Not much, just that he is a coward."
It was Kara's turn to frown. "Why do you say that?"
"You are here aren't you?"
"Yet Anastasia isn't." She shot back.
"That locket you wear around your neck, your mother's. The knife, hers. Tell me, what do you have that shows he matters?" Reginald leaned forward, toying with her locket.
"Fr-Frederick." She stammered, slightly hurt that what he said was the truth. "He sent Frederick to train me."
"And here I am in front of you." Reginald smirked, leaned back and folded his arms. "And no, he didn't send Frederick. Your father might care about a lot of things but most of all, he cares about his weakness not showing. He is the leader of his pack, not only did he have a child with one who isn't his mate, the one is a Sister. Said child is also the reincarnation of a prophesied Deville filled with bloodlust and a taste for revenge. He can't pick you over his people even though you are his person more than they are."
Her thoughts being broadcasted by another felt like a blow to the heart. Tears threatened to pool by her eyelids but she reeled them in and smiled. "I don't think that makes him a coward, I think it makes him a hero."
"You'll definitely disagree when the time comes. But just a reminder, you are a true alpha. You were born to lead the pack. Tell me, between you and Klaus, who is most likely to be 'allowed' to lead?" Reginald's eyes were solemn as he stared at her, watching her reaction.
"You speak as though I want to lead. I don't even know this pack. The wolves in school didn't accept me or try to befriend me, they avoided me. It is understandable that Klaus becomes the alpha if he wins the fight thingy that they do." Kara replied hurriedly, pushing down all the emotions that were brimming.
"Exactly, they didn't accept you. Do you know the last time there was a true alpha? When the wolves let themselves be free spirits, when they were true to themselves. Those were the originals, just like the Devilles were for the rest."
"And yet, there are just three Devilles left. The whereabouts of the free spirits are unknown and the wolves are plenty. I say it's a win for them." Kara said harshly.
Reginald kept quiet for a while and closed his eyes. He sighed.
"Turning things into ice or conjuring it from thin air is easy for you but not entirely useful. You need to be able to change the shape and also undo what you have done." He explained, raising his hand and gathering balls of water from the air.
She was glad he changed the topic. She nodded, concentrating and trying to give him her undivided attention.
He raised his other hand and seemed to pull the water, increasing its length. It formed an arrow.
"Changing its shape."
He closed his palm abruptly and the arrow fell to the floor, evaporating.
"Undoing what has been done. Make it seem like you never did anything."
Kara scoffed. "You make it look easy."
He shaped the water into an arrow again and let it fall, it remained as an arrow.
"Intentionally keeping the shape."
The arrow became a puddle and evaporated.
"Now concentrate. Place both your hands in the bucket and scoop water into your palm." Reginald instructed.
Kara did as she was told but couldn't raise her hand up much before it all trickled out of her palm. She tried it again, over and over but it was still the same.
"Are you even putting an effort into this?" He taunted. "If a person's life was in your hands, is this how you'll kill them?"
She restrained herself from commenting and focused on the water in her hands. In and out, her attention was divided between her breathing and the water. She tried to recall what it felt like freezing buckets and began to freeze the water. The problem now was changing its shape, how was she to do that?
Ice fell back into the bucket in the shape of a tennis ball. Kara sighed in frustration.
"Why do you reject the Deville part of you?" Reginald asked suddenly.
"What do you mean? I don't reject it." Kara frowned in confusion.
"Then why is this hard for you?"
Kara gritted her teeth. "You can't exactly blame me. It's my first time being totally conscious."
"No it's not. Hawk Bobalus… do you remember him?"
"Nop, never heard the weird name."
"Everyone called him Bob, he was the one who trained you."
She remembered. The memories that had been sealed before felt unreal. So did Bob. In her memory, she'd loved every moment she spent with him. He had been like a father. She didn't know how she felt about her memories coming on and off. With Dimitri, it had been different.
"Is there a point to this?"
"Hawk was my best friend and he was madly in love with Anastasia. To him, you were like his daughter. If it had been up to him, he would have hid you where no one could find you and make sure you lived your best life." Then he laughed. "Some days I think maybe he loved you more than I did, not as much as your mom but, enough. I would have given anything to find the one who killed him and let my rage rule."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because it would mean they finding you a little too soon. I'd be doing him a huge disservice."
She stared into his eyes and saw sadness.
"What do you all want from me?" She asked.
Reginald sighed. "Whatever you want. I and your mother want you to be prepared for what is to come. Offensive and defensive. Whatever you do with all that you are capable of is entirely up to you Kara. That is all we can give you that truly matters. But I do not speak for the rest."