Maia woke up with the first rays of sunlight filtering through her bedroom curtains. The events of the previous night felt like a hazy dream. As she sat up, the memory of her date with Zac replayed in her mind—the romantic dinner, the kiss on the rooftop, and the way he called her babe. She reached for her phone, hoping to see messages from Flora and Damien.
The screen lit up with several notifications. She opened her friends' group chat and saw updates from both of them. Damien had texted late last night:
> Damien: Yo, guys. Last night was wild! Out partying until the wee hours. Feeling it this morning, though.
Flora's message was more recent:
> Flora: Slept in early. Had my phone on DND. Sorry for missing out on any fun.
Maia frowned, feeling a twinge of suspicion. Their excuses seemed convenient, almost rehearsed. But she had no choice but to trust them for now. She typed a quick message:
> Maia: Guys, we need to talk. Emergency meeting at The Stockyard ASAP. See you there.
She hit send and swung her legs over the side of the bed. After getting ready, she headed downstairs, grabbed a quick breakfast, and made her way to The Stockyard.
By the time she arrived, Damien and Flora were already there, sitting at their usual booth. Damien looked a bit worse for wear, his eyes bloodshot and his movements sluggish. Flora appeared well-rested but a little on edge.
"Hey," Maia greeted them as she slid into the booth. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course," Flora said, her eyes scanning Maia's face with concern. "What's the emergency?"
Maia took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "So, last night with Zac was... interesting."
Damien perked up, his usual teasing smirk appearing. "Oh? Do tell."
Maia rolled her eyes. "We had a really romantic evening. He was super sweet, we had fancy steak and wine, danced to live music... It was like something out of a movie."
"Wow," Flora said, sounding genuinely surprised. "That sounds amazing, but are you sure about this? It all seems a bit fast."
Damien leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, that's quick. But if you're happy, go for it."
Maia was taken aback. Usually, Damien would be the one teasing her about her relationships. "That's... uncharacteristically supportive of you, Damien."
He shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf."
Turning over a new leaf? That was another thing Maia knew that Damien never did. The guy was too stubborn for anything. Maybe he had one too many drinks last night, Maia thought.
Flora nodded. "He's right, Maia. I'm happy for you too. Zac seems charming and lovely. But we don't know much about him, and things like this can sometimes end badly."
Maia sighed, leaning back in her seat. "I know, guys. I really do. But he makes me feel special. It's been a long time since I felt like this. And also, does this make me slutty because you know…"
Maia pointing her index finger above her ears, in a mock attempt to describe a wolf.
Flora and Damien chanted simultaneously. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh"
After an awkward moment of silence, Damien spoke up.
"I mean, your father basically consider the wolves enemies, and Zac seems promising. Your dad may even like the guy."
"And, don't forget, Kai's world is dangerous. It's not worth the risk throwing yourself in…whatever he's got dealing with in those woods."
Flora said as she normally would. Like a mother that cares about her child's safety.
"Thank you so much you guys. You really know how to make a girl know what she wants." Maia was quite appreciative of her friends. They made quite the wingmen.
Damien smiled shortly before he saw Maia staring and regained his composure.
"You're welcome blondie. By the way, you're not a slut, you're a whore. Know the difference."
"Fuck you Damien."
They all laughed. For the next few hours, they continued talking, sharing their thoughts and concerns. Despite their persuasions, Maia couldn't help but feel so unsure of Zac. The way he made her feel was something she didn't want to let go of, but it all seemed too fast, like something out of a dream. Dreams, she thought. She seemed to be having more of those lately. She wondered if it would all mean something in the end.
As the afternoon wore on, Flora and Damien left, leaving Maia to her thoughts. She sat in the quiet bar, replaying their conversation in her mind. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen to see a text from Zac.
> Zac: Hey babe. Last night was amazing. Can't wait to see you again.
Maia felt a flutter of excitement mixed with a hint of apprehension. And since when did he call her "babe". She wasn't quite sure of the term. She typed a quick response.
> Maia: It really was. Looking forward to it too.
As she put her phone down, it buzzed again, this time with a call from her father. She answered, wondering what was so urgent.
"Maia, I need you at the hunter's camp for some training," Reynold's voice was firm and unyielding.
"Now? What's the urgency?" Maia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Just come, Maia. You'll understand when you get here."
Maia sighed, knowing better than to argue with her father. She quickly gathered her things and headed to the camp. When she arrived, Reynold was waiting for her with a hunter by his side.
"This is Troy," Reynold introduced the man, who had an air of quiet confidence about him. "He'll be training you today."
Troy was a dark skinned tall man with a slender figure. He had short dark hair, a nice muscle tone, and in his hands were the sharpest silver daggers Maia had ever seen.
Troy nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Maia."
Reynold continued, "Troy's ability is short-range teleportation. He'll be helping you improve your reflexes and accuracy."
Maia's interest was piqued.
She was getting to know new interesting hunters with even more interesting abilities. "Short range teleportation", she thought. That probably meant that his teleportation distance couldn't exceed 100 metres around him. All in all, Maia was happy to be here. This may have been worth leaving The Stockyard. When did she ever get so interested in Hunter training, she thought to herself.
"Alright, let's do this. Where do I start?"
Troy spoke. His voice was deep and husky. He would obviously be fit to be a commander. He spoke with an African-American accent.
"First of, you won't need your bow for this training. Only this."
With that, he tossed a silver shield at Maia which she barely caught.
"Now, we are testing your reflexes. Try to block my attacks as I teleport all around you to strike. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. But keep your eyes up. Ready?"
"Ready", Maia said with confidence. Truthfully, she was scared the shit out of her mind.
Troy started the session by teleporting around her, testing her reflexes with sudden attacks. Maia struggled at first, barely managing to parry his attacks just before he vanishes and strikes from another angle again, making Maia struggle to keep up with his movements. It didn't help that the shield was heavy too. However, she gradually began to anticipate his moves. After an hour of intense training, Troy handed her a quiver of arrows.
"Now, let's see how you do with your bow," he said, positioning himself at a distance. "Try to hit me, and focus. Let it guide your arrows to where you think I would teleport too. You can fire multiple arrows at once. I'm ready."
Maia nocked an arrow, focusing on Troy. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation—a second image in her mind, showing where he would appear next. Trusting her instincts, she released the arrow. It flew straight to where Troy teleported to, grazing his arm.
Troy was surprised. It seemed he was not ready for her at all.
He clutched his arm, staring at her in shock. "How did you do that?"
Maia shook her head, equally baffled. "I don't know. I just... saw it."
A female hunter, presumably Troy's lover, rushed over to tend to him, glaring daggers at Maia. The other hunters around them watched in stunned silence before breaking into applause. Reynold stepped forward, pride evident in his eyes.
"Well done, Maia. You guessed correctly."
Maia nodded, still processing what had happened. As the training session ended, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to what she did than mere luck.
Before she could think further, Reynold interrupted.
"Maia, I need to speak to you."
Maia walked over to where her father was. She expected him to be off with his entourage to the next business meeting or something.
"Diana and Michael were attacked two nights ago…by werewolves. Kai was one of them."
Maia couldn't believe her ears. She knew werewolves were unpredictable and ferocious, but she never imagined Kai would do such a thing.
Nevertheless, she kept silent. She wouldn't want her father suspecting that she had a soft spot for the Alpha.
"This is why I need you to be the leader they want you to be Maia. You need to be prepared, both physically and mentally, for everything that may come. This war is everything, and tensions are rising. We need to be ready. You need to be ready. Do you understand?"
Reynold looked pleadingly into her eyes. Maia knew that this look he gave was everything she needed to know that things were getting serious.
"Yes I do, father."
Reynold flashed a faint smile, before turning to his watch.
"I've got a meeting right now. I'll see you at home. You can go back to work or just go straight home. Your call. And your driver is waiting for you by the way. Stop using street cabs. I don't pay him for nothing."
With that, he walked away, leaving a more confused and frustrated Maia. She quickly decided to just hightail it home and get some food and rest.
Maia spent the remaining day at home. She decided to do things to pass time, like binge a series and scroll through social media. She tried her best to distract herself, but nothing worked. Amidst it all, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was off.
As she lay there, staring at the ceiling, she couldn't help but wonder what the next day would bring. The mysteries surrounding her life seemed to be growing, and she felt a mix of excitement and dread at what lay ahead.