Chapter 4 There's something about him
"WHAT? The Warrior Academy? You got in?"
The small she-wolf was running around in her office, seeking bandages, ointments, and what else, as Briella broke the news of her acceptance into the Academy.
“How did you get to take the test???”
Her question was valid, and she was the only one who would ask without a grain of judgment behind her genuinely curious tone. Briella lowered her gaze, a shy smile flickering at the corner of her lips. She was pondering revealing the truth, but as soon as it came out of her mouth, she wouldn’t have control over it and could end up in trouble. Harassing the headmaster of the Academy, using her newfound Alpha voice to let her prove herself, scoring the highest score after Barrett Lawson, thanks to her athletic test and theory test, failing miserably at the shifting part, but compensating by pinning the headmaster, a veteran warrior, to the ground in under five minutes, was nothing to be proud of. She had to accept some conditions, as they had a reputation to uphold after all.
“My father still has some power, despite years of peace and treaties with other packs,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, lifting the weight of her secret. “He must have done something pretty heroic to ask for the favor of taking in his daughter…”
“Bree, please. Do you think I don’t know how hard you’ve been training?” the little she-wolf scolded her, her little fists lodged firmly on her hips. “I’m the one who treated you…”
As she bent over to grab the hem of her leggings, her reflexes kicked in, and she swiftly raised her legs, almost hitting her nose with her knee.
“Briella…” the nurse growled. “Take them off.”
She sighed and tried to wave it off, but she knew she would throw a fit. Getting on her feet, she began pulling down her pants. Flashes of blue, green, yellow, even some black here and there, were grazing her skin, spreading across her thighs down to her ankles, burns freshly healed, furrowing in patterns of tires.
“That is… fresh. Like… this morning-fresh.”
Her voice was soft, like a whisper, dripping on her like warm rain. She perceived pity, but sorrow mostly.
“Don’t worry, by tomorrow at the same time, no one will be able to notice.”
At that moment, while she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her leg stretched out towards Mina, who was spreading potent plant-based ointment to help her heal, the door opened, and Barrett’s figure appeared in the doorway. He stopped in his tracks.
“Oh,” he started, his voice low, neutral, void of emotion. “I can come back later.”
His face was closed to expression. He looked at Briella up and down, his eyes tracing the bruises and scars on her arms, and stopped where the delicate hands of Mina were working their magic.
“If you can wait a minute, M. Lawson, I will grab what you need in a minute.” She then taped Briella’s shoulder gently. “Lie down, let the ointment do its job. I will massage and prepare something for you to take home right after.”
She got up and motioned to Barrett to sit, as she went out to a small room at the back, which she considered her laboratory.
The silence was heavy. Briella closed her eyes, trying to ignore that she was exposed, vulnerable. Though he never openly bullied her, he still watched and never helped her as Morrigan mistreated her, even if she usually was more toned down in his presence.
“Those are nasty bruises. Did you get run over by a car or something?” he asked, so casually it made her sick. What right did he have to mock her, as he had similar circumstances?
Briella gritted her teeth, clenching her jaw painfully. He, who from afar was a ray of hope, who up close was an unreachable level, but who from a few steps away was a crushing wave of destruction.
“Funny you said that… what gave it away?” she mustered, through tears of rage. “The distinct patterns on my legs or from your girlfriend?”
She glanced at him, only to meet eyes deprived of compassion, despite a flicker, a flash she couldn’t grasp, that he was too quick to conceal.
He was about to speak, but Mina came back into the room, totally oblivious to the electric air, the tension between the two wolves fighting in silence, with their eyes defiant.
“Here you go, M. Lawson,” she playfully claimed, putting a small flask in his hand.
“Thank you, Mina. See you at the Academy, Briella.”
How did he know? He glanced at her one last time over his shoulder. She swore she saw the ghost of a smile roam on his lips as he walked out the door.
“What was that about?” Mina asked, sitting on her stool, rolling to the side of the little wolf. “There was tension there.”
“I don’t know…” she whispered, lost in her thoughts, sliding into a painful bliss as she massaged her arm.
‘There is something about him.’ Aziz growled, unsettled.
‘What about him?’
‘Didn’t you notice? He has no smell.’
