Chapter 18

Having Jessica leave the pack-house for her own personal reasons is boring, though a little dramatic. Akira is really happy she finally knew what she finally needed to do for her own sake, but that also meant suffering from the loss of another friend. She probably shouldn’t get her selfishness get the best of her. Her friends also have their own lives to handle.

      She woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. And she meant that literally. What would you do when a pervert has you captured inside his arms? If it’s Akira, she would throw a hefty punch and a straight right jab, probably along with a kick. Because of that, Adam is currently suffering a big bruise on his left arm, a cracked lip, a swollen cheek and more. He’s presently being treated inside the medical room, leaving Akira guilty of her actions. No matter how much her conscience bugged her though, she refused to admit her fault. She kept on claiming that it was Adam’s error on the first place!

      “O-ow!” Adam winced as the nurse dabbed a cotton half-soaked on a medicinal liquid on his wound.

      “That serves you right, pervert!” Akira muttered under her breath, sitting cross-legged on a chair with arms folded on her chest. She avoided any eye-contact as Adam sat on the edge of a hospital bed, shirtless and swathed in bandages.

      “You’re the one who did this to me for your information! Don’t you feel sorry at all?!” he grunted as a spark of pain erupted on his side. He received the worst beating from Akira. Besides, it was a total disadvantage because he was sleeping and he couldn’t even defend himself!

      “Well what do you think you’re doing sleeping beside me anyway?! Didn’t we agree that I would take the bed and you would take the floor?!” she jumped out of her seat and pointed accusingly at Adam. Her face was red in anger and embarrassment. Her annoyance-filled expression mixed with a cold glower directing right at Adam’s matching gazes.

      “I never made an agreement like that with you! I never even said I’ll stay sleeping on the floor at the first place! The bed is mine, you know! I have the right over it!” he argued.

      “You jerk! Who do you think you are creeping into the bed when I’m sleeping?!”

      “You’re my mate! I have the right to do as I please!”

      “No, you don’t, pervert! I already told you a hundred freakin’ times that I am not your freakin’ mate! Have I got no say in this?!” her heart was pounding and her blood was boiling. Ann had already appealed to Akira to calm down but nothing was working. She was already holding her back with both arms wound around Akira’s stomach. But even she wasn’t strong enough to restrain the rampaging Amazonian.

      “No, actually.” Adam answered calmly, answering with a lop-sided smirk. “It’s fate.” he added.

      “It’s not fate! It’s a nightmare!”

      “You consider being my mate a nightmare?” his brows furrowed on his head as he questioned Akira’s statement with incredulity. “You should be considering it as a dream come true!”

      “Yeah! The worst dream in the history!”

      Ann smiled nervously as she pulled Akira back with additional force. “Akira, please calm down.” she told her.

      “That’s way impossible! Now, Ann. Let me at him!” she yelled, attempting to break free from Ann’s grasps.

      “Akira! Alpha Adam received enough injuries already! You don’t have to wound him some more!”

      “It’s his fault anyway! Why would he creep into the bed why I’m sleeping?!”

      “Because I feel like it.” he answered.

      “You idiot! You can’t go invading people’s personal spaces just because you feel like it!”

      “Maybe we should get you some banana split to cool your head?” Ann suggested, putting a strain on her muscles on the effort of pulling Akira back. She wouldn’t budge no matter what she does, Akira is just too strong for Ann to handle.

      But if only Jessica was here.

      “No,” Ann grunted. “I think the dessert wouldn’t even be enough . . . to cool you off. You’re too hot Akira! You’re erupting like a volcano!”

      “It’s his fault!” she fumed.

      “Come on, Akira! Let’s get you out of here!”

-*-

After Akira was successfully dragged out of the room, Adam blew out a heavy sigh. In the end, he just got to cozy and forgot to wake up earlier than he had planned. He winced as the nurse continued treating his small injuries, a glimmer of amusement riddling her eyes. He sighed again, the same time Marcus entered. He looked like he enjoyed watching what just happened.

      “You got a real lil’ wild cat for your mate.” he commented, laughing.

      “More like a tigress.” Adam corrected, taking a deep breath and exhaling it through his nose. He wasn’t very pleased of the past few events. His recklessness only made Akira hate him more. He shouldn’t have succumbed to the temptation of sleeping next to her.

      But then, he couldn’t stop himself. He relished the feeling of her lying next to him. Just knowing that she was enveloped by his arms like a treasure he never wanted to let go made him feel secure. Holding her is enough to satisfy his instinctive protectiveness. But if he continues on submitting under his emotional intuitions he’ll probably lose Akira. He’s got to learn how to keep it together.

      Somehow, he couldn’t keep control when she’s around him. She was like a forbidden fruit, her forever tempting enrapture—sweet and delectable, poisonous and lethal.

      He’s a fool if he could think that he would be able to have Akira all to himself. She is, after all, the daughter of one of the strongest hunters. No matter what he does, she will be that forbidden fruit that he is so tempted to taste, but for one bite, he must take high risks. For when it comes to these hunters, it would be plausible to know that they will attack in next to no time.

      To get Akira back.

      “I brought the files you wanted me to search about. Kathrynne Flynn was it?” he handed Adam a brown, manila envelope. The nurse immediately left the room, instinctively knowing the file’s confidentiality. After all, they have no business in the Alpha’s duties.

      Adam reached out despite his body’s throbbing protests and looked into the file sealed inside. While letting his eyes scan over the information generously recorded on the paper, Marcus began briefly explaining the contents of his research.

      “Apparently, I’ve searched all that I can about Kathrynne Flynn. Turns out, there is so much limited information about her.” Marcus sighed. “I can’t even get a single picture of her. There is even no such record registered in the government regarding her profile.”

      “How is that possible?”

      “Either that identity is fake, or she herself never existed.” he elaborated, gently tapping the paper inside Adam’s hands. “But I thoroughly searched any possible connections she must’ve made when she used that name. I also traced the day she appeared and disappeared, the persons she came in contact before and after those events.”

      “This isn’t enough to know who Akira’s mother really is.” Adam said in obvious disappointment. “So she first appeared after the raid of hunters on the forest of North Carolina. There is no evidence of her being a werewolf, and she claimed to be an individual captured by them for their own personal issues.” Adam’s face wrinkled in confusion. “This was one of the greatest and most successful werewolf wipe-out in history.” he commented.

      “So you are paying attention to the lessons.” Marcus observed, chuckling. Adam remained serious on his seat. “She emitted an air of suspicion though,” he said. “Many believed that the youngest daughter of the Alpha of the Krasno Lobo escaped. And since no one is alive to tell, all thoughts and beliefs regarding the matter was dissolved, and the so-called Kathrynne Flynn had begun living a normal life as an ordinary human.”

      “The unexpected turned when she managed to capture the heart of Michael Martins, the heir to one of the biggest supernatural Hunting Organizations, the Maritime Ravi. Isn’t this Akira’s father?”

      “Precisely. But he gave up the hierarchy and forced their father to give the position to his younger sister, Vivian Martins, because he wanted to live a normal life with Kathrynne. Though he eventually got back to hunting after she went missing a few weeks after she gave birth to their first child. Werewolves were said to have penetrated the place they were living in and took her away.”

      “Akira?”

      “Yes. That was seventeen years ago when she was born.”

      “Didn’t this ever bother the association?” he asked.

      “The rest of the information was probably erased or confidential.”

      “If you’re going to consider this, Akira’s past contains a great mystery. Could her mother be the sole survivor of the wipe-out that happened eighteen years ago? Marcus, I want you to search more on Kathrynne Flynn. If not, the youngest daughter of the Krasno Lobo.”

-*-

Akira was wolfing down a gallon of ice cream in the kitchen she was given. Jamie was chuckling in amusement though she looked like she was thinking of Akira being a strange individual. Ann was spooning a small cup of Pralines N’ Cream on her seat, trying not to stare at Akira’s appetite. She could be really strange when she’s mad.

      “Akira, you should go easy on that.” Ann advised.

      “So hot,” she whispered.

      “Is your blood still boiling?” Jamie asked.

      ”It’s cooling down.” she answered, shoving another spoonful of ice cream inside her mouth. “Damn that Adam! Every time I think about him . . .”

      -Increased blood pressure-

      “Ahhhh! I’m so pissed off!” she screamed. Ann and Jamie practically imagined smoke puffing out of her ears. She gobbled down her food at a faster pace and felt her heart rate slowing.

      “You’re very much strict on having people invade your personal space do you?”

      Akira paused and stared at the ice cream nearly melting in front of her. When she was stirring from slumber, she felt at peace and comfortable. It was warm and cozy it would feel like it’s a dream come true. She wanted to stay like that forever, but when she came to know what caused that ambiance, she was so furious she acted solely on instinct and kicked Adam off the bed.

      Sure it was sort of . . . peaceful. But she won’t ever give in to that jerk!

      “Akira? Why are you blushing? Are you still mad?” Ann asked, placing a hand on her shoulders.

      Akira ignored her statement and proceeded on eating. “I’m fine. Anyways, isn’t there school today?”

      “You’re both already running late since you woke up in the morning and stayed in the clinic for a long while. It’s already past the start of school hours.” Jamie told them.

      “Is that so?” Akira looked at Ann with regret. “I’m sorry you had to stay back because of me.”

      “It’s okay. I can catch up to the lessons. No big deal.” she told her. “I was just worried about you, Akira.”

      A few moments passed in the kitchen until Adam barged into the room and tagged Akira along with him. She struggled under his iron grip, fiercely questioning his intentions. He didn’t say anything to her and just continuously dragged her to an unstated destination.

      “What now? I’m still cooling off didn’t you see?” she asked, yanking her arm back. “You already received a bad beating from me, do you still want more? What is it, Adam?! Come on!”

      “Just keep your mouth shut and speak later.”

      Akira blew out a large sigh as a sign of annoyance. The ice cream sure did help. Her mood was lighter than before. She impatiently stared at Adam’s firm, muscular hand wrapped around her wrists. Once again, she questioned herself what was keeping her here. She doesn’t even belong on this place and she was so casually wolfing a gallon of ice cream from their kitchen as if it was nothing!

      What’s with this guy anyway?

 (Fun Fact: Krasno, derived from the language of Estonia meaning “Great” and Lobo, from the Filipino language meaning “Wolf”. So all in all, Krasno Lobo means “Great Wolf”. And since Philippines have been colonized by Spain for 333 years, the word “Lobo” can also be translated to “Wolf” in English from Spanish.)

This is all for now! I’ll be uploading some more soon!