Kyda's POV

I begged my mind to calm down and to squash my feelings down. It was overwhelming, the mate attraction, I felt intoxicated by the presence of Ibhan. But he was stoic and sarcastic, I was quickly letting go of the possibility that he would be a romantic partner.

"This is the guest room, make yourself comfortable," I waved Ibhan into the room and he gave me a strange look as he stepped in.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Me?" I asked and scoffed, "there is nothing wrong with me."

"You have a weird look on your face," he said and sat on the bed. He undid the belt of his robe and shrugged it off of his shoulders. He was lean, unlike most of the men in the pack who were bulky and wide.

I looked away and cleared my throat as I caught myself staring. "Do you need something else to wear?"

"No, my tunic will do." I looked back and he carefully folded the heavy red cloak and placed it on the nightstand. Underneath he wore a black tunic shirt that came just above his knees, and loose black bottoms.

"Right. Can I get you anything else?" I asked and he sighed, rolling up his sleeves and pulling a long slender stick from a strap on his shoulder.

"No, I just want quiet."

"Is that your wand?" I asked, my eyes tracking the slender, black stick. There was something engraved in a dark grey along it, some kind of intricate design.

"Yes, it is. Can I sleep now?" I looked up at him and he spun the wand between his fingers before putting it by the pillow.

"Are you shy?"

"What?! No, I am not shy, wolf," he narrowed his eyes at me and I laughed and stepped out of the room.

"Goodnight, warlock." I shut the door before he could give any more sarcastic remarks and slipped into my room down the hall before my mother could find me.

"Ah, little sister, how nice of you to stop by," Kalina said with a grin.

"Don't you have to go home to your husband and kids?" I hissed and she laughed.

"Absolutely not, his mother is visiting her grandbabies so I am off the hook for a little while longer," she stretched and lay back across my bed.

I sighed and sat on the bed beside her. We shared a lot of features, my sister and I, but our personalities were very different. She was a gentle force, made for loving in warm ways, while I felt like I was always bubbling over with energy.

"Was it this way for you?" I asked and she sat up, letting me climb further up the bed.

"Like what?"

"It's suffocating," I started, "like, there's so much of him in one space that I can't get away from it, not that I want to. But I can feel his resistance."

She gave my a sympathetic smile and patted my thigh.

"He's not like us, Kyda, he's a warlock. You couldn't have found someone more different to a wolf than a warlock. But that doesn't mean it can't work, just give it time."

"You're right," I flopped back on the bed.

"I know," she said with a satisfied grin.

"Tell me about you and Mark."

"Well, it was easier for me," she said, laying beside me, "Mark is a wolf, so when we felt the mate attraction we knew what it meant and we both wanted it to work. It wasn't before long that we were spending most of our time together."

"Yeah, I remember, you two were kinda gross," I laughed and she swatted my arm.

"Just you wait, little sister, you're going to be gross real soon." I groaned and took a deep breath.

"What if he doesn't want me, even as a friend. What happens then?"

"We're not there yet," Kalina said firmly and I rolled my eyes.

"Just tell me."

She sighed heavily and propped herself up on her elbow. "When Mark went back to visit his family in the city and tell them about me, it was hell being away from him. The time we spent together meant the attraction was almost a fully fledged bond. It physically hurt me to see him go, but I knew he would be back. I don't-" she paused and took a deep breath, "I don't know what would happen if he was to leave and not come back."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I could hear his heart beat, three doors down, and his breathing was even and shallow. He was probably already asleep.

"Don't worry so much, Kyda. You're beautiful and strong and everybody loves you. Give him time," Kalina said softly after a few moments of silence.

"Thank you," I said and hugged her warmly before she left. I lay back on my bed and tried to distract myself with books and papers that I had laying around. I would need a plan if I had any hope of getting Ibhan to stay long enough to get to know me, and I had no clue where to start.

Eventually I slept, uneasily and agitated, and woke with the sun peaking through my blinds. Immediately my mind ached to track the smell of burnt lavender that had built up in my home overnight. I took a deep breath and pushed down my more primal instincts and got ready for the day. I pulled on leggings and the first shirt I could find before sitting down to brush my hair back into a secure bun. The tightly coiled curls took time to tame but I managed it eventually.

I stepped out of my room just in time to see Ibhan step into the hallway. He had his robe on, but untied, and his satchel was secured on the inside this time.

"Breakfast?" I asked, pointing downstairs to where I could hear my parents shuffling about the kitchen. He nodded quietly and I lead the way down.

"Good morning," my mother greeted warmly, my dad briefly looking up from his book with a quick wave.

"Hey, mama, what's cooking?" I asked grabbing two plates. I offered one to Ibhan who frowned but took it.

"Eggs, want some?"

"Mhm, I'm teaching a class today, the one I was supposed to do yesterday," I said and she laughed.

"Alright, here we go," she took my plate first, and then Ibhans, loading them with food. His face was unreadable, but he nodded a thanks to my mother before sitting down. My mother gave me an encouraging smile before making herself scarce.

"Not a morning person?" I asked as I sat by Ibhan.

"Not an anytime person," he muttered under his breath.

"You do realise I can still hear you?"

"Yes," he said with a roll of his eyes, "its very inconvenient because then you keep replying."

I smiled and ate my eggs before they got cold. Something about winding him up a little bit was just so fun.

"Would you like to come with me to my class? You can just see what we get up to," I asked as finished up. He sighed heavily and studied my face for a moment. I felt my cheeks grow warm but I kept my expression as neutral as I could.

"I'm supposed to be halfway home right now."

"I know, but I would really appreciate it if you stayed just a bit longer. I would hate for you to have regrets later," I said with a small grin.

"I do not have regrets, ever," he replied dryly.

"No reason to start now then, is there?" I asked and he sucked in a harsh breath.

"Fine. Let me send a letter, I was expected home tomorrow, but I'll stay for now." I nodded, squashing my relief and finding him some paper and a pen. He scrawled a few lines on the paper and reached into the sleeve of his robe.

He pulled out the sleek black wand I had glimpsed last night and murmured a few unintelligible words before the shadows on the table seemed to surge forward. They swarmed over the paper and just like that, they slipped away and the paper was gone.

I met my father's gaze, sensing his high alert over the pack bond. Relax, please. I coaxed gently and he gave me a small nod.

"You know, we have messengers."

"Too slow," he said dismissively and I rolled my eyes before putting my plates in the sink.

"Alright, let's go, I'm meeting the kids in 10," I said and he nodded. Standing up, he pulled his robe around him and tied it securely around his waist.

"Doesn't it get hot in there?" I asked, immediately regretting opening my mouth as his thick brows furrowed. But, to my surprise, he smirked, an expression that made my heart fumble for its rhythm.

"It's surprisingly breezy in here," he said and I turned on my heel and opened the door, letting myself promptly out of the house. I waited for him to catch up before I started walking across the fields to the area I met with the younger wolves yesterday.

I jogged ahead as I spotted Ameena, hugging her as more wolves slowly trickled closer.

"So," she asked excitedly, "how is he?" I smiled and glanced back to where Ibhan was approaching at a slow pace, studying his surroundings.

"Stubborn."

Ameena rolled her eyes and sighed, "the pretty ones always are," she said as she looked over my shoulder to get a better look at him. I swatted her arm and she laughed as she turned back to join the group.

Ibhan stopped a few feet away from me and I stepped closer, testing the waters with every move.

"Do you want to be introduced to the group?" I asked and he looked over at the group assembling behind me.

"No, I'd rather not."

"That's fine," I said, not wanting to push him too far. "Well, you can just sit and hang out here, we're just gonna be running through some basic drills here today. We will be shifting back and forth though, so don't get too close." I warned and he raised a brow.

"Are you telling me I'm going to be surrounded by a bunch of naked teenagers soon?" I laughed as I realised what he meant and shook my head.

"The witches helped us enchant some fabrics, they survive the shift, so no one here is going to flash you," I reassured him.

"Pity," he said as he gave me another look before walking further back from the group and sitting in the grass.