Chapter 4. A Little Persuasion

Talia left the speechless Alpha and the stunned crowd behind her and continued on to the shower block.

She went to the very end and stripped. Wolves were notoriously unabashed and free in their naked forms but Talia, who wasn't bothered by others nudity, was shy of her own. She wanted her mate to be the only one to see her intimately. It was an old fashioned notion which she clung to dearly.

As the water cascaded over her, a slow, heartbreaking tune escaped her. Her smooth voice spoke of love lost and the despair of losing one's self and destined mate.

Brodie was quicker to shake off the daze that the little girl had left them in. He decided to go and find her. Talk to her and perhaps persuade her to train with the warriors. There was a tightening in his body at the thought of being able spar with her. Shaking his head, he took off in the direction she had taken.

Hudson saw his son sprint off to follow the orphan girl. 'Maybe I misjudged her', he thought to himself. After all she was just a pup when she was found alone, hiding in a crack between two large boulders. Not wanting to dwell on that day he decided to go and talk to Ayla, who dishonorably shifted when her opponent was turned. 

Even during the Pack Wars it was seen as dirty trick to shift behind ones back and attack. So to do it during training, in amongst your own kin, was embarrassing not only to the wolf who shifted but to the Alpha and the lead trainer, Theo. 

Ayla had already shifted back to her human self and had been given a spare change of clothes. She had moved away from the broken bench and was sitting on the ground with her head down. 

Theo was standing over her, "What on Earth were you thinking?! I thought you had been taught better than this! What a disgrace, I'm going to have to tell your parents... Ayla I'm so disappointed... And with the Alphas watching...", Theo was beginning to lose his temper, he was sputtering whilst chiding the young wolf. 

Hudson came over and put a calming hand on his shoulder," It's OK Theo. I'll take it from here." the Alpha's attention now turned towards Ayla, who still sat with her head down but he could hear a quiet sniffling from the statue like girl. "Ayla! Look at me", it was impossible to disobey an Alphas order when spoken in that tone. It was deep and sonorous and be heard in every corner of her mind. 

Slowly she lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying silently. "A-alpha, please.. I didn't mean to lose control... T-that dog didn't f-fight fair!! S-she's never fought like t-that before. She t-tricked me, all of us!", Ayla's voice was high pitched and cracking with emotion as she spoke. 

Hudson listened to her excuse," As a member of the Bloodrose Pack, one of the first lessons we are taught is control. You lost control today. It makes no difference whether or not your opponent fought in a way you have not seen before. She beat you and you, out of embarrassment, chose to do the wrong thing. As punishment for your actions, you will report to the training grounds at 05:00 every morning and complete a month long test of control. ", the Alpha's decision was final.

Ayla dare not argue but inside her heart she hated Talia and would make her pay one day. "Yes, my Alpha, I understand and I'm sorry.", Ayla tried to sound sincere towards the Alpha when all she felt like doing was screaming. 

Brodie reached the shower block, he hoped to change Talia's mind about becoming a warrior but he had never spoke to her, in fact he didn't even recall even seeing her before. He knew she existed but that's as far as it went. 

As he entered he could smell the soap, it was delicate and floral, perfect for Talia. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the most beautiful yet melancholy song. That couldn't be her could it? 

His heart hurt as he listened. So much pain and sadness was wrapped up in that angelic voice. 'Did she truely feel that way?', Brodie's feet moved closer without him noticing. 

Soon, he was saw her. Talia was facing away from the steady flow of water raining down on her. Her eyes were closed tight, her brow furrowed. Tears mixed with the water, Brodie could smell the saltiness from them. He looked at her more closely. 

She was tiny and delicate, her skin smooth and creamy, except from a faded scar that ran along her right hip. Wolves didn't tend to be left with scars unless the injury was sustained before their accelerated healing had kicked in or the weapon used was silver or permeated with wolfsbane. 

Talia's waist was so small, Brodie thought that he would be able to touch his fingers on either side if he wrapped them around her. Her hips were full and she had surprisingly long legs for someone with such a short stature. He felt a tightening again. He couldn't look away, nor did he want to. 

Silently, Brodie stood there watching her intimately. Suddenly, her eyes opened and connected with his. "GET OUT!!", Talia cried in shock. She shut off the shower and grabbed her towel, quickly wrapping it around herself. 

"I-I didn't mean... I wasn't.... Your singing...", it was unusual for the future alpha to be flustered. The feeling was foreign to him and it made him uncomfortable, he was annoyed with himself. 

Talia watched his face flush as he looked away. She could sense he was angry. "I'm sorry if my voice offended you! I don't usual play to an audience. Why didn't you leave instead of standing there getting angry. Do you want to punish me? Laugh at me? Are you going to tell your friends about it so that they can laugh at me too?", she barely paused for breath as her defenses rose. 

Talia grabbed her bag and went to get past him. She needed to get away from this statuesque man. 

"No.. Wait!", Brodie instinctively stuck his hand out and grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. This was not how he had planned on approaching her. 

Talia looked at the large hand that had engulfed her wrist with panic in her eyes. " Let... Me... Go... ", she said, trying to free herself from his grip. She still had only a towel wrapped around her and as she struggled Talia could feel it slipping... 

Seeing that the situation was about to become even more awkward, Brodie let go of Talia's wrist just as she had pulled once more. The sudden release sent her backwards. She wasn't quick enough to right herself and hit the back of her head on the edge of a tiled cubicle. The pain was intense, then there was nothing but black. Talia was out cold. A pool of thick, red blood had started to pool beneath her. The towel had opened enough to expose her thigh and a sliver of her stomach.

Brodie stood there lifeless for a second before springing into action. He scooped Talia up in his arms and sprinted out of the wash room and away from the school. He needed to get her to the hospital. Carrying her was effortless, she was a featherweight in his arms.

Passers-by stared at the scene as he ran as fast as he could, holding a limp, young girl in his arms. Brodie reached the hospital entrance in record time. He had mind linked with his family's physician as he ran, briefly explaining that there was a girl with a head injury and to be ready for him coming. He was met at the door by Dr. Stewart and was led to a private consultation room. 

Brodie laid Talia on the bed, a wave of helplessness washed over him as he saw her pale and unmoving. "What happened to her young alpha?", the Doctor asked as he put pressure on the gash on her head. 

"She slipped and hit her head on the edge of a wall.", he didn't want the doctor to know that she had been trying to get away from him. 

"Her healing ability has already began to seal the wound and the blood has clotted. When did this happen?", usually it took around half an hour to an hour for an injury such as this to start to heal itself. 

"No more than 15 minutes ago. I carried her here straight from the school where it happened. I saw her fall.", Brodie's face flushed ever so slightly as he replayed the scene in his head. 

"Hmmm.... Fascinating.", Dr. Stewart mused. "I would like to keep her in for a few days for observation. Can you inform her parents?", he never took his eyes off of Talia. He had heard of healing abilities that were more enhanced but he had never seen it up close. 

Brodie nodded his head in acknowledgement. Relief washed over him as the colour was beginning to return to her cheek s. 'she's ok', he thought. 'she truely is an elite warrior.'