Chapter 49: Teach me to Fight

The news of Orion’s awakening rippled through the pack like a warm wind cutting through the northern chill. By mid-morning, the compound buzzed with a new energy, people moved with a little more pep in their steps, their shoulders less slumped, their voices carrying a hint of relief.

Sophia noticed it as she trudged through the snow, her newly tailored cloak hugging her frame, the fur lining brushing her chin. A smile crept onto her face, softening the edges of her usual guarded look.

Orion’s recovery meant stability, and though she’d never admit it out loud, it eased a knot of worry she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying.

She owed him an apology, a debt she’d been turning over since the gate incident. She shouldn’t have been there. She should have just apologised to him when he tried to rip her a new one but her stubbornness wouldn’t just let him have the last word. Orion was annoying and she wasn’t going back on her words.

With a deep breath, she headed toward the medical facility, her boots crunching the fresh snow.

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of herbs and the faint hum of recovery. The lantern cast a warm glow over Orion’s cot, where he sat propped up, his broad frame still pale but alert.

Tobias sat next to Orion’s cot. They were in deep conversation and Sophia wasn’t sure she should distract them. The stone walls, lined with drying plants, felt less oppressive today, the space alive with the alpha’s return.

Sophia stepped in, her nerves tingling as she contemplated disturbing them when Tobias glanced up, a grin spreading across his face.

"Sophia." He called out. "Did you come to see me?" He asked her as he approached her, arms spread for a hug which she returned.

The last time she had seen Tobias was when he gave her his whistle.

"It’s good to see you." She told him.

"You too." He replied to her. "I really went around searching for you though, I never thought you’d be back here already."

They released each other and she stared at him with wide eyes. "Didn’t you hear? I almost got eaten by a skylur."

He nodded. "I heard."

"Your whistle saved me. That reminds me, have you gotten it back?" She asked him. "Ronan said he’d give it to you."

Tobias nodded. "It’s back with me. But I’m glad you are okay."

"Me too."

Orion couldn’t place why but he felt a little annoyance at seeing them interact like they were old friends. He cleared his throat to remind them they weren’t the only ones in the room.

Sophia adjusted. "Right, I came here for the ogre." She said as she directed a glare at Orion.

"Are you sure about that because from here it seemed like you came for Tobias." He told her.

"If I wanted to meet with Tobias I would’ve looked for directions to his home."

"Never would have pegged you as someone so brave as to look for a man alone in his home."

She smirked, crossing her arms. "I only came because I heard you were awake seeing as you’re still a grumpy ass, even half-dead. Some things never change."

He snorted, shifting on the cot with a wince. "Half-dead? Does anything about me look half dead?"

"Except for your grumpy attitude, everything else looks half dead."

"Are you sure it’s just amnesia you have? Perhaps Lysander was wrong and we need to check your eyesight also." He told her.

"I may have amnesia but my eyesight isn’t bad, nor am I as dumb as you because explain to me why you sustained a serious injury but you had the energy to argue with me?" She asked him.

"It’s the same way I have the energy to argue with you right now. Anytime I see you, there’s this unsettling feeling I get deep down."

"You sure it’s not just discomfort from realising that I’m smarter than you?"

"I’m sure. And I’m also sure you are not smarter than me."

"Really? Then explain why curiosity will lead someone as smart as you claim to the gate where there are dangerous monsters." He told her.

"Then explain why the trihydra didn’t hurt me at all? Wouldn’t that be because I’m smart and I know how to hide myself?"

"And it would have been a different case if it had eaten you."

"It did not!" She told him.

"But it could have!"

"You are so fucking insufferable." she snapped, her voice rising. "No wonder the Trihydra wanted you out. You gave it a headache!"

"And you’re a nosy little pest," he fired back, leaning forward despite the pain. "Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. One wrong move and you’d have put everyone in danger because of damn stupid curiosity."

"Me? You were the one playing hero with a hole in your side!" she countered, her hands on her hips. "If I hadn’t been there, who’d have dragged your sorry ass back?"

"Dragged me? For someone who claims she’s smart, you seem to be misremembering the situation because from what I recall, Ronan was there along with Lysander."

"Um...guys?" Tobias called out.

"What?" Orion and Sophia asked at the same time.

Tobias swallows even though he found the situation a bit comical. He raised his hands in surrender.

"I come in peace." He told them.

"What do you want?" Sophia asked him as she tried to reel in her temper.

"I’m just going to excuse myself since you guys don’t need me here." He told them. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Then go." Orion told him.

"Try to be fucking polite." Sophia snapped at Orion.

"Says the woman who didn’t thank me for saving her." He told her.

"Well then, thank you!" She spat out. "There, are you satisfied now?"

"Not really." Orion grumbled out.

Tobias didn’t need to be told to leave. He slipped out with a smirk on his face. There was a reason why he liked Sophia when he met her. She stood up to Orion and she didn’t care that she was almost a foot shorter than him.

Sophia took in a deep breath as she tried to school her emotions. "Wait, stop. I didn’t come here to fight." Her voice softened, the anger draining into something closer to guilt. "I just wanted to see how you’re doing."

Orion didn’t let her finish, his impatience breaking through. "Thought you came to apologize, not play nice." His tone was sharp.

She glared, but the truth nudged her forward. "I did come for that too. But if you’d let me finish, you’d know that, you idiot."

He leaned back, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Impatient, that’s me. Sue me."

"Idiot," she muttered again, shaking her head, but the edge was gone.

Sophia lingered after that, her fingers twisting the edge of her cloak. Orion watched her, his gaze steady despite the fatigue. "You want something else?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost curious.

She hesitated, then nodded, choosing her words carefully. "I was talking with Brynhild the other day... about stuff. She’s on bed rest, can’t train me, but I want to learn to fight. To defend myself."

Orion’s eyebrows shot up, his smirk fading into a frown. "Why? What’s gotten into you?"

"I just told you," she said, her voice firming. "I want to defend myself. That’s it."

He studied her, his eyes narrowing. "Are you trying to learn this so you can turn it on us later? Kill my people when the time’s right?" His words were a challenge, laced with suspicion.

She cursed under her breath, her temper flaring. "You’re an idiot! I wish you’d never woken up if this is how you think of me!" The heat in her chest burned, but his smirk returned, infuriatingly calm.

"How’s an injured man supposed to help you?" he asked, leaning back with a chuckle. "I can barely swing a sword right now."

"When you’re healed," she shot back, crossing her arms. "Just give me the theory for now, basics, moves, whatever."

He laughed. "Swordfighting’s all practical, not some book lesson. But if you want theory, I’ll give you theory."