I was Kidnapped for Revenge by a Ruthless Alpha-Chapter 170: A Friendship
~ODETTE’S POV~
Training would begin again. But this time, it wouldn’t be Artemasia and me training, it would be with my father.
It had been so long since me and my fathered sparred. I was excited to show him all I’ve learned since our last session. I was going to go all out for him. There was so much I wanted to show him. How much my speed and strength increased in such short time away. The way I calculated moves and predicted my opponent. Artemasia was an excellent magic teacher. And with her help I had made major improvements in areas I didn’t even know I needed. What I could do with air and ice and fire now, how I could handle traps. Artemasia was crafty and it forced me to think outside the box from my usual perimeters.
Before leaving my room to fetch my father, I sat next to Phera. I’d missed her the last few days. She moved rooms and wasn’t in ours as much.
Phera had been cultivating her magic prowess, she says.
So I wasn’t taking it personal, and been busy myself spending time with my family. The reunion had kept me pretty occupied, so it worked out for both of us. My sleeping schedule had shifted because my family lived during the night, while here we mostly functioned during the day. I wanted to make the most of the time we had. The battle would be unpredictable, and I wasn’t sure the outcome. None of us were. So, the time I have with them now, was immeasurably valuable. I was treasuring it.
Delilah and I had been working on mending our relationship. Her betrayal. Kalvin’s betrayal and years of lies. It was much needed bounding time. Because she wasn’t a pureblood, she was mixed, she could walk in clouded daylight without a magical aid. She’d had even started getting close with Em. But Raven and Ariel weren’t fans and didn’t like the idea of having her in our little click, but hopefully, Delilah would grow on them. She was like Em, in the same way they brought a kind of sunshine with them wherever they went.
I went to where my family was staying and knocked on my father’s bedroom door. I was so glad Ambrose had moved them out of the palace, but we would still be practicing there.
"Are you ready for training." I waited all day until it was evening for him to wake.
When my dad opened the door, a smile lifted on his lips.
"You’re up for training already?" He stretched and yawned opening his door more for me to enter.
"Of course. I am a goddess that’s behind on training by years." I jabbed at her father jokingly with her words.
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Let’s grab a bite and go to this training arena of yours."
"Because it’s evening, the beta ranked shifters are actually using it, so we will be training in the gym. Artemasia agreed to put a domain expansion in place so we can go all out without destroying the entire room."
"It’s a lot nicer here than I expected. I’m so happy to have you back. And that you’re okay, and better yet, happy."
"Yeah, you’re right. I am, and I’m happier now that you’re here. And once we have mom back, we’ll be a complete family. This new alliance will be different this time. We should promote mixing races more in cities. After all this is over, that is." I started telling him my ideas.
"We could change a lot for our people. For our world." I smiled.
"Those aren’t bad ideas but remember time. Time will be needed and patience. Things wont change overnight and people tend to be against change, especially people old like us. Vampires are pretty set in their ways. And though shifters live a long time, it’s not even close to what a vampire will live." His words hurt more than I’d like to admit. But they were true. My father would even out live me. I was an energy vampire, a maiden, like my mother, which meant, mortality would come for me too, eventually. I would live only a little longer than a shifter. But only half the life span of a blood vampire.
"I know, I don’t expect everyone to immediately be all on the same team. I’m aware I might not even live to see the truce really achieved. But I’ll leave this world knowing it’s started." I reluctantly admitted.
"I’m proud of you, princess." He rubbed my shoulder affectionately. It brought a warmth to myy chest that I missed so much over these months.
"Bring the scent cover with you, so after we train, we can make sure we don’t leave a trace, we’ll be walking through the more shared portion of the palace than the private one we currently share."
"Fine by me. Does this work to hide the smell of a different shifter too, or is it only vampires?"
"Strictly vampires, Artemasia made it." I confirmed.
My dad grabbed his things and went to the bathroom to change and right after we left together.
"The gym is right through here." I led him down the last hall. The palace was quiet because it was late in the evening and most people had turned in and the staff had returned home.
I opened up the gymnasium. It was a massive room with equipment, mirrors along the wall, a basketball court and a boxing ring.
"This place is pretty big." My dad mentioned looking around at the gym’s many features.
"Yeah, it’s even bigger than ours in Romania. But this is a pack, it makes sense, you know? To have so much space. Vampires have clans, yeah, but we’re small in numbers. Packs are large, especially his, the BloodMoon Pack was the first pack, the first shifters. Naturally they’re the largest." I explained proudly.
"You know dad... Ursula’s here... She just got back from visiting her family for Christmas yesterday." I knew this was a touchy subject, he hasn’t seen her since the night of the massacre.
"Ursula is... Alive?" He asked with a little surprise in his tone
"Would she want to see me? To see us? Does she know we’re here?"
"Yes, she does. She’s been here for weeks, teaching me about history, as well as other academic subjects. She’s been responsible for my education. She’s a teacher now." I explained.
"Will she join us for dinner? I know she probably doesn’t live the night life, not like we do. But it would be nice." I could hear a little bit of hope in his voice.
"I can ask her to come." I responded with a smile.
"I will inform the rest when we get back."
"I’m going to run for my warmup. Like usual. Care to race me?" I narrowed my eyes giving my father a devilish grin.
"Would love nothing more." He matched my smirk. "GO."
