11. The second meeting

*'Nuri, don't keep your eyes closed. I want you to see me too.'* Tempest said after the transformation had been completed, urging Nuri softly to open her eyes.

*'Okay,'* Nuri responded, then felt her next words catch in her throat as she opened her eyes and saw for the first time what she and Tempest looked like in wolf-form. Her fur was tan and brown, like lions' fur, and much to Nuri's surprise, Tempest had light blue eyes just like Nuri did. Not everyone had the same colored eyes as their wolf did, and it was uncommon to have a wolf with blue eyes rather than brown or black.

*'My god, her father was not kidding. She has an exquisite form.'* Kalmin said from the recesses of Rian's mind when he saw the wolf standing before them. Though he was at least twenty pounds heavier than Tempest, and at least a foot longer, he knew without a doubt that Tempest was not a wolf to be underestimated. A wolf as slender as Tempest may not be as powerful as he was with brute force, but he knew better than to assume she was weak in any way.

*'Exquisite does not begin to describe our mate.'* Rian responded as he took a hesitant step towards Tempest, bowing his head softly to look into her light blue eyes, watching her as he took a few steps closer to her, waiting for what she would do. *'The way she's watching us... Why is she looking at us like this?'* Rian mumbled in a hurt tone when he saw the stern look in Tempest's eyes like she was considering whether or not to lunge at him.

*'Tempest, what are you doing?'* Nuri asked when she saw the way she was glaring at Rian, furrowing her brows in confusion.

*'I don't know. I thought he was going to attack me for a second. I think I was just being paranoid.'* Tempest said as she bowed her head, then closed the distance between them, resting the top of her head against Rian's shoulder, yipping softly as she felt Rian do the same.

*'Let's go for a run, Tempest.'* Nuri said, unable to stop herself from thinking about her missing memories. Paired together with Tempest thinking Rian was going to attack her, and it wasn't hard to guess what those lost memories could have contained.

*'Yes!'* Tempest agreed happily as she took a step back, then jumped forward as she ran past Rian into the forest, barking in laughter when she heard the sound of Rian's heavy footfalls behind her. Due to her diminutive yet muscular form, she found it easy to stay a few feet ahead of Rian as she bounded forward, loving the feeling of the wind rushing through her fur. *'I shouldn't be surprised by how big our mate is, seeing as how he's the alpha, but I am surprised by how slow he is.'*

*'He's not slow, Temptest. We are the fastest in our class and the fastest in our school. Our speed is the only reason we weren't outcasted from that damned place.'* Nuri reminded her softly, smiling when she felt the bliss radiating through her core.

*'You're right, I know. But, he does have one of the prettiest forms I've ever seen.'* Tempest said as she glanced over her shoulder at Rian, drinking in the sight of his pitch-black fur as he ran towards her, quickly closing the distance between them, making Tempest realize she'd slowed down without meaning to. She gasped softly then tried to run forward, but before she could, Rian swiped at her back legs, causing her to fall forward.

*'Don't hurt her, Rian, Jesus.'* Kalmin said as he watched Tempest fall forward, then chuckled in surprise when he saw how quickly Tempest recovered and slammed her paw into Rian's jaw, causing him to reel back in surprise. *'I suppose we aren't used to someone hitting us, are we?'*

*'Even while we're in training, our betas don't dare to hit us!'* Rian gasped as he watched Tempest run forward, barking in laughter as he watched her bound forward, quickly expanding the gap between the two of them. *'We've never seen someone as fast as Tempest before. I'm surprised her dad didn't tell us how fast she was.'*

*'At a fraction of this pace, she far bypasses the speed of at least her entire class. I'm willing to bet that no one has seen what she is truly capable of, and she likes it that way. As a hybrid, no one gives her the respect she deserves, so she does not see the point in trying. If someone were to see what she could do, they'd only further hate her. After all, a hybrid isn't known for being so powerful.'* Kalmin said, then snorted as he realized what he'd just said.

*'So you admit, she deserves respect?'* Rian asked with a chuckle as he ran forward, trying to close the distance between the two of them as she'd completely disappeared from sight.

*'You've already said I must treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Otherwise, you'd rebel against me. Though I have to admit, having a wolf as quick as she is could never stop being useful.'* Kalmin said as he watched Rian run forward, smiling softly when he saw that Tempest had stopped at a small puddle to get a drink. He watched as Rian crouched down and inched forward, waiting to see if Tempest would notice the wolf stalking towards her before they'd had the opportunity to pounce.

*'I'm not sure if you've noticed, but they are trying to sneak attack us.'* Nuri said with a snort, watching through the reflection of the water as the big black wolf slowly inched closer, the determined look in his brown eyes making her squirm uncomfortably. *'He is the alpha. I shouldn't be surprised that a wolf as big as he is can still move so quietly.'* She thought to herself with a small laugh.

*'Yes, I noticed. I'm just waiting for the perfect moment.'* Tempest responded as she continued to watch him, waiting until he lunged forward to step to the side, causing Rian to lunge into the small puddle instead, landing face-first in the muddy water. Both Tempest and Nuri burst out laughing as they watched the big bad alpha land face-first into the pool of water; the look of surprise and anger in his brown eyes only fueled their amusement as he shook his fur out, growling softly at Tempest.

*'I'm pretty sure I should be upset, but you laughed when she hit me below the belt. Let's consider us even, then?'* Kalmin chuckled when he saw the laughter in Tempest's blue eyes, shaking his head softly.

*'So she knew we were coming that whole time? It looks like speed isn't the only thing she has.'* Rian said as he walked through the puddle to stand before Tempest, then bowed his head to touch his nose to hers, looking deep into her eyes as she watched him.

*'If the two of you are done, should we go back towards the beach to get our clothes?'* Nuri asked, turning her head to the side so as not to interrupt the moment between Tempest and Rian. Although they could be considered one and the same, Nuri felt like it wasn't her right to watch while the two wolves were having a private moment, especially one so... sensual as Tempest lapped softly at Rian's throat.

*'Sure, I'm hungry again anyway.'* Tempest responded as she took a step back and motioned her head in the direction they'd just come from, telling Rian that she wanted to head back. She walked alongside Rian, enjoying their slow pace as they slowly made their way back.

*'It looks like we're headed back? I'm surprised you want to head back so soon.'* Kalmin said as he looked around, trying not to look over at Tempest, as he felt uncomfortable doing so while she and Rian were meeting and communicating for the first time.

*'Thank you for letting us do this.'* Rian said as he picked up Kalmin's clothes and ran back into the forest, giving Tempest and Nuri privacy to dress after they'd changed back.

*'That was really fun, Nuri.'* Tempest said as she closed her eyes, letting Nuri push her consciousness to the front, taking back control as their body shifted back into their human form.

"Yeah, it was. I'm surprised you ran so fast, knowing who we were running with. Peter hasn't even seen us at full speed before." Nuri responded as she buttoned her pants, then pulled her shirt over her head before sitting down to put her shoes back on.

*'It's not like I went full speed, Nuri. So far, no one has seen what we are really capable of. We made a promise to each other years ago that we would never show anyone our full potential because then they'd just try to use it for their own gain.'* Tempest said with a sigh, shaking her head as they heard Kalmin calling from the forest.

"Are you decent?" Kalmin called from the forest, not wanting to come back out until he knew Nuri wasn't still getting dressed. *'She might punch me on purpose this time if I did.'* He thought with a snort.

"Yeah, I'm dressed," Nuri called back as she tied her shoes and stood, looking up and down the beach, watching the waves rippled through the water.

"Rian is hungry again, as I imagine Tempest is as well?" Kalmin asked as he and Nuri walked back to where he'd parked the car.

"She is too, yeah. I'm pretty sure that's the only reason she let me take back over so quickly." Nuri said with a giggle, shaking her head.

"Is there anything you'd care to get?" Kalmin asked as he held her door open for her, then crossed around to sit in the driver's seat, looking down at the shore as he waited for her response.

"Not really, no. I picked what we had yesterday, so it's your turn."

"Do you like Chinese?"

"Mhm! I haven't had Chinese food in forever!" Nuri gasped with a laugh, shaking her head. *'Too bad we couldn't hunt. Switching makes me so hungry for a fresh kill.'* She thought with a groan but shrugged it off as Chinese food sounded terrific after a run.

*'We could have hunted, but I know it's too early in our relationship to do such a thing. Do you think when we do mate that you and Kalmin will merge?'* Tempest asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.

*'I don't know Tempest. If it's too early to hunt together, it's definitely too early to even think about merging with him. Plus, there's no guarantee that we will mate, anyway. I know you have it on the brain because we're going into heat, but I don't need to be thinking about stuff like that right now.'*

"Can I ask what you and Tempest are conversing about?" Kalmin asked after giving the two of them a few moments of silence, watching Nuri's facial expressions in amusement. It was clear to him that they were at ends with whatever they were talking about, and whatever it was, was making Nuri increasingly uncomfortable, not to mention that he could smell her ever-growing hormones, and they were riling Rian up the longer he allowed it to continue.

"Oh, nothing much-" Nuri started to say but remembered that Kalmin was indeed her mate and an alpha wolf sitting in close proximity to her, so he knew that what she and Tempest were talking about was making her horny, so lying to him wouldn't work. "She was asking me about hunting together, and she and Rian mating. She also asked me if you and I were going to merge when they did. I asked her to stop talking about it, seeing as how you're sitting right there, but I see it's already too late." Nuri answered honestly with a shake of her head, cursing Tempest internally for being such an unruly thing.

"I could tell it was something you were uncomfortable with. Sorry if I put you and Tempest at ends. I didn't mean to." Kalmin said, turning his head to the side to hide his amusement.

*'She's already thinking about mating with me and you and Nuri merging when we do? Wow, I guess she really is going into heat, isn't she? If we aren't going to mate with her soon, we'll have to leave until she's no longer in heat, Kalmin. Look at what her hormones are already doing to us. Can you imagine how bad it will be in a couple more days?'* Rian responded with a sigh.

"Rian said we'd need to leave, or at the very least, keep a distance from you and Tempest while the two of you are in heat," Kalmin repeated as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, then held Nuri's door open for her, taking her hand as they walked in together. *'I never would have thought that I'd be so comfortable taking her hand a few days ago.'*

"Do you think that's necessary?" Nuri asked as they sat across from each other in a booth, waiting until the waitress had dropped off the menus and taken their drink orders.

"To be honest with you, I don't know. This will be the first month we've spent together as mates, while you're... well, you know." Kalmin said, turning his attention to the waitress as she returned with their drinks, ready to take their order.

"I know that, but unless you plan on breaking our mate bond, it won't be the last one. If you leave every time, how will we ever be able to stay in the same house with each other for the rest of the time?" Nuri asked after the waitress left, stirring her drink absentmindedly as she watched Kalmin.

"You're right, and I know what you mean. I only told you what Rian said because you were honest and told me what Tempest said. It was only fair."

"Oh, well, thank you."

"No need." He responded, smiling as he watched Nuri's cheeks flush bright pink. *'She's right, Rian. If we leave the first time she's in heat, after we've acknowledged each other as our mates, it will be more difficult to be around her each time she goes into heat after this.'*

*'I suppose so, yes. Could you ask Tempest why she was holding herself back when we ran? I know that wasn't as fast as she could go, and I know she's stronger than she looks. That right paw really hurt!'*

Kalmin couldn't stop himself from laughing after hearing what Rian said, causing Nuri to look at him curiously as she had no idea what had suddenly caused him to burst out laughing. She knew it had to have been something Rian said, but for it to cause Kalmin to laugh so loud that the rest of the restaurant stopped talking to look at their table made her even more curious.

"Rian requested that you ask Tempest why she held herself back when they were running, and to tell her that the right paw she gave him across the jaw hurt, which I commend her for," Kalmin said after laughing for a few more moments, shaking his head as he tried to stop himself from laughing again.

"Why do you commend her for that?" Nuri asked with a chuckle, hoping that Kalmin wouldn't notice that she'd deflected his first question.

"Rian thought it was funny when you hit me by accident earlier, so I commend her for delivering him a blow while he was at the forefront."

"Oh," Nuri responded with a small laugh, shaking her head as the waitress set their food down before them, thankfully giving Nuri an excuse not to answer any further questions.

*'You noticed that she didn't answer the big question, right?'* Rian asked curiously as he watched Nuri eat, narrowing his eyes softly.

*'Yes, I did. Perhaps it is something we should leave be. We know as a hybrid, she gets nothing but shit at school. Likely, she always holds herself back so her speed could not be taken advantage of.'* Kalmin responded with a shrug as he struggled to get his chopsticks to hold the rice, angering him the longer it took for him to be able to taste his food. "At this fucking rate, I'll starve to death!" He mumbled softly, then looked around to find the waitress so he could ask for a fork.

*'I would have thought the man who suggested Chinese would know how to use chopsticks.'* Nuri thought with a giggle as she slid around to sit next to Kalmin, then took his hand in hers, readjusting his fingers to show him how to use the utensils correctly. "Hold them like this, then move this one to pick up the food." She said as she lowered his hand to his plate, showing him how to pick up the rice without dropping it all back onto the plate. "No, don't squeeze like that!" She scolded softly, then showed him once again, keeping her hand on top of his to guide him until he'd successfully taken his first bite. "See? It's easy." She said as she started to scoot back to the other side, but Kalmin stopped her by wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her body to rest against his.

Kalmin smiled softly as he looked down into her blue eyes, watching them widen in surprise as his hand fell to her hips, locking her in place so she couldn't attempt to move away from him again. "You wish to sit so far away from me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he set reached across the table to grab her plate, placing it in front of her.

"I- Uh- Sure, I can sit here." She mumbled softly as she picked up her chopsticks, using them as a distraction so she wouldn't have to think about how their bodies were against each other or about how his green eyes were locked onto her, watching her every movement with what appeared to be passion. However, the distraction did not work as his scent was invading her every sense, making it impossible to ignore his growing aroma as he watched her.

*'Kalmin, you're letting her scent get to you-'* Rian started to say, but Kalmin silenced him with a growl before he could say anything more.

*'Think again, Rian. Her scent is not strong enough to cause this sort of reaction. I'm doing this because I want to. I did not interrupt you and Tempest, so do not interrupt me.'* Kalmin responded with a sigh, wishing that for once, Rian would mind his own business.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Nuri asked softly after realizing Kalmin still hadn't eaten anymore and instead seemed to be engaging internally with Rian.

"Yes, sorry. Can I ask you a question?" Kalmin asked after taking a few bites of his food, trying his best to do as Nuri showed him without dropping most of his food back onto his plate. He waited for Nuri's nod before saying anything more. "In the woods earlier, with Rian and Tempest, did you try to stop her?"

"No, why would I? I always thought it was kind of rude even to look, let alone interrupt."

"I am the same way. I was only curious if we had the same thoughts on the matter." Kalmin said with a nod, then remained silent as they continued to eat, hiding his smile as he could see Nuri trying her hardest to stop herself from squirming as he still hadn't moved his arm from her hips. *'Wait, am I making her uncomfortable?'* he thought as he set down his chopsticks and pushed his plate away, his appetite now gone as he realized he might have made an unwelcome advance towards her, then forced her to sit there and accept it. "Would you like me to remove my arm? I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable, and if my advances are not welcomed, I apologize sincerely."

"No, it's not that at all," Nuri said, then bit her lip as she pushed her plate away and ignored the urges to run far away. "I've just never... Um, I've- I don't really have any experience in any sort of relationship, to be honest."

"Is that all it is?" Kalmin urged, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

"Yeah, it is. If I didn't want you touching me, I would have punched you again, but this time on purpose."

"So, you welcome me, touching you?"

"I- No! Well, yes?" Nuri said, then giggled as she shook her head and stood from the booth, looking down at her feet as Kalmin stood and walked to the desk to pay the bill. She blushed as she felt his hand grasping hers, leading her back out to the car where he leaned against the hood, cocking his head to the side as he watched her. *'Tempest, those memories you took, am I going to hate myself when you give them back?'*

*'Nuri, if you're doing something that you shouldn't be doing, I promise I'll tell you, okay?'*

*'Okay,'* Nuri said as she took a step towards Kalmin, putting her hands on his shoulder as she leaned forward and kissed him softly, her heart thumping menacingly as she felt his lips against hers like he was taking the breath from her lungs. She allowed the kiss to go on for a few moments but then pulled back with a gasp when she felt his hands on her hips. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Nuri." Kalmin breathed as he stood, shaking his head softly. "I need to be the one apologizing."

"Why should you be apologizing?"

"I need to tell you about the memories you lost." He said as he stood and walked around to the side of the car, holding the passenger side door open for her. He shook his head when she started to speak, sighing softly. "I have to tell you, Nuri. Otherwise, when you regain them, you'll hate me more than you did previously. So, please. Let me take us somewhere where we can talk."