Kitten in the Wolf's Den

Three: Ugly Duckling

*Marcelline, Age 15*

~Typhon's P.O.V.~

"Lord Dalca?" The man on the other end of the phone spoke in a respectful tone. His gravelly voice held a serious undertone that made my muscles tighten in worry.

I cleared my throat while pushing my nerves aside, preparing myself for what he might say next. "This is I. To whom am I speaking with?" I responded.

The man cleared his throat again and I heard the sound of a chair squeaking in the background. "My lord, this is Principal Nigel Corden. I am here with Miss Marcelline Winters. There has been another incident, sir." Mr. Corden informed me.

A deep sigh forced its way out of my mouth before I could control it. I rose up from my seat on my leather couch, pacing back and forth in my office. "What happened this time? Is she okay?"

Nigel did not answer for a few seconds. His silence made me hold my breath as I anticipated his answer. This was not the first time I had received a call from Marcelline's principal. She has been struggling to fit in at the academy. I thought that she would be fine there. After all, it is a primarily human academy. But within the first month of school, I received my first phone call from this man. Unfortunately, I have had to keep the secret of what I, my people, and others are from her. Marcelline has no idea about the supernatural world around her. I even used my compelling powers to force all the supernatural students and staff to keep their abilities under control. However, there is one girl that has not been very cooperative. That would be Alyssa Jackson.

Alyssa is the daughter of an alpha. She is a pesky little she-wolf who torments the s**t out of Marcelline. Her father has an alliance with me. I have known him for years, even before his daughter was born. His name is Isador Jackson and he is one of the few werewolves I trust. Wolves and vampires have never gotten along, but I saved Isador's mate years ago from a rogue vampire attack. Wolves are creatures whose souls are connected and controlled by the power of the moon. They feel the effects of the mate bond more than any of the other supernatural creatures in the world. Isador’s mate would have died if I had not saved her life, thus he owes me a great debt that is being paid by his loyalty to me, for the rest of his life.

However, his daughter owes me no allegiance. The pesky she-wolf has had an infatuation with me since she discovered what boys were. She also knows that if I took her as my imprinted mate she would become queen. She-wolves are obsessed with power. This little wolf is more than obsessed, she is completely addicted to it. Anyway, for the past three years she has been tormenting Marcelline because of Marcy's connection to me. Alyssa knows that my duckling is special to me, and that I have already chosen Marcy to be my queen on her eighteenth birthday. Alyssa has been pissed off at me for denying her the title of queen. Therefore, she has deemed it a necessity to take that jealousy out on my duckling.

The first incident happened three years ago. There was a minor argument between the two girls. Marcelline was depressed and would not talk to anyone at school. Her first month she was completely silent. That was until Alyssa called her a mute little blood bag. It is no secret that Marcelline drinks my blood, all the supernaturals can smell my scent on her while the blood is in her system. I hired one of my guards to keep an eye on her at all times. He never leaves her side unless I am present. He is a loyal soldier who adores my sweet duckling, but also understands that his adoration for her can never escalate to anything but that.

Anyway, Marcelline rightfully stood up for herself. After a month of being verbally tortured, she had finally had enough of the abuse. Marcy screamed at Alyssa while using some pretty vulgar language. The principal called me to come calm Marcelline down, and afterwards we had a talk about keeping those nasty words to herself. I was proud of her and, of course, I told her when she came home after school, but I had to be a proper guardian in front of the principal. However, that was just the beginning of the incident. They have been escalating to more upsetting matters, and I am worried about my little duckling. She is a fragile little human, while Alyssa is a nasty she-wolf and the daughter of an alpha. If Alyssa wanted to, she could easily harm Marcy, or worse, Alyssa could even kill her.

Just last week there was an incident that turned physical. Alyssa teased Marcelline for having been an orphan. She called Marcelline an ugly duckling and told her that she was unwanted. Not even her parents, and that was why she had been dropped off at the orphanage. Marcelline had lost her temper. She pushed Alyssa into the lockers in the hallway. Alyssa only received a small bruise on her back, but the she-wolf was over dramatic about it. She told the principal that Marcelline had kicked her in the back. Marcelline tried to defend herself, but the principal did not listen. Once again, I had to calm her down and parent the situation. It was getting increasingly aggravating. Now here I am again, anxiously waiting for his answer and growing more impatient with each second that passes.

Mr. Corden released a deep sigh before finally speaking. "Lord Dalca, I am afraid that Miss Winters bit Miss Jackson. She um.... I believe she fed on Alyssa's blood, sir." He mumbled nervously.

"On my way." I grumbled before ending the call.

What in the underworld?! She fed on the girl? She bit the she-wolf and fed on her?! The f**k! My thoughts swarmed out of control as I ran out of my office and darted out to my vehicle parked outside. I climbed inside the car and turned the ignition on, making the engine roar to life. After rolling the window down, I tossed out the teleportation crystal and it exploded in the air. The dust from the crystal summoned the portal, just as my foot pressed down on the gas pedal. I quickly drove through the portal right before it closed behind me. I pictured Marcelline’s academy in my mind and within a minute the portal opened up on the other side and shot me through it. The portal closed behind me as my car rolled out of it and I looked in the rear view mirror, seeing the white smoke disappearing in the air.

I quickly parked my car and rushed through the building’s entryway door. Within a few seconds, I was standing in front of the front desk, glaring down at the receptionist with my most intimidating look. I could feel my temper rising, which made my blood-lust almost unbearable. My electric blue eyes were burning with the bright flames of my rage. "Where is SHE?" I hissed at the overweight wench in front of me.

She flinched at my tone and shuddered in her seat. I heard her heart pulsing a frantic beat inside her heavyset chest. Good, I'm glad she's afraid of me. Everyone should be. She cleared her throat and tried to look brave as she met my furious gaze. "M-Miss Winters is down the h-hall.... She um, she is with Mr..Mr. Corden, my lord." She stuttered, shaking with fright.

I did not give the wench the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, I followed the direction she spoke of until I reached the principal's office door. My tight fist banged on the door in front of me. "OPEN THE f*****g DOOR!" I shouted angrily, knowing damn well that they could hear me.

^~*~^

~Marcelline's P.O.V.~

My legs trembled with nervous anticipation as I waited for Ty to arrive. I knew that he would be here soon. Somehow, he always arrived within five minutes after being contacted. It did not matter where I was at or how far he was from me. Somehow, he always reached me in that 5 minute timeframe. I glanced up at the clock once again and right on cue we heard the pounding of his fists banging against the door. My eyes drifted over to the principal and I saw his fear reflecting in his eyes. I could practically smell the disgusting stench of it; his fear. It always stank like onions and rotten eggs.

"OPEN THE f*****g DOOR!" Ty's voice shouted from outside the door.

Mr. Corden, the principal, shot up from his chair and sprinted over to his office door. He quickly grabbed the handle and yanked the door open to reveal a pissed off Typhon. "G-good afternoon...um, sir." He squeaked out, sounding like a scared little mouse.

I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing at him. Typhon ignored Mr. Corden and, instead, came running over to me. His lean muscular arms wrapped around my shoulders in a comforting hug. Then he slid his arms down lower to lift me up off the chair. He placed my feet on the ground and started to lift up my shirt, inspecting my body for injuries. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Does anything hurt?" He started rambling in his usual overprotectiveness..

I glared at him with my eyes narrowed and pushed his hands away before he could raise my shirt any higher. He was about to reveal my bra in front of himself and, worse, Mr. Corden. I did not want to be exposed like that, no matter how worried he might be. "I am fine, Ty. Sheesh!" I grumbled, taking a step away from him. My arms crossed over my chest, holding the shirt down in place. "Alyssa did not hurt me. I didn’t give her a chance to." I replied as my lips twisted up in a smug little smirk.

"What did you do, duckling?" Ty asked with a worried frown. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. Then they widened as he probably noticed the dried blood on the corner of my lips. I swiped my tongue across it to lick it off and that only made his frown deepen. "Marcelline Sapphire! Did you... you did not drink from her? Did you?!"

I shrugged up at him while beaming my most innocent smile. "The b***h had it coming."

Ty sighed deeply, his right hand sliding down his chin in aggravation. He always rubs his chin when he is upset. He should not be upset with me though. I didn’t do anything! At least not anything that is worth being punished for. Ty turned his attention away from me as he looked at the principal. "Tell Mr. Jackson that I am sorry for what happened to his daughter today. If he needs anything, let him know that I said to give me a call. I am taking Marcelline home. I am afraid what must happen next should be dealt with privately." Ty stated. His usually smooth and deep tone was laced with regret, disappointment and, most of all, his anger towards my actions.

Mr. Corden simply nodded his head in response. Ty grabbed my arm in his large hand and pulled me out of my seat. I felt my skin itch where his hand was touching me, but I tried my best to ignore it. His grip was tight and unrelenting as he dragged me out of the principal's office. He did not bother to sign me out of school for the day, knowing that they would see us leave and do it themselves. Ty kept walking until we were outside and away from prying eyes. The second we reached his car, Ty twisted me around to face him and shoved me against the passenger door. A surprised yelp was forced out of my mouth before I could stop it as my back made contact with the vehicle.

"Ow Ty!" I whimpered, looking up at his flaming blue orbs. He peered down at me with so much aggression that it made my entire body shake with fear. I felt a tear slide down my cheek as he pressed his hard body up against mine, causing more pain in my lower back. The handle was jabbing into my spine. "You-you're hurting me!" I cried out, feeling more tears fall down my face.

He closed his eyes shut tightly and sucked in a sharp breath. His face was scrunched up as if he was in deep thought while he kept me pinned against his car. I tried to force the tears to stop but he was really scaring me. For sure, he could hear my heart pounding inside my chest. After a minute, when he opened his eyes, Ty’s entire persona had changed. He did not look like himself at all. His eyes changed from their flaming electric blue to a deep crimson red. His top two canines were elongated and sharpened into two long and slender fangs. I felt an icy chill run down my back as he peered at me like a crocodile, looking at its prey.

"Did you bite that girl, Marcelline?" Ty asked in a dark and monotone voice. The way he pronounced my name sent a shiver down my spine, littering my skin with goosebumps. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and obediently nodded my head, admitting the truth. His lips twisted in an amused smirk as he c****d his head to the side. "Did you feast on her blood, little duck?" Again I nodded my head, too afraid to use my words. He crouched down to my height so that our faces were only an inch apart and I could feel his cold breath on my face. Then he leaned forward until I could feel his breath against my neck and his lips brush my ear. It sent another shiver down my spine. "Are you ALLOWED to drink someone else's blood except for mine, my precious?" His voice lowered as he whispered in my ear, emphasizing the word ‘allowed’. His grip tightened around my wrists, holding me captive and at his mercy.

"N-no.... Ty, please." I mumbled weakly, closing my eyes shut tight.

He hissed in my ear like a snake, before dropping one of my hands to place his cold palm against the side of my face. "Do you know what happens when you break one of my rules, little duck?" He quizzed me, still whispering in my ear. When I did not reply, he stood back up to his full height and stepped even closer. I could feel every ridge of his muscular body pressed against my soft flesh. Something else poked my lower tummy but I could not look down to see what it was due to his weight holding me in place. He slid his hand down to my chin and forced my head up so I was looking in his eyes. "Answer me, Marcelline!"

I swallowed another lump and kept my gaze locked on his. "I...you, um.... You'll punish m-me." I obediently answered. My voice stuttered from my fear as I trembled under his scrutinizing gaze.

Typhon peered at me with his unfamiliar crimson-colored eyes. I could not quite decipher the meaning in the way he was looking at me. All it reminded me of was a hungry crocodile. His lips twisted in a cocky smile at the answer I gave him as he stroked the side of my face with his thumb, keeping a hold on my chin. "Exactly. Good girl, Marcy." He taunted me, leaning over so that I was partially lying back on the car. "How shall the master punish his little minx... Hmm, my pet?"

He leaned his face even closer to mine until I felt his lips brush against mine. Instead of answering him, I kept still and stayed silent. I felt afraid to move my lips, because if I did it would be close to kissing him. That would be weird. I have never kissed anyone before and Ty is my guardian. Sure, I had a small crush on him. He is good-looking, and he protects me, but that is as far as it goes. A simple crush. Ty is way older than I am. I am only 15, which would be wrong on so many levels. However, I couldn't deny the way my body reacted to his words. My stomach was filled with fluttering butterflies and my pulse was racing a mile a minute.

Ty has never treated me this way. He has always been kind, and kept a safe distance. Part of me has always felt like he was afraid to get close to me. The only time we ever are this close is when I am drinking his blood. That only happens once a month. Right now there is not a full moon. Which means I will not be drinking his blood. Typhon made me promise him years ago never to drink anyone's blood except for his. I have always kept my promise, and intended to. However, when Alyssa insinuated that I was a slut who was sleeping with my guardian, I completely snapped. I had only meant to bite her but I broke her skin and tasted her blood. After that, what happened was pure instinct. This strong primal urge came over me and I started sucking her blood. I regretted it the second I was pulled off of her, but the damage had already been done. Then I just thought, oh well!

"Answer me, pet!" Ty hissed in my ear again, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

I pushed my thoughts to the side and stared into his eyes. I did not know what to say, so I just replied with the first thing that came to mind. "Dri...drink from me, my lord."

Typhon widened his eyes at my words. I had never offered him my blood before, so it took him by complete surprise. He quickly recovered and a pleased smile spread across his lips. "With pleasure, little duck." He grinned before he opened his jaw and sank his sharp canines deep into my neck.