Lux
[Wednesday, Umbrafall 10, 4310]
—Lux's private suite office—
I hadn't seen my sister awake in a little over 24 hours. No matter how she feels, we are going to do a sit-down lesson today. Ease her back into routine after being down for so long. "She is exceeding expectations. She will have almost a month after the ritual to relax before returning for the spring semester. Taking it easy for a few more days will not delay her return."
Just as the clock hand ticked over to the hour of our lesson, Little Wolf Queen entered on gliding feet. I could tell by the way she moved her body now that it was all natural, not affected. She moves like a shifter more each day. Now that she is up, I can see that her body is fitter than it was just two days ago.
Her network and body aren't only aligning; it's shaping itself into her subconscious ideal form with each big and small shift. I'm curious if we should test her for other…forms. Bloodlines are funny in what surfaces, especially when a demon bloodline is a direct parent. There are so many questions I have about you, Little Wolf Queen.
Once she had settled herself in the guest chair, she indulgently smiled at me with barely contained domination. "Good morning, dear eldest brother. Are you feeling well today? Is that why we are having a lesson in your office today instead of outside or in a training room?"
My wolf reacted before I consciously processed her thinly veiled passive-aggressive greeting. Our aura in the blink of an eye surrounded her, forcing her to slide out of the chair to bow face down before the desk. "Little Wolf…Little Wolf. Who are you speaking to with that tone? I have been too lenient if you think your lower-tiered self can be disrespectful to me."
I walked around the desk to crouch down next to her. The brother in me wants to let her up now after seeing her sweating, but according to the monitoring sensors and my own instincts, she isn't in any danger. She is just trying her best to resist my aura suppression.
"Nyxara, your recovery must be a balanced one, or you could damage yourself irreparably. Which is why I decided to do a lighter lesson today. You are pushing yourself while comparing yourself to healthy individuals when the only comparison you need to be worried about is against yourself." Nyxara glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as she continued to struggle to throw off my aura suppression. I maintained the suppression.
This was a lesson she needed to learn. Better she learn under these safe conditions than try a stunt like this with someone who will just crush her. "You are ahead of schedule, Nyxara. Just as you ask us to trust you to know your limits, you have to trust us to keep you safe as you find them." I placed my hand on her head, trying to comfort her, but her scent tells me that all I'm doing is irritating her.
—So today is going to be an emotionally volatile day. She is likely to have another flare-up. I'll notify the others.— Aspen telepathically commented. He had been listening through our twin bond because he was worried about this very occurrence. Neither of us expected she would be this passive aggressive.
I signaled my acknowledgment of his words before finally standing up and releasing Nyx. "Good try on testing me, but you aren't ready to stand against me, Little Wolf. Behave now." I helped Nyx back into her chair before I took my seat again.
Nyx emotionally shut down, but I didn't comfort her further. She will have to relearn that dominance games aren't really games but training. I hope this does not cause her to not continue challenging me and others. Even as a Beta, she should be secure in how strong her dominance can be, especially as she grows in power. Hell, for all we know, she could actually reach a level of dominance comparable to mine one day.
"Today, we will have a short scent training lesson. We're going to go over how to tell designations apart by scent." My elbows brace on the dark wood as Nyx curls under a blanket I left on the chair to help her be comfortable. She looked smaller like this—wrapped in a soft throw, legs tucked beneath her—but there was nothing fragile about the way her attention locked onto me. "Okay," I said, tone easy but focused. "Let's make this practical."
She nodded, eyes half-lidded. She appeared to be relaxed, but her body spoke of readiness. I released my scent so she would have a example of what we would be going over. "Designation shows up in scent before anything else," I explained. "Power level, mood, intent—that all comes later. But designation is the base note."
I doodled on the lesson plan before me as I spoke. "Alphas tend to run spicy. Not always heat, but there's bite to it. Pepper, clove, smoke, resin—something sharp that pushes outward. Even calm alphas still smell like they could take over a room if they felt like it."
Nyxara's nose twitched faintly. "That… explains a lot."
I smirked. "Yeah. Betas are different. Mellow. Rounded. Think woods, tea, clean air, rain-washed stone. Your scents don't intrude—they blend."
Her shoulders eased as if the description itself settled her. "So the scent most likely belongs to a Beta." I hear her mutter under her breath but without context I don't know which scent she was referring to.
"And omegas," I continued observing her, "tend toward sweet. Not sugary—don't get that twisted—but soft. Honey, ripe fruit, warm florals, baked spices. Their scent draws instead of pushes."
Nyx exhaled slowly. "So it's pressure versus pull."
"Exactly." She was quiet for a moment, then glanced up at me. "Lux?"
"Yea?" I steepled my fingers, ready for whatever she asked for, hoping maybe I already predicted the want and need so I could hand it over immediately. I should have guessed she would be interested in what she did actually ask about. I, however, was still a little surprised.
"The jacket. The one I woke up with. In the forest." She hesitated, fingers twisting lightly in the throw. "Do you know who it belongs to?" Hiding my smile behind my hands, I met her gaze steadily. "I do." I saw the hope flickering in her eyes, and while I didn't want to, I had to add—"But they don't want you to know who they are yet."
Her disappointment was quick but unmistakable. I caught it in the way she tried to stop this negative descent. I leaned back in my chair, with a mischievous grin. "You know… the scent on that jacket must have faded a lot by now. I could ask if they want to trade it out. Fresh jacket. Same owner. I'm sure they would be honored you like their scent so much."
Her head snapped up. "No. Not necessary. Here, take the jacket and return it to its owner. Let the person know it has been a great comfort to me." She responded too fast. Didn't even consider it as an option. I chuckled, enjoying that I had found something I could tease her about for a while.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You don't want—"
"No."
I could barely talk; I was laughing so much. Delight clear in my tone. "Careful, Nyx. If you keep reacting like that, I might tell Keir. Or Aspen." Nyx groaned, sinking deeper into the chair, cheeks warm. Her scent bloomed—sweet, embarrassed, and unmistakably wanting. I'm pretty sure she was muttering that this seemed to be let's be annoying big brothers to Nyx week. Seeing her toss the jacket at me then cocoon herself in the chair effectively telling me she was checking out of this lesson. I let her be.
I pulled up some work from the company on my computer, glancing at her sleeping form with quiet affection. Moments like this—teasing and safe—are treasured moments. As I transformed her chair into a mini bed so she could rest easier, I sent up a silent prayer to the Creators for many more moments like this.