(2020 rewrite)

I spent ten years with Alfred and his wife Beth. His son still a blur to me. I never met him since being here since apparently he was sent out by his father at a young age. But he was two years older than me.

I flipped the page and wrote down the problem doing it out. I was now homeschooled since the whole incident with my parents dying in a fire. I heard a knock on my door and turned in the spinning chair.

"Who is it?" I spoke not standing.

"Oh it saddens me to know my malen'kiy monstr does not know who I am." Grey Mavrik. The famous author to my father's books and the author that was engraved on the cover of the only thing I had left of my father. And the actual brother of Alfred's wife Beth. Apparently Alfred lied about the last name too.

"I'm sorry Grey I was working on my homework." I giggled as he came in smiling wide at me.

"Dat Alfred gives you too much vork I swear." His thick Russian accent poking out with some of the words.

"He really doesn't. I'd have a lot more if I went to actual school." I giggled.

"Yes. You are right I should stop complaining for you." We laughed and another knock.

"Good afternoon Grey. Why must you pester my student?" Alfred chuckled making me smile.

"He's not. He was actually helping me." I bluffed.

"Of course that is the same excuse you use everyday Malikai." He said and joined us. "So what brings you in these parts Grey?"

"Business, book signings, a visit with my malen'kiy monstr, maybe a sight of my nephew." He spiked my interest at the last bit. I still hadn't met Alfred's child. "He is eighteen now which means he'll be back from that camp you went to am I correct?"

Alfred was clearly uneasy as he kept looking at me and shifting how he was sitting. "I am not ready for him to meet Malikai and know she's human. You know how he is."

"Actually I don't brother he was gone at age six. But I won't let him touch her. Teenage wendigo boys are so much more likely to bed anyone they can touch." He looked at me and swallowed a little too hard.

"I'm sorry to have this talk in front of you Malikai. I can feel how uncomfortable you are." Alfred said and I could only nod.

"It's okay I normally don't get to hear anything about Kyle." I was honest and blushed not even thinking before talking. "I'm sorry that was wro-"

"No you're right. I don't talk about my own son." Alfred said putting a hand on his temples.

"Alfred Kyle just called!" Beth sprinted into the room but froze when she saw me. "I'm sorry Malikai I wasn't even thinking." I smiled now more aware of how uncomfortable everyone got when Kyle was the topic and I was around.

"When will he be back?" Alfred broke the silence that fell over us.

"Tomorrow." I had a full day to prepare myself. Thanks universe for letting me prepare.

Now that universe gave me two hours of sleep last night before he was coming. I was down in the kitchen getting some orange juice when I heard the door slam shut.

'Maybe Alfred went to get him.' Was my internal thoughts as I put my glass down and grabbed a bowl for cereal.

"Love how my own fucking parents don't care enough to get me." I giggled.

"It's only six in the morning Alfred sleeps till eight at the very latest and Beth needs sleep she does too much." I explained.

"And you are?" The voice was really deep and yet I felt some sort of way towards it.

"I'm Malikai. Alfred took me in when I was around six because my family burned to death." I explained as I closed the fridge door meeting cold ice blue eyes.

"Malikai huh?" I swallowed hard looking him over as I watch him do the same. White hair and a built body.

"Yeah and it's rude to not introduce yourself to someone that told you their name." I said looking at his eyes again.

"I'm Kyle. See Alfred is the one who sent me off at age six because my parents are the ones who took you in." He was definitely checking me out and I shoved my cereal at him as I walked around the island wanting some space between us.

"I see. Well sorry he did that." I chuckled nervously.

"Are you frightened by me Malikai?" He asked leaning on the island looking at me with hungry eyes.

"A little. It's not like I know you." He only laughed.

"But why not come stand with me so I can come to know more about a pretty wendigo like yourself." I come to the realization. He thinks that I'm a wendigo.

"Malikai is that you?" I heard Beth as I caught Kyle eating every bit of me as quickly as he could before she came in. She stood her long black hair down for once instead of in a braid, still in her night wear like myself. "Oh Kyle?! I thought you would be back around ten. I thought I had time to come get you."

"The plane landed at three and I got a cab here. But I got here safely." He finally wasn't looking at me anymore as he held his arms out embracing his shorter mother. He had to be six something because he was huge.

"I see that I am glad baby." Beth looked at me and nodded towards the exit. I let out a sigh and went to leave.

"Oh I'm happy with my gift as well mother." I froze at that thinking to myself what he was calling a gift.

"Gift?" Beth questioned like I was as she pushed back just holding his arms.

"Malikai of course. Dad and you must want me to be mated quickly am I correct?" He asked smiling at me now.

"No honey. Her family was killed she lives here now. She is not a gift." She hurried her words now afraid for me. I was a human he couldn't have me at all. A human and a wendigo is unheard of.

"Oh then that choice is up to the two of us I see." He chuckled and pulled away from her. He went to me and grabbed my bowl and glass putting them on the island and putting his hand on the small of my back, leading me away from safety.

"Kyle shouldn't we wake your father so you two can catch up." Beth suggested racing after us.

"No need let him sleep in." He said and led me upstairs to a room I've only walked past.

"Look you heard her I'm not a gift to you." I panicked and said what I was thinking.

"I heard her Malikai I'm deaf or hard of hearing." He laughed as he closed the door behind us.

I stood in the middle of his new looking room that was made all nice for him for when he came back. But I don't think I've ever felt so naked while having clothes on. I could clearly see his eyes undressing me while I stood in the center of his room. I had a short sleeve shirt on showing every bit of my arms and made the mistake of wearing shorts even though it was snowing out.

"Kyle you really don't want me. There are such fit women for you. Look at your father and Beth. Find someone like her." I wanted to leave but he wasn't gonna move from that door as long as he knew I wanted to run away.

But I was corrected as he walked up to me and put his hand on my cheek. His fingertips freezing cold but his palm so warm.

"Malikai I'm not even doing anything to you why are you trembling." He said putting his arm around my waist before I fell. I didn't even notice the feeling in my legs going away.

"MALIKAI!" Alfred had the door open now making me understand I could've left. He never locked us in.

"I"m okay Alfred." I said and held onto Kyle's shirt because I was afraid of falling.

"Oh." Was all he said before I saw Kyle look hungrily at me. I looked at Alfred who ran over and separated us holding my head back and holding my nose.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Kyle landed on his bed as he watch Alfred take me out of the room and Kyle was stunned in hunger because I was human. But I got a bloody nose right in front of him. Since then Alfred kept me away from Kyle which only made him angry.

"Kyle spend the day with me instead." Beth whined as he walked past the door to the study looking at me.

I shivered and waved making him growl and walk away. Alfred joined me again once getting the book we need and continued our lesson. I wasn't afraid of Kyle I just felt bad that I caused him so much trouble. He just got home after all.

His mother told me his favorite kind of cake and I knew I could make a red velvet cake if I found a recipe book. I looked through the study and finally found one before Alfred got back. I hid it in the drawer and smiled as the large wendigo came in with sandwiches for us.

I stayed up that night mixing everything and finally getting it into the oven. I wiped my forehead of sweat droplets and went to get a drink of juice just waiting for it to bake now. I heard footsteps and hurried to hide everything but soon looked at Kyle.

"Why are you up so late?" He asked me.

"I was trying a recipe out. Your mom said you liked red velvet cake and I've never made it so snuck out a book and tried to make it before anyone woke up. Or caught me." I explained watching his body to see how he reacted. I got nothing, even from his expression. It was so blank from the first time we met.

"Good for you I guess." He went in the fridge taking out what I knew was a jug of blood. Pouring it into a cup. I watched his muscles move with the movement in a trance. The timer went off breaking me from the hypnotic movement.

"Um do you maybe want to share a bite with me?" I asked as he took a sip from the cup. He sighed not even smiling at me since that first day.

"Are you that desperate for my attention?" He asked looking to me with those cold eyes.

"I just want you to try it when it cools down." I said and he sighed again going to a seat at the island.

"I guess I can have a bite." I smiled to myself as I pulled it out and left it to cool on the counter. He was on the other side of the table playing with the glass. "Malikai are you okay since that bloody nose? I blanked after I saw it but I never got the chance to ask how you were."

"Uh yeah I'm okay. I usually get them in the winter time. I'm sorry if I got blood on your clothes or anything." I explained looking at him and seeing how intently he was looking at me.

"That's okay I don't think you did. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah." Was all I could say before shaking myself out of it. "Yeah I'm okay. But can I ask why you couldn't ask me?"

"My father said I should stay away from you until I'm mated because he saw your father like a brother so I shouldn't get too attached to you." He told me and stood up making me swallow. He walked over and towered over me. "Sorry if what I did made you uncomfortable."

He looked down at me with hooded eyes and I felt so small. So much like prey. He was a starved wolf and I was a baby deer.

"Malikai can I touch you?" He asked and I nodded. Before I knew it his cold fingertips were touching my hand and were moving up my arm quickly. "So what was it like being alone with my parents?" He asked his hands around my waist and mine on his biceps.

"It was different from my mother and father. They are way more aware of keeping a strong presence while my mother was calm and my father was more reckless." I explained getting lost in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for what happened to them. They didn't deserve that outcome and you didn't deserve to see it happen that young." I nodded and held onto his arms a little tighter. He was leaning closer to me and I was leaning too before I came to way too late. I never felt something so cold yet so warm touch my lips before. I slammed my hand into his face and ran upstairs slamming my door closed out of fear. I touched my lips and knew that was no way to treat him. But if I knew I messed up as bad as to make my life miserable I would've never made him that stupid cake and let that happen.