Maia woke Erica up before either of the men, already dressed in a sports bra and running shorts. She threw a similar outfit at Erica and a pair of tennis shoes, seeing how quickly the young wolf went from sleepy to apprehensive.

"What time is it," Erica asked, changing clothes quickly.

"Three A.M."

The Alpha female led her novice onto the street and smiled, jogging in place to get her blood flowing. "Start running Erica. I'll catch you in a moment." Blue eyes looked at Maia and she waved her hand, giving her silent permission. Erica streaked off into the darkness, Maia closing her eyes and humming. The cold morning air cleared her mind and her wolf stirred, knowing that the hunt was close. Maia ran after Erica, catching her scent all around- the young one had hoped to confuse her, but her attempt was a half-hearted one, with her heartbeat being her tell. "Gotcha," Maia said, appearing behind her in the alleyway. "You need to realize where you are- if a hunter's coming after you, they are the best humans equipped to catch and kill us. You run if you see them- think of a back-up plan; somewhere good to hide that gives you the vantage point or a way to turn on them before they can shoot."

Maia took her all over Beacon Hills, helping her get in touch with her senses and the new power that her body held. Her body started feeling some fatigue around seven hours after they started training, Maia notice and deciding to push her further. They went to the gym and the owner led the women to the private room, Maia immediately taking a wrestling stance. "Hand to hand, me against you. Don't be afraid to hurt me- its not likely you could anyway, but still, give me everything you've got. Take me down," the Alpha said, a smile on her face. Erica hesitated and Maia sighed, "Remember, you hesitate, you waste my time and you're dead."

She dealt a blow to Maia's naked stomach that was easily blocked, the Alpha countering before pinning her down without much effort.

"Again Erica."

They repeated the fight four times with Maia always able to bring her to the floor in moments.

Erica panted, her cheeks flushed as the more powerful woman dominated her, Maia's hands on either side of her head. The Alpha breathed just as heavily, her breasts brushing against Erica's stomach before she stood and helped her up. Maia showed her how to block a few moves she knew hunters favored before playing out the fight once more- but even still, she never let Erica win. She didn't want to give the fledgling a false sense of true accomplishment: a win would only prove to be a falsity in the struggle to survive. And Erica had to struggle to earn the right to live, to learn how tough the world out there was even for those at the top of the food chain.

With a pack, Erica thought that she would be doing more… team-centered training with trust building and the such, but here she was, learning how to work on her own and fend for herself as if no one would care if she lived or died.

It scared the living daylights out of her.

"Time for a break," Maia said finally when the young wolf thought her insides had been crushed to a pulp. She threw Erica a towel and watched her brush some of the sweat off of her body, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees.

"I wear you out that bad?"

Maia smiled and looked up at her, "Not as bad as I hope to wear you out tonight."

They walked into a French bistro downtown once they had bought some hoodies to cover themselves, the older woman looking relaxed even as her hair clung to the back of her neck with sweat, her jugular vein pulsing as her heartbeat raced. Erica felt as if she was in tune with her entire body and with all of her senses, as if she had been asleep all her life, in a nightmare really- and now she was wide awake.

"How am I supposed to know how much the food costs," Erica asked after staring at the menu sans prices. Maia only grinned and shook her head, "Sweetheart, we're not paying for anything."

The waiter came to take their order, Maia's eyes shifting colors as she talked to him in a sweet voice. "My lover and I were quite taken by how handsome you are. We're hungry but we seem to have left our wallets at the gym," she murmured, Erica looking at the oblivious diners around them. "Well, the ticket'll be no problem… if of course, you can pay me back," the man said, staring into Maia's eyes until he was caught.

"Well then, I'll have the Caesar salad and lobster. And my girl will have-"

"The tomato bisque and steak," Erica said as she smiled at Maia. The waiter left and she turned to Maia, shaking her head. "So I'm your lover now, am I?"

Maia laughed and Erica felt her heart melt just a little bit, enraptured by the woman sitting across from her. As she watched, Maia pulled her hair down and shook out her curls until they framed her face as if she was a picture.

"God you're beautiful."

The woman stopped and blinked, her cheeks darkening, "Shit- sorry about that Erica. Guess I was still manipulating and caught you with it."

Erica didn't have it in her heart to tell Maia that she hadn't done anything to her.

"So why am I being separated from the pack-"

"Let me stop you there, darling," Maia said, taking a sip of her water when another waitress brought it to her. "I don't want you to feel like we're keeping you away from something the rest of us are privy to- none of us want to do that. Isaac is… different: he got to experience the true meaning of being one with your wolf so soon after he received the Bite. He leaned on us and we were there to hold him, to support him. His bond with us was make or break- and in a moment, we became what you saw last night. We're partners, lovers, friends and confidants, and I would go as far to call us a really… hypersexual, less-than-conventional family. We're a pack. And then there's you, this girl who really doesn't need us to comfort you and then we feel almost useless to you. But right now pup, you have this incredibly opportunity to be you, to become a very powerful female who doesn't need me and Derek. Until the full moon, I can train you and I can show you how to fend for yourself without having to pull away like we will with Isaac, something that will cause him great pain when we have to really start training him. He's like a puppy, huddled underneath his mother and father while you get to be a true bitch. I know you might not want to think about it but there might be a situation where Derek and I can't get to you or Isaac- a situation in which you must take control and fight. When we're together, we'll be powerful… but Erica, I want you to be, well, like me. You love your pack and you want to be with them, but you must also know that you can stand on your own."

The younger woman sat there for a moment before she nodded, Erica wanting the same thing.

They ate lunch in relative silence before going back to 'the lair' as Erica had come to think of it, smiling when she saw Derek and Isaac sparring. Both males made a beeline towards Maia, Derek giving the other woman a generous glance and an intense, seductive smile. "Hey! Stop it- get your hands off of me! Back, back you beasts," Maia laughed, beating both of them off as they kissed her face and groped her body. Erica shook her head and went to the showers, favoring her ribs as she took off her clothes. When she heard feet Erica wrapped her arm across her own chest, casting a glare that was sure to freeze Isaac in his place.

"How are the ribs," Maia asked as she rounded the corner before taking in Erica's glare. "Whoa, nice glare. Give it a little more emphasis on the whole supernatural being part and you'll have it nailed."

"I didn't know it was you- you reek of Isaac. And my ribs are fine."

Erica continued to undress, turning on the water and reaching out for the shampoo. The Alpha female leaned against the wall to watch, suds running down the lithe, pale body as Erica started to wash her hair. She was less voluptuous than Maia but her breasts were pert and rounded, her waist small as well but her ass nicely toned and a good handful. Maia had the sudden urge to kiss her body and run her hands up her thighs where the skin seemed the smoothest and unblemished. She wanted to take the girl by force, but knew that she could not and simply watched. A thrill rushed through Erica at the fact that now both men and at least one woman wanted her, excited at the fact that soon she would test out her claws on the entire population of Beacon Hills High. Erica reached out for the soap and lathered up the bar, before starting at her neck and washing until she reached her breasts. She felt burning eyes on her as she turned so that Maia could get a good look, allowing her fingers to circle around one pink nipple. Maia felt herself raise up off of the wall before stilling, watching long fingers trail down taut flesh to the thin line of blonde hair disappearing between those supple thighs.

"Erica…"

Without thinking, the young wolf closed the distance between us, pinning Maia to the opposite wall between her arms. She knew that she couldn't physically keep her there if she didn't want to be- but currently, Maia did not seem to be concerned in going anywhere. Erica smashed her mouth to Maia's and was pleased that Isaac had not lied to her- she tasted like fresh air, like sunshine, like newly cut glass after the rain.

Like life, truth… freedom.

Erica had never kissed another girl before, but for some reason everything she did and felt seemed perfectly natural. It was spectacular, like hers and Maia's lips had been made to fit together. The woman had a knack for making people fall in love with her- Derek and Isaac and now Erica herself had fallen victim to her prowess.

"Off," she panted, feverish with desire and kissing Maia like she needed her to live. Erica pulled her hoodie over her head before Maia reached down to rip her bra to shreds, the younger woman leaning down to take a dark nipple into her mouth. Maia shimmed out of her shorts and Erica tentatively moved her hand down her side until she was grasping the curve of her ass, pulling her back underneath the burning spray of the shower head. Water flowed over their shoulders and down the practically non-existent gap between the lithe bodies, Maia smiling to herself quietly. They curled together, darkness and light, brown skin melding into white. She ran a hand down Erica's thankfully-healed ribcage, over her stomach and down to the only place she wanted to be, feeling her tense slightly. Erica's heart started to thud unevenly as she thought of how it was the furthest she had ever gone, and the fact that she was doing it with a girl- but she knew Maia would take care of her.

"Relax," the Alpha said, her hand hovering over Erica's sex as she felt her pulse in absolute anticipation. "You're not doing anything wrong sweetheart. After all, you're only human."

With that Maia pushed two fingers inside of her, Erica raising up on the tips of her toes and moaning out. She smiled and pressed the entire length of her body against hers, moving her fingers in a circular motion that made Erica say her name. Maia was pulled into another fevered kiss, sliding her knee between pale thighs to give herself a better leverage.

"Jesus."

Isaac leaned into the showers as he bit into an apple, shirtless and aching to be a part of the scene in front of him. Derek was just over his shoulder, eyebrows furrowed and jaw set at the fact that they had stopped. Embarrassed, Erica wrapped her arms around herself and Maia growled, pressing a possessive kiss to her lover's lips. "Your timing is just fucking great," she said, sensing how mortified Erica was. Maia hadn't quite broken her of her reticences yet and unfortunately for her, the fledgling was a work in progress.

"You, come with me," she said to Derek, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Isaac, go busy yourself with something that isn't messing with Erica. Leave her to her shower, which you so rudely interrupted."

Maia took Derek to their makeshift bed and threw him down there, straddling his chest.

"You have about two and a half seconds to get your face between my thighs before I rip your entrails out," she said, offering herself to him. Derek smiled and rolled them over, baring his fangs before burying his face in his mate.

Isaac was disobeying the rules as he stayed in the doorway of the bathroom, taking another casual bite out of his apple. "That little makeout session was hotter than I think me or Derek were prepared for. You know, Mai's vying for you and like daddy wolf said, she always gets what she wants. No matter what," he said, Erica shooting him a glare over her shoulder. "Well the two of you made damn sure she didn't get it tonight."

He shot a glance over his shoulder and smirked, "I'm not really sure she cares right about now."

Derek pulled away from Maia, ignoring her angry moans as he inserted one finger into her hot center. He steadily built up a rhythm that he knew pleased her, moving his hand in and out, faster and faster. Anything that Maia wanted sexually Derek made sure he had, loving the feeling of power and lust- he'd make sure she had Maia if it was the last thing he did. Pressing a kiss to her sensitive flesh, Derek sought to make her scream, already having her writing and muttering nonsense words. Soon her hips arched when his ministrations had reached the peak of intensity, Maia pressing herself into his mouth as her body began to shake. Wave upon wave of pleasure coursed through the shapely form as Derek brought his hands up to her hips, trying to control the sharp movements she was making. When she was done, he released Maia moving to rest his head on her stomach and smile up at his mate.

"You're pissed I ruined your fun, aren't you honey?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Erica said, standing with her arms crossed as she watched the two of them laying together. Maia smiled lustfully and looked at the increasingly tempting woman, biting down on her bottom lip. Derek turned to stare at Erica as well, licking off the remnants of Maia's pleasure from his own lips, "We grow weary of this… resistance, Erica." She smiled and inclined her head to him, giving him the respect he deserved before turning her back on him. "Get used to it Alpha."

Maia grinned at her tenacity, looking down at Derek and cocking her head, "We're going to have fun breaking her, aren't we?"

"Yes we are."