The next morning, Maddy stormed to where the matefinder was staying. She didn't get any sleep for the entire night. After coming back, it took some time for the adrenaline to wear off and by the time she finally did fall asleep, it was already morning. She had set an alarm yesterday to get up early to sort things out with the matefinder and when morning did come, she had woken up to the annoying sound of the alarm ringing in her ears which was why she was this grouchy.

Maddy knocked twice on the matefinder's door. The door flew open as if she expected Maddy to come, which she probably did. Maddy glared at the matefinder. "What is your problem?"

The matefinder stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Come in."

Maddy stormed in, making sure to take extra loud steps to let the matefinder know that she was pissed. A little dramatization never hurt anybody. Maddy usually never behaved like such a bratty child with anyone, but the matefinder was seriously testing her patience. The matefinder's room was eerily similar to Maddy's. The pack probably had various similar guest rooms made for visitors. Once she was inside the room, she turned and faced the matefinder.

"Why do you keep stopping us?" Maddy asked.

"I am not trying to stop you. I am just making sure that things go according to the future."

"Tell me, will we be able to save Leia?" Maddy demanded.

The matefinder shrugged.

"Will we be able to save her?" Maddy repeated, a little louder this time. She couldn't imagine never talking to Leia again. When Maddy was taken, Leia had come all the way to California to make sure that Maddy was safe and on the other hand, Maddy couldn't even try and look for Leia because something or the other always came up.

No sooner did she finish the sentence than the door flew open and in came Jeremy followed by Xander and Alexa. If Maddy looked pissed, Jeremy looked livid.

"I was just waiting for you," the matefinder said as she stepped aside to make way for them.

"Now that all of you are here," she continued. "We obviously have some things to discuss. Let me make this clear- You will not be able to mess with the future so I suggest that all of you just keep quiet and listen to me."

Jeremy was about to tell something when the matefinder shot him a look and he shut his mouth.

"Since you all insist that you want to go to Bangalore earlier, I'll take permission from the Alphas to send you after three days. Until then you can prepare yourselves. Finding and rescuing Leia won't be easy and you all need to train yourselves. You need to use your muscles as well as your brain. Your wits will play a major role in finding Leia. Now go."

Maddy wanted to speak out but the matefinder looked downright terrifying so Maddy zipped her mouth and headed out with the others. Xander leaded their small group to the gym. Maddy groaned when she saw their destination. It wasn't that Maddy didn't want to learn how to fight but the memory of the four werewolves ganging up on her made her tired just thinking about it.

"We aren't doing the four on one training, right?" Maddy asked nervously.

"It won't be a four against one anyway. Leia's not here."

Just that one sentenced made the entire atmosphere sad and gloomy.

"Jeremy and Alexa will be training together. In both human and wolf form. Meanwhile we," Xander said as he grabbed Maddy's hand and led her to one side of the gym. "Will be training with weapons."

Maddy nodded happily. That sounded so much better.

"What's your weapon?" Maddy asked curiously. She pegged him to be a sword type of guy.

"I don't have a weapon per say. My wolf is a weapon enough."

"Way to remind me that I am not a werewolf," Maddy grumbled. Xander just grinned cheekily at her.

"Let me go and get my dagger from my room," Maddy said as she started walking but she was pulled back by Xander.

"You aren't using your dagger. That thing could seriously hurt me," Xander said as he walked to a sports cupboard kind of thing and start searching for something in there.

"We made a replica of your dagger but with wood so that it doesn't burn me. It is the exact replica including the weird symbols," he continued as he handed the wooden dagger to Maddy.

The dagger did look a lot like hers but the tip was slightly blunter. Hearing Xander speak about the symbols reminded her that she needed to figure out what the symbols in her dagger meant and how they were related to writings in the book that they stole from tooth-necklace lady.

Maddy stood in the center of the mat and waited for Xander. He stood in front of her and started shifting. He blurred and then landed on his four paws. Just like the first time that Maddy had seen his wolf, Xander trotted forward and started to sniff her leg. Maddy stood stiff, waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing. Once he seemed satisfied, Xander curled up around Maddy's right leg and closed his eyes as though he was going to sleep. Maddy's eyes widened. What the hell was he doing?

"Uh..." Maddy turned to Jeremy and Alexa hoping that they would know what she was supposed to do. They both seemed focused on their fight so Maddy couldn't ask them either.

Maddy gently moved her leg trying to get him to wake up. She hoped that he won't go all growly on her. Turned out that she had jinxed the situation because at that moment Xander leapt up on being disturbed and snarled at her. Maddy stumbled back. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't actually hurt Xander but he looked like he wanted to rip her arm off.

At that moment Xander pounced on her. Maddy fell on the spongy mat because of Xander's weight. Xander stilled for a second and then got off her and walked away. Maddy sat up, stunned. What had happened?

Then Xander started shifting back. "You were supposed to defend yourself with the dagger, Maddy. Not just freeze. Although your face when you thought I fell asleep on your leg was priceless," Xander drawled as he grinned from ear to ear.

Maddy scowled. All along Xander had acted as if he had fallen asleep around her leg, knowing that it would freak Maddy out. That bastard. "You thought it was funny? I actually thought that you were going to claw my face off."

"Don't worry. I won't hurt a hair on your pretty little head," Xander promised.

For the next hour or two Xander and Maddy kept training. At first, before Maddy could even get close to him, she was on the ground with him growling on top of her. He was good, really good at this. Way better than the rogues she had previously fought. By the end of the day, Maddy could get about two hits on Xander before he managed to trap her.

"You should be fine in a fight now," Xander said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Maddy had to try really hard to not gape at him as his muscles bulged while he did the action. "Since your dagger is made of silver, one stab should keep a rogue down for some time."

Maddy nodded. Keeping a rogue down sounded much better than killing it. Maddy couldn't wait to go back into her room, change her clothes and curl up in her bed while reading a story. Wasn't that every bookworm's ideal day?

"Are we done?" Maddy asked hopefully.

Xander nodded. "We are done but from now on, carry your dagger wherever you go. Although we are safe in here, you can never be too sure. Better be safe than sorry. And by everywhere, I mean everywhere," he said, stressing on the last word.

"Even in the washroom?" Maddy asked with a straight face.

Xander groaned. "You know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't," Maddy replied teasingly.

"I am just going to ignore you right now," Xander muttered and headed outside with Maddy following him a minute later.