by May Dawson
Those words settled over us all, tension rippling silently through the crowd.
“The cadre have an enormous responsibility on their shoulders and you all will give them the respect they deserve for that,” he said. “But when that respect isn’t deserved, when the cadre are bullies or cowards themselves—or both, I find the two often go hand-in-hand—that student can return to basics before they try a leadership position again.”
Clearborn’s gaze sought someone in the crowd, then sparked in recognition. “Duncan, you’re done. You can join your patrol as a regular cadet.”
“Holy shit,” Penn whispered under his breath. He glanced toward me, his eyes wide.
Duncan went pale. His jaw twitched as he ground his teeth together, staring straight forward and pretending as if he hadn’t heard.
I almost felt sorry for him.
“I’m not giving up on any of you,” Clearborn said, and I could’ve sworn his gaze found mine for just a second before it moved on, but maybe everyone felt that way. “You are the future of the packs. You’re the chance we have to stand against the covens, to keep the cubs back in our packs safe, to build a new future.”
“I know it’s tough here sometimes, and it’s going to get tougher. When you fall, get back up again. Lean on each other. Stress can make people cruel or it can forge them into someone stronger than they ever were before. That’s on you. You need to embrace the pain that’s coming and use it to grow.”
Clearborn was the king of the pep talk, with all that promise of coming pain.
“Drills continue later this morning. Your cadre have the schedule,” he said. “Patrol leaders, prepare your patrols.”
Noise rose all around us again as patrol leaders tried to pull their cadets together. Penn and I were already heading together through the crowd, to our rally point.
I glanced at Clearborn though, who stood quietly at the center of all the chaos, observing it all with bright eyes.
If I didn’t hate the man, I might like him.
Chapter Fifty-One
“Get showered and dressed in utilities and meet back at our room,” Lex said. Most of the cadets were streaming toward the chow hall. “We’ve got an hour before we have to be at the pits, so move fast.”
Apparently we were skipping breakfast.
When we got into Rafe and Lex’s room, it smelled like drip coffee.
“We had a hunch,” Lex said, shrugging. His desk was covered in bagels, peanut butter, and apples, and Rafe’s desk was set up with a coffee station. “The chow hall isn’t even open yet. Everyone’s milling around and it’s just going to be more of a mess.”
“I’ve never admired someone so much over a bagel,” Chase said to me as we were getting coffee.
I grinned. Then, as I was stirring my coffee, I noticed an edge of leather on the bookcase in the corner. I headed toward it curiously, taking a sip absently even though it burned in my mouth. It was the tawse, a long length of leather with a handle, and just the sight of it made my stomach tense. I hated that Rafe and Lex had this in their room. I hated the thought of them hurting any of my guys.
And if one of them hit me… the thought sent a shiver down my spine. Jensen claimed they didn’t have a choice. He’d tried to cover for Rafe with me. I wouldn’t have expected him to be forgiving.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive.
Rafe leaned against the bookcase beside me. “I’m hoping you’ll just stay out of trouble, Northsea. Then you never have to worry about it.”
My lips pursed to one side. “I’m not just worried about me, Rafe.”
“I didn’t think you were. Eat your bagel.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Is your default bossy?”
“My default is looking after you all. We’ve got a long day ahead and I don’t know when, or if, we’re going to get a chance to eat.”
Rafe glanced up, telling everyone, “Grab a granola bar and an apple on your way out to keep with your gear. I’m not sure Clearborn’s going to feel like we’ve all earned lunch, given how he scheduled the start of the next set of drills during the chow hall’s breakfast hours.”
Lex added. “We learned a few things during the drills, but today’s going to be a whole new setting, new mission. We’ve got an advantage the other patrols don’t, since we’ve fought together before. So let’s set the example and help them out if we can, all right?”
We were heading out, going down the fire stairs as another team rushed up. Someone shoved into my shoulder as they went by, and I looked up, tensing for a fight.
“You’ve got this.” The cadet who’d just shoved against me flashed a quick grin my way. “We just got out of round one. Not going to lie, it sucked. But you guys are going to kill it.”
“Thanks,” I said.
He clapped Silas on the shoulder too before he turned the stairs.
Sometimes I thought maybe I’d let a few assholes color my view of the academy. Maybe I’d rethink this place.
If they didn’t hang me as a witch.
During the trial, we were pitted against two other teams. We had a defensive bunker, built of sand bags, to defend.
It might’ve been fun, except we were all keenly aware of Clearborn and two of the other alphas, Garmond and Williams, watching us from the sidelines.
“You take the lead,” Rafe told Lex quietly. “One of us has to.”
Lex hesitated.
“It’s all right,” Rafe said, clapping his shoulder. “I’d rather see you on the Council’s Own if it came down to it.”
“Oh bull shit. I’m not doing it without you,” Lex said.
The trial was even more full of noise and confusion than the drills had been as the instructors threw every distraction they could at us. They started a damn fire inside our defensive position. Lex called orders to us, making sure we managed to put it out even though at the same time, the other teams launched a coordinated attack from two fronts.
They finally breached our walls, and we fought hand-to-hand, but at least no one was on fire.
“Northsea, take the bo,” Lex tossed one of the staffs to me. There had been a handful of weapons stashed in our position, but not enough for all of us.
I caught glimpses of the Alphas behind the guy I was fighting, which would have been distracting if I hadn’t been really dedicated to not getting punched in the face. A few feet away, Tyson fought another guy.
Then a guy from the other team, Harrington, ran up behind Tyson.
“Watch out!” I shouted, but I was too late. I clocked the guy I was fighting with the bo, before spinning to help Tyson.
Harrington punched Tyson in the back, hitting his kidneys. Ty’s mouth parted in pain, his back arching under the blow, but the guy was already catching him around the neck and landing another blow to his kidneys.
That was never a legal movement in the pits before, but I didn’t think anyone was calling time today.
That kind of hit could cause permanent injury, and it sure caused a ridiculous amount of pain. As Ty got hit again, his magic sparked across his fingertips.
Fuck. Ty was going to lose it. I slammed the bo into his opponent’s legs, tripping him. As his legs went out from underneath him, Ty pinned him, the movement one quick, practiced motion. Then Ty waited for him to tap out so we could call him as a casualty and leave him behind without having to worry.
Ty’s back was to the Council. But I saw the horror across his face as his magic grew under his fingertips, as if his magic was determined to save him from these imaginary enemies.
Cool it, Ty.
Garamond frowned, shifting as if he were trying to get a better view.
I had to distract them. They’d never let Ty stay at the academy if they knew he was a witch. They might even kill him.
The only thing I could think of was to throw my bo at Clearborn and the other Alphas.
After all, I had a reputation—as Clearborn had reminded me—of being short-tempered and impetuous.
There
was no way I’d get out of that one without facing the damned strap that had torn up Jensen’s back.
Tyson looked up at me, desperation flashing across his face as he struggled to keep Harrington pinned. He tightened his grip, trying to force him to tap out before Ty lost it completely. I had to help him.
His face was still twisted in pain from the blows he’d taken to the kidneys. He’d probably be pissing blood for days. They shouldn’t have sent us in here to fight like animals, with no rules.
That would be my excuse.
I twisted my body, cocking my arm back like I held a javelin, and launched the bo through the air at Clearborn and his fellow alphas.
Garmond raised his arm, grimacing as if he was afraid of being struck with the bo. Clearborn stretched out his hand, trying to catch the bo from the air. The bo slammed into the three of them, and for a second, shocked silence reigned among us all.
In the distance, through the rush of blood in my ears, I heard Ty get up as his opponent tapped out, then a distant thump, like someone’s body hitting the ground.
“It must be nice to sit on your asses and watch us beat each other half to death for your entertainment,” I called. “Maybe you could join us in the ring, show us how to do it.”
The instructor called, “Win for Hunt and Alexander.”
“If only it actually were.” Rafe grabbed my shoulder, glancing past me at Clearborn. It looked like he had so much he wanted to say, and then he just squeezed my shoulder. It was a comforting touch, even though his voice was harsh.
“I’ll discuss this with you shortly, Ms. Northsea,” Clearborn called. “Have her come to my office in half an hour, Mr. Hunt.”
Dread settled into my stomach.
“Yes sir,” Rafe said, his voice flat and cold. But when he looked at me, the same dread was mirrored in his expression.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Clearborn
“I’ll be back shortly,” I told Garmond and Williams.
“I’d like to speak to you first,” Garmond said.
Fantastic.
The problem with committees is that there’s always an asshole. The Alpha council was no exception.
Garmond was ours.
“Did you finish your construction project?” he demanded. Certain members of the Council had attempted to force their own ideas on me: a hanging platform and the set of whipping posts.
“I decided they weren’t necessary,” I said, leaning on Northsea’s abandoned bo staff. I planned to bring it back to my office for our discussion. Having to carry it around made me feel inconveniently like Gandalf, though; the previous faculty’s decision to have the students spend so much time fighting with sticks was an interesting one.
Before Garmond could press for his end goal, which was far more obvious than he realized, I added, “Which is fortunate. It would be sad if the situation in the packs were so dire that we were reduced to killing off their children after they arrived here.”
Garmond’s jaw tightened. I knew he wanted to see Northsea strung up—preferably with the noose—but he’d accept having Piper’s sister publicly whipped. “The noose is only for the witches.”
“I have bullets for that, Garmond.” There was no need for all the drama of a fancy execution.
Those bullets were specifically for the covens, not any witch. The more I learned about magic, the more it became clear that the shifter community was deluding itself with its bias. But I wasn’t walking down that path with Garmond before I had to.
“You are going to have the girl whipped for attacking the school’s leadership, are you not? In front of the school?” he demanded. “Public disrespect requires a public response.”
My intent was to correct their weaknesses, not break their wills. “I’ve had the cadre take the lead on corporal punishment in the patrols. I can hardly have her whipped after she’s already been beaten, can I?”
He started to say something, and I cut him off. “We can discuss this later. I have cadets to deal with. After the exercises are over, I’d appreciate hearing both your thoughts on discipline at the academy and on how the patrols themselves performed.”
It wasn’t the same as being here myself. I knew Garmond wouldn’t bother to learn the names of these cadets, while I had lines of notes for each member of the cadre and a jotted thought or two assessing each first-year, but at least it would keep him busy.
I was dedicated to keeping my cadets busy, just like I was attempting to keep Garmond out of my way. But the cadets could be improved, at least.
I nodded goodbye to him curtly, then I could finally leave him behind and head across campus.
I didn’t want to miss out on too much of seeing the students work through the tests, but I had to deal with Northsea. I was curious whether Lex or Rafe would come in with her, and when I came into the office, I told Cormac to find a reason to leave them alone. I was curious what they’d have to say to each other when they thought they had relative privacy.
In the meantime, I reviewed the notes I had so far on the patrols. I’d been exasperated from afar for a long time about how much training the new patrols still needed when they emerged from the academy. The Council’s Own worked well, but only because they trained exhaustively.
It was ridiculous that these kids emerged from four years of school still undisciplined and sloppy. Despite the Council’s selection process, doing the best we could with what we saw at the academy, we had far more drop-outs than we should, which disrupted the patrols.
Now I had my chance to fix the academy, no matter how painful it might be.
Although I was sure my cadets thought they had the most painful part of the deal.
Cormac called me a few minutes later. “Northsea and Hunt are here, sir.”
Rafe, hm? Not Lex. That’s what I’d expected, but it still disappointed me. I’d hoped to be surprised by Lex.
“Thank you. Tell them I’ll come get them in a few minutes.”
“Understood, sir.”
He left the speakerphone on as he relayed the message, then left the room. I muted the speaker on my end. I’d heard rumors about both Lex and Rafe and the petite blond shifter, and I wasn’t sure if I could leave them all together.
For a few long minutes, there was nothing but silence. I heard faint fidgeting noises, as if one of them was pacing.
Then Maddie Northsea’s voice broke the quiet of the anteroom outside my office. “So will this be it, then? Here?”
“Maybe.”
Silence for another few seconds. Well, that wasn’t what I’d expected. The pair of them were not exactly scintillating conversationalists.
“What were you thinking?” Rafe asked. His voice was low, but laced with heat.
“I wasn’t thinking,” she said off-handedly, sounding glib. Irritation flared in my chest, almost as strongly as when she’d thrown that bo at Garmond and me.
Garmond had been looking for a way to get back at Piper Northsea for years. I could wring Maddie’s narrow neck for almost forcing me into being Garmond’s tool. Garmond would spin this story dramatically to any other alphas who would listen, although I hoped most of them had the sense to ignore him. I only took him as seriously as I had to, to minimize his damage.
“You knew what would happen,” he said.
“Well, I wasn’t thinking about it at the time.”
There was silence. I wished I could see her face, because I was confident she was lying to him.
I’d seen Harrington go after Tyson Atlas like he was trying to cause permanent damage. The instructors were supposed to step in, but none of them were on that side to witness Harrington side-step the rules. I’d moved to call Harrington off before Tyson could get hurt worse.
And that was why I’d been in a position to see magic flare under Tyson’s hands.
The decision Northsea made had been quick, but it was hardly impulsive.
They were never going to form an effective patrol while they were lying to their leadership. Maybe Ra
fe wasn’t the leader I thought he was, either.
The silence between them stretched until I rose to my feet, planning to bring Rafe in first.
“I keep thinking you’re growing up,” Rafe said, his voice low. “When you came here, everyone hated you—hated the idea of you. But you’ve won them over, with your courage and your spirit.”
“There are a few hold-outs. And you don’t seem to feel very fond of me at the moment.”
“Don’t be a smartass,” he said. “Sometimes you seem like such a natural leader. I don’t know how you think you’re ever going to lead, though, when you still can’t resist your temper, no matter the stakes.”
“A glorified spanking is hardly high stakes.”
“I’ll try to remember that’s how you feel about it,” he muttered.
Well, his feelings might not be easy for him, but at least he intended to go through with it. Maybe I could leave them together. Their patrol had fought well as a team in the field, and I didn’t want to rip them apart. But if Rafe favored the girl too much, it would impact their training, and that would ultimately fracture them with far more lasting damage.
I cut the line, then moved to the door. When I opened it, neither of them were in the chairs that lined the wall across from the secretary’s desk. Rafe stood rigidly against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Maddie paced back and forth, and she turned when she heard the door, her blond ponytail flickering over the shoulders.
“Mr. Hunt, one minute of your time, please.”
He rose without hesitation. When he walked into my office, I caught her chewing her lip. As soon as she felt my gaze, her face went to neutral, her chin rising. She had perfect posture.
After the show she’d put on in the pit, I rather liked her, to be honest.
Which wouldn’t make her life any easier.
Rafe came into my office and took the chair in front of my desk when I indicated it.
“Why isn’t Mr. Alexander here with your wayward cadet?” I asked, without prelude. “He was the one leading the patrol today, wasn’t he?”
