Chapter 15
“They’ll probably knock her out, Shane. You can go see her after class,” Dane says.
“I’ll come see you as soon as I can, T, okay?” I ask her.
She nods and Ryan takes off as quickly as he can without bouncing her in his arms.
Dane grips my shoulder. “She’ll be okay, Shane. We have a great medical team here.”
I walk back with him to where the others have already started sparring.
“She got to the fourth challenge. That’s pretty impressive for a first timer,” Alpha Jackson says.
I had intended to volunteer to go on the Beast after Tiana, but now, seeing how quickly it took Sebastiana out, it feels even more daunting that it did before.
“Does anyone else want to give the Beast a try?” Dane asks the group.
Everyone glances at each other, but no one steps forward.
Thankfully, Dane puts me with Justin to spar. He can tell I’m distracted, so he doesn’t come at me full force.
“What happened to her?” he asks quietly.
“I don’t know. She got hit by something really hard. Fourth challenge, that’s what Alpha Jackson said,” I tell him.
“So, she got through the first three, but we only know what the first one is,” he says as we spar.
“Yeah. So, the next two she was able to get through, but the fourth …” I stop, remembering the goddess–awful bruise on Tiana’s side.
“Hey,” Justin says, jutting his chin toward something behind me.
I turn to see Alpha Ryan jogging back to class.
“Hang on,” I say, rushing over to him.
“She’s out for two, maybe three days,” Alpha Ryan is saying to Alpha Dane.
“What happened? What’s the verdict?” I ask, not caring that I’m barging into what is most likely a family conversation.
Alpha Dane turns to look at me and the look on his face is one of frustration and distress. I remember him saying he was supposed to let Alpha Sebastian know how far Tiana got in her first try on the Beast. I’m guessing he doesn’t want to tell T’s father that his daughter injured herself.
He looks over my head. “Listen up!”
He waits while the current sparring matches cease.
“Alpha Sebastiana has cracked ribs and is excluded from sparring class for the next two to three days,” he says, making me gasp. That’s a very serious injury and Tiana got it on the first day at the Academy.
“Anyone who has classes with her with make sure they acknowledge and act according to her injury to ensure that she has time to recover without additional injury,” Alpha Dane says.
“Yeah, of course. We wouldn’t want your precious niece to get knocked out of the Academy, would we?” Nicholas says under his breath so the instructors can’t hear, but the rest of us can.
Without thinking, I turn and smash my fist into his face. He goes sprawling to the ground, his nose gushing with red blood.
“Say it again so the instructors can hear you, you fucking coward!” I yell as several arms wrap around me to keep me from him.
“What the hell kind of fucking Alpha whines about not being able to hurt someone who is already injured, but isn’t willing to step up and do what she did to get injured?” I yell, fighting against the ones holding me back.
“You’re going to regret that, Shane!” Nicholas snarls.
“On the contrary, Nicky. I feel pretty fucking good about it!” I say, feeling steel arms wrap around
- me.
“Calm down.”
“You don’t know what he said,” I snarl.
“It doesn’t matter,” the calm voice says in my ear.
“She’s your fucking sister,” I growl, realizing that it’s Ryan who has me in a non–breakable hold.
“Which should tell you everything you need to know about how serious I am that you need to
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calm down. Do you think Sebi would want this?”
I stop fighting, breathing heavily, and letting his words sink in. He’s right. She wouldn’t want me to put myself at risk of being booted from the Academy because of Nicholas. He’s not worth it and that’s exactly what Tiana would say to me.
“Walk it off and when you’re done, go to the hospital. They knocked her out to help her heal, but you’ll see that she’s strong and will rebound,” Alpha Ryan says.
I nod and he slowly releases me. As soon as I’m free, I turn and begin walking toward the hospital. The only thing that will make me feel sane right now is knowing that Sebastiana is safe and healing.
