Chapter 41
“You need to rethink your definition of success, Sebi. Being on the leaderboard, no matter what number you are or for how long you hold that position, makes you elite among Alphas. Give it some thought, re-evaluate what defines success for you, and maybe, ask your friends for help in finance. I’m always available to help you if you’re struggling, but sometimes it’s casier to hear it from someone who can put it into terms that make sense to you.”
“Thanks, Alpha Ezra,” I say, realizing that it’s lunch time already.
“You’re welcome. I hope you’ll think about what I’ve said.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good. Now go get some lunch.”
I jog back to the cafeteria, feeling better after talking with Alpha Ezra. When I walk in, I see Shane.
“Hey, how was class?” I ask.
Rather than answer me, he fixes me with an angry glare before brushing past me and ignoring my question.
I feel my mouth drop open as I watch him go. Worse than the anger is the look of betrayal in his eyes, as if I somehow betrayed him. I turn to Cole and Cassie.
“What happened?”
“Dane and Ryan broke him in sparring class,” Cole says softly.
“Shit!” I say.
“And Sebi, they used you and Christian to do it,” Cassie says.
Son of a bitch!
Shane
I watch as Tiana walks off with Alpha Ezra. I really hope he’s not planning to beat her while she’s down. I’ve never seen her look so broken as I did last night and this morning. She didn’t even
288 Vouchers
attempt to ride The Beast.
“Alpha Shane! You’re with me,” Alpha Dane says.
I glance at Cole who gives me a ‘stay strong’ look before I turn to begin sparring with Alpha Dane. Alpha Ryan is walking around, giving pointers to the students while we spar.
At first, everything started out okay. Then, I apparently opened the door he’d been waiting for.
“Is Tiana going to be okay?” I ask him softly.
He tilts his head at me. “I’m surprised you’re worried about her. Don’t you think you should be worrying about yourself?”
I frown, then grunt as he gets a punch to my ribs while I was distracted.
“I can do both,” I say.
“Can you?”
“Yes,” I say defensively.
“Because I’m pretty sure you have your head so far
up my
niece’s pussy that you can’t see what’s
really going on here.”
“What are you talking about?” I growl.
Dane shrugs and ducks away from the punch I aimed for his stomach. I step back, taking a breath. I’m getting sloppy as I get irritated by this conversation.
“My niece isn’t stupid. She called me over a year ago, a YEAR ago, to make sure that the two of you would be partners here at the Academy. Don’t you find that interesting?” he asks, landing a hard punch on my thigh and sending a nasty surge of pain down my leg.
“She didn’t want her first time to be with a stranger,” I say, defending her.
“Yeah, it might have started out that way. But it sure did give the two of you a leg up in the sex class, didn’t it. You’re already familiar with each other’s bodies making that class easier for both of you,” he says.
I growl. “What are you implying?” I ask, missing another punch.
He ignores me. “I mean, from what I understand, she’s been sparring in your pack pretty regularly for over a year, learning your weaknesses, learning how to exploit them when she came here to the Academy. If she was worried that you might become competition, she’s set herself up nicely to
make sure she can defeat you.”
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