Chapter 69

Chapter 69

“Fine.” I say, yawning into my wine. “Just for you, Daphne. I’ll bite the bullet and make out with Luca

Grant someday and tell you all about it.”

She laughs with me, but…well, my wolf turns in an eager circle in my soul, desperately hoping that I do.

“Thank you, what a martyr you

what a martyr you are,” she says, sarcastic, but then she sighs and glances at the clock. “I think it’s

time to get you back, though.”

My jaw drops open as I look up at her clock too. “That’s impossible,” I murmur, shaking my head.

“Deeply unfair,” she agrees, putting her wine down and reaching for mine, which I hand to her. “Will you

help me make some deliveries on the way up?” she asks, gesturing towards some boxes by the door. I

murmur that of course I will – I’m a gentleman cadet, after all and she laughs as we both fill our arms

with boxes.

Daphne leads me through the back corridors of the castle and, true to her word, we don’t meet a single

soul. I’m fascinated by the passages, which are so different from the ones I traverse every day – much

darker, smaller, and more secret. We take a freight elevator upwards and I’m a little surprised when the

door opens directly into the corridor where the majority of the cadet dorms are. Ben, I think, is

somewhere on this floor.

“Oh,” I say, surprised as we step out of the elevator and the doors close, blending seamlessly with the

stone wall. I run my fingers over the place where the door just was, fascinated. “God, you’d never know

it was there…”

“I know,” she says. “Cool, right? Come on,” she nods towards the boys‘ doors and we quietly walk

along, dropping boxes outside of doors and giving a little knock before we move away. to the next one.

Calls of thanks follow us down the hall but Daphne moves quickly so that there’s no time to respond.

When our boxes run low towards the center of the corridor, though, Daphne curses lightly under her

breath, looking down at the one in her hands.

“What?” I ask.

“I brought the wrong one,” she sighs, looking up at me and then back towards the elevator. “Do you

mind? We have to go back and get it

“That’s okay.” I say, smiling at her. “You go on – I’ll drop off these two,” I say, nodding to the ones in my

hand, “and then continue upstairs.”

Daphne bites her lip, looking over at me, clearly remembering her promise to Rafe.

“I’m two flights of stairs away from my room, Daph,” I say, grinning at her. “I think I can take the risk.”

She laughs a little and nods. “Okay. But if his Highness asks, I walked you all the way to the door,

yes?”

“No worries,” I say, and then I reach out to give her a quick hug before she scurries back towards the

elevator.

I sigh with pleasure, thinking over the night with a great deal of joy as I drop the last two packages off,

giving little knocks on the door as I go. God, it was just so great to be able to talk freely to someone. I

mean, I can talk to Jesse and Rafe, but not the way you would a girlfriend –

“Hey!”

I spin in the hall towards the voice behind me, suddenly wary.

My eyes widen when I see Alan Wright standing over the package that I just dropped at his door,

glaring daggers at me.

“What the hell are you doing with my uniform!?” he snaps, stomping towards me.

“Nothing,” I protest, stumbling a few steps back. “I just dropped it off-”

“Why the hell are you dropping it off!?”

“I’m just helping! I –”

Wright grabs my collar in his fist, yanking me closer to him. I gasp in surprise and then grab his wrists,

baring my teeth and kicking at his shin and his knee. “Let me fucking go!”

He just shakes me, dodging my kicks and hauling me forward so I don’t have the room to get any good

blows in.

you alone,

“You god damn rat,” he growls, glaring down into my face. “I’m glad I finally got you so I can rip you to

shreds =”

“What the hell!” I shout, choking a little and scrabbling at his wrist, scratching and smacking at it, trying

to hurt him enough so he’ll let me go.

“You!” he seethes, shaking me again, so hard this time that I my head snaps back on my neck. “You’re

the reason my brother didn’t get in to the Academy!”

My mind half processes his words, though I’m truly concentrating on getting the fuck away from him

“I know all about that stunt you pulled in the obstacle course! You and god damn McClintock what did

you do, pay him to help you!?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“You DID!” Alan shouts.

Doors start to open down the hallway, faces popping out as Wright shoves me away from him and

raises his fist like he’s going to beat me to a pulp. “You cheated, and you weaseled your way into this

Academy, and you took my brother’s spot and ruined his life –”

I flinch back as Wright moves towards me, because this man – he’s strong, as big as Jesse at least,

and powerful

“I’m going to kill you!” he shouts, drawing his arm back now as I turn to run. “You god damn –”

–

“Hey!” a voice snaps, and I instantly turn back towards it instinctual, primal – even though everything

else in my mind is telling me to run. I turn just in time to see Lucal grabbing Wright by the arm, hauling

him back as Wright begins to throw the punch that would have connected with the side of my head,

probably sending me sprawling.

“Get the fuck off of me!” Wright shouts.

“Back off!” Luca commands, spinning Wright and shoving him, hard, so that he stumbles back against

the wall. A crowd gathers now, watching.

“They roped you in too,” Wright growls, his teeth lengthening into his fangs at the threat of a real fight,

“these god damn royals getting whatever they want, bringing their pet weakling in, stealing spots from

people who actually deserve them –”

“Clark,” Luca snaps, advancing on Wright now, “carned his spot here, just like everyone else.”

Beyond my fear, my heart swells to see Luca defend me like this.

“He” Wright starts to snarl, but Luca interrupts.

“Enough!” Luca shouts, shoving Wright back against the wall again when he starts to stand up. Luca

pins him there, a single hand flat against his chest. “One more word against Clark,” my mate growls,

“and I’ll knock your god damn teeth out.”

Wright seethes, glaring at Luca, his fangs still extended. But he doesn’t move.

“That’s right,” Luca says. He moves his hand, standing up and staring around the hall at the gathered

crowd. “And if anyone else has anything to –”

But before he can finish, Wright surges from the wall, releasing a guttural shout as he lunges for me,

fangs bared. I gasp, stepping back, raising my arms to defend

Wright is snatched back though, and I can barely see Luca grabbing his uniform from behind, tearing it

as he hauls Wright back towards him. And then, when Wright stands stumbling before him instead of

lunging for me, Luca raises his fist and winds back his arm

And then Luca delivers one hell of a punch right across Wright’s face, ripping across his cheekbone,

making his head snap to the side.

My face goes slack as Wright falls instantly to the ground, out cold.

Luca looms above him, his shoulders hunched, his breath coming fast – a champion boxer delivering a

knock–out punch and waiting, almost begging Wright to get up so he can deliver the next blow.

Holy hell, my wolf whispers inside of me. And for once, I have…no urge to shoo her away.

When Wright doesn’t move for several silent seconds, Luca lifts his head, glaring around at everyone in

the hall.

“Does anyone have anything else they want to say?” he shouts, his fists still clenched as he slowly

turns and meets everyone’s eyes.

No one says a word.

“Good,” he snaps, and then he turns, taking two quick steps towards me and grabbing me by the arm.

“Come on,” he growls.

And then he drags me forward, into his room.