Noble stepped forward. “Are you hurt?”
They crowded around me, and Rage grabbed my arm and ran his fingers over the still-healing gash. His gaze flicked from me to Madam Surlama’s tent and back. “You didn’t…”
“What’s going on?” Justice growled, bringing the heat of his body closer to me.
I tried to see which of the two boys had been hurt, but it was impossible to tell. For all I knew, that’s why they were here, but neither wore a bandage now.
“While you were gone, the school was attacked,” Nell said.
Immediately after Nell, Rue said, “Dozens are dead, including all the palace healers.”
All of the princes’ eyes widened; they had no idea. They must’ve been here all day… while whichever one was injured healed.
“Kaja almost died,” I said, by way of explanation. “And your mom was hurt too.” Reaching into my pocket, I handed Justice the serum. “Now we’re even.”
His jaw dropped, and he blinked at me for several awkward seconds before he managed to swallow. “You … did this for our mom?”
Rage stepped between us.
“Who attacked you?” he growled in a voice that was barely human. Black fur ran the length of his arms, and his eyes gleamed yellow.
“Shifters. All kinds.” I glanced back at Nell, Rue, and Kaja, and all three sisters nodded.
Nell stepped forward and added, “Bears, foxes, selkies. They’ve all banded together.”
Honor swore. “Come on. We need to get back to the island and help.”
I didn’t have the heart to say they were too late. They’d find out soon enough.
Chapter 19
Sunlight streamedin through my window, and I warily watched the warmth and cheeriness creep across my dorm room. As soon as the light hit my bed, I threw back the covers and rolled out with a groan.
My body was good as new, thanks to that tiny sip of healing potion, but I couldn’t say the same for my mind. Legit, someone should have a chat with the alpha king regarding therapy for the students at the academy. Maybe he didn’t offer it because any decent counselor would start by telling King Declan that he was a douche-canoe. Not that anyone needed a Ph.D. in psych to figure that one out.
I still couldn’t fathom how an alpha could flee a fight; my father never would.
That night, as soon as our boat had hit the shore, Justice shifted into an all-black wolf and ran for the castle at full speed, the healing serum between his teeth.
I hoped it saved his mom.
The next day, classes were canceled for a day of mourning our dead. I laid around all day, resting and going from my dorm to Harvest’s to check on Kaja.
Today, things were back to somewhat normal. After a restless night of PTSD, I showered off the crust of cold sweat from my skin and the sleeplessness from my eyes then dried off. Looking semi-zombie-ish, I pulled on my borrowed uniform and piled my silver locks up into a messy bun, only to yank it down again with a snarl as my new mark reflected in the mirror behind me. The three clustered swirls, the symbol for air, branded the back of my neck. I didn’t even have power over air…
What were these marks? I’d never seen them on any creature. Only the moon symbol on our foreheads to mark us as alpha heirs.
One more reason I needed therapy.
As I shuffled down the stairs, I heard Nolan in the kitchen, probably rifling through the latest box of groceries from my mate. The Midnight boys had obsessed over my eating after that party on the beach, and then the boxes rolled in. It all made sense now. The temptation to scream obscenities at my cousin simmered just below my throat, but I ground my teeth and beelined toward the door. I needed to get my mate-marks covered before class.
Twenty-two Academy guards, one teacher, all the healers, and one student, Mallory’s oldest sister, had died in the coordinated attack the day before yesterday. Not to mention the other shifters, which no one bothered to count, and where was my cousin? The whole frickin’ time, he’d been cozy as a cockroach, hiding in our dorm.
Some alpha he’d make.
When I got to fire class, Rage wasn’t there. Hopefully, he was with his mother, and she was healed, happy, and whole. If anyone in this hellhole deserved happiness, it was her. How had she put up with King Alpha-Ass for nearly twenty years?
Even though today was midweek, Honor slipped me a note at lunch, saying we had a training session tonight. Dude had no mercy. Granted, my wolf wasn’t exactly cooperating, but couldn’t I have one night off? Apparently not.
