Knox
Ihate office work. This is not the sort of thing I should be doing. I’m a soldier, not a receptionist. Better yet, I’m a student. I should be in class—well actually, lunch by the sounds of my stomach.I finish transcribing up the last of my report, hit print, and sign out of the PC in the communal computer lab. Dad was busy and didn’t have time to verbally hear my report like normal; he wanted me to type it up. Sure, he was “busy”. He’s probably just checking on patrols so he could use this opportunity to torture me. This is his form of punishment for interrupting him on Monday. My outburst caused a stir and he had to use his powers to get his squad under control.
So instead of sending me to the blood matches, he pulled me out of class. Granted, I would rather be pulled out of my lesson than be the whipping boy at the next match, but damn it. Did he have to pull me out of my favorite one? Supernatural Physiology held a special place in my heart since it helped me understand what was wrong with the creatures I ran across. I might look like the Alpha asshole that normally didn’t say much, but I had a soft spot for the wounded wildlife that I found. One of my favorite pastimes was spending my free time nurturing the sick creatures back to health. Maybe it was because I was part shifter that drew me to the animals, but I wanted to think it was something more since I never caught another shifter spending time with the sick.
Standing up, I stretch out the kinks in my back and groan when my back pops. I take a quick look around at the empty rows of computers and shake my head at the contraptions.I can’t believe this is Zeke’s playground.I understand the basics of computers and know how to do simple searches, but Zeke is a whole new species when it comes to working magic on them. You need a natural hacker? Look no further than him. Just the other day he hacked into the system and pulled a secret file on the Rebels that hadn’t been available to us until now. He was able to pull a copy so we could read it. It turned out that there have been sightings of them around Nova instead of the ‘rumors’ we were led to believe. From what it looked like, there haven’t been just a few of them either—they’re growing in numbers. The question is, why and what is the council going to do about it?
Grabbing my report off of the printer, I leave the lab and head towards my father’s office on the other side of the building. Nodding hello to a few people along the way, I make quick work eating up the distance across City Hall, or the Hub, depending on who you ask. Arriving, I wrap my hand around the handle and twist, finding it locked.Fuck!Letting out a sigh, I push back my black hair out of my eyes. Thinking of my next option, I backtrack down the hall and take the next left. If he’s not here, then I can at least leave it with his secretary.
The door to the administration office is left open once I make it to the greeting area and I find the desk sitting to the right empty. It doesn’t surprise me, dad probably pulled her for an errand.Better her than me.The rest of the room isn’t much to look at. A few landscape pictures decorate the sparse cream colored room and the door on the far side of the room is Capt. Brooks office.
Reaching over, I place my paper face down on the desk and quickly write out a note addressing it to dad, like I’ve done in the past. It will get to him eventually. Replacing the pen, I turn to leave when I hear the word ‘human’ muttered and it suddenly draws my attention. Peering over in Brooks’ direction, I notice his door isn’t quite shut. Poking at my wolf, he perks up and we listen in.
“Yes, it seems the human might be immune,” Brooks whispers in a hurry.
Yeah, whispering isn’t going to help you Brooks. I’m a superior shifter, fucker!I can’t make out the muffled noise on the other end, but I do hear a gleeful laugh though. Think evil masterminds laugh and that’s what I just heard. I’m torn between busting in and demanding what’s going on or listening in. After reading that report about the rebels and the council asking us to watch the human, something just doesn’t seem right.
The timing of her appearance, along with the rebel numbers increasing in Nova, are suspicious enough to raise red flags. So I can understand taking precautions to an extent, but why did my brothers and I have to bear the brunt of that responsibility? We have enough shit to deal with. Yes, she’s an anomaly, but does she need to have such a tight watch?
Gah! This is so fucking frustrating.
The rumors I’ve been hearing suggest that she’s a troublemaker. No doubt Emer was behind those, but I didn’t care enough to dig into that mess to find out the cause behind it. She doesn’t do something without a reason, the conniving bitch that she is. She’s a smart one that even got her hooks into Levi for a short time. Thankfully, he woke up and dumped her ass before it got too serious. I was afraid I was going to have to castrate him just to get rid of her. I was shocked that he even made that mistake, he’s normally not the one I have to worry about. Zeke is the one that holds that honor. He’s always been the one to obsess over finding ‘the one’ or finding ‘true love’.
Being tasked with spending so much time with the human, I’m worried things will go too far with him. In the past, all the girls he’s slept with or we’ve shared, his mindset was just on the hook up or fling, nothing more. But the other day at lunch, he was almost frantic with needing to know where the human was. Just thinking about how he acted regarding her raises my inner wolf’s hackles. It’s my job to protect him and I’ve been doing that for as long as I can remember.
I know JP and Zeke had been together in the past and I was hoping JP was enough for him. I trust JP just like my other brothers, and he would be perfect for Zeke. Their personalities just mesh well. I don’t want to see Zeke get hurt, especially with an unknown human. I just don’t know what to think anymore. All I can do is continue to observe and be on guard for my brothers.
As far as I know, only my brothers and I were responsible for reporting back to the council about her. Why would Brooks be babbling about it and, from what I can tell, on the phone? Before I could decide what to do, Brooks tells the person bye and the decision is made for me. I quickly leave on silent feet before I’m caught and slip out of the office. I need to check with the guys and see what they think of this.
* * *
Sighing, I let myself into the dorm. Kicking off my shoes right inside the door, I call out, “You home?” It doesn’t matter who answers, I just need to talk to someone. I make my way into the kitchen to grab the leftover pizza from the other night and plop it into the microwave. If Levi was here, I would just hand it over and he could warm it up for me. The perks of having a Mage around, I guess.
“Hey! Anyone home?” I yell out, and still nothing. I don’t hear anyone stirring.Hmm.I might as well change while my pizza warms up. Reaching my room, I quickly strip out of my clothes and slip on black gym shorts with a white t-shirt. I only have a few minutes before I have to head to my Specials. I’ll be late once again, but Dad informed me he will let them know he needed me and I could be excused. Honestly, I don’t think going would really be worth it. It’s just combat moves, and I could honestly hit the gym up here and be fine. Picking up my cell phone, I quickly type out a text to the group.
Beast:Where’s everyone at?
Robot:I am with my father. I am sorry that I am unavailable to have a conversation right now. I will check back with you later.
Ugh. Of course, he was with his father. At least his dad listens to him. Grabbing my food, I plop my butt down at the counter and eat my pizza while I read over my messages.
Jokester:(auto reply) I’m busy… try back later.
Zeke’s auto reply. Great! I wonder what he’s doing that’s so important.There’s no reply from Ryker or Moni but JP pipes up.
Playboy:What up?
Beast:Do u know where everyone is?
Playboy:Wow. Hi 2 u 2! Moni lost her phone & no clue about ne 1 else. I’m trying 2 finish acrème brûlée. Gotta go!
Well, that answers the question about Moni.I guess I’ll have to find her in person and apologize. I let out a long sigh and rub the bridge of my nose.
Beast:Thanks!
I don’t know what to think anymore. This whole week has been a mess so far. Maybe I didn’t see the Sulks touch that girl? Maybe the rumors aren’t true about her? Groaning, I rub my hands roughly down my face. Fuck it. I’m gonna let it go. It’s not worth driving myself crazy over. After cleaning up my mess, I head back to my room not feeling the need to be out. Screw class and the gym. I need to get my mind off of the drama and try to relax. Grabbing my notebook and pen on my desk, and guitar off its stand, I get comfortable on the bed. As my fingers glide over the strings, I let myself escape the chaotic world around me.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
