Page 79 of Beta Lies and Cursed Lives
I feel my father watching, questioning. He hasn’t asked how I am able to control my power, and part of me wonders why. The other part refuses to acknowledge the nagging feeling that he knows much more than I imagined.
“Holy shit.”
Lucas had taken the wheel of the SUV, and after four hours of travel with one stop to refuel, using the canisters in the back, we’re on the road leading up to the academy. And what we find is devastation.
Fire lights up the grounds and building, thick smoke visible in the moonlight. Flashes of color from firearms and magic alike light up the night.
Lucas stops the vehicle off to the side of the road. “We should hoof it from here.”
He takes off in a jog, and Zephyr gives a wild smile, all teeth and no emotion. “Let’s feck some shite up!”
We all follow, spread out, to the busted-open gate. There are bodies, most of them GBE soldiers, littering the ground along the way. But there are also some fallen who aren’t in uniform. I don’t recognize them, don’t know if they were students or part of the rebellion, but my heart aches all the same.
My father and pack pass through the gate behind Lucas and Zephyr, but a strange sound catches my attention, drawing my gaze down the outside of the wall. The shadows cast by the tall stone make it difficult to see, but there’s movement approaching, slowly. It’s wide and makes a steady stomping noise.
Ice claws sprout along my skin on instinct, and I get low, until a scent invades my nostrils. It’s muted but familiar.
“Peace!” a male voice shouts at me, and I stand up straight, eyes wide.
The thing moving closer is an enormous polar bear. It’s adorned with black armor from its head to its back and legs, but moves easily. Riding on the bear like it’s a trusty steed, is a man in only a tee shirt and pants, a rifle peeking from behind his back.
“Major Tomlin!” I cry, but it’s quiet over the small roar of the polar bear that stops right in front of me.
The Major peers down at me, his face softer than I’ve ever seen it before. This close, his scent is more powerful, and I know for sure the truth.
He’s an Alpha. And he’s Cursed.
“Call me Jory,” he says with a small smile.
Jory? “You’re Willow’s mate?”
That smile grows wider. “Glad to see you two had a talk.” He pats the bear’s side and says, “I told you I loved animals.”
I’m still gaping as he looks at the wall and back at me, expression falling serious. “Are you ready for this?”
I shake the shock from my head, and there’s no question in my mind. “I’m ready.”
His smile returns, and he gestures behind him with his head as the bear lowers itself. “Hop on, then.”
Colton
There isn’t a single collar glowing on anyone’s neck.
A scan of the thoughts around me finds that the collars disengaging caught everyone by surprise only a moment before the siege.
Those from the academy I know best are inside the building, and so are Willow and Caius.
While I fire controlled shots from my assault rifle, Rai and Aubs are at my back, Aubrey shouting and sending soldiers flying, some cracking their skulls clear open against walls and trees. Rai’s eyes glow white as he wields some bit of tech he’d built. It’s wrapped around his right hand and arm, and whenever a spark pops in his eye, bolts of electricity leap from the device, coming to life, moving to envelop any nearby soldiers, causing them to convulse and froth at the mouth.
I am in awe of the control of my packmates. And a little jealous.
When Mira arrives on the back of a polar bear, my jaw nearly drops to the ground, especially when I see who’s with her.
Tomlin.
Mira jumps off the bear and turns back to Tomlin. “We’ll meet you inside.”
He nods at her, and the bear runs to the stairs leading to the academy entrance.
