Forbidden

Soldiers and Leaders

Van

Van thought pretending to be a model Novitiate was hard before, but it was nothing compared to the control it took to keep from crying out as Bane and Luca came together in a clash of fists and claws, the two changing so quickly she had trouble tracking their shifts. Beside her, Abe watched the fight, chin tilted smugly and his arms crossed over his chest. But she knew the pose was as much a lie as her behavior in school. He was waiting for her to react. Expecting it.

Which meant, he wasn't buying into her new dedication to the family business like she'd hoped. She could only pray it was less about not trusting his willful daughter and more about being smart. If roles were reversed, she'd test him for loyalty too.

"Interesting choice, Supreme," Isaiah said, surprising Van enough to make her drag her eyes away from the fight. The Novitiate spoke with a calm assuredness that even a full Slayer couldn't project when speaking to her father.

"From time to time it's necessary to cull the herd," Abe responded, his voice warm.

She didn't turn her neck, and she went over every nuance of her tone and word choice before asking, "What do you mean, Supreme?"

The addition of her father's honorary title had the desired effect. The rigidity in his stance melted until it was almost indiscernible to anyone who wasn't looking for it, and she was glad she wasn't completely wrong about his ego. All it took was a little stroking to settle his unease.

But it wasn't her father who answered her. Instead, Isaiah circled her, his gaze splitting between her face and the fight. When he ceased moving, he put his hand on her in that unsettling way of his and spoke in an almost whisper.

"Shifters strong enough to be Alphas typically avoid fighting one another unless they're challenging for position within the pack."

She waited for him to continue. He stared down at her, his taunting lips vibrating as he hummed a tuneless song. Thirty seconds of silence stretched out until she realized he was going to force her to press for more information. She looked behind her where Hailey had been only to find her ally had moved to the back of the crowd.

"And Luca and Bane are both classified as Alphas."

There. She wouldn't let him force her to admit her ignorance by asking question after question.

Isaiah lit up. "They are."

This boy could make a saint curse. She heard a gasp across the room, and she swung her attention toward the sound. Livy hovered at the edge of the fighting ring, her slender fingers wrapped around her neck, her chest heaving as if she struggled to breathe. Bane pinned Luca against the waxed wood floor and raised a hand to strike. Claws extended and dark fur rippled over his skin.

A strange knowledge invaded Van's brain. In a single moment, she knew the trajectory of that strike with certainty, and if it landed, it would be a killing blow. Bane was a monster, but she didn't think he was a murderer.

"He's going to kill him." Another loss. Another person she would have to say goodbye too, and it was in that moment she understood just how much she'd come to care for Luca.

"Yes. Alphas fight to the death," Abe replied. He leaned forward. "This is certainly the best outcome."

"You-" Son of a bitch is what she wanted to say, but when he jerked his unforgiving eyes toward her, she smoothed her tone and continued, "Arranged this?"

Luca snarled and bucked his hips, throwing Bane across the floor. In a flash, he was a panther, all sleek, black fur and rippling muscle. He was upon the boy before he could rise, and as they tussled, blood smeared across the ground. She wanted to let out a shout of joy.