Canaan Club - 24. Chapter 24

“I’m so fucking sick of that bastard!” Rafe hissed, his fists clenched on his knees, seething while glaring into his lap.

Andre, seated next to him at the bleachers he had been watching from, rubbed his best friend’s back soothingly. The hover screens had been focused on other participants at the time of the confrontation, but he had a feeling something went wrong the second Rafe popped back in on home base.

“He’s the biggest of schmucks, yeah. He ruined your favorite shirt.”

The blond had to button up his flannel, not wanting the extra embarrassment on his walk of shame to the sidelines. “Lindsay said Aspen would do something about him. Lo and be-fucking-hold, he’s still finding ways to be the biggest pain in our asses!”

“Well, the official club members are allowed to spectate a lot closer and comment on performances. I think I saw your coach let Zoel transport over to where you were. Maybe he thought he was gonna recruit you or something.”

“Well, that’s dumb,” Rafe scoffed. “Don’t they know this place is a warzone?”

“Sounds like you need a Twinkie,” the omé lifted one of the half-eaten delights to the superhuman. “It’ll calm you right down.”

Rafe hesitated for a moment, his glare narrowed at it, before snatching it and taking a big bite.

“Just like Beau said,” Andre smiled, tapping the blond’s shoulder. “We need to just stay in our lane, and we’ll cruise right through.”

“That won’t stop others from targeting us anyway,” Rafe shook his head. “I’m sorry, man.”

“Hm? What for?”

“I know you probably expected to go to some top academic school where it’s books and studying all day. Not where your dread being physically assaulted the second you take one step out of your dorm room. And I convinced you to leave your folks at home.”

Rafe looked especially shameful at that last part. However, the young wolf wasn’t having it.

“Oh, stop that. Honestly, it’s not all that bad. I like learning, but this place blew my expectations out of the water. I don’t think you can find another place like this anywhere else. Plus, I’m just glad I get to spend most of my time with you. Back then, we had to hide at the edge of the tribe lands, and even then, we got found out.”

It was always a mystery how the two got away with Rafe being at Graybite and Andre leaving the grounds for as long as they could. The negligence had allowed them to grow up with each other despite living worlds apart.

“Come on, man,” Rafe’s face went red, turning away from the omé.

Andre giggled and playfully elbowed the blond’s side. “Nah, you chose me to be your bestest friend ever, so you get all the sweetness.”

That got the superhuman chuckling along with him. “Shut up.”

Soon, Joe and Daeran joined them, and Rafe reluctantly relayed the incident to them. He didn’t want to relive the shame so many times. Andre had been mindful to restock on snacks while they were at tryouts,

“I’m pretty sure I failed, and it’s all because an ass can’t unclench his hole,” the blond spat.

Joe shook his head, patting his fellow superhuman on the back in sympathy. “He just won’t quit, will he? Maybe we should get Gylarcan to do something.”

“That’ll probably make it worse. I don’t know much about this school, but what I’ve figured out is that the teachers are just as bad as the students,” Daeran spoke, his voice listless and his eyes distant as he stared out into the blue noon sky. “I don’t think even the headmaster will lift a finger.”

“Fine by me,” Rafe shrugged. “We’ll just have to get stronger, and then we’ll see who’s laughing when I finally beat his face in.”

“Attention all spectators and participants!” Mr. Emais cut in over the noise. “The first half of the Combat team tryouts has now concluded! The second half will commence tomorrow morning at the same time, in which a number of tourneys will be hosted. Rest well and prepare for the battles up ahead.”

And that was it. The chatter began but began to lessen as people made their way out of the War Field, ready to resume the rest of their Saturday.

“Looks like the real shit’s just about to start,” Rafe nodded, a renewed sense of excitement washing out a bit of his foul mood. “I get to knock around some heads in twenty-four hours.”

“That means no gym today,” Andre poked him, attempting to sound stern. “Don’t wanna go in sore.”

The Hermes superhuman rolled his eyes and poked the omé back, and it devolved into a poking war as they all sat and ate. However, a couple of familiar voices picked up in volume, grabbing their attention toward the other end of the field.

There, they spotted and recognized the duo as Cain and Zoel. The alpha wolf was still seated on the lowest bench of a set of bleachers, big arms crossed and face blank, while Zoel stood over him, beet red and practically spitting in his leader’s face.

“Let it be,” Cain said flatly.

Those types of responses, dry and emotionless, seemed to only set the gamma off even more. “They’re just a bunch of little weasels!”

“Then let it be. Simple as that.”

“Don’t you get it!? We need that bag, and those little shits stole it! It could ruin us! We need to find that blue-headed bitch they hang out with and make her squeal!”

Cain’s eyes narrowed into cold, harsh slits but still didn’t grace Zoel with a glance. “I know you didn’t just say that in front of me.”

Zoel huffed, albeit a bit nervously. “You know what I mean-”

“And just what is so important in this bag that you’re cryin’ so much about?”

“Uh, it’s…” the gamma squirmed in place, his eyes shifting from side to side, “it’s just important. Something that could ruin the club, so we need to make those four brats talk if we wanna save the club. Maybe even our pack.”

“And how come I didn’t know about this ‘weapon of our destruction?’”

“Oh, I don’t know. You seem to be asking a lot of questions lately instead of having them.”

There was a change in the atmosphere. A deadly one. However, Zoel was too angry, stupid, and oblivious to notice. Even Andre, being yards away, pursed his lips in anticipation and trepidation. Backtalk was one of the big no-nos in werewolf culture.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cain’s tone was calm. Even chillier than it was seconds ago.

However, the gamma went on, not aware of a thing. “Come on, Alpha! I know you’ve turned into a lazy couch potato who can’t even make decisions for his own team, but this is fucking embarrassing! You’re letting us get humiliated!”

“You don’t know shit about anything,” the alpha hissed through gritted teeth.

That familiar, irritating smirk stretched across Zoel’s tan face, and he leaned in close to drive the knife to the hilt. “Oh, I do. It’s been several years and you’re still a sniveling, pitiful baby for some dead piece of a-”

He was stopped short, that nasty smile immediately collapsing into a horrified gape as his body was suddenly struck with a case of tremors. The air had altered once more, and a pressure settled over everyone within the vicinity as if the Earth’s gravity turned up a notch. To Rafe, it had a similar feel to the gravity-heavy planet he and his group visited but accompanying that were unprovoked needles of fear trying to prick their way into his head.

He was definitely not the only one who felt that. The members of the Abellon Club who stayed behind were either frozen in their spots or trembling with dread. Surrounding people were pale-faced or sweating bullets while they hurried away. It was as if Cain Aspen had become an encompassing hurricane of murderous intent, and Zoel was just at the edge of the eye itself.

“Holy shit!” Daeran flinched, his fists clenched tightly in his lap.

Joe’s eyes widened as he glanced around the area as if something about to attack them. “Do you feel that?”

“Yeah,” Rafe replied before an arm shuddered against him. Looking left, he was instantly concerned as he watched the omé cover his face and whimper into his hands. “Andre? You okay?”

“T-The Alpha wave,” he stammered, trying to grin, which only led to more grimacing. “Even when it’s not in your face, It still kind of stings from afar.”

“You know what I think?” Cain had finally stood up to face his overzealous underling, his stare as cold as the deadliest blizzard. “I think you forgot your fuckin’ place on the totem pole, Gamma.”

Zoel dropped to his knees, his head bowed before Cain’s boots. “I-I-”

“Shut the hell up. You’re done speaking. You’ve always been a splinter in my ass since I’ve met you, and it looks like that splinter became a thorn as of late because your stupid ass couldn’t handle a bunch of kids getting a one up on you, and now they’re retaliating by putting the whole gang at risk. This is all your fault, so you fix it. Got me?”

“Y-Yes, sir,” Zoel’s voice was weak and child-like. An ant genuflecting before a lion.

Cain snorted in disgust, glowering one last time at his cowered subordinate’s shivering form before looking back up. “Do not ever speak to your alpha in that manner again. Do you understand?”

An actual whine, high-pitched and afraid, sounded out of the brawny, hunched-over gamma, but that wasn’t the answer his alpha had been looking for.

“Do. You. Understand?” Cain appeared ready to stomp the guy’s face down into the dirt.

Luckily for Zoel, he managed to stutter out the words even with his forehead touching the ground. “Y-Yes! I’m sorry, Alpha! Please forgive me!”

The Abellon chief didn’t stay a second longer, sauntering away as if the whole several minutes hadn’t happened at all, taking his killer energy with him. It was like a huge sigh of relief echoed around the field once the alpha wolf disappeared.

“Uh, dude?” Kodan, alongside his twin Radulf, warily inched toward the kneeling wolf. “You alright-”

He went to touch Zoel’s shoulder, but the latter shot up from the ground and shrieked their way, making everyone jump.

“Get the fuck off me, dickhead! Leave me the fuck alone!” And he too was off, shame and humiliation emanating in every stomp he took away from the War Field.

With the Alpha wave gone, Rafe now struggled to hold in his laughter. He was itching for the bastard gamma to get the slice of humble pie, but he didn’t know it was going to happen so soon. Perhaps karma really did exist, and she was a quick bitch.

“I’m surprised he didn’t immediately come after us,” Joe snickered, unable to fully contain himself as well. “Surprised and relieved.”

Rafe grinned in smug amusement, satisfied with the show that played out before them. “Serves the bastard right. On his knees for the world to see. Should’ve shoved a blueberry up his ass while he wasn’t looking.”

The four laughed heartily at that. Even Andre, as nice and forgiving as he was, couldn’t help but clutch his stomach, and Daeran pinched his nose to keep from snorting so much.

“Do you think he’ll stop now?” Andre asked after five minutes of anti-Zoel jokes.

Rafe shook his head. “Don’t count on it.”

“If anything, it might have just fueled the fire a lot more,” Daeran said, and the others nodded in agreement.

Joe clapped before pumping his fists, determination burning in his eyes. “Which means we need to be ready for anything. Keep a close lookout, bros. I think things are gonna get a lot crazier.”

With that said, the four began their way back to their dorm, but just as they were about to step out of the edge of the field, a voice called out to them.

“Ah, excuse me, boys!”

They all turned to find Mr. Emais stepping toward them, waving for their attention.

“Hey, Mr. Emais,” Andre greeted.

“I hope today met your expectations,” their deputy headmaster smiled lightly. Something that didn’t quite fit on his face. “And you, Andre Watson-Irons. I hope you were entertained to your liking. Especially, you Raphael Gold. I couldn’t help but notice your impressive show of strength at your last strength. Just let me know if we aren’t challenging you enough, and I’ll see if I can shake things up.”

“It’s okay for now, but I’ll let you know,” Rafe nodded. “I don’t need anything to be easy for me.”

“Those aren’t words I’m used to hearing from a first-year. Usually, it’s all ‘they’re trying to kill me before I can join a team’ or ‘I can’t do this shit anymore.’ Excuse my French, by the way.”

“Well, that ain’t gonna be us, sir.”

And it hasn’t been so far. Even Daeran didn’t complain all that much.

“I gotta ask,” Joe spoke. “How many first-years got through today?”

Hearing that, Emais’ smile turned into a smirk as if he was waiting to be asked that. “Bold question, Joseph Sloane. Including you three, eighty first-years were brave enough to step to the plate and try their hand at Combat, but alas, so many have come and gone, and now there are only less than fifteen of you, including you three, who made it to the other side.”

Shock ran through each boy at that.

“Damn…” Joe muttered.

The tourney for first-years was going to be short, but at least the strongest of them were about to make themselves known. Rafe couldn’t wait for tomorrow. He wanted to seek them out now.

“Be aware that it hasn’t ended yet,” Emais continued, though, his eyes remained on the blond superhuman, unblinking. “I look forward to tomorrow where we’ll see just why you lot were the ones to make it through. If I can offer you a word of advice, I would say to go all out. We want to see the full scope of your abilities.”

“Oh, you’ll see them. I have a few people in mind to make sweat.”

“I prefer they bleed but do as you must. Farewell, children.”

And then, the deputy headmaster was gone. The field was nearly empty now, with the four first-years and several other stragglers left behind.

“I hope it’s not just me because that was weird,” Joe said as they resumed their trek back home.

Rafe let out a tired breath. “You’re not alone, man.”

Daeran nodded, head turning left and right in search of the enigma that was that man.

“I didn’t hear a heartbeat or a pulse of any kind in that guy’s body,” Andre mentioned pensively.

“So, another vampire?” the blond sighed a second time. “That last statement was a huge giveaway. There goes that mystery.”

“On the other hand, I heard, and saw, that you could defy gravity now. That’s pretty awesome, dude!”

The beaming, proud smile on the omé face made Rafe’s cheeks redden. He looked away from his best friend and scratched the back of his neck, trying to hide the blush.

“You could fly now, bro?” Joe piped up excitedly. “When? How was it?”

The Hermes superhuman smirked as he recalled his spontaneous race with the vampire Landon. “Well, it all started with a big-ass spider monster showing up outta nowhere.”