Canaan Club - 34. Chapter 34

“I say, this certainly is a battle of legends, is it not?” Lick Dane asked enthusiastically. “I mean, werewolf… and a vampire? What are the odds?”

“These two species butt heads like cats and dogs every second of the day,” Big Ol’ Junior dismissed. “Nothing too special.”

“Aye! What the fuck!?” Rafe heard Zoel shout in indignation.

“But it’s not every day you see them with this kind of strength.”

Cain and Demetrius were exchanging furious combinations of punches and kicks, striking and blocking at such high speeds, Rafe was pretty sure the ground was slightly rumbling underneath them. The alpha wolf was able to break the chain by latching onto one of the vampire’s thrown fists and quickly delivering one across the chin, sending his opponent airborne.

Unfortunately, the Primer Club’s bloodsucker was quick to retaliate in a big way, thrusting out his palms and having a bright, chilling ball of frost form. Cain could only cross his arms to guard against the icy beam. The explosion was as brilliant as it was arctic, the winds from the aftershock reaching the audience and causing most to curl up and shiver. Anyone hit by that would have been frozen to oblivion in an instant, but when the cool dust settled, Ironward’s alpha wolf brushed it aside like nothing, not a hint of a scratch on him.

“Impressive,” Cain wiped his big forearms down, removing the lingering frost. “I almost felt that.”

“There’s a lot more where that came from!” Demetrius declared before crouching.

Using his vampiric speed, he darted toward the alpha and planted a punch in his face, launching him off his feet. Demetrius chased him down, smashing another blow into his gut that surprisingly made Cain flinch before twirling one-eighty degrees and landing a hard foot to the temple. The residents of the Ash Lands gasped as they watched the wolf roll across the ground. Luckily, he was able to regain control of himself and stumble back onto his feet mid-skid.

The Primer leader smirked. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”

Cain rolled his shoulders and breathed out. “No, I guess not. That speed works wonders for ya, don’t it?”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, wolf.”

“Wow! Look at that body move!” a nearby female fan spoke as she and her friends ogled and whistled at the alpha wolf.

Cain Aspen certainly was a head-turner, not that Rafe was staring specifically for those reasons. It was just a fact at this point. Andre once told him that werewolves grew muscles easily from a young age. A few workout sessions later and they were ready for a bodybuilding competition. He wondered if that applied to looks as well.

Demetrius wasn’t bad-looking himself. Black, dark hair fashioned into a crew cut, lithe, sinewy muscles, and glowing fuchsia eyes, he was practically the complete antithesis of Cain. It was further supported by the attire they were in. While the vampire was adorned in a dark purple sweater, an obsidian dress shirt, and black pants, looking very business casual for the occasion, the alpha was garbed in only a white t-shirt and jeans.

The absolute perfect match-up.

There was a subtle change in the atmosphere that pretty much everyone sensed. It was like that time in the cafeteria with him and Deyja, but in the heat of battle, it was much more potent. Hot and cold clashed with each other as the staredown between the two beings intensified. It was like their feelings couldn’t be contained.

This time, when they charged at each other, the ground caving in from where they leaped, they were surrounded by visible auras – Cain bordered in a steamy red and Demetrius bounded in a freezing blue. This round, the blond alpha got the next strike in, giving the vampire a swift, hard roundhouse kick to his midsection. Demetrius coughed and backflipped into righting himself, but Cain was already upon him, aerial and diagonal. The latter breathed in and spat out a large sphere of flames, to which the former hastily jumped out of the way but winced as the heat blew past him.

Cain took that chance to propel forward and sink an elbow into Demetrius’ chest, stunning the Primer member. The Ironward ninth-year finished off the maneuver by lodging his feet into his foe’s stomach and forcing him into the ground, which drudged up a cloud of dirt and rock.

“Look at them go,” Joe gaped in astonishment as the duo clashed over and over while hurling out blazing and glacial beams. “I can barely keep up!”

“It sure ain’t like wrestling,” Rudy commented, completely engrossed in the fight.

The crowd oohed and aahed, eyes as wide as owls and attention laser-focused on the War Field. Rafe was quiet, but inside, he was hiding his own amazement. The two combatants were definitely equal, at least for now, but he could tell they were in suppressed states of power. He was both excited and a little scared to find out what strength they were about to unleash the longer this went on.

Demetrius weaved around Cain’s attacks in a blur and dove in with a heavy kick to the head, causing the wolf to soar halfway across the field and touch down in a heap. Ironward’s side balked in worry while Silksilver-62 cheered and jeered.

Cain kneeled into an upright position, wiping off a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite that, he was grinning, very much enjoying the battle. “Nice one.”

Demetrius rolled his eyes. “Don’t patronize me. I know you’re just toying with me. You better start getting serious before I suddenly up and end this before you get the chance.”

“Man, you’re twistin’ my arm behind my back. Good thing I’ve been lookin’ to let off some steam after a pretty dismal week. Don’t blame me for takin’ it out on you, though.”

“Don’t expect any. I know what I’m asking for.”

Cain stood up straight and still, inhaling and exhaling as the slowly generated heat billowed around him.

“What’s he doing now?” Rafe asked.

Lindsay leaned back in her seat, grinning surely now. “Things are heating up.”

Rafe glanced at her questioningly before turning to Andre, whose eyes lit up in recognition. “You know what’s going on?”

Before the omé could answer, there was a brief flash before the Abellon leader was suddenly enveloped in a relaxed, marigold aura. He was absolutely glowing, his long blond hair lighter and his muscles slightly bigger. The only other physical change was that his eyes, once lavender, were now an electric purple.

“That’s…” Andre started, “the moon-blessed cloak, I think.”

“Moon what?” Joe gaped.

“The moon-blessed cloak. I’ve seen several alpha wolves do it during sparring matches. It’s supposed to boost their power and speed and stuff. You know, make them stronger fighters, but it can only happen to alphas during a full moon. But it looks like…”

“He mastered it,” Rafe finished.

He knew of a technique that could do something similar for superhumans. Something he’ll have to look into later.

“Ready?” Cain got into a battle stance.

Demetrius grinned like a shark before springing forth, his body distorting at the speeds he was going at. His shape blurred as he swung fist after fist at the alpha. However, there was no connection with his attacks, and unfortunately for the bloodsucker, the same could not be said for his opponent when he felt a fist bury itself deep in his stomach.

Rafe blinked. He barely saw Cain do anything other than dodge effortlessly, the mysterious mist around him leaving tails with every movement. He was already so seemingly unstoppable. Just how much more powerful could the guy get?

The vampire wasn’t done yet, though, continuing his onslaught of hooks and jabs regardless of their less-than-stellar success rate. However, Abellon’s leader outmaneuvered his enemy at every turn, sliding in between punches to deliver an uppercut and hopping over leg sweeps to punt the other with a sharp knee to the chin. Despite it all, there was an exhilarated expression on Demetrius’ face.

No panic, frustration, or distress.

Just enjoying the struggle.

The blond superhuman suddenly wanted it to be Monday. His twitching fingers itched to sock someone in the gut and get himself walloped all the same.

Jesus, he had issues.

“This is more like it,” Demetrius hooked a kick into Cain’s chest, sending him away, before summoning a surge of frost to trail over his arms. “Given everything these past months, I thought you’d be a bit of a dud, but you’re really trying are you!?”

The alpha sniggered as he did the same, only whips of fire traveled from his shoulders to his palms. “I dunno. Somethin’ ‘bout you leeches gets my blood pumpin’!”

The two elemental energies coalesced around their forms, red and blue gleaming brilliantly throughout the entire War Field. The audience on both sides went insane, revving up for what looked like was going to be an epic clash of beams.

Demetrius was first to launch his, an erratic cyan wave of wintry lightning that iced the ground as it traveled across the rocky turf.

“Damn! I can feel that from here!” Joe was one of many who crossed their arms, shivering from the chilly winds.

Landon, being a vampire, was enjoying the cool air. “Feels great, doesn’t it?”

Rudy spread out his arms and laughed. “Right on, brother!”

Cain fired his flames, a red-orange torrent of lethal heat scorching a pathway toward its destination. Suddenly, everyone was on their feet, their excited noises going up another pitch. And when the beams finally collided, a massive shockwave of hot and cold wafted out of the impact, making everyone standing tumble to their seats.

It was truly a glorious sight, the midpoint of the struggle was a vibrant admixture of scarlet, cerulean, and magenta, emitting specks of snow and embers that gathered in the night sky.

Big Ol’ Junior whooped eagerly. “Now that is some big energy right there, everyone! This may very well be the deciding factor in who wins the match!”

“Will it be the Abellon wolf or the Primer vampire!?” Lick Dane asked the million-dollar question.

Rafe honestly could not believe what he was seeing, and nor could the rest of the audience as they were silently enraptured by the scene before them. There was great resistance on both sides, the focal point inching closer to either end like a ball on an abacus. It wasn’t until it started edging more toward Demetrius that progress was being made.

“Mist King! Mist King! Mist King!” Ironward chanted, much to the distress of Silksilver-62’s mob.

“I’m not done yet!” the vampire shouted in defiance.

Almost instantly, Demetrius’ form began to change, his dark face wrinkling, ears sharpening, eyes darkening, and sprouting the wings of a bat behind him.

His vampiric assault form.

And just like that, before he even finished, the odds were stacked in his favor, the midpoint skating all the way down to Cain’s end. Now the roles were reversed, and not just between the fighting duo. Bellows of anguish and worry resounded throughout Ironward’s side as Silksilver-62 and the Primer Club bounced in surprised joy.

“Wait!” Frodd piped up. “Can’t our boy go wolf!?”

Joe nodded, remembering that, too. “Yeah! That’s right! That’ll get us the win for sure!”

However, Rafe was pensive. “Well, why hasn’t he done it yet? Now’s a good time.”

“He won’t need it.”

The first-years’ attention went to a calm and collected Lindsay, a snickering Rexel next to her.

“What do you mean? He’s…”

“Cain’s not one to waste so much power so early. He’s tactical like that. Watch.”

Nothing changed for the next half minute, the focal point easing its way toward the alpha. Although, said wolf didn’t seem to be stressed or frightened in the least.

He was… smirking.

Just as it was about to completely swallow his attack, the fire abruptly compressed in on itself before exploding outward into six thick tendrils of fiery energy. The first-years observed in awe as each wisp speedily voyaged around the freezing blast and over to its origin. Cain himself hopped into the air, safely moving out of the beam's way to watch his fire fly over to his opponent like homing missiles.

Demetrius' smile was practically a snarl, thinking he overpowered the wolf, but was immediately proven wrong when he finally noticed the sextet of blazing energy zero in on his stationary form.

It was too late to bounce, and he was struck in all ends, resulting in a thunderous detonation that shook the earth. All held onto their seats as the quakes ensued for a minute. Rafe held on to Andre with an arm around the omé’s shoulder, but the superhuman’s eyes remained on the battlefield, eager for the fallout.

“What the hell was that!?” gawped Joe. “That was so freaking cool!”

Lick Dane, as if hearing him, answered right after.

“The infamous ‘Burning Will-o’-wisp’ attack from Cain Aspen! One of his deadly signature moves that has a ninety-five percent match-winning success rate, and it looks like Demetrius caught the full brunt of that without his guard up! Has Abellon secured the second round?”

Both sides, teams and crowd members, waited on bated breath for the smoke and sparks to clear. As If the planet itself was impatient for the outcome, a particular gust of wind blew a majority of the exhaust to reveal what remained. Cain had landed back on solid ground, his orange glow now gone as he too anticipated the result of his move.

When the rest of the smoke dissipated, all was like was a deep crater, and in it, was a shirtless Demetrius, faced down, back in his regular form, and apparently out-cold. Bruises and burns marred his backside as fumes streamed from them.

Cain had won.

The redcap referee cautiously sauntered over and into the crater, looking over the vampire’s body before announcing, “Demetrius is knocked out! Winner! Cain of Abellon!”

The people of Ash Lands burst into cheers and roars of triumph. All the first-years, and pretty much the entire beginner’s level, could do was sit there, utterly slack-jawed over what they just witnessed.

“Once again, Cain reigns supreme with one of the best moves in his arsenal, not only taking the victory but winning a stunning kick-off match to this year’s season! Way to go, Ironward!” Big Ol’ Junior initiated the incoming praise for their club.

Once again, the chant started up again throughout the Ash Lands side of the field, though, with an added part.

“Mist King! Abe-llon! Mist King! Abe-llon!”

“So,” Coach Hemming began as he and Sigil gazed up at the gob-smacked first-years smugly, “little ones. How was that?”

“That… was something else,” Joe brushed his black hair back shakily as he looked down at a blanched, silent Daeran, having stayed quiet for most of the night but equally as astounded. “I don’t know why they picked the lesser levels to go next because no fight can top something like that.”

“The higher the level, the more people will come out of their houses to watch. Otherwise, it’s more suited to television.”

“Hold the phone,” Landon cut in, taken aback. “We’re gonna be on TV?”

Hemming nodded with a smirk. “Yup. Channel 130. A pay-per-view network owned by us to specifically showcase our fights live for the whole galaxy to see. Not only that but there’s monetary gain in sponsorships and advertising each team acquires as you can see by the brand names listed all over. And don’t even get me started on the professional level. Oh, the benefits you’ll have from that.”

“Well, after that, I’ll be shocked if they don’t go pro in the next hour,” commented a stunned Andre.

“Oh, they could. For some reason, they’re holding out. Don’t ask me why. I’m kind of just as clueless as you.”

Rafe was tight-lipped, his thoughts suddenly bringing up a memory of a similar conversation.

“Wait. Hold on. You… know about the Abellon Club?” he and Andre gave each other a surprised glance.

They were under the impression that the Abellon Club was a recent thing. Beau would have long been out of Ironward by the time Cain started.

“Of course, I do,” the lycan spoke as if it should have been obvious. “Everyone in the Milky Way who watches fighting sports does. They’ve had the potential to become a professional club for some time now. Lords only know why that hasn’t been the case yet.”

“You don’t say,” Andre said slowly, his thoughts ruminating on the possible connection between Zoel’s agitation and Cain.

“Cain wouldn’t let us do shit about it, but we’re not gonna let any loose ends be left untied once we get what we want.”

There had to be more to that line than just some angry, throwaway statement. Was Lindsay right? Was there going to be some kind of uprising? But over what?

It seemed that Cain was holding back in more ways than one.

“Yeah. We’ve heard about that. It’s up to Cain to make that decision, but he won’t.”

-POI-

Of course, the Abellon Club had gotten the win. It was almost a complete wash, and Cain’s victory certainly set the tone for the rest of the game. And for the rest of the week as well. Two days later, even after all those afterparties, celebration feasts, and raucous debauchery, the halls were still in high spirits, the scent of triumph still lingering in the air.

The first-year class was the most hyped, having witnessed their first combat game. Not only that, but the beginner level had a match tonight. Expectedly, it probably won’t be as jaw-dropping as the advanced team’s competition, but the anticipation of watching something spectacular was still there.

And in the front row, several certain players on the team were preparing for the battle up ahead, converged in a tight circle as a particular blond superhuman scanned over his WardNav. Luckily, they were not going in blind. The team names, participants, grade level, coaches, and everything was on the document file staring back at him.

“So, what’s the plan, bro?” Joe murmured to him on his left.

Rafe kept his eyes on his device as he answered. “Coach Hemming said that the structure of the meet is the same way for all levels except for the rotation. Every beginner team is fighting at the same time.”

“Hey,” Landon shrugged with an easy smile. “No fighting for the first spot in line. I say that’s a win.”

“Does anybody know anything about this school?” he flipped the screen over to show its contents.

They had the same file on their WardNavs as well, but there was an unspoken agreement that Rafe was the best candidate to lead them. Even Frodd, the one most likely to butt heads with the blond, was silently amenable.

“Never heard of it,” Andre leaned in from his right and inspected the screen when Rafe flipped it back over. “Though, it does look like we’re going to a different country.”

That wasn’t too unusual or surprising.

Now, traveling to a different planet? Or a different galaxy? That would be exciting.

“Lindsay said every beginner-level match takes place on Earth,” Rafe replied. “We won’t have to worry about space travel until intermediate.”

Frodd smacked his club into his palm, grinning viciously from his seated position on the Crystal Grotto floor. “Regardless, we can make a name starting on home turf an’ work up from there. It’s the natural order of conquest, my friends. First, the world, then the galaxy, then the universe!”

Rafe, Daeran, and Landon gave him blank stares while Andre and Joe chuckled.

“We’re not invaders, dude,” Daeran muttered to his barbarian peer.

Before they could do any more formulating, Mr. Emais appeared before the class, which would have been normal if not for Ms. Rishi tailing after him, a troubled expression on her usually jovial scaly face.

“Ms. Rishi?” Andre voiced their thoughts aloud. “What is she doing here?”

Emais tapped his cane a couple of times before calling the students for their attention. “Good morning, fresh meat! Please, take your seats. We have some rather… unfortunate news that Ms. Rishi here would like to convey personally.”

“Thank you, Mr. Emais,” Rishi nodded at him before addressing the first-years, her worry paling her face slightly more. “I won’t take up too much of your time, seedlings. There has been an inopportune development pertaining to my class, though, nothing that’ll affect your learning time. You were lucky enough to get through my scavenger hunt before a few of the listed plants went missing.”

Andre politely raised a hand, and Rishi pointed at him to speak.

“Which ones were they, ma’am?” he asked.

“Oh, it just had to be the rarest of them all,” the naga placed a hand on her forehead dramatically, but the sorrow still sounded sincere. “The one you and Mr. Davidson’s keen noses picked up on. You remember the greycell plant, right?”

“The one not from earth, yeah?” Joe scratched the back of his neck, pondering out loud. “Do ya think… the people from whatever planet they come from came to… you know, take them back?”

“Well, I hope not. Unless they’re very powerful magical beings, the T.F.A would’ve definitely had something to say about.”

That was right.

The T.F.A, or the Tantalus Foreign Affairs, worked in that kind of department. The Tantamount legacy family ran the bureau that oversaw outer-world fortification, patrol, and contacts with individuals and groups not from Earth. If something had been headed to Ironward, agents would have been allowed to storm the academy in half a second flat.

“I’m afraid the culprit is one of our own,” Emais responded solemnly, disappointed eyes set on the ground.

Though, it felt like he was gazing at each and every one of them. Mutterings and whispers rose from the uneasy preteens as the cloud of suspicion descended upon them.

Rishi sighed and slithered closer to the first-years. “I know you have all just hatched and are trying to waddle your way throughout these precarious halls, but I ask of you to not be afraid to relay any information that might help in locating the whereabouts of the greycell plant, alright?”

“Our thief or thieves will be met with severe punishment for impeding the education of their peers,” the deputy headmaster added dryly, making the naga glare back at him.

“No need to scare them, Ren.”

Conversation soon started back up as Ms. Rishi slunk out of the grotto, but instead of animated prattling, it was now lulled to guarded gossip.

“Why’d they steal in the first place?” Rafe had to ask aloud, though, to no one in particular.

Landon sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? This is some black market shit. I bet whatever was stolen is millions in the dark under.”

“Who’d steal a bunch of plants anyway?” wondered Joe.

The question made the blond superhuman turn to his omé friend. Andre was the expert on the different kinds of species roaming the Earth.

“You know any plant creatures who would do this, Dre?”

The young wolf hesitated for a few seconds, closing his eyes in thought. “Not really. All I can think of is that maybe one of the plants was alive and… ate the greycell. It sounds stupid, but…”

He trailed off, wincing himself at the ridiculous prospect.

“Not impossible,” Daeran shrugged, and the others nodded.

It was plausible. Who knew what kind of plants their snake teacher was keeping from them?

“Well, it’s not so much of a problem that it affects our meet tonight,” Rafe said. “Let’s worry about all this later, alright? Focus on the matches ahead.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Joe saluted.

“Well said, mate!” Frodd, sat behind the blond, patted his back.

Daeran wrung his fingers as he stared into the grotto’s garden. “Although, if I did have to guess the perpetrator, my money’s on Zoel. He was obsessed with the satchel Hecuba stole and gave to us for some reason, and that and the greycell had the same smell.”

Holy crap. Why the hell hadn’t that clicked?

“Fuck, you’re right,” Rafe cursed, but then smirked sadistically. “Which means reporting him will be all too sweet.”

“Should we say something now?” Joe pointed at Mr. Emais, who was sitting before the class, reading a rather large, ancient-looking tome.

Rafe waved it off. “Nah, save it for tomorrow. I don’t want any more ambushes between now and tonight. We don’t need that kind of headache.”

Andre nodded. “And besides, Lindsay has the satchel, right? She might get in trouble if they find her with it.”

“Which means, for now, our lips are sealed shut,” Joe made a zipping motion across his grimacing lips. “I can’t help but feel we’re aiding and abetting in a crime.”

Rafe couldn’t help but snicker at this. “Oh, we definitely are. Make no mistake about it, but we’re just seedlings, remember? They’ll probably let us off the hook.”

No need to lose such valuable ammunition just yet.

-POI-

In ALG, Ms. Rishi was still just as despondent as she was at the beginning of the day. “In light of recent news, today’s lessons will be held off until next time. For now, take this time to lament and catch up on your other work. Soak up the sunlight, my seedlings.”

“Good,” Rafe sat himself in the grass and pulled his WardNav out of his backpack again, signaling the others to do the same, “we can do some more planning. So…”

And it went like that for the next thirty minutes, Joe, Daeran, and Frodd listening closely as Rafe compared them and their teammates to their pre-decided match-ups while Andre kept an ear open and added in suggestions. Having drank something before homeroom, the omé was getting tired of holding it in, so he stood up, drawing the others’ attention.

“All this scheming is making me wanna pee,” he grinned as he explained. “I’ll be right back.”

The young wolf then sauntered back into the main monolith and trekked toward the nearest bathroom. After nearly three weeks at this school, he’s kind of gotten better at keeping track of where places were and how to get to them faster. Rafe had mentioned that it reminded him of a college campus. After looking up what a “college” was, Andre had to agree. Though, he did wonder why-

“Shit!” someone cursed the second he gently cracked the guys’ restroom door.

Andre froze like a deer in headlights when a couple of familiar scents hit his nose. It was confirmed when a moan spilled from somewhere deep into the room followed by the slamming of a body against the stall wall.

W-Were they allowed to even be doing that? And here of all places? Was he being rude by intruding?

Andre was completely innocent himself, but he was no stranger to walking in on a coupling. Werewolves owned a large patch of land, and in order for the alphas to keep that land, there would have to be a designated area for… mating. For both causal and consummation.

And wolves, at least the ones in his tribe, had no shame in being unchaste out in the public.

However, this was strange. Beyond strange.

A werewolf and a vampire? Andre didn’t judge but…

He really needed to use the bathroom.

He ignored the noises and closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his mind and pinpointing his inner power. He had adjusted well to Rotar’s classes and teachings, slowly improving his use of magic. He wasn’t anywhere near wizard level yet, but he could do the simplest of spells without any effort.

Right now, he was suddenly thanking his lucky stars for just learning how to do an invisibility spell before the start of this week. It was time to see how well he could hide not only his body but his smell as well. He wasn’t the only one with a strong nose.

As the magic washed over him and he slowly entered the room, the cacophony of kissing and occasional thumping slowed before there was another slam and an angry grunt, making the omé flinch. Still, he tiptoed into the first stall, which, thanking his fortune once again, was already open.

“Fuck! You goddamn bitch…”

Zoel.

“Oh, don’t be such a wuss,” Andre could hear the smile in Deyja’s voice as she cooed. “You know how excited I get when things go according to plan. Such a good, little bandit.”

“But… we need… more!” the gamma’s breaths were labored and his words were slurred, similar to the night they found him in the chapel. “We need… more to beat- umph!”

“I know. Which is why you need to pick up the pace. Your alpha is going to find out sooner or later, then will kiss our dreams of going official goodbye.”

“I’ll find them! I’ll find them! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He chanted as the sound of rhythmic slapping struck up in volume and increased in pace. Andre’s face heated. Despite being used to seeing and hearing the rompings of others, he was no voyeur. He could’ve found another bathroom, but that was yards away.

Plus, with the… “heated” discussion they were having in the midst of it all, the young wolf felt like a spy, too. Zoel had stolen the greycell plants for Deyja. And they needed it to become powerful. But how?

“We’ll be unstoppable!” the vampire laughed, having the time of her life.

“Yes! Fuck, yes!” Zoel hissed, then roared in pain… or pleasure when a sharp prick reached the omé’s ears.

Teeth penetrating skin.

The beat slackened to a sluggish tempo as the gamma sputtered, phlegmy inhales and exhales that made Andre grimace.

“You keep doing it so hard,” Zoel complained lowly, sounding even more lethargic than before.

Deyja scoffed. “Look who’s talking. I’m only giving back what I’m taking in equal amounts.”

There was a moment of rustling, which Andre assumed was them putting their clothes back on and making themselves decent.

“Time is running short, my love. If you have to, paint the walls with their blood until you find the satchel. But leave a pint or two for me.”

The clacking of heels right outside of Andre’s stall made him tense up tightly. The spell was still in effect, but what if she had sensed him the moment he was right outside of the door?

Fortunately, her footfalls didn’t stop until she was out the door, nonchalantly walking out of the men’s restroom without a care about who noticed her. At least, that’s what it sounded like judging by her unperturbed steps.

Another slam made the omé flinch, smacking a hand to his mouth to swallow down the squeak he nearly made.

“Goddamn cunt!” Zoel swore in frustration. “Makin’ me feel like a one-night stand…”

His angry mutterings soon drowned out, and it was mercifully silent.

Andre was alone. A smidge traumatized but alone at last.

“Oh, lord,” he breathed out shakily and went about his business before his mind consumed itself with what just went down.

His walk was brisk on the way back.

Rafe was first to notice him, letting out an amused snort. “You sure took your sweet time-”

But then he saw the stony expression on the usually happy-go-lucky boy. The blond was up and alert for his friend, instantly thinking the worst. “You okay?”

Andre nodded and sat down, pulling Rafe with him. “Yeah, I’m fine, but you wouldn’t believe what I just walked in on.”

“Like what, bro?”

The omé could not keep the redness from his cheeks or will down the slight nausea in his stomach. He leaned closer to Rafe, which allowed the latter to wrap a comforting arm over his shoulders.

“Let’s just say you were right on the money, Daeran,” he glanced at Joe’s roommate, who blinked in sudden apprehension.

“H-How so?”

Andre explained it all and watched embarrassingly as their faces twisted up in shock and disgust, just as expected.

“Jesus Christ!” Rafe roughly wiped his hands down across his face. “Now I can’t get the image of those two out of my fucking head.”

Joe’s eyes were closed, fingers slowly massaging the lids. “I am currently mind-bleaching right now.”

Daeran was stock-still and pale. “Holy hell.”

Frodd was bewildered, but in a much better state than the others. “But it sure explains a lot, doesn’t it? They need that plant to beef ‘em up and boot Cain out ‘cause he’s holdin’ out on them.”

“But why hasn’t he done it yet?” the noirette superhuman asked while he rubbed his eyes. “That’s the big question.”

“He has to have a good reason, right?” Andre looked around worriedly. “He wouldn’t hold his teammates back for laughs. That’s not how good alpha acts.”

It was quiet for a moment. What nefarious plot could be drudged up for Cain’s actions? Honestly, they barely knew the guy, but Lindsay liked him. And Andre thought he was a much better alpha than the ones he grew up with. The only reason they were thinking about all this was because that asshole Zoel was constantly nipping at their heels, and, by the awfully gross sound of it, he was going to be jumping on their backs a whole lot more in the near future.

So, what was the deal?

Rafe sighed and shook his head, staring into his WardNav. “Well, whatever it is, we’ll have to figure that out later. I don’t wanna think about the predator leech and the jerkass dog shacking up any more than I have to. Just watch out for them and their cronies. I have a feeling they’re gonna be everywhere we turn.”

More problems. More complications that they did not need. Though, that could be put aside for now.

Rafe hoped, or he’ll just have to revert and take out the issues the old-fashioned way.