Chapter 480

"It's legit," I say to my brother, turning so that I address the rest of the table too. "It's his signature and handwriting - I recognize it from his book and all the damning things he writes on my tests and essays."

Rafe's shoulders slump a little as he turns back to the woman, as the focus of all five Alphas move towards her. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"Oh, no you're not, you big brute," the woman says, laughing a little and boldly grabbing me again by the arm - an act that makes everyone at the table flinch in protest. She laughs and tugs me away. "This is a private lesson."

"But" Luca says, stumbling towards us.

"It's fine!" I call over my shoulder, anxious and a little embarrassed in front of my new professor that I'm so clearly being babysat by my mates, my brother, and my cousin. Jesse, Rafe, and Luca move to follow me, only held back by a vehement shake of my head. Jackson is the only one who stands stoically, though I can see it's kind of killing him to do so. But he listens to me, giving me a single nod, letting me know that he trusts me and thinks it's all right.

I'm suddenly filled with a rush of gratitude for him, my sweet vicious mate who has utter faith in me and supports my decisions.

I shoot them all a wave over my shoulder and then turn back to the woman - to Faiza.

And I'm not surprised at all to find her smirking, her eyes already on me even as we move through a room full of people who are kind of staring at us as we go. After all, she just held a knife to the crown prince's throat. Kind of in public.

"Well guarded, aren't you?" she says, her voice a satisfied purr.

"You should be careful with them," I say, hesitant, not knowing how far to push it with this woman. "They are...not kidding when it comes to making sure that I'm safe."

"A stance which has assuredly made you weak," she says, dropping my arm immediately as we step out into the darkness of the hall. I pause a little in my steps, surprised by her words, but then I hurry to keep up.

"What? How on earth would that make me weak?" I ask, tossing a hand back towards the door to the hall. "I've got four of the most powerful Alphas in the nation ready to tear you to shreds at a single word from me!"

"Which I love for you, by the way," she says, laughing and giving me another smile as she pushes through a door that leads to a staircase that spirals downwards, towards the smaller gyms like the one where I practiced archery and sharp shooting with the Captain. “But, what happens in a situation like this? When you're all alone? Because, I mean, I could absolutely kill you right now."

I pause, going still as a streak of fear runs through me, wondering if...noveldrama

"Oh, come on," she says, rolling her eyes and moving swiftly down the steps, making me trot to keep up. "If I was going to do it, it would have happened by now, and you wouldn't have seen it coming. We've got work to do."

I scowl a little, but I take her point - in the absence of all of my big defenders, I really am vulnerable.

"Is that why Neumann sent you?" I ask, following her a little more eagerly into the hall at the bottom of the stairs. "To teach me how to defend yourself?"

"Neumann sent me," Faiza says slowly, turning to me as we reach a white door and she pushes it open to reveal a tiny gym with a small man waiting inside, seated on the floor. "To transform you into the spy you're capable of being. Which," she steps closer here, peering at me and then raising a hand to pat me fondly on the cheek, "if you can command a pack of Alphas like that, even though you're barely over five feet and weaker than a kitten? I think is going to be a very interesting spy indeed."

With a dark little laugh, Faiza slips her hand from my cheek to my back and gives me a small push into the room.