Chapter 29
*Jiselle*
I decided to stay with Max until he fully healed.
That included skipping a few classes but not enough to be obvious or to stress him out more, and changing my sleeping arrangements to his room every night.
The good thing about being a wolf was that his body worked fast–his bruises faded within a day, his muscles repairing themselves like they had never been torn apart in the first place.
The bad thing was, the slice marks along his chest and back had been made with a silver knife. Those took longer.
By the second evening after his return, the remaining wounds were still visible, angry red slashes across his body, and he was still in pain, no matter how much he pretended otherwise.
I was tidying up the mess Max made with his books around his desk when a knock sounded at the door, and I was stunned when I opened it and saw that Ethan showed up with food.
I let him in as Max limped in from the bathroom, his eyebrows shooting up too as | closed the door behind my brother.
“What?” Ethan said as soon as he took in our shocked faces. “I can’t have you starving to death up here while you babysit him.”
“You knew?” I asked as I helped set the boxes down.
Ethan barely glanced at me, his focus on Max. “Nate told me.”
I stiffened at his name.
Ethan wasn’t dumb. He knew Max had been gone. Between yesterday evening and today, it seemed as if Nate filled him in about what he could have. And from the way Ethan was looking at Max now, I knew he knew that Max had been tortured. I realized, watching my brother, that something had shifted.
There was no mistrust in his eyes as he looked at Max. No disapproval or weariness. Only a silent, unspoken understanding.
Max
had suffered to keep me safe.
Ethan felt like he owed him for that.
And for the first time, I saw something else a newfound respect. If there was anything Ethan ever wanted, that would be for me to be safe. And Max had given everything to ensure that.
He didn’t stay long, since he had Night Nav, but he offered Max a subtle yet stern nod and a quick, ‘heal soon‘ before he headed out. I met him in the hallway after ensuring
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Max settled down with a meal.
Ethan met my eyes, his voice quieter than usual. “Did they really-”
“They did,” I said, my throat closing up. “How much did Nate tell you?”
“Not much. But enough.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I gave you a hard time about him.”
I offered him a small smile. “It’s okay. Just, lay low and don’t get in any trouble. And do me a favour, don’t tell Eva. She can’t know he’s back yet. Max agreed so I’m not
overstepping. Not until he’s healed.”
Ethan nodded.
We both knew Eva hated this school.
If she found out what they did to Max, she would never stop until she figured out why. And then they’d kill her, just like those other first years.
But we now shared a common feeling. I hated this school, too. I hated it more than I had ever hated anything.
The next day, Lincoln and Eric showed up.
Max was half–asleep when the knock came, and I was the one who opened the door, half–expecting Eva. Instead, it was them.
Lincoln strolled in and leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, scowling like he had been the one tortured for three days.
Eric, however, grinned as he stepped inside like he owned the place.
“Figured we’d check if you were still breathing,” Eric muttered.
Max stirred, his eyes flickering open just in time to see his brothers and his jaw tensed.
“Oh great,” Max grumbled, his voice still rough. “Just what I needed.”
Eric dropped into a chair, completely ignoring the sarcasm. “You look like shit.”
Lincoln didn’t say anything, just leaned in the corner, brooding. He was pissed, I realized. But not at Max.
I climbed into bed beside Max, never more than three feet away from him to give him enough space to catch up with his twin, but close enough for him to know that I was. there. And he knew; his fingers would slide over my thigh ever so often.
My eyes flickered between the three of them as I pieced something together.
They weren’t all pieces of shit like everyone assumed, were they?
Yes, Nate was right. They were insufferable pricks.
But they were insufferable pricks who loved each other.
Even Lincoln, who hadn’t spoken a single word, had shown up. And that said more than anything.
They stayed for a while, mostly Eric and Max exchanging snide remarks while Lincoln
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lingered in silence, until I noticed Max’s breathing slow, his body getting heavier, exhaustion creeping in.
“Alright, I think it’s time to go guys,” I finally said, standing and crossing my arms. “He needs to rest. So while we appreciate the visit and concern, and I say this with utmost kindness, but get out.”
Max snorted and Lincoln surprised me by smirking. Eric sighed dramatically but nudged my shoulder as he passed.
“Thanks for babysitting him,” he mumbled with a wink.
“She’s not-”
“She is.” Lincoln finally spoke for the first time since he got here, throwing Max a glare that I’ve now acknowledged as affection before leaving, too.
I climbed into bed with Max again, and his hands instantly went to my waist, pulling
me on top of him to straddle him. But I quickly scurried off him and threw him a glare
of my own.
“You need to heal first,” I scolded.
His groan was dramatic. “You’re cruel.”
I kissed his forehead. “I know.”
The next day, Eva showed up.
By then, Max’s face had fully healed, and the only wounds left were the ones hidden under his clothes. Thank the moon goddess.
Still, she wasn’t happy.
“You knew he was back, and you didn’t tell me?” she snapped, arms crossed. “You knew I was worried sick, and you let me sit there, thinking he was still gone?”
I winced. “Eva-”
Max sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Jiselle was protecting you.”
Eva huffed, glaring at both of us. “You’re both in trouble. And Jiselle, you skipped Alpha Strategy, which means you’re in real trouble.”
1 shrugged. “I’ll face the consequences.”
Eva rolled her eyes, but I saw it–the way her shoulders sagged just slightly, the way she exhaled like she had been holding in all her worry.
She was’t
really mad. She was just relieved.
Unlike her brothers, I allowed them privacy and time to catch up, so I left to get more clothes and my books from my room, and headed to the cafeteria to grab food. I didn’t know how much Max would tell her, but I knew he’d tell her enough so she wouldn’t be clueless or pissed and go looking for answers, but not enough to get her killed.
1 was grateful she thought I had been moping all this time and sleeping in Max’s room
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simply because I could, so she hadn’t sought me out sooner. Or else she would have. seen his wounds and probably would have gone into every instructor’s face
demanding answers. That wouldn’t have ended well.
I returned just after nightfall with food after Eva left, when yet another knock came.
I opened the door, and my stomach dropped.
Nate.
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