he said, taking out a pair of silver cuffs.
I was expecting Xander to fight Ethan as he put the cuffs around his wrists, but he didn’t. I released Xander and allowed Jake to help Ethan. We drove to the school so we could take him back in the car without any issues.
I was about to follow them out of the arena, but Tiffany stopped me.
“Can we talk in my office, Alpha?”
I frowned but I nodded, turning back to Ethan.
“Get him out of here and alert Bastien that we have him in custody. I’ll meet you back at the packhouse.”
Ethan nodded and did exactly as I asked with Jake trailing behind him.
I turned back to Tiffany who had a worried look on her face.
“Lead the way,”
I said, motioning for the doorway.
I followed Tiffany out of the arena and to the School Board building where their offices and the school courtroom are. Tiffany’s office was on the top floor, and she had the perfect view of the entire campus from her office. It was also the biggest office on the campus with marble flooring and a large glass desk.
She sat down at her desk and motioned for one of the comfortable-looking, salmon-colored, seats in front of the desk. They each had designer, light pink and white, cushions and gave the office a nice homey feeling.
“I’m so sorry…”
she finally said after a short pause. “I had no idea he was like that. He seemed too genuine when I hired him….”
“You couldn’t have known,”
I assured her. “Don’t worry too much about it.”
“Is Lila well?”
She asked and I could hear the concern in her voice.
“Yes; she’s resting and will make a full recovery,”
I told her.
“I’m surprised Alpha Bastien sent you here instead of coming here himself,”
she said, a timid frown on her face. “I thought you’d be more focused on your pack and your duties and not be tending to his.”
“Alpha Bastien has not only become a close friend to me but also a mentor. Whenever he calls to ask for help, I would never hesitate. In this case, he knows that I know this school better, and I’ve encountered Xander in the past. I’m also closer to the school and could get here faster.”
“I see,”
she breathed thoughtfully. “Thank goodness for you. I’m glad you got to her on time. I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to that sweet girl…”
She paused for a moment before continuing. “I don’t want anything to happen to any of my students. But Lila is special…”
“You don’t have to explain,”
I said quickly. “I understand where you are coming from.”
She gave me a small smile.
“Now that Xander is gone…I might have to cancel combat and shifting as a course,”
she sighed.
“What?”
I gasped. “Why?”
“There’s no way I’ll be able to hire another professor on such short notice,”
she said sadly, shaking her head. “I’m not sure what else to do. The course might have to just continue next year once I can hire someone.”
“No,”
I said, shaking my head. “I won’t let that happen. These students don’t deserve to have to take this same course again next year.”
“What more can I do?”
She asked raising her brows.
“I’ll help,”
I heard myself saying before I could stop myself. “I’ll return as a professor, but only for the rest of this year.”
Lila’s POV
“Hey, Lila Bean. How are you feeling?”
“Dad!”
I said happily as my father walked into the hospital room. I wasn’t expecting him to be here, but I was so glad he was.
He came over to my bedside and wrapped his arms around me, holding me in a tight embrace.
“I’m okay. Still feel a little weak from the wolfsbane and my wolf is still sleeping. But I feel her there, so she’s not completely gone,”
I told him. “I’m hoping she will wake with due time like Dr. Ryan said.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Why didn’t you tell us you were having issues with your professor?”
My father asked, sitting down beside me.
I could see the concern in his eyes, and it tugged at my heart.
“I wanted to handle things on my own. I didn’t want to worry anyone. But how did you know I was having issues before tonight?”
He sighed and took my hands in his.
“Enzo told me about the wolfbane they found in your mix,”
my father went on to explain. “Dr. Ryan finished telling me that you had some pretty bad and old bruises all over your body that haven’t healed yet because of the wolfbane. It’s to be assumed that this has been an ongoing issue.”
My father knew me so well and I felt tears prickling at the corner of my eyes.
“I just didn’t want to worry anyone,”
I said again in a much softer tone. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”
“You could have been seriously hurt if Enzo hadn’t found you when he did. Things could have gotten worse,”
he said, keeping his tone calm.
“I’m sorry,”
I said to him, burying my face in the side of his body and feeling the warmth of my father blanketing around me. I didn’t realize I was cold until this moment; until I felt his warmth soothing me and my entire body stopped trembling and calmed.
“I know you are,”
he said, holding me tightly. “I’m just glad you are safe now. I just got word from Enzo that he has Xander in custody and is heading back here soon.”
“What’s going to happen to him?”
I found myself asking, peering up at my father’s stern face.
“We are going to question him and find out who he’s working for. It’s clear he’s after you because you’re a Volana, but the game he’s been playing with you seems strange. There has to be a reason behind it.”
“And if he doesn’t tell you anything?”
I asked, worry evident in my voice.
My father sighed and tried to give me a reassuring smile.
“That’s not an option,”
he told me. “We are just going to take it one step at a time for right now.”
I nodded, burying my face back in the side of his body.
“How’s mom doing?”
I asked, remembering that she was last seen in Enzo’s mother’s village and keeping them protected while Hazel recovered here in the hospital. As far as I knew, Hazel was still in the hospital.