“Anyway, I’m fine now, and I’m ready for the exam,” I said, pointedly ignoring that woman and trying to focus on the two people who were actually being kind to me.
“Then let’s head out-the trainers are here,” Gavin said, glancing at his phone. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of facing Lamar and Sydney again.
I followed behind them, dressed in the same brown tracksuit that Lucy had given me earlier. She’d washed it clean, and I was grateful for her thoughtfulness.
Once we stepped onto the training grounds outside the shelter, I noticed the seats arranged neatly for the audience. The brothers were finally arriving.
They were all dressed in black for some reason, with a group of warriors standing behind them-Lamar and Sydney among them. My stomach twisted at the sight, and I quickly lowered my head, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
When the group reached the platform near the brothers, Norman took the lead.
“These two were imprisoned for a reason. Unfortunately, the laws don’t fully apply to rogues. But that doesn’t mean we’ll tolerate such behavior again. These two candidates have been given another chance, and this will be their last. If they’re caught-” Norman paused, seeming to recognize the unfairness of the situation. At the very least, they could have been banned from the academy.
“If they’re caught again, they’ll be expelled.”
As he finished, Salem cheered, clearly thrilled to be reunited with her sister. But Sydney kept her head down, unwilling even to look up.
“However, Lamar and Sydney will no longer be eligible to compete for Alpha King status. Sydney may train here, but without any guarantee of ever achieving the royal beta rank she wanted, and the same goes for Lamar. Neither will be allowed to become Alphas or royal betas,” he announced, and I finally looked up.
The way Lamar clenched his jaw and closed his eyes made it clear that this punishment stung. Sydney covered her face in her hands and began to sob.
“If you don’t want this to be your future, you’re free to withdraw from the exam and join an academy that tolerates such behavior,” Norman hissed, his gaze sharp.
I noticed the brothers exchange a relieved look. The way Norman turned to them, his shoulders squaring, made it clear that his motives weren’t entirely about justice-or about me. He was doing this for his brothers.
“So, what’s your decision?” he asked the two of them, right before the exam began. Both looked visibly drained, likely from a sleepless night filled with regrets.
But this was what they deserved for their cruelty.
“I’ll stay,” Lamar sighed, his voice thick with guilt. He kept his eyes down, avoiding my gaze.
Sydney, however, stared right at me and said firmly, “I’ll stay.”
“Well then, let’s begin with your apologies to the victim,” Kaye stepped forward, gesturing for the two to apologize to me.
Lamar took the initiative, stepping towards me. Although every instinct told me to step back, I forced myself to hold my ground. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking… Honestly, I wasn’t thinking at all. What I did was inhumane. If I could, I’d apologize to you every day. Please, forgive me.”
There was a sincerity in his voice, a guilt that sounded genuine. But it didn’t soften my heart. I stayed silent, waiting as Sydney approached.
“I’m sorry. I was drunk,” she muttered, her tone laced with attitude, which made me groan in frustration.
“No, you weren’t,” I snapped. My comment sent a ripple of silence through the room. All eyes turned to her, waiting for a response. But it was Salem who stepped forward.
“You should have a little empathy-” she began, but her words were cut off sharply by Emmet.
“That’s enough, Salem. I sincerely hope you’re not suggesting that a victim should have compassion for the people who tried to kill her.” His harsh tone stunned everyone into silence.
Salem looked thoroughly humiliated, but Emmet wasn’t finished.
“And next time, don’t act like you’re everyone’s grandmother. Go back to your seat,” he yelled, pointing to the chair at the far end. Salem snatched up her belongings and hurried to the back, thoroughly chastened.
Realizing that the brothers were waiting for a genuine apology, Sydney took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.”
Helanie:
The chaos finally ended, and we sat down for the exam. I hadn’t realized it would be a verbal examination.
Each of us was given five questions, and whoever scored the highest would come in first. The first round focused on herbs and plants, and to my surprise, the others weren’t doing so well. Most of them barely managed to answer three out of five questions correctly, except for Salem, who scored four. Now it was my turn.
Kaye returned to my seat, his eyes lingering on my notebook for a moment before he shook his head and resumed the examination. He began asking me questions, and I nailed four of them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the fifth one right. Now, it was a tie between Salem and me.
I had already passed the exam, but I wanted to score the highest, so I was thrilled about the tie-breaker round.
“Both of you, come here and stand in front of everyone,” Emmet instructed, gesturing at a spot before the group.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might faint. Salem looked confident, while Kaye had been watching me intently. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of question he’d ask. Knowing the brothers well, I suspected that Norman had probably whispered something ridiculous to Kaye, just to throw me off and make me lose.
They had a quick exchange when they saw Salem and me tied.
“The question is…” Kaye announced, his eyes shifting briefly from me to Salem before returning to me, “Which rose induces a profound coma and dream-like hallucinations?”
The second he said it, I sprang to my feet, ready to answer.
“Pink!” Salem shouted first, but she was wrong.
“Kaye turned to me, almost demanding that I answer. “Helanie?”
“It’s the purple rose-the one that traps its victim in a prison of dreams,” I replied confidently. As I spoke, I noticed a faint smile on Kaye’s lips, as though he had chosen that question on purpose.
The defeated look on Salem’s face was satisfying to see. I turned to the crowd, catching Lucy and Gavin giving me a thumbs-up, though Sydney had her arms folded tightly over her chest. Naturally, she wasn’t pleased. Lamar, on the other hand, kept his expression neutral.
“Congratulations-” Emmet began, flashing his usual charming smile, but before he could finish, Norman and Maximus exchanged a look and shook their heads.
“These two have done a great job. How about we give Salem one more question? If she can’t answer and Helanie does, only then will we make a final decision. This time, I’ll ask the question.” I knew Norman wasn’t thrilled about me taking the lead.
“Making up your own rules, brother?” Emmet scoffed, but he masked it with a sarcastic smile.
Norman merely grunted and asked Kaye to step aside. I knew exactly why-Norman suspected Kaye had asked that last question knowing I’d answer it in a heartbeat.
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