had thought that Domenico’s fall had caused him the greatest pain, but now he knew it wasn’t. It was this – seeing Kassia hurting, and knowing he had been the one who wounded her so.
He started to say her name, but Jacob had stood up, breaking the line of sight between them.
Reality struck him, and his jaw snapped shut.
Nothing had changed.
He could not afford to be as weak as his older brother, and Kassia would bring him down. She wielded such power over him, even now, even just by existing.
Kassia was better off without him.
And hewas better off without her.
Alessandro forced himself to swing away.
“You’ve won yourself a reprieve,” he told the class. “The actual test will take place in our next class. You may resume practice without need of a fighting circle.”
No one had the courage to ask him what brought about the sudden decision. He felt their surprise and confusion, but he didn’t give a damn. Going to one corner of the dojo, he laid his hand open. It was his signal to the class that he was also open to questions. In a second, female students surrounded him, swallowing the sight of Kassia and Jacob.
And that , Alessandro told himself harshly, was how it should be . He would not – could not – allow himself to follow in his brother’s footsteps, not when the honor and safety of his pack were at stake.
****
“What was that about?” Ellie demanded in a low whisper the moment Kassia reached her side. Out of curiosity and concern, she had joined the throng of fans outside the dojo, watching the fight inside through the viewing wall.
Everyone around Ellie was obviously in love with the professor, with the way they screamed at every little thing he did. When the professor spoke, the girls had swooned as the sound of his voice came through the hall’s speakers. When the professor crossed his arms over his chest in observation, all the girls had gone mad, flooding each other’s Instagram newsfeeds with the professor’s photos. And when the professor had moved with lightning speed – well, everyone had just about died.
Privately, Ellie thought the professor had been inhumanly fast but then, what did she know about martial arts? For all she knew, that kind of speed was normal for ass-kicking, heart-breaking ookami-kata instructors.
What she did know, however, was that she hadn’t liked having so many girls crushing on the professor. She had felt mad on her best friend’s behalf and had wanted to shout at all of them. The professor was Kassia’s first!
As she and Kassia headed towards the building’s exit doors, Ellie repeated her question.
Kassia was visibly confused. “What do you mean?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “He went to you, hello? He went to you first and he had a very jealous look in his eyes. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that.”
At Ellie’s words, Kassia said shortly, “You were imagining things.” Just as she had imagined things before she caught herself in time.
“I know what I saw,” Ellie insisted.
“And I know the kind of man the professor is.” Someone so cruel, he had allowed her to fall deeper and deeper for him before breaking her heart. She could see Ellie wanted to argue, but Kassia forestalled her friend with a shake of her head. “Drop it, please, Ellie. I mean it.” She didn’t want to be the naïve girl again. As far as Kassia was concerned, the professor was dead to her.
****
Sweat trickled down the side of Alessandro’s face as he fought to counter every thrust and swipe of his opponent, who always seemed to be one second faster than he was. A fraction of time for humans, but for their kind, it was long enough to kill.
The sound of steel clashing was the only thing that destroyed the silence inside the fighting hall, which occupied the entire basement in the Moretti complex’s main building. Spectators circled the fighters, all of them holding their breath as they waited to see who would emerge as the
He started to say her name, but Jacob had stood up, breaking the line of sight between them.
Reality struck him, and his jaw snapped shut.
Nothing had changed.
He could not afford to be as weak as his older brother, and Kassia would bring him down. She wielded such power over him, even now, even just by existing.
Kassia was better off without him.
And hewas better off without her.
Alessandro forced himself to swing away.
“You’ve won yourself a reprieve,” he told the class. “The actual test will take place in our next class. You may resume practice without need of a fighting circle.”
No one had the courage to ask him what brought about the sudden decision. He felt their surprise and confusion, but he didn’t give a damn. Going to one corner of the dojo, he laid his hand open. It was his signal to the class that he was also open to questions. In a second, female students surrounded him, swallowing the sight of Kassia and Jacob.
And that , Alessandro told himself harshly, was how it should be . He would not – could not – allow himself to follow in his brother’s footsteps, not when the honor and safety of his pack were at stake.
****
“What was that about?” Ellie demanded in a low whisper the moment Kassia reached her side. Out of curiosity and concern, she had joined the throng of fans outside the dojo, watching the fight inside through the viewing wall.
Everyone around Ellie was obviously in love with the professor, with the way they screamed at every little thing he did. When the professor spoke, the girls had swooned as the sound of his voice came through the hall’s speakers. When the professor crossed his arms over his chest in observation, all the girls had gone mad, flooding each other’s Instagram newsfeeds with the professor’s photos. And when the professor had moved with lightning speed – well, everyone had just about died.
Privately, Ellie thought the professor had been inhumanly fast but then, what did she know about martial arts? For all she knew, that kind of speed was normal for ass-kicking, heart-breaking ookami-kata instructors.
What she did know, however, was that she hadn’t liked having so many girls crushing on the professor. She had felt mad on her best friend’s behalf and had wanted to shout at all of them. The professor was Kassia’s first!
As she and Kassia headed towards the building’s exit doors, Ellie repeated her question.
Kassia was visibly confused. “What do you mean?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “He went to you, hello? He went to you first and he had a very jealous look in his eyes. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that.”
At Ellie’s words, Kassia said shortly, “You were imagining things.” Just as she had imagined things before she caught herself in time.
“I know what I saw,” Ellie insisted.
“And I know the kind of man the professor is.” Someone so cruel, he had allowed her to fall deeper and deeper for him before breaking her heart. She could see Ellie wanted to argue, but Kassia forestalled her friend with a shake of her head. “Drop it, please, Ellie. I mean it.” She didn’t want to be the naïve girl again. As far as Kassia was concerned, the professor was dead to her.
****
Sweat trickled down the side of Alessandro’s face as he fought to counter every thrust and swipe of his opponent, who always seemed to be one second faster than he was. A fraction of time for humans, but for their kind, it was long enough to kill.
The sound of steel clashing was the only thing that destroyed the silence inside the fighting hall, which occupied the entire basement in the Moretti complex’s main building. Spectators circled the fighters, all of them holding their breath as they waited to see who would emerge as the
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