“I am an Elite Sentinel,” Tegan reminded him. “It is my duty to defend Akrhyn.”
“It may be, Elite, but I thought you learned your lesson last time you didn’t follow orders?” Marcus said sharply. He turned to look at Michael. “And you just shouldn’t have been out there,” he sighed. “But thankfully, neither of you fell, and the Castor recovered the injured and the dead.”
“How many?” Tegan asked as she stared at her hands on the blankets.
“Eleven fell.”
“May the Ancients take them and bless their peace,” Tegan said softly. She heard Michael repeat the words, and they both shared a look. “Is Jasper going to be reprimanded?”
“Commander Bryce has remained at Northern Headquarters. The other companies suffered some injuries but not like your company did. He has not yet spoken to Elite Sentinel Jasper.”
Tegan winced at the thought. She was not looking forward to that conversation. She idly rubbed her chest, and she felt the warmth through the bond. She could also feel...frustration? Another conversation she was not looking forward to. The Castor would be theatrical.
“Is the Mark aware?” Tove asked her as she sat on the corner of her bed.
“Yes.” Tegan nodded, suddenly embarrassed that they all knew she could feel him. “I think he is also upset with me.”
“He was furious,” Tove said with a frown to Marcus. “Let us hope his anger wears off while he is in Russia.”
“He will tell father,” Tegan groaned as she dropped her head back in despair. “I’m going to have to re-enact every fight and move I made so he can tell me where I went wrong.”
She looked at Marcus, who was not hiding his smile at the fact. “He will, and for once, I agree with the additional training sessions he will make you carry out.”
Michael felt sorry for his sister, but he was a little bit relieved he would not have to endure her punishment.
“Don’t look so happy,” Tegan warned him. “You won’t escape either.” She fought a yawn and rubbed her eyes.
“I think both Heirs need to rest,” Pure Prime Castor Rorik told the others gently. “You are more than welcome to visit them, but their bodies are recovering from some intense trauma.”
“I won’t be far,” Tove promised Tegan as she squeezed her hand and got off the bed.
“Your friend,” Tegan asked Marcus, “the pack leader, did you find him?”
“Yes, he was wounded badly, but Pure Prime Castor Rorik is truly a gifted healer,” Marcus told her, and with an assessing look to both Heirs, he left the room.
When the door closed behind them all, Tegan looked over at Michael. “How bad will it be?” she asked tentatively.
“Pretty sure dad may kill me,” Michael groaned as he looked back at his sister.
“Yeah, I thought that too. LeonidandSalem.” Tegan groaned. “And Commander Bryce. Do you think Rorik will let us sleep through it all?”
Michael laughed but winced in pain as he did. “No, I think he’s very much a ‘tough love’ kind of male,” he guessed with a frown. He thought back to the fight and the ambush. “Who was the Elite that sided with the Drakhyn?” he asked softly. “I didn’t recognise her.”
“She was no Elite,” Tegan scoffed. “A free Lycan would be my guess, who infiltrated our patrol when we were fighting in the entrance. We followed her blindly, and stupidly.”
“A rookie mistake.” Michael scowled as he thought about it. “Ugh, Cord’s going to punchmethis time.”
Tegan gave a surprised laugh before she too groaned at the pain in her side. “I thought they fixed us?” she mumbled as she rubbed her side.
“Maybe we get leftover pain as punishment,” Michael suggested with a shrug. “They’re not exactly going to go easy on us.”
“At least we are here to feel pain,” Tegan said to him solemnly. “Eleven,” she said in a whisper.
“How did they know where to strike?” Michael asked her quietly. “They were waiting for us, for you, how did they know which House we would be sent to?”
“I don’t know,” Tegan said grimly. “I do know we need to find out. If there is a sympathiser in the ranks of the Headquarters’ Elite, we need to weed that out now before this war moves any further.”
Michael lay silent for a long time, and Tegan thought he had gone to sleep when he spoke, startling her. “You know, months ago, shade, even weeks ago, I would say to you that the thought of a Drakhyn sympathiser in our ranks would be laughable.” He turned his head to look at Tegan. “But that whole thing at the hall with Cornelius and then seeing the Lycan fight with them at House Aubert, I no longer know what to believe.”