The Protector

Chapter 12

With Kane by my side, my grandfather escorted me inside the academy, where we were greeted by the leader of the League at the academy, Rhys.

"Are you sure you don't want to teach here Alpha?" Rhys asks again. "We could use more recruits, and having you here would be legendary."

Kane grunts out and slaps Rhys on the back. "Those days are long behind me Rhys, I'm too old for this shit now."

I snort out and hide my growing smile with a cough, catching both of the men's attention, Kane knowing full well that I had wanted to add a snarky comment about his age.

"We best get going." Kane said, shaking Rhys's hand.

Rhys then turns to me, his gentle smile and boyish good looks putting me at ease. 

"We all look forward to having you here Hayden, don't hesitate to see me if you need to talk, or need anything." He says, his eyes staring deeply into mine.

I force a smile and shake his hand. "Thank you sir."

"Rhys, please." He says, before bowing to both Kane and me, and then walking away.

Kane grunted out irritably, making me look at him as he began walking, and me falling behind him.

"I should've snapped his neck." He hissed under his breath, his eyes turning dark.

"Why?" I ask, laughing. "He was just probably excited to see you."

He looked at me coldly then huffed out, shaking his head.

"He was flirting with you, in front of me." He said angrily. "The disrespect and insolence- I don't feel comfortable leaving you here with so many males around."

I laugh out loud, my laugh echoing off the halls as I see my grandfather's face and clenched fists at his side, so serious, making Kane look at me and glare at me.

I didn't know he was flirting, I thought he was quite good-looking, but something about him creeped me out, but that's not new, most guys act like that once they first meet me.

"How do you know he was flirting?" I asked, grinning. "Guys are like that now, it's called a new age of being friendly."

He snorted out. "Fucking 'new age' I'm in my prime, I'm not old Hayden, I just-"

"Respect the old ways, I know." 

The air between us grows thick with awkward silence as I follow Kane down the halls and outside into a courtyard, the weather was nice, it felt good to get out after being inside for the past hour, with Kane and Rhys showing me around.

"What did you want to show me by the way?" I ask, looking around the large garden.

Stopping, Kane sniffed the air and turned around, I followed his actions but didn't see anyone, it was only me and him there, as the other students weren't expected to arrive for another hour, making it so only me, Kane and Rhys was at the academy.

"What's wrong?" I asked cautiously, looking around, not smelling anything.

"Nothing." He said, turning around. "Come, It's this way."

I didn't say anything else, and then followed him through the courtyard's garden, it was beautiful and large, filled with flowers I'd never heard of and tree's from all over the six realms, it was like a maze if not for the directions with each turn to warn you where you were going.

I followed Kane until we reached a certain part of the garden, and once I saw where we stopped, I stared in awe at what I was seeing.

The monument of Larson had been completed, and finally placed within the Academy.

"We're the first to see it." Kane said, putting his hand on the bottom plaque of the monument of his old best friend.

"I know how much you wanted this Hayden." He said, making me look at him as he gazed up at his friend. "Larson was just like you, born into an Alpha family he was destined to be Alpha, but he craved a life outside of the one he was born into, just like you."

He turned to me and place his large hand on my shoulder. "I'll always support you, even if my idiot son needs time to adjust, just know you're not alone, and we all love you."

His words hit me deep and it feels as though tears might escape my eyes, and before I could react or say anything, Kane wraps his large arm around me and brings me into him.

"You're my favorite you know." He said humorously, before pulling back, a smile on his face. 

"You'll do great things here, so don't hold back, let these fuckers know just who Hayden Black is."

With that being said, we stand in silence at stare at Larson's memorial in front of us in comforting silence, a sense of relief washing over me after my grandfather said what he did, knowing that despite being Black, and different from the rest of my family, I am loved, and they support me.

After staying a little longer to both say a silent prayer for Larson, Kane and I head back to the main building and head out to the front, where Kane transformed into his beast, his large wings spreading wild and free.

I watched as he jumped up off the ground and flew high into the sky, his large black figure got smaller and smaller as I watched him fly away, into the direction of the Palace, leaving me standing there in comfortable silence.

When was the last time I felt like this? At peace with myself... knowing that my family now knows how much I've been struggling inside the Palace and that they support me and the path I've chosen.

Being a league member was all I had ever wanted, and now I'm here, at the academy, it feels like I'm walking in my dream, it felt like any moment I would wake up in my bed back at the palace.

Turning around, the large black building in front of me standing large and proud, a giddy feeling overcomes me that this is in fact reality, and not a dream, I'm here, and I finally made it, after all these years, I made it here.

I wasn't going to let the presence of Nohr distract me from what I came here to do, or my father's doubt, I was going to become a Shadow, by any means nessessary.

Seeing carriages and people start to enter through the gates, I take this as the perfect opportunity to head back inside and go to my dorm room to get freshened up before my roommate arrived.