The Pack's Alpha (by Cooper) novel Chapter 22

Cyra

I started to stand the moment Yorick was punched. I saw Alpha Nevaeh step forward then quickly step back as Yorick vomited his food all over him. My own hand slapped over my mouth. I’m not sure if I was trying to keep my food down or if I was holding back a laugh, but that shifted as soon as the guy lunged at my smart-mouthed mate.

This time I do stand, but Yorick must have expected the attack. He dodges, and the guy slips on the vomit falling to the ground.

“ENOUGH!” Alpha Leo roars. “Get your ass up and go get cleaned off, Talek.” Then he turns to Yorick. “You did that on purpose!”

“If anyone did anything with purpose, it was him. He sucker-punched me. Anyone paying attention would have seen that I was finishing my breakfast as I walked up here. I didn’t get to eat during normal hours because I was helping Cyra get back to her room, from the hospital, and helping her get ready so she wouldn’t miss class again today.” The way he emphasizes that I was in the hospital feels accusatory, like Alpha Leo isn’t doing his job properly.

I hold my breath as Alpha Leo’s face gets red with anger. He points his finger in Yorick’s face.

“You better watch yourself.”

Yorick holds Alpha Leo’s gaze, not saying anything. It’s Alpha Nevaeh calling out for Zach to come up that breaks the tension between them.

“Ahhh, Goddess of Love, don’t hold it against me if I take down your sweet poet,” Zach says dramatically as he walks up to where Yorick is standing. That, more than anything, cuts the tension in the air and I watch Yorick’s shoulders relax, and his easy smile returns.

“Good luck with that, Nicky,” Yorick says to him. His eyes meet mine and he winks at me.

“Just don’t breathe on me or I might vomit all over you,” Zach says as the two get ready to spar.

The two are evenly matched and the rest of the morning goes by with no problems. When Talek returns, he glares at Yorick, but Yorick stands near me, ignoring him. At lunch, Yorick eats like he hasn’t eaten in days, shoveling everything he can get his hands on into his mouth.

“Feel better?” I ask him when he finally sits back.

“Yeah. I was hungry,” he says, smiling and grabbing my bookbag, slinging it over his shoulder along with his. ” Ready?”

“We didn’t really talk about what I missed yesterday,” I tell him.

“I sent you my notes,” he says, smiling at me.

“Damn, are there any more back home like you, Yorick?” Piper asks.

“Wade is only thirteen and Connor found his mate, sorry,” he says.

“He’s just carrying her bag,” Zach grumbles, pulling Piper’s off her shoulder and putting it over his.

I look at Yorick. He looks at me and gives me the same ‘interesting’ look. I wonder if these two have been spending time together outside of class.

“It was the gesture, the thoughtfulness,” she says.

“I’m thoughtful,” Zach mutters.

“So, are we doing study group tonight, now that Cyra’s back?” Landon asks.

“I have to go back to the infirmary and get more x-rays so I can get out of this cast and into sparring class tomorrow,” I tell him.

Yorick shrugs. “We can see if you’re still meeting when we get back and if so, we can join,” he says as we walk into the classroom. Battle Strategy is taught by Warrior Ronan. His body is covered in thin scars that you’d expect to see from a man who has been through a lot of battles.

“Today, we’re going to talk about breaking alliances. When you go to war, one of the hardest things to do is go against a pack who has other packs they are allied with. Even if your group is stronger than the one you’re planning to attack, if they have allies and those allies join the battle, the tide can and usually does, swing quickly out of your favor,” Warrior Ronan begins.

Yorick, usually relaxed but attentive, leans forward.

“So, how do you break an alliance?” Warrior Ronan asks us.

“Find a weakness in one of the allies and exploit it,” Chase says.

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