12. Nikolai

I do the best thing I can do after that strangeness. I head down to the training bleachers and sign myself up for some physical punishment. Round after round of sparring with the other trainees.

Thanks to me I have them all on this double-strength workout routine. Our guards failed their purpose in allowing that vial of wolfsbane within fifty miles of the castle. So not only are they being re-educated in physical fitness but I have requested experts in security, espionage and tracking get these dregs whipped into shape.

Annoyingly we have had to pay for these experts to come in from Rising Star, Phillipe’s parents pack.

The Beta’s patrol every night now, I hire local villagers to try and sneak in, capture-the-flag style. The fact that not one of them has approached me when I arrive disguised on a roaring motorcycle is a source of absolute fury.

So the beefy Beta’s attempt to land sneaky rabbit punches, whip my legs away with low kicks and hit below the belt. The disdain my own pack