Her Silver Eyed Mate

Absent

Raiden POV

Yawning as I stretched my arms over my head in the Academy training centre, I mentally and physically tried to psych myself up for today’s classes. I slept terribly last night, tossing and turning all night in my four-poster bed at the castle. As I have the ability to shimmy anywhere like my father, there was no need for me to bunk at the academy like some of the other staff chose to. Yet, being back home last night had me on edge. Sirius was the worst. Pacing my mind like a hyena on crack.

‘Stop moaning and get the f*ck on with your day,’ he growled in my mind when my thoughts triggered him. He was a grumpy f*ck in the morning just like me.

‘I would be much more prepared for my day if you hadn’t whined all night. What the hell was wrong with you?’

‘I don’t know. I just felt restless. Like something had happened or was about to.’

‘Something bad?’ Wolves have an innate way of sensing when something isn’t right in our lives. Normally, they sensed danger just before it was about to happen, so this news wasn’t exactly thrilling.

Before he could answer me, the gymnasium doors swung open and the bunch of last year students strolled in casually, chatting and laughing with no urgency whatsoever. Well, I was about to work them to the brink of exhaustion just because they looked too relaxed. They should never think defence classes are a breeze.

“Bags down. Thirty laps around the race track in human form in under five minutes. Let’s go!” I bellowed, making them all jump and stare at me wide-eyed. This lot had their first session with me yesterday, but it seems they had already forgotten my little speech. They always enter this gym in full alert and defence mode; prepared for anything I throw at them.

A few grumbled which I let go at this point but wouldn’t forget, but most sprinted into action, wasting no time. I folded my arms across my chest as I watched them all overexert themselves on the first few laps. Rookie error. Harrison, my biggest fan, was leading the group, forcing them all to keep up and match his pace. As a next in line alpha, he probably would make this run in under five minutes but the others would struggle.

I counted their heads as they ran, pulling up the register on the iPad and frowned when I saw I had one missing. Who the f*ck dares to be late for one of my classes? Sirius snorted in my head.

‘Look at you acting like a disgruntled teacher,’ he smirked.

Ignoring his comment, my silver eyes scanned the list of names for the one that seemed to be absent. They froze on that name. Sienna Stone. Lifting my head abruptly, I double checked the group for the girl I was strangely desperate to meet. But like yesterday, she wasn’t here. However, she didn't have an excuse not to be today.

When the five minute timer rang out in the gym, only five of the students had finished their run and I called the others back to me. “We will have to work on your human fitness levels, it seems.”

“What is the point in that when we have supernatural abilities?” one of the students questioned.

“What happens if you need to escape a situation in a human town? You cannot expose yourself. Or if you have been drugged with wolfsbane? You cannot shift. Sometimes, you have to rely on your human form,” I muttered in a bored tone as I marked each student here on my list. Pausing on Sienna’s name, I glanced around the group. “Anyone know where Sienna Stone is today?”

I didn’t miss the expression on Harrison’s face. He suddenly looked interested in what I had to say as he quickly assessed the group to see if I had missed her myself. So he knows her. Or likes her.

“She is in the hospital, Instructor Raiden,” Neve called out from her seated position on the ground, panting heavily.

My chest restricted slightly which was an odd feeling when I hadn’t even met the girl. Why would I care if she was hurt? Maybe it was because I was the one who convinced my dad to let her come to the academy. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was worried.

“What? What happened to her?” Harrison ordered quickly, his deep voice attempting to use his alpha command on Neve which only made her smirk.

“I don’t think it is my place to say,” Neve stated and I was even annoyed that she wasn’t explaining.

“Is she alright?” I managed to ask.

“I think so. Arius said she should be out by lunchtime,” Neve replied, and I merely nodded my head.

“Okay, pair up. Different species where possible and let's go over the defence moves I taught you yesterday,” I ordered as they all stood up slowly. “MOVE!”

They scrambled to their feet at an insane speed when they realised I wasn’t messing around and organised themselves into pairings. Lia sauntered towards me in her tiny sports bra and the shortest shorts I had ever seen. “Sir, it is an odd number. I don’t have a partner. Can you be my partner?”

Usually, I would have smiled at the obvious flirtation in her voice and the fluttering of her eyelashes but I wasn’t in the mood.

“Sure,” I replied bluntly, walking over to the training mats and signalling for her to get into her defence stance to start. She smiled sweetly as she flicked her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder but I couldn’t focus on her. My mind was still reeling knowing that the new girl was in the hospital. She had only been here a day and she was already hurt. Clearly, she shouldn’t be in the advanced classes if that is the case. I will have to speak to dad about it later. What had happened in just one day?

“Don’t go easy on me, sir,” Lia’s seductive tone pulled me back into the moment as she winked and raised her fists in front of her face.

This girl needed to stop flirting and focus. Diving towards her, I used the move she was prepared for to see what she had retained from yesterday’s training. She dodged quickly and jumped onto my back, locking her arm around my neck and her legs around my waist. Leaning down, her warm breath tickled my ear as she whispered, “I could think of a more interesting way to ride you.”

I scoffed at her bold statement and effortlessly grabbed her arms and twisted her body to my front before slamming her to the ground, her arms pinned behind her back against the mats causing her chest to push against mine. Her lips parted at the rapid movement and desire burned in her blue eyes. That was probably a stupid move to have made because now we were in an even more compromising position.

“Focus Lia. You can’t ride anyone if you are dead,” I growled, climbing off her and holding my hand out to help her up. She took it and slammed her body up against mine.

“Sorry sir. It is just hard to focus when my partner is so damn hot,” she whispered, running her finger down my chest. Ok so the girl has confidence, which is attractive, but she is also crossing a line now. I stepped back, giving her a menacing look and her smile fell.

“Then you need to run another twenty laps to help you cool off,” I ordered.

“But sir-”

“That wasn’t a request, it was an order.”

She huffed and turned on her heels to start the gruelling run again. Walking over to the bench to take a sip of my water, I watched the other pairs who were doing surprisingly well after only one lesson so far. It should have made me happy but just like last night, I felt restless. On edge.

The two hours passed by so f*cking slowly and by the time I was done with this lot, they were sweaty messes laying on the artificial grass of the race track. I probably did take a little of my frustration out on them. Okay a lot but I couldn’t help it. Every time one of them pissed me off, I made the whole group suffer.

“Go hit the showers. You all stink,” I smirked with my hands on my hips. I lived for the glares I received from those brave enough. “Neve, a word.”

As the others leisurely stumbled out of the gym and headed for the changing rooms, Neve sidled up to me, bending over her knees to try and catch her breath.

“Can’t handle it?” I chuckled and she raised her face to give me a scowl.

“That was mean. I thought you were my friend,” she panted.

“I am no one's friend in this gym but I am the one who may teach you how to save your own life one day so I can live with that,” I replied. I ran my hand over my black hair that was pulled back into a bun and fought the urge to ask too many questions about Sienna Stone. “So how did you know Sienna was in the hospital?”

Neve stood up straight and rested her hands on her hips. “She is my new roommate. A messenger was sent to my room last night to tell me.”

Her roommate. Interesting. I wanted to ask what she was like… this mysterious Miss Stone but I knew that would look too… unprofessional. “So do you know what happened to her?”

“Not really. I was just told that she overexerted herself during her Fae Masterclass last night. It doesn’t surprise me, as the girl is as stubborn as you like! She needed some rest in the hospital but would probably be released today. I know she will be gutted that she missed this class. She was really looking forward to it.” A small smile played on my lips. “But I will be sure to tell her she dodged a bullet,” Neve teased.

I chuckled feeling instantly more relaxed hearing that the girl wasn’t hurt badly and was just resting. Neve ran out of the room and I leaned back against the mirrored wall before my next class entered. Why did this girl affect my emotions so much? The thought of her being hurt was painful to me and put me in a foul mood. But now I knew it wasn’t anything serious, I felt light again. The next group of students walked into the room and I smiled at them in greeting.

“Morning everyone. Let’s start with ten laps around the race track in human form in under five minutes, shall we?”

See I could be nice. When I wanted to be.