Chapter 31 The Price of Failure

Chapter 31 The Price of Failure
Cael’s POV

The Price of Failure

When Lira had left, I heard the sound of the door clicking shut. The room still smelled like her. I stood there for a moment, my hands clenched. My wolf was restless. It wanted to chase her. To claim what I had just shown I owned.

But there was no time as I stared at the pulsing mark on my wrist. To get this, a hot rod, which had been in a fire for a whole day, was pressed against my wrist for thirty seconds. I had to be strong and not make a sound despite how painful it was. That was duty. That was what they expected of me, a future Alpha. I must not show weakness under any circumstances. This mark was a symbol of loyalty. To my father, to the pack. To the school. 

I sucked in a sharp breath and closed my eyes. Even up till now, I could still feel the slight sting of the rune.

Suddenly, a sharp knock came at my door. This knock sounded different from Lira's. This one was hard and impatient. I knew who it was.

Immediately, I pulled on a fresh black shirt and a leather jacket over it before I opened the door. A guard stood there, his face blank.

"The High Councilor demands your presence," he said, his eyes cast down. "Immediately."

I nodded,  adjusting my collar, my chest thudding. "I'm coming," I said, even though I didn't feel like going. 

I followed him through the quiet halls. My mind was still on Lira. On the look in her eyes when I made her kneel. On the feel of her bare skin under my fingers. At that moment, I felt powerful, but not as much as I do right now. All I felt now was fear. Nothing good ever comes from meeting with Father.  

But as we got closer to my father's study, those thoughts faded. They were replaced by a cold weight in my stomach. The guard opened the heavy door and I stepped inside. My father's study was the same as always. Cold and dark. He sat behind his big desk. He wasn't alone. Headmaster Veynor stood beside him. Their faces were like stone.

"Cael," my father said. His voice was flat.

"Father. Headmaster." I stood straight. My hands are at my sides.

"The security breach in the lower levels," my father said. "The one you were supposed to handle."

"I increased the patrols," I said. "I questioned the students. I followed the protocol—"

"Protocol?" My father's voice cut through mine like a whip. "While you were following protocol, two more guards were found unconscious near the old archives. Their memories were wiped clean."

My blood went cold. I didn't know about that.

Headmaster Veynor spoke. "The intruders are getting bolder. They are moving through the Academy like ghosts. And you are busy playing games with a pretty Omega."

My face felt hot. They knew about Lira. Of course, they knew.

"This is not a game," I said, my voice tight as I spoke through clenched teeth "I am handling the situation."

"Are you?" My father stood up. He was so tall. He walked around the desk until he was standing in front of me. "Because from where I stand, it looks like you are losing control."

I kept my eyes forward. I didn't look at him. "I have everything under control—”

His hand moved faster than I could see. The back of his hand hit my face. The sound was loud in the quiet room. Pain exploded in my cheek. I tasted blood.

"Do not lie to me," he snarled.

I didn't touch my face. I didn't wipe the blood from my lip. I stood perfectly still, my hands still folded behind my back. 

"The girl is a distraction," Headmaster Veynor said. "She needs to be removed."

"No," I said before I could stop myself.

My father's eyes narrowed. "No?"

"She is under my protection. I am already dealing with her my own way," I said. The words felt stupid even as I said them.

My father laughed. It was a cold, ugly sound. "Protection? You cannot even protect the secrets of this Academy. You cannot protect your own authority. And you think you can protect her?"

He turned and walked back to his desk. He picked up a long, thin cane. It was made of dark wood. I knew it well.

"Your failure has consequences, Cael," he said. "You know that."

I didn't speak. There was nothing to say.

"Jacket off," he commanded.

I took off my jacket. I folded it neatly and placed it on a chair. Then I turned around and faced the wall. I placed my hands flat against the cold stone.

I heard the cane sound through the air before I felt it.

The first strike landed across my back. The pain was sharp and burning. I gritted my teeth. I didn't make a sound.

The second strike came. Then the third. Each one landed in a different place on my back. My father knew everything he was doing. He would cover my entire back with stripes. He had done it before.

I counted the strikes in my head. Five. Six. Seven.

My skin felt like it was on fire. I could feel blood trickling down my back. The fabric of my shirt was sticking to the wounds.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

I thought about Lira. I thought about the look in her eyes when she knelt. The feel of her hair in my fingers. The way she trembled when I touched her. The pain in my back was nothing compared to the shame in my chest.

Fifteen. Sixteen.

My knees were shaking. I locked them. I would not fall. He whipped till it got to forty, and by then, my legs trembled badly. He left me. I stood there, breathing hard. My back must look like a map. 

"Turn around," my father said.

I turned. My vision swam for a second, but I forced it to clear.

My father was sitting behind his desk again. He looked calm. As if he had just finished a business meeting, not beaten his son.

"You will find the intruders," he said. "You will stop them. And you will deal with the girl. Permanently."

I stared at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means she is a liability. If you cannot control her, you will eliminate her." His eyes were cold. "That is an order."

My heart was a rock in my chest. Eliminate her. Kill her.

I thought of her bare shoulders. The defiance in her eyes. The way she said my name.

"I understand," I whispered.

"Good." He waved a hand. "Get out. And clean yourself up. You have work to do."