35. Deacon

The minute he says the words out loud, panic fills me.

I don't want Stone anywhere near him.

I see Marcus's eyes fly to me, and I fight to keep a cool exterior, knowing that my father will use this as an opportunity to establish his dominance, prove he's still strong enough to lead. Especially considering Marcus comes from the only other pack in our state.

A pack Giovanni has been angling to take over for the last year.

Stickman finds a way to excuse himself from the conversation, the excitement over the way that played out dancing in his eyes as he leaves.

"Luca, we have business to attend to," Giovanni snaps before turning and walking away. As he gives me his back, I realize that he didn't so much as say hello to me or tell me I did a good job. Not that I care for the acknowledgment, but it surprised me he didn't do it just to maintain the appearance that he cared for his second son.

Brody Rodriguez really got under his skin.

Luca turns to me, a smile brightening his face as he wraps me up in a final hug.

"I'm proud of you, fratellino. I'll look after your friend. Do me a favor and keep your head on straight down there with the Amatos. They play by a totally different set of rules. Remember who you are, in here." He pulls back and points his finger at my heart. I nod before allowing him to walk off with my father.

"See you soon, Stone," he calls over his shoulder as he leaves.

"I guess that means we can finally get some sleep," Marcus says as we both head toward the tents set up at the exit of the arena.

We each grab a bed and rack out until the ceremony later that night.

The nine hours we got weren"t nearly as long as we needed, but we pulled ourselves together and gathered back at the center of the makeshift arena.

Stone looked much better than he had this morning. The sleep allowed his body to heal from the repeated shifts after his fall.

I still can't believe he survived.

The two final teams had found their way to the final location, one dragging the body of their now-deceased human and the other with a chunk of skin similar to Saint's team. Team North was missing a team member and only had Mason French and Sean Moore.

I wonder what happened to Brent Barlow.

Their team had been officially disqualified, and they were taken away for questioning shortly after arriving.

Team South was the last to arrive, having no readable map but coming with all of their members just as the sun began setting. Sage and Megan wouldn't even look at each other, and their bickering and snide comments had Anthony rolling his eyes.

I feel sorry for that guy.

At the ceremony, Stickman announces our team as the winners and Marcus as the top-ranked cadet. He then proceeds to list each of the remaining cadets and where their follow-on assignments will be, which causes mumbles in the boxes above.

Marcus Stone - Northern Nevada Pack

Deacon Marlo - Miami Pack

Finn McCormick - Austin Pack

Conner Saint - Atlanta Pack

Veronica Kent - Rapid City Pack

Brad Sullivan - Seattle Pack

Sage Perkins - Salt Lake City Pack

Megan Clark - Boston Pack

Anthony Lucci - Boise Pack

Mason French - Kalispell Pack

Sean Moore - Phoenix Pack

Once he finishes, we are excused, and the Alphas all head back to their respective packs. All of the cadets are loaded onto two small buses with several guards and driven back to the training ground to collect their belongings.

Packing the few items I left behind takes little time, and I find myself on Marcus's bed waiting for my ride to the airport.

"Avoid Giovanni. Stick by Frank. He can teach you the ins and outs of the pack without having to deal with the Alpha. Luca is also a good resource, but whatever you do, just stay as far away as you can. He doesn't want you there either, so hopefully, he will pawn you off on Lorenzo and Frank. Don't trust them. They will try to get information about the size and strength of your pack. Giovanni wants all of Nevada. Has for years, so keep as much to yourself as you can." I spout off, trying to give him whatever information I can to help him get through the next few months.

"Avoid Giovanni, work with Frank and Lorenzo as needed, pretend to be out of the loop with my pack, trust Luca," he rattles back, using his fingers to number off each thing. "Anything else, boss?" he asks humor in his eyes.

"Yeah, keep an eye on Grace for me," I say, turning the conversation more serious for a moment.

"I don't know, man, not sure she'll be able to stay away with all this sexual prowess I have rolling off me," he says, flexing his muscles and putting on an ‘I'm so sexy' face.

I throw one of his shirts at his face, laughing.

"Yeah, you aren't her type. I'm not worried," I respond, a smile firmly in place. I'm going to miss having Marcus around. He's the closest thing I have to a best friend, almost like a brother to me. I know the next six months will be difficult, but knowing he is there to look out for Grace and Luca makes me feel better about being away.

I trust him.

"But seriously, man, I'll keep an eye on her, and I'll keep you posted on the pack. You'll be back before you know it." He looks at me, his face full of confidence, kindness resonating behind his eyes.

"Thanks, Stone."

"You got it, brother."

And just like that, our retreat is over, and our internships begin.