(Alnitak)

Amaia remained standing when Saiph put her under an illusion, and the way she fought her way back was nothing short of impressive.

Right at the brink of the 15th second, she screamed for the first time and I found my legs moving. I was by her side.

"Don’t touch her, let her come back on her own, she can do this," Saiph reminded me, he stood right by her side, watching and observing. I sensed a hint of tension on his face.

But I stayed, Zevran painfully howled in my mind, and then she stumbled towards the ground, and I caught her.

Her eyes opened but they were whited out. She was out of the nightmare but didn’t wish to return.

And then her eyes returned to normal on their own.

Agonisingly, she watched me before confronting Saiph, which led us to being sent outside.

Now, quietly I listen to her. She is trembling, overstimulated and on the verge of crying. She clutches my hand tightly.

"I want to see my brother again. Anything to have one small conversation with him."

Her words sadden me, and I can’t even imagine the life she has led.

I am surrounded by my brothers and parents; the only worries in life are not having a mate and not getting to my sessions on time.

And here she is, begging for a few minutes with her brother whom she lost a long time ago.

Letting go of her hand, I hold onto her face. Tears like pearls are tumbling out of her beautiful but saddened eyes now.

"Amaia!" I wipe the tears with the pads of my thumb. "Tell me everything you saw."

She proceeds, but her mind seems confused, and her words come out broken.

All I can get is that her mother was used as an illusion to deceive her, while her brother’s grown-up version appeared as a light that guided her.

"I won’t lie and say that I understand your pain. But I can share it and I am sorry for what happened to your family."

I pull her into my chest and she just silently cries.

’I want to scratch Saiph’s face. He made her cry,’ Zevran growls in my head.

Saiph is only trying to make us stronger but some of us carry deep scars, like Amaia, Mintaka and Kacir. I worry that those two are also going to have a hard time in this training.

"He felt real. My mother, I feel at peace but my brother...I just wanted to hug him."

My hands rub her back and my lips press into her hair. I don’t have words to comfort her.

’Blackshine is sad. I don’t like it,’ Erebus, as she has named my other self, growls inside me. ’Make her feel better.’

Before I can speak, Kacir, Mintaka and Rahria come out along with others.

While the rest of our badge mates scram, the trio gathers around us.

"Amaia! Are you alright?" Kacir comes and sits beside her on the other empty side. She sniffles but gives him a slight nod.

Mintaka makes eye contact with me and it seems like they didn’t get to be Saiph’s next victims.

"Who else did he torture?" I ask, rubbing Amaia’s back.

"Cristo and two others. No one was able to escape. He is going to give us an extra hard time tomorrow," Mintaka says, his eyes staying on Amaia, they then waver to Kacir and he gestures to him to take Amaia away.

"Come, I will get you some jelly. Eating always helps," Kacir kindly says to her and she listens.

With a sniffle, she lets me go and stands up.

"Go, eat something. I will come get you," I tell her before she leaves with Kacir.

After they are out of earshot. Rahria speaks.

"He seemed super pissed after you guys left. I have never seen him lose control like that. Was he angry because Amaia was able to push through his powers or was it something else?"

"I think he got angry because Amaia wanted to be put under again and wouldn’t listen to him. His powers can literally drive one crazy." Both of them nod at my answer.

"Did she see her family?" Mintaka questions, flopping himself beside me and draping his arm over the wooden bench.

"Yes!" I don’t want to give too many details because I don’t know clearly what she saw there.

"This is going to be a tough week. With Alnilam gone and Saiph in charge. That man scares me." Rahira throws her hair over her shoulder. It’s big coming from her because she is not very fond of Alnilam because of how strict he is.

Our little conversation is interrupted when we see Saiph marching towards us. Jaw set and eyes cold.

Rahria zips her lips shut and shuffles to stand behind me, not wanting to get a thrashing from him.

"Where is Amaia?" He questions, grimly.

"She went to get something to eat with Kacir," I answer, watching him, and he grinds his teeth together, staring back at me. His huge arms fold against his chest.

"Stop interrupting her sessions, Alnitak. You are not her mate and she doesn’t need a babysitter. Let her get stronger."

His words make me bristle. He has already tattled to my mother about the two of us when it was my decision.

I lean back on the bench, my brows furrowed together.

"Alnilam might have left you in charge of the sessions but stay the fuck away from my private life. I didn’t interrupt her session, I only ensured she wouldn’t crumple to the ground. Don’t tell me what I need to do," I flatly tell him, annoyance visible in my words.

He stares at me with his jaw set as if he wants to say something more but chooses not to. We are not kids anymore.

"Watch it, Alnitak. Before you find yourself in a situation you can’t reverse and break something you can’t fix." He gives all three of us a long hard look.

"What are you implying? Speak clearly," I ask, standing up to face him. But Mintaka wedges himself between us before anything happens.

"Take it easy guys."

"If you are intelligent enough, you know." With that, he spins on his heels and walks away, leaving me angry and frustrated.

"What was all that about?" Rahria asks but we have no answer.

Saiph never bothers to speak much with anyone, why he said what he said doesn’t make sense.