Chapter 560: Marks That Spoke for Themselves

Chapter 559: Marks That Spoke for Themselves

The hours passed slowly. Orion had no idea how it did, but it did.

Madam Tyler had ensured that all members of the Silver Creek pack were adjusting well. Those injured had been taken to the medical facility for treatment.

Food had been given out too because the members were hungry.

Lysander and Genevieve were still not done with Tobias’s surgery, which made Orion suspect that there was a lot going on if they were taking this much time.

But even at that, he trusted Lysander to pull through.

Orion leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking faintly beneath him as he stretched his neck once before returning his attention to the parchment in his hand.

The desk was cluttered with parchment that had been sorted, then resorted, then sorted again.

For once, the parchments were not just scattered around. Orion had actually done his work, going through them.

Ronan sat across from him, one arm draped lazily over the back of his chair, though the stack of parchment in front of him said he had not been idle.

They had been at it for hours.

Reading, comparing, and confirming.

The results were done.

Orion exhaled slowly as he set the last sheet aside.

"I expected this," he said.

"Really?" Ronan asked him.

"In a way, yeah. But the one group I’m waiting for still hasn’t sent in their results yet."

Right on cue, the door opened and Garron stepped in.

The man looked like his life force had been drained out of him.

He shut the door behind him with a bit more force than necessary and let out a breath.

"I should have known," he muttered.

Ronan straightened slightly, already interested.

Orion didn’t bother hiding the faint smile tugging at his lips.

"What happened?" Ronan asked.

Garron dragged a hand down his face before stepping forward.

"I went to get Ethan," he said. "I thought it would be simple. Just call him in, get his results, be done with it."

He paused.

"It wasn’t."

Ronan huffed out a quiet laugh.

"I summoned him first," Garron continued. "Just him. Nothing more, but he had replied saying he was waiting for Genevieve and so he could not come."

Orion’s smile deepened just a fraction.

"So I had to think of a way to trick him so he would come. I summoned all the examiners. The sneaky bastard didn’t want to come, though, until Wesley dragged him away."

"I asked him for his team’s results," he said. "It was a simple question that required a simple answer."

"And he tells me—" Garron let out a slow breath. "—that everyone in his team passed. Not just passed, but that they passed with the highest mark I could think of."

Ronan pressed his lips together, trying to hold in a laugh.

It didn’t work though, because it slipped out.

Orion leaned back slightly, amusement settling in his expression without effort.

"That sounds like him," he said.

Garron ignored that.

"I told him to bring a parchment," he continued, "with the names of his teammates and the points they earned."

"And?" Ronan asked, already knowing there was more.

"And he asked me why," Garron said flatly.

Ronan laughed again.

"He said I obviously knew who was in his team," Garron went on. "And I told him I didn’t know specifically."

Orion rested his elbow on the arm of his chair, watching him.

"And then he nodded," Garron said, "and told me that anyone not on the other teams was in his team."

Ronan leaned back, laughing properly now.

Orion shook his head once.

"You should have stopped there," he said.

"I know," Garron muttered. "But I didn’t. I told him to write it down. Properly."

He paused again.

"And mind you, he grumbled the entire time. If not for how talented he was, then... actually there’s nothing I could have done," Garron said as he handed the parchment to Orion.

"I wanted him to be more professional because I would be submitting the results to you."

Orion took it.

He barely got through the first line before a quiet laugh escaped him.

Ronan leaned forward immediately. "Let me see."

Orion handed it over without a word.

Ronan scanned it.

And then he lost it, laughing freely.

Ronan cleared his throat slightly and began reading aloud.

"Uther: A thousand points. The beasts he killed were more than what was on the list."

He glanced up briefly.

"He’s not wrong."

Orion nodded once.

Ronan continued.

"Joren: A thousand points. He’d make a good guard. The beasts he killed were more than even I killed when I first started as a hunter."

Garron huffed quietly.

Ronan kept going.

"Bianca: A thousand points. Again, the beasts she killed were more than any trainee could have killed."

There was no argument there either.

"Miles: A thousand points. He may not have been there, but he was the one who hurriedly took Tarin and Genevieve back to the pack without stopping."

Ronan lowered the parchment slightly.

"He gave him full marks for that."

Orion shrugged.

"I would give full marks for that too, especially after what happened during the test."

Ronan nodded, then continued.

"Holly: She was never part of the group as far as I’m concerned. She failed from the moment she stepped into the forest, and she’s not a part of the pack anymore, but Garron said to add her name."

Garron closed his eyes briefly.

Ronan shook his head, barely able to control the laughter.

"Sophia—ooh, sister-in-law," Ronan said excitedly, then read, "Even all the points gathered couldn’t beat the points she has. A million points and more..."

"There’s no arguing with that one either," Ronan said.

Sophia had more contributions than any other trainee after all, and if it wasn’t for her, Ronan doubted he’d even be alive.

He just continued reading.

"And then he added more names," Ronan said.

Garron crossed his arms.

"Dren. Micah. Cat. Laia. Nia."

Ronan blinked once. "These people aren’t from his team. We already have their results. Why are their names here?"

"I asked him the same thing," Garron said. "He told me it was in case any of the other instructors were mad enough to fail them. That he was passing them."

Ronan laughed again, softer this time.

Orion shook his head. "This has to be the most interesting result."

"Exactly."