Chapter 560: Finalizing Results

The office felt smaller with everyone in it.

Brynhild stood near the wall, composed as always. Gregory beside her, taking up more than his fair share of space without seeming to notice. Kevin had taken the chair across the desk. Ethan stood near the door with his arms folded, present but giving the impression of a man who had somewhere else he’d rather be.

Garron settled at the side.

Orion at the head of it all.

Ronan beside him.

The parchments were already laid out. Each trainee had indicated their preference before training even began — guard/warrior, hunter — so in principle it was straightforward. In practice, it took time. Every name deserved a proper look. A cross-reference between preference, performance, and what the examiners had observed in the forest.

They moved through it methodically.

Some names were easy. The trainee wanted guards, the results said guards, the captains agreed. Done.

Others needed a moment. A brief exchange across the table. A question about what had been seen during the test and if they had what it took.

Garron spoke. Kevin responded. Brynhild confirmed. Gregory added where he needed to. Ethan said very little but when he spoke, no one questioned it...most of the time.

He had been an examiner and had also led some of the trainees to help Ronan when they were in the forest after all.

The ones who had failed were noted separately.

When the last name had been placed, the table settled into a brief silence.

Then Gregory leaned toward Orion.

"Are you certain," he said, "that Sophia doesn’t want to join our ranks?"

Orion laughed at that.

"As far as I’m concerned," he said, "she doesn’t want to join. But—" He tilted his head slightly toward Gregory. "You’re welcome to ask her yourself when you see her. Maybe you can convince her."

Gregory straightened with the quiet confidence of a man who believed he could.

Ronan snorted at that.

"Good luck with that," he said. "My sister-in-law is stubborn. There’s no convincing her of anything she’s already decided against."

Brynhild nodded slowly. "From what I know of her," she said, "Sophia is very clear about this. She learned to fight to protect the people she cares about. To protect the pack." She paused before she continued. "She has no interest in being a guard or a hunter. That was never what it was about for her."

Kevin sighed.

"I’d have liked it if she was one," he said simply. "She has everything it takes."

No one disagreed with that.

The room held it for a moment.

Then Kevin spoke up. "Given everything that’s happened, I was thinking, instead of announcing the results tomorrow, how about a day after? The trainees who fought with you all are at the medical facility, even if it’s for minor injuries and mostly exhaustion. They should get some time to rest at least."

"And make them even more anxious about the results?" Gregory asked.

"I’m with Kevin on this," Ethan added. "Let’s not rush it. We should give the trainees time to rest up a bit, speak with their families too."

Brynhild nodded. "I mean, I don’t see any rush in us posting the results. It’s not like they have anywhere to go."

"And the earrings and beads still need to be sorted out. Though the jewelers can do it, but if we just tell them we need it tomorrow and tell them today, imagine the curses they’ll rain on us," Ronan added.

Orion nodded at that. "Well...that does make sense. There was a reason we were rushing things before, but we can’t do that anymore because the reason is here." Then he turned to Garron. "Will you go to the jewelers?"

"They’ll still curse us for giving them a rush job, but I’ll go," Garron said with a nod.

Orion nodded. "Okay then, we’re done."

Kevin was the first to leave, followed by Gregory. Orion was still seated. He rolled his neck once, the tension in it releasing with a dull ache.

He stretched his arms above his head, making plans to go home to see Sophia. He was certain she would be awake now. And he had to inform her about Tobias after all.

He had just stood up from his chair when the knock came.

He stopped.

"Come in."

The door opened and Garrett stepped inside, slightly breathless, like he’d walked quickly to get there.

"Alpha," he said. "Lysander and Genevieve are done."

The room went still for a while before movement took over.

---

They made their way to the medical facility together.

The compound was quieter now, the pale light of late afternoon sitting flat across the snow. Their footsteps were the loudest thing on the path.

No one said much.

When they reached the facility and pushed through the doors, the first thing Orion noticed was how tired everyone looked.

Lysander was in a chair. His hair was disheveled. There was something on his sleeve that he hadn’t noticed or hadn’t bothered to address.

Genevieve was nearby, both hands wrapped around a cup of water, drinking like she hadn’t had any in hours. Which she probably hadn’t.

The trainee healers and nurses who had assisted them were scattered around the room in various states of exhaustion. Some sitting. Some leaning against the walls.

Ethan immediately made his way to Genevieve without hesitation.

Orion turned to Lysander.

Lysander looked up at him.

And shook his head.

Ronan stepped forward immediately. "What does that mean?" His voice came out sharper than he probably intended. "Is there something more with Tobias? What are you—"

"Ronan." Lysander’s voice was quiet. "Calm the fuck down."

Ronan stopped.

"Tobias is stable," Lysander said. "He’s...breathing."

The breath Ronan let out was audible.

"I shook my head because I am exhausted and because you all always put yourselves in danger and then drag me away from my home when it gets too dangerous," Lysander said, and then he shook his head again.

"What took you guys so long?" Orion asked him.

"The poison had already started spreading to his organs by the time he got to us," Lysander replied simply. "That’s why it took as long as it did. We had to make sure we drew all of it out. Every trace. We weren’t going to stop until we were certain."

He shifted in the chair, leaning forward slightly with his elbows on his knees.

"But it’s done," he said. "Tobias is alive, and I’m certain within a few days he’ll regain consciousness, although I don’t know for how long that would happen because I may just make him unconscious when he regains it."

"He had a fucking fever, and knowing Tobias, I’m very certain he just shrugged it off and kept on doing whatever he was doing because he didn’t take note," Lysander grumbled out.

"Um...I’m confused. The fever is from the injury, right?" Ronan asked.

"No, brother," Lysander told him. "Tobias was already sick before he had that injury."

The room was quieter after that. Orion and Ronan exchanged looks then. Tobias was in a lot of trouble.

Brynhild made her way to her husband.

"Where is Sam?"

"With Tobias. She’s in his room," he told her, taking her hand in his.

"You see, love," Brynhild said to her husband, "you and Genevieve just did something most healers cannot accomplish. And still you wonder why people call you the miracle healer?"

Lysander cracked a smile at that.