In the common room, shifters sat silently, still in shock. Several students had been killed, and all of them bore some kind of mark or another.
It was enough to make him pull his head out of his ass. Here he was, solely focussed on moving forward past the barrier that had blocked him for so long, and here were shifters who didn’t have witches, left to deal with the aftermath on their own. Justin was willing to bet that none of them had killed before.
Nick? he sent through their link.
Where are you? Nick asked.
Ground floor, common room. Is the link open?
It is now, what’s going on?
We need to talk to Mrs H. I know she’s hurting, but so are the people here. These guys have no witch to console them, nobody to talk through the horror. They need counselling, or members from their own pack to come and visit. Until all that can happen, they need us. Strong, experienced shifters. We’re called the fucking Apex for a reason. Time to earn the brand.
On my way, Nick replied.
Us as well, Oz sent.
Uh, we can’t come right now, Dean sent, an odd tone in his voice.
His dragon growled that their beasts needed them, and to leave them alone with the new bond dynamics. Justin shrugged. Okay, they could work without the three of them. He’d never been bonded, so he had no idea what adding another shifter to the mix would do. Few witches had more than one familiar, and Melody already had three.
There were four of them, he wasn’t sure what they were going to do about the female shifters, but at least the males here had the four of them. It was a start.
When Nick joined him, Justin strode forward to stand in the middle of the room. He waited until everyone had noticed him and the scattered conversations had stilled.
He didn’t bother to raise his voice, their superior hearing took care of the need, and a resounding call to action was not what he intended.
“As shifters, we have certain instincts, certain abilities that the witches don’t. It enables us to do things that people wouldn’t normally be able to do. We fight harder, we love wilder and when necessary, we kill with precision.”
The silence was deafening.
“Yesterday, the academy was attacked. We come here to get a decent education, the best training and to find our witch. This is our haven, our home, our family. I’m willing to bet that most of you have never killed a sentient being before yesterday.”
A young shifter in the corner leant forward and heaved the contents of his stomach noisily onto the floor. Justin didn’t move, didn’t yell, didn’t sigh or show any signs of impatience.
“That reaction is perfectly normal and valid. I threw up for a week the first time I killed a man,” he told them.
This time, there were harsh whispers as they absorbed that fact and its meaning.
“We are from many packs, several species and our origins are all over the country. Yet here in this space, we are one. Look around you,” he ordered. Pausing to let them do so. “The men and women here are your pack. It doesn’t matter whether you share a link, or a name, or a physical attribute. You are stuck here with these people until you can leave, and they are your new family.”
There were a few mutters of agreement, but nobody took it any further.
“Yesterday, you defended your pack from those who would take everything from us. You know who I spend my time with, you know who he’s bonded, and you might think you know his witch.” Justin shook his head at them.
Behind him, Nick growled warningly.
Walk very carefully, brother, Nick cautioned him, no warmth in his tone.
Justin’s dragon rumbled back. As if he’d hurt her. No, Justin knew exactly what he was going to say.
“What you dealt with yesterday, was nothing compared to what she had to deal with. She was never in a position to stand up to them as you did. You saw her in that dome, saw the effects of what they did to her as the spells binding her tighter than any leash, were released.”
His gaze panned around the room, noting who looked at him, who scowled, smiled or looked away. Most of all, he noted those who looked at the floor.
“Yesterday, you had a glimpse of her true colours. You saw just a fraction of the courage that she has, the strength she has and the hope that she represents to us all. She was willing to give up her life to save Nick and me. And the others.”
There were gasps around the room. Witches were notorious for pitching their familiars in front of them as a shield. Why risk yourself when your shifter will defend you? Witches did not risk themselves for shifters. Ever.
“She nearly died, several times. All to save us from ending up bound to that coven. Think of that. The next time you see her in the halls, having a hard time, remember that she is the witch who put our wellbeing before her own.”
Where are you going with this? Nick asked him.
Justin ignored him. “What you all did yesterday, the shifters you killed, the witches you attacked, the wounds you accrued—was all in defence of this academy. It was in defence of those weaker or unable to fight. It was to uphold our right to stay here in safety, although you may not feel safe right now, we struck a mighty blow to Bestia. You should all be proud of yourselves.”
Some of the shifters began to stir. Good.
“You’re untrained, untried, and yet you won. You beat shifters with years of battle experience behind them, because from what Melody has told us, we know that Bestia was hell for shifters. Did you hear her screaming at the end? Begging us not to
