The abandoned wolfless but true princess

CHAPTER SEVEN

ELEANOR’s POV.

With a little smile on my face, I made my way into the dormitory and there I saw Kathy seated on the bed, waiting for me.

Her worried look got to me and I stopped smiling. I knew she was concerned, it was evident on her face.

“Eleanor,” she beamed excitedly as she threw herself in my embrace, “Gosh, I was worried about you,”

“I am fine,” I said, wincing in pain. My whole body was in pain but I guess she was excited to see me and forgot about that.

“Tell me,” she pulled me towards the bed, “what did Branko do?”

My mind drifted to him and I let out a little sigh. Part of me was glad that he was my ally but the other part of me, it was annoying that he still chose to take their side instead of mine. My father asked him to take care of me but he was still taking their side.

“Nothing much,” I answered with a shrug, “just the usual stay in your lane and all that. You know what he would say already,”

I didn’t want to tell her about the fact that Branko knew exactly who I was and what my father had asked him to do. I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself and most especially not Kathy, she wouldn’t let me hear the last of it of how I am a princess and I shouldn’t let anyone treat me in such a manner.

“Well, at least you are safe” she clasped her hand over mine again, “I was really worried about you, Eleanor. Corey is known for his ruthlessness. I didn’t know he was going to put you on the chopping board like that”

I let out another sigh. Running through that forest away from everyone made me realize something. I was utterly alone in this academy, I was solely responsible for my own survival. If anything had happened to me, the case would have been probably buried and that would be the last anyone heard of me.

“The hunting game,” her voice pulled me out of my train of thoughts again and I turned my head to face her, “it’s an age long tradition, Eleanor,” Kathy continued, “my elder siblings all attended this academy and it has been going on for what seems like forever.

“Why does the school even let that happen?” Anger surged through me as I asked that question. I was practically fighting for my life in that forest while I heard them run after me and laugh.

“It’s not like it can just be stopped, Eleanor,” she answered, “the powerful ones make the weak ones into preys for their own amusement. So you see? No one said anything when Corey announced it, they are already used to it. A student had lost his life due to this but it had not been abolished” she tightened her grip on me, concern spilling out of her eyes for me, “ was so worried when you ran off, “look Eleanor, she pulled closer to me, “you should really stay away from them, they will ruin you and not think twice about it.

“What do you mean?”

“Jorge, Corey and Zaki, they are like the pinnacle of the academy. Jorge’s grandfather owns this academy. Corey and Zaki are from elite families. Jorge is very competitive and won’t leave his opponent until he draws blood which you know already,” she said with a sigh, “ Corey—Corey is a bit mysterious, he is a leader but a ruthless one at that. He will not mind stepping on your toes just to make sure he achieves whatever he wants to achieve. You should stay away from the two of them” she paused for a while, her eyes searching mine for some kind of response. When I didn’t say anything, Kathy continued,”Zaki, he does not go looking for trouble but he is no better either. Just stay away from all of them including Xena, they will make your life miserable,”

I didn’t say a word. I just allowed her words to settle in. I already knew that about them but I was more surprised at the extent they would go to hurt someone just to make themselves feel better. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Then a specific name dropped in my heart and I turned to Kathy, her forehead creased up from the way I was looking at her.

“Branko,” his name slipped out of my mouth, “what can you say about him?”

“Coach?” She heaved a sigh, “coach is just in another world of his own, Eleanor. He is a good person, from the times I have interacted with him but then he is unapproachable. It’s almost impossible to want to have a conversation with him, he seems like an unreachable height”

I tuned the rest of her words out and allowed my mind to settle on it. From all of them, I was more worried about Branko but the fact still remained that I needed to up my game or I would be in a whole lot of mess.

“I will go take a shower,” I finally announced as I pulled my body off the bed. The only thing I wanted to do at this point was take a shower and a nap—I didn’t want to think about everything that was going on anymore.

The crack of dawn met me in the middle of the field trying to train myself. If I wanted to fight back, I needed to be strong.

I kept training, using the tactics I saw Jorge use to up my game. Sweat poured down my body, pain surged through my veins but I couldn’t stop—not when I needed to be as strong as I should be.

I didn’t know for how long I stood in the middle of the field, exerting my powers but just when I was about to take a break, I slipped on the slippery grass and lost my footing.

It all happened in a quick instant and I waited for my body to heat the ground but it never came—instead I was suspended in the air with a hand snaked around my waist.

I opened my eyes and that familiar face popped up—Jorge. For a few seconds, we remained like that and I kept wondering what he was doing here until reality dawned on me and I straightened myself out of his embrace.

“What do you think you are doing?” I asked as I moved away from him, “are you following me now?”

“Follow?” He scoffed as his hands went akimbo, “I was training at the other side and I couldn’t help but watch you train—clumsily”

I rolled my eyes to the back of my head. Not like I expected him to say anything good since I did what I did to him yesterday.

“I do not have time for your jabs this morning, Jorge” I said, “so please leave”

He stood silently for a few minutes, his eyes not leaving me. I couldn’t fathom what was in his eyes but I could bet a penny he was thinking of a thousand ways to kill me and get away with it—how predictable.

“Come,” he finally called out to me, “let me teach you a few moves,”

“What?” My eyes popped open, was he being serious right now?

“You heard me,” he added with a head tilt, “you could do with some practice,” he added with a nod, “so are you in or out?”