Page 33 of Bound By Thorns
Sebastian stood and approached me with a measured gait, his eyes hard with disapproval. “You need help, Logan,” he said coldly. “You aren’t allowed to hurt anyone else on my watch.”
I nodded, subdued but persistent. “Fine, but what condition, Sebastian?”
He paused, his expression softening slightly. “She was shot, not long ago,” he explained, though his tone suggested there was more he wasn’t saying.
“Sebas–”
“Get some sleep, Logan,” Zane said blandly and turned his attention to his laptop.
I looked around the lounge for a few beats, as if I’d summon her. Then, I left.
Pausing outside my room, the weight of the night’s revelations pressed down on me. The silence of the hallway seemed to echo the turmoil inside me—anger, regret, fear. She was out there, heading into a storm of grief, alone, and it was all because of me.
Without entering my room, I turned sharply and headed toward the gym. There, under the dim overhead lights, I took out my frustrations on the nearest punching bag. I didn’t care for boxing wraps, just relying on my hands to take the brunt of the force. Each thud of my fists against the heavy bag was a futile attempt to silence the chaos in my mind.
I lost track of time as I moved from one piece of equipment to another, pushing myself until my limbs trembled and my breath came in ragged gasps. Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes, but I welcomed the pain—it was a distraction from the guilt gnawing at my heart.
It wasn’t until my muscles burned with exhaustion and I could barely stand that I finally stopped. Drained, I slumped against the cool wall, letting the chill seep into my overheated skin. The gym was silent now, my ragged breathing the only sound in the vast space. I didn’t return to my room; instead, I stayed there, on the floor, until the early hours of the morning.
???
“I had a call with Alpha One this morning,” Zarek announced as we gathered around the lounge table for breakfast. My presence was more physical than mental, my thoughts scattered and restless from a sleepless night.
“They’ve officially cleared Kaylan to join Alpha Squad Six as our combat medic,” Zarek continued, effectively snapping my wandering attention back to the conversation.
I stared at Zarek like he was speaking Spanish. For all I knew, he could be, because my mind couldn’t register the impact of what had been just said.
Dylan, munching on his bacon, nodded in approval. “Having a medic in the squad would be nice,” he said, his voice muffled slightly by food.
Zarek waited for the murmurs of agreement to subside before adding, “There’s a catch, though.”
I waited until he had everyone’s attention, especially mine.
“Both of you,” Zarek directed his gaze at me, a serious undertone in his voice, “need clearance for active duty from Dr. Gabriella Mendoza. That’s on my orders.”
I glanced down at my untouched plate, the weight of the conversation making even the simplest movements feel heavy and deliberate.
“I’ll do it, Ghost,” I finally said, raising my eyes to meet his. “I want to be back, completely back.”
Leora gave my shoulder a supportive pat and offered a reassuring smile.
Delara, ever curious, shifted the topic. “Has anyone heard from Kaylan?”
Zane and Sebastian shook their heads.
“Any idea where she might have gone?” Amelia pitched in.
“Just that she’s likely in Boston, her hometown,” Zane supplied.
A heavy silence fell over the group, which I eventually broke. “I need to apologize for last night,” I admitted, my voice low. “I lost control. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“It’s not us you need to make amends with, Logan,” Zarek said gently.
“She left,” I murmured, the guilt evident in my tone. “She wouldn’t even want my apology now.”
“She’ll be back. She’s got unfinished business here. She’ll come back.”
Sebastian’s words hung in the air, unanswered, as I pushed my chair back and left the table. The conversation behind me blurred into meaningless noise as I made my way to my room. My hand was just on the doorknob when Zarek’s voice stopped me.
