Chapter 0476
The run is as grueling as I knew it would be, with Rafe, Jesse, and Jackson each taking turns to backtrack and run at my heels, forcing me to pick up speed or get trampled down by their gigantic feet.

By the end of it, I’m bending over with my hands on my knees, my head hanging, trying to catch my breath while the three of them chat casually about their plans for the day.

“Come on, little man,” Rafe says, clapping me on the back and making me stumble a few steps forward. “You smell terrible. Let’s get you showered before breakfast.” He just grins when I straighten up and glare at him.

I scowl, following along with them, but glance anxiously up at Jackson when he drapes a casual arm around my shoulder. “Do I really smell?”

“It’s a nice musk,” he says, giving me a sad smile that breaks into a laughing grin as I tilt my head back and groan with embarrassment. Together, the four of us hurry back to the rooms to clean up before breakfast.

Breakfast passes quickly as we fall easily back into the rhythms of the school. Ben and I sit on either side of Luca, giving him some tips about how to pay attention in lessons when things get particularly boring – something he’s apparently never tried before – but before I know it, we’re slugging down the rest of our coffee as we stand, Ben and I still planning to head for the library for our free study period.

“Remember,” Rafe says, stepping close to Ben and pointing a finger in his face. “You’re on bodyguard duty now and when you walk him to class. If Ari even -”