Plier (Ironside Academy #1)

by Jane Washington

The Fated Stage, as we’ve decided to label it, calls together the “Anchor” of a bonded pair with the “Tether.” It assumes that mates are fated from birth and cannot be forced, avoided, or changed. And it is the workings of fate that are believed to bring together those destined to be bonded.

And then a bond half-formed, wreaking absolute havoc on their lives with all sorts of chaotic mayhem until they completed the bond with a permanent marking. Sometimes, it was in formal tattoo ceremonies that were carried out like weddings, but sometimes it happened by accidental scarring.

Kalen was likely still trying to hunt down Oscar, but Theodore didn’t know why. Either way, it seemed serious. It always was with Oscar. Mikel was on bed rest after coming between Theodore and Moses again, but he would be fine. His body had adjusted to the constant abuse. He healed faster than anyone, even Niko.

“Maybe I just like her,” Kilian suggested, narrowing his light, green-gold eyes. “She’s considerate. She’s dry. She’s the meekest, most unintentionally savage girl at the academy. It’s delightful. She’s different to the suck-ups that usually hang around us. If it’s so surprising to you that someone else might enjoy her, then you can’t like her all that much yourself.”

Swim, Illy. It was her mother’s voice again. Familiar but unfamiliar. She sounded so calm, so peaceful, no longer chased by the demon who hunted them both through the halls of their own home. Freed from Braun Carter.

“That sounds like getting involved.” “Not if I hook it up to Oscar’s phone.” “That sounds downright danger—actually, that’s brilliant.” “I know.” “He’ll be so annoyed, and you know what happens when he gets annoyed.” “I know.” “He’ll be in such a bad mood he’ll scare off anyone who tries to mess with her.” “Gabe. It was my idea.”

She rubbed her hands over her arms, drinking him in as he shared his incredible talent with her. It wasn’t until that moment that she knew, without a doubt, that he would win the game. He was the Icon of their age. Like he said, it was the only option.

It was the shock that did it. It was the shock that made him pick her up, and it was the shock that had his heart suddenly racing like he was about to dive off a cliff.

“Why is Sato texting you?” Isobel scrambled up, accepting the phone Eve handed to her and quickly opening the message. Sato: I’m collecting. “I owe him a favour,” Isobel squeaked.

“You’re saturated,” he said, his dark eyes landing on hers. She swallowed, her heart stopping. “What?” “In Kilian’s scent.”

She hadn’t realised before, but she was … well … damp. Not quite saturated. It was hard to tell, but something weird was definitely going on. It was wrong to let Kilian affect her that way, even if he did look like an actual angel. Even if he was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.

And in a den, we’re very sensitive about smells. Kilian’s sexuality doesn’t even come into it. You don’t saturate someone unless you’re claiming them.”

His eyes drifted lazily up to hers again. “Break a leg today.” She gripped her bag so hard her nails were cutting into her palm. “Why does it sound like you mean that?” He only bared his teeth, his hard lips peeling back to flash teeth that likely weren’t any sharper than anyone else’s teeth, but they still made his smile look deadly.

He squeezed her, setting her back down on his bed, and then he began to trace the messy strands of her hair. He touched her chin, lightly thumbed the edge of her mouth, and eventually set his hands on her shoulder. “Better,” he muttered, even though he hadn’t changed a thing.

Kilian came in first, his chair hitting the ground with a thump as he saw her. A laugh burst out of him, and he crooked a finger at her. “No no no, young lady. Come here.” She dragged her feet all the way over to him, frowning as he unbuttoned the shirt enough that it was hanging open at the top and the bottom. “You’re not dancing for a job interview,” he teased.

Including Professor Easton and Professor West—who ironically looked like night and day. Mikel Easton was slighter than the giant standing next to him, but he looked rougher, meaner, those scars mottling his face. His sharp features, strong nose, and clean, arched brows might have made him handsome, but all of it was tagged by jagged white lines. People online were calling him ugly, saying that even his hair looked like dark blood,

Kalen West, on the other hand, was huge. His face was broad and chiselled, his dark mahogany hair cropped short, containing the hint of a curl against his collar. He had yellow-amber eyes, like gems, like the eyes of a tiger. The colour merged with his golden Alpha ring, making his eyes appear to glow from where he stood across the room. He had his hands tucked into his pockets, and from the bulges straining against the material, she assumed he was curling them into fists.

His well-shaped brows jumped up, like he was challenging her about something, but the smile on his lips was easy and light. It was a mask. She had seen it on the show a thousand times. Nobody ever got past the social mask Niko Hart put on.

Spade and Reed, who sat there like robots, ready to analyse her every move. Which … made sense, actually.

Theodore was tugging her up, pulling her into another crushing hug. He was getting good at those. Less stiff, his hands warmer, holding her so close that she could feel the breath that filled his chest. “You were so good.” His words brushed her temple, his heart pounding against hers. “You’re the one who should win this game.”

“I watched every second—no.” The last word was a growl, and she realised there was another hand against her back. Kilian’s familiar smell wrapped around her. “Theo,” he said calmly. Theodore set her down, and Kilian quickly pulled her away, his mouth set into a firm line. Theodore winked at her, strolling off to the other Alphas like the weird moment hadn’t happened at all.

jealous Theo is ma jam

“Oh, you messed up alright,” Kilian tittered. “The last video of you dancing wasn’t anything like this. Now people are going to know what it looks like when you really try, and it is not good news for you. Unless you like death threats and extreme hazing.”

Kilian bit back an amused smile. “Run, little Sigma.” “Don’t think I won’t,” Isobel shot back, flicking her tangled hair over her shoulder

Gabriel, Moses, and Oscar were still in their seats, still in the exact same position. Arms crossed, legs spread, lips frowning. Moody bastards. Cian was up with Niko, both of them talking in low voices and casting blank looks toward the door Isobel had disappeared out of.

Kalen stalked out, Mikel his dark shadow. Moses and Oscar escaped next, leaving Gabriel and Elijah to saunter off like none of this bothered or threatened them in the least. They were pretty good actors, actually.

Niko and Cian cornered Theodore, herding him out while pretending not to herd him at all, their arms around his shoulders and their fingers poking his ribs as they teased him about being an angsty, piano-playing fuck.

Niko was so predictable. He had remained the most ambivalent toward Isobel, while she seemed to have everyone else either annoyed, amused, or curious—which meant they were completely up in arms compared to their usual blindness to anyone who wasn’t an Alpha. But today she had shown her true colours, and Niko had noticed her for the first time. And now here he was. Pounding out balls against a brick wall like he was trying to write out what the fuck is going on in braille.

“You’re the one who broke it off,” he said, but there was no bite to his tone. If anything, he whined a little bit. Kilian wasn’t sunny like Theodore and Niko, moody like Moses and Oscar, stupid-smart like Gabriel and Elijah, or tough like Mikel and Kalen. Maybe he was like Cian, but Cian was wily and guarded his heart behind a ten-foot wall of mystery, which was guarded by a twenty-foot wall of charm. Kilian was softer than the rest of them. He was fucking sensitive, dammit.

“Who is she to you, Kil?” “What is it to you?” Kilian shot back too quickly. “You’ve only ever been with guys, that I know of.” For the first time, Aron sounded … unsure. Concerned? “I … guess I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you need to talk. It’s clear something is going on.”

oh so he was gay????

“Is she your mate?” Aron rushed out, like he couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Jesus. Fuck,” Kilian swore. “Are you insane? Goodbye, Aron.” He quickly ended the call,

“Mate?” he asked the silent room, the word dying off on an exasperated laugh. Bonding was rare. Very rare. So rare that it had only happened three times at Ironside over the years, and only twice since he had been alive.

He wanted to be friends with her. Was that really such a big deal? She was sensitive just like he was. She was more similar to him than any of the Alphas, and he had been cooped up with them for almost two years already without any external stimulation.

Kilian stole a sausage from Cian’s plate, pointing it at Niko. “Bad form today. What’s got you all twisted up?” Niko, who hadn’t even showered yet and still had sticky strands of bleached blond hair matted to his forehead, forced a smile. “An opponent surprised me, but that’s okay. I’ll demolish them like I’ve demolished all the others.” Kilian dropped the sausage, his stomach twisting. He snatched up a napkin, wiping his fingers. “Just do it gently,” he whispered, keeping his eyes on the table.

“What kind of things do you like?” “Sexy things.” He arched a brow at her, tipping his chin down in challenge. He also liked to tease her like this, to make it known he thought she was pathetically innocent. She blushed and grimaced at the same time. “I don’t think I’m equipped for that kind of present.” “Practice makes perfect,” he said easily, but he didn’t really mean it.

“What kind of things do you like?” She dug her heels in, lifting her chin to meet his stare despite the stain of colour blossoming along the tops of her cheeks. “I like when things go my way, I like the way the sun rises in the desert, and I like very strong coffee.”

She scrunched up her nose and then pulled out her phone, googling what time the sun was supposed to rise on Sunday, before pausing and shaking her head. Why would she go to that kind of effort for Ashford? “No no no.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Whatever you were thinking, don’t chicken out. It doesn’t suit you.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you act like a Sigma,” he admitted lowly, his words landing on the top of her head. “Sometimes you bark at me like you think you have Alpha voice.” “How diminishing.” She crossed her arms, her mouth setting into a hard line, her empty cup tapping agitatedly against her bicep. “Yeah, just like that.” He chuckled. “Did you really organise this for me just because I told you to give me a present?”

Cian … The voice floated into her mind, tinkling and musical. I’m sorry, Cian. “W-what the fuck,” she stuttered out. She didn’t know that voice. “L-let go.” “I … can’t.” He was breathing even heavier, his fingers starting to shake against her shoulder. Cian … I’m sorry. “Ashford!” She tried to pry his arm off. He was too big, and his trembling was actually shaking through her chest. “Fuck,” he gasped. “I can’t.” He’s having a panic attack. The voice in her head was louder this time, more insistent. Help him. Help my Cian

Cian was almost touching her. His arms braced either side of her. And Oscar was … angry. He wanted the inherent mistrust and suspicion he had for the Sigma to be warranted. He didn’t want more evidence that she was just as soft and fucking pure as everyone seemed to think she was.

“She was on the edge!” Kilian broke away, shaking his head as they spilled out of the library. “You stay away from her!” He pointed at Oscar, stabbing him in the chest. “You pull one more stunt like this, and I’m dragging your ass to Kalen.” “Why wait?” Oscar smirked. “Run to daddy.”

“Come talk to me, Sigma.” “I have a name.” She folded her arms, staring at his hand. “Please, Carter. We need to talk about what happened.”

Kalen’s eyes weren’t the same. One was his usual yellowed amber, but the other was pale honey with gold specks. The exact same shade as Isobel’s. Kilian pulled her closer, pinching her even tighter against his burning skin. “You’re her mate

Niko. Cian. Oscar. Moses. Elijah. Gabriel. They all had a single gold-flecked eye.

They had all quietly considered that Theodore might have been her mate, even if they didn’t admit it out loud. But this? Nobody could have expected this. This didn’t make sense in the slightest. He had no idea if anything like this had ever happened before.

“Kil.” Cian finally collapsed into a chair, his eyes heavy on Kilian’s face. “I’m sorry.” Kilian winced, cuddling her closer. He didn’t need pity. Isobel had made him wonder … made him think things … but being forced to feel a certain way about one person, about one gender? That was a whole other thing. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said firmly.

“You have a mate.” Mikel was so shocked he could barely speak. That poor girl. Holy fuck, that poor, poor girl.

Kilian sat with his head in his hands, his shoulders hunched and tense. Cian looked like he was staring into the eyes of a demon only he could see, but he was the only one who didn’t look entirely shell-shocked, his arm looped around Kilian like he didn’t know quite how to console the other boy.

They all had it. The gold eye. Like some sort of plague that had rapidly burst through the dorm.

But it was Kilian he was most worried about. Kilian and Kalen. And goddammit … himself, too.

“We’re all too old for her,” Oscar added. “Just in case you were floundering for reasons.” “Bro.” Cian groaned, his arm dropping from Kilian’s shoulders. “Shut the fuck up.” “I’m literally her age.” Moses rolled his eyes at Oscar. “And Theo is only a year older. Cian, Niko, and Kilian are … what? Three years older? Even Kalen is only seven years older. Stop stirring, Oscar.”

I love Oscar and how he's an agent of chaos