Nanny and Her Four Alpha Bullies

Chapter 16 

Coach White lectures us for at least a half hour while we get suited up in gear. We’re all dressed in helmets and chest protectors and all sorts 

of nonsense I don’t think we need. We’re all wolves with the ability to heal ourselves. 

Finally, he breaks us off into teams. I’m on Archer’s team and I can sense the dread behind his eyes. He knows if we lose, Beau will never let him live it down. We’re lined up across from Beau’s team. He’s glaring daggers into my soul. Debbie’s to my right. The gear doesn’t fit her properly. The gun looks awkward in her hand.. 

“Alright!” Coach White shouts from the stans. “All things go. Work together and don’t get shot!” 

He blows the whistle and everyone darts off. Debble and I take a few seconds to kick into gear. I try and fly behind a barrier. There’s a pinging noise and I feel pain radiate up my arm and into my shoulder. I scowl and my hand flies to it. It comes up blue. Less than thirty seconds in and I’ve already been shot. 

My head thuds against the barrier. Around me, there’s more pinging and some shouting. I’ve completely lost sight of where Debbie went. I look around the corner of the barrier and fire a few shots off. I get one of the guys in the chest. Coach whistles him out. 

I’m still peering around the corner when I feel a prescence behind me. Hot breath tickles the back up my neck and sends a shiver down to my toes. I whip back around to face the person. Of course, it’s Archer. 

“Beginner’s luck,” he says, low and tempting. “I’m surprised you haven’t run off yet.” 

I readjust my hands on my gun and fly back to face the field. 

Ping! 

Ping! 

I catch two of Beau’s guys right in the sensitive bit of their chests where the armor doesn’t cover. I turn back to face Archer and hear their strangled cries of pain. I reload my gun with one hand and glare at Archer. I can sense he’s slightly surprised. 

“I may not have traditional training.” I snap. “With fancy coaches and the best equipment money can buy. But I’ve built up my own endurance and my accuracy is near spot on.” I flash my teeth at him. “I’m not running.” 

Archer sends an eyebrow up. He looks, dare I say it, impressed? 

“Fair enough,” he says and moves past me. “Just don’t make us lose.” 

With a nod, he’s off. He moves through the field like lighting, rolling and dodging from barrier to barrier. He gets five of Beau’s team out, all sniping them in the chest. The number of out players is growing. They all stand next to Coach White above the field.. 

A body flies into the barrier next to me. I whip around and find it’s my own teammate, a muscled woman with black braids. 

“He’s insane,” she breathes. “He’s like a liquid, just flowing between obstacles. It’s exactly how he plays rugby. He’s damn near unstoppable.” 

I snort. “He’s flashy,” I say, “Too flashy.” 

The girl shrugs. Her eyes widen and I hear yet another ping as she’s nailed once in the shoulder. Another ping and it’s the chest. She goes down in a grumble of pain. I point my own gun at the enemy and rail off two shots. He goes down just like my own teammate. 

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Thop the barrier and begin to run up the side of the field, close to the wall. I watch Archer take down two–three more men. We both wind up 

behind a fake looking shrub. 

“You’ve lasted a long time,” Archer heaves through heavy breaths. 

“Have 12” I say as I peer over the shrub to get two guys. They go down, ping ping! “I feel like it’s been thirty second since we started.” 

“Around five minutes, Archer corrects. He shoots a guy coming up on our left. “Beau bet you wouldn’t last a minute. I said half of one.” 

I get a guy who’s not looking at us in the ankle. The I hit his breastbone as he goes down in pain. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” 

Archer says nothing as he whirls off to the left. I hear pinging in the distance and the curses of the fallen. Two guys limp off past me. Judging 

by how many students are in the wings with Coach, there’s only Beau left now. 

I slide right and watch as Archer and Beau do this weird tango. Archer flies up and fires, Beau goes down. Then the opposite. I watch as Beau sticks down behind a fence and tries to reload. His gun’s all jammed up and he can’t fix it. He curses just as Archer sails over the top and nails him in the groin. Beau howls in pain and covers up his junk. I can’t help but smile. 

Coach White blows the whistle. “Team Archer wins! Guns down!” 

Tease up on my gun as I see Archer beginning to cross back to me. Then, I hear aping to my right. I’m in the worst position, gun at my side and completely open to the air. I see the ball hurtling through the air at me. It’s not colored like the other balls. It’s a deep, dark grey. I’m watching in slow motion as the ball hurtles through the air, directly at my elbow. I wait to feel the shattering pain throughout my arm but it 

never comes. 

I look down and see that Archer has stepped in. He’s deflected the bullet with his gun. It ricochets off into the field, skimming into my skin. I 

It burns me. I look up at my assailant. 

She immediately drops her gun and throws her hands in the air. “I’m sorry!” She says. “I didn’t hear the whistle and you dropped your guard! I had to take my shot!” 

The whole thing seems insincere. It had been a good bit after Coach blew the whistle that I heard her fire. I scowl at her but it’s broken up by 

Archer stepping in between us. 

“Watch yourself, Evans, he growls. “I don’t stand for unsportsmanlike conduct.” 

“I’m so sorry!” Laura sputters. She frowns at me. Then it twists into a sadistic smirk as Archer looks back at me. Laura darts off into the field. I 

look up at Archer. 

“What was that for?” 

“You okay?” Archer says, completely ignoring my question. I nod. He sighs. “That arm belongs to Mia. Anything that happens to it, is my 

problem.” 

“I could’ve handled it,” I say. 

“You were a sitting duck,” he snaps. “Never let your guard down. Even when drills are over.” He starts to walk off. I watch him walk into the facilities and the door slam behind him. 

The lack of his presence feels odd. It pains me to admit, but i feel more exposed like this. I shake my head and walk up to the bleachers. My 

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team claps me on the back and Coach patches up my arm. Archer never comes back out to the field. 

An hour later, I’m back at the Pyramid. I’ve managed to shower and apply a new wrap to my bullet wound. I have Mia sitting on the floor, in al play pen. She keeps handing me animals and gurgling something in babytalk. I haven’t heard anyone else in the Pyramid since I’ve been back. It’s eerily quiet. 

Mia hands me a giraffe and says something, “Giraffel” I say back to her. She claps her hands together and squeals. I think about my wound. 

Clearly, I’ve made enemies on campus. I’ve only been here a few days and today was only the first class, yet I feel like everyone’s gunning for me. Maybe it’s because of my mom. Maybe it’s because of me. I can’t help but feel on edge. 

Then, there’s Archer’s protection of me. He could’ve easily let Laura’s bullet shatter my bones. But he didn’t because…. 

Because who knows.. 

All I do know is people want me hurt. I think of the dagger Navis gave me. Luckily, I kept it on my person when Archer trashed my suitcase. I don’t know where I put it though. As Mia continues to play with the animals, I start trying to look through my stuff. I go through the pockets of my clothes and find nothing. Then, it dawns on me. 

Those assholes probably took it! 

I scowl and pluck Mia off the floor. I march my ass down the hall to their doors, ready to rage and bang my fists against the doors until they give it back. Surprisingly, all the doors are open. Each of their rooms beckons me into it. I glance over my shoulder, Mia still in my arms. The hallway is silent. I look back at the open doors. 

It feels like a trap. I can’t help but let myself give into it as I step into the first room. 

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