Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 188: The Whispers in the Corridor

Chapter 188: The Whispers in the Corridor

Evaline:

The week passed in a blur of lectures, notebooks, and hastily consumed cups of milk.

Between the two tests I had on Tuesday and Thursday, my days were a well-organized chaos of study sessions, rushed breakfasts, and cramming notes until my fingers started protesting.

When I wasn’t in class or scribbling away in the study halls, I was at my usual hidden corner on the second floor of library where Draven would sneak by with his usual knowing smirk and some freshly sliced fruit, or a warm drink.

We didn’t always talk.

Sometimes he just sat across from me, flipping pages of some ancient historical tome as his leg brushed mine under the table. Sometimes, he would lean over and whisper some random fact in my ear that had nothing to do with what I was studying, just to make me smile.

And smile, I did. Stupidly. Helplessly.

My relationship with him was growing by the day - like the soft, quiet snowflakes that built a mountain without anyone noticing.

As for Oscar... well, he was never too far away either.

I caught him watching me all the time. From across the dining hall, from the opposite side of the training yard whenever I was walking through the corridor next to it, even in the hallways. Our eyes would lock for a split second before we would look away. Heat would rise to my cheeks, while my heart thudded ike I had been caught doing something forbidden.

Because in a way... I had been.

I was someone’s mate... two someones’ mate... and yet neither of those relationships could be public. At least, not yet.

Still, not all my thoughts were consumed by romance and secrecy. A strange awareness had been threading itself through my mind lately. It had a name, or maybe it didn’t, but the feeling was centered around Kieran.

He had always been kind. Always a little soft-spoken with me. Even when I pushed him away, even when I put a boundary between us, he respected it.

But lately... I could feel his eyes on me.

Not constantly, and never in a way that made me feel uncomfortable or unsafe, but just present. As if he was always aware of me. Watching. Waiting.

The few times I did cross paths with him outside of Herbs and Potions classes, there was a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze. Something close to sorrow... or maybe longing.

And guilt.

Which made me feel guilty. And confused. And, frankly, terrified.

Because I couldn’t afford to wonder about Kieran, not now when I was already trying to manage the tangled threads of two growing bonds and a secret pregnancy.

I was already walking a tightrope. One unexpected gust, and I might fall.

- - -

It was Friday morning when the world shifted again.

I left Professor Elira’s class mid-lecture to retrieve a specific archive book from the library. She sent me with a quick note and instructions to return fast. I was hurrying down the western corridor when I heard it.

A single word.

"Dead."

It cut through the air like a blade, causing me to freeze mid-step.

The corridor was completely empty as everyone was in class. The only reason I was even out here was because of the errand. No one else should be here.

Which meant... someone wasn’t where they were supposed to be.

I shifted silently, hugging the wall and peeking around the next corner. Thats when I saw two seniors standing just outside a disused classroom, half-hidden by the hallway’s shadows.

I didn’t know their names, but if I wasn’t wrong, they they both were in second year.

They were speaking in hushed voices, unaware of my presence.

I strained my ears to catch what they were saying, my heart hammering in my chest.

"...I don’t think we should go," the girl whispered. "What happened to Carson-Stars! He’s dead."

"There are rumors that he’s not DEAD dead," the guy whispered back. "They are calling it something like... damn! I can’t recall the term."

My stomach dropped.

Carson. Though I didn’t recognize the name, I had a feeling that these two were talking about the senior who was found Soul Dead last term.

This made me wonder about these two second-years. Were they part of that so-called secret student group Kieran mentioned?

"I’m telling you," the boy continued, "they are regrouping. He’s back. And he’s calling in the old circle."

"No one even says his name anymore," she muttered. "I thought he disappeared."

"Well, he didn’t," the guy said. "And if he’s asking for us to show up tonight... we can’t say no."

A silence followed.

"Are you going?" she finally asked.

"...Yeah. I have to. We have to."

The girl cursed under her breath, low and sharp. "This is a mistake. A big one."

"I know. But if we ignore it... we might end up like Carson."

I clutched the corner of the wall, trying to keep my breathing silent as fear and dread pooled in my chest.

A second later, the two seniors stepped back into the hallway and started walking in the opposite direction. I didn’t move until I could no longer hear their footsteps.

When I finally did, my hands were shaking.

It turned out what happened to Crason wasn’t really a secret, at least not among the people who might be a part of that secret group. Was it the group’s doing then... what happened to Crason?

Was it a punishment? A curse? A ritual gone wrong?

And who was the he they were referring to, the one calling the group back?

My mind was buzzing with questions but there was no one to answer them. My first thought was to look for Kieran, but I had no idea where he might be and I also needed to return to my class.

So, I continued on my way to class while trying to calm myself down. But no matter how hard I tried, I was barely able to focus on anything throughout the day.

To make things worse, there was no sign of Kieran and his class was also canceled. This left me at a complete loss about what was I supposed to do with what I overheard earlier.