The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 114: What Do You Say?

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: What Do You Say?

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"I need you to tell me what’s going on with that girl."

Astrid didn’t spare Magnus Thorn a glance. "There’s nothing to tell," she said curtly. "Lorraine Anderson is just a student here. That’s all there is to it."

With that, she turned and began walking down the hall, the steady thump of her boots echoing off the tiled floor.

But Magnus followed.

Out of the hospital they went, the night air colder now, sharp like tension pressed against tge skin. The moon hung overhead in a restless sky, casting pale silver light across the academy grounds.

"Astrid," Magnus called, his steps heavy behind her.

She didn’t stop, until he grabbed her arm, halting her in the middle of the courtyard.

"There’s something you’re not telling me," he said firmly, staring her down. "What is it? What’s going on here? You said Lorraine’s just a student, but she’s not. You know it. I am a fool Astrid, I’ve seen the signs. So if something’s happening, I need to know."

Astrid yanked her arm from his grip and spun around, eyes glinting like a blade unsheathed.

"And why do you think you must know?"

Magnus’s jaw tightened. _{f r\eew,eb novel.c(o)(m)}

She took a step closer, her voice cool and sharp. "For your information, Magnus, I don’t trust you. Not one bit."

His eyes darkened. "That’s rich, coming from someone who is currently hiding secrets like bombs."

"Oh, spare me your lecture," she snapped. "For all I know, the stupid Crimson Hunt might have already gotten to you, twisted you, turned you into one of their pawns. It wouldn’t even be the first time it will be happening."

He froze. "What are you implying.....?"

"A spy, Magnus." Her voice cut through the night air like a whip. "Once upon a time, you spied for them. Don’t act like I forgot."

Magnus’s eyes widened. "Astrid..."

But she held up her hand. "Enough!"

Her voice echoed across the empty courtyard, startling a flock of crows from a tree above. She looked away for a breath, as if steadying herself, then turned back with a cold sort of finality.

"Enough of you breathing down my neck, Magnus. Just.... just let me do my thing. I didn’t ask for your help. We were surviving just fine before you came stomping into this academy."

Her voice trembled slightly, not with weakness, but with the strain of too many battles fought alone.

"So leave me be, will you?"

For a moment, Magnus didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

But just as Astrid turned to walk away, determined to disappear into the night, Magnus stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Astrid," he said firmly. "I know all this anger... it’s still about that day. Ten years ago. The day I...."

"Stabbed me," she interrupted coldly. "Say it like it is."

His mouth twitched. "Yes. The day I stabbed you."

"No, Magnus," she said, her voice sharpening. "Not just stabbed. You plunged a sword into my heart.... and then left me there to die. You didn’t even look back."

The words landed like blows, and for a moment, Magnus could only stare at her. Her voice, always composed, cracked just slightly, but her eyes burned with cold fury.

"I know," he said softly. "Astrid, I know. I was wrong. I’m sorry."

She laughed bitterly. "Sorry? Your sorry wouldn’t have mattered if I had died that day."

"I had no choice," Magnus insisted, his voice low and pained. "We were preparing for war against the Crimson Hunt. Their numbers dwarfed ours, and their weapons were unmatched. I had to infiltrate their ranks. I had to become one of them to survive and bring back intel."

Astrid crossed her arms, steel in every inch of her. "You think I held a grudge because you acted as a double agent? Please. I knew exactly what you were doing. I helped you vanish off the record. I was the one who shielded your absence with falsified reports while you embedded yourself with them."

Magnus nodded slowly. "Then you know why I did what I did."

She stepped closer, her voice suddenly quiet but cutting. "Don’t act like this is about strategy. We both know the real betrayal."

He swallowed hard, eyes meeting hers. "I know. The Alpha King.... he wasn’t satisfied. He feared I’d been tainted. That my loyalties had shifted after spending that long and intimate tine with the Crimson Hunt. He wanted proof."

"Proof," Astrid echoed. "And so he ordered you to kill me. Not just someone... me!. The person you cared about most. To prove where your loyalty truly lay. That was the only way his was going to make you his right hand man"

She laughed again, dry and sharp. "And you didn’t hesitate. You didn’t even think. You did it, and then you walked away. And just like that, I was reduced to nothing more than your sacrifice."

"I didn’t want to," Magnus said through clenched teeth. "But I was trying to prove to the Alpha King that he still had my loyalty. If I hadn’t—"

"Don’t justify it," Astrid snapped. "Don’t you dare. You made your choice, Magnus. And maybe it was for the crown. Maybe it was even for the kingdom. But it was never for me."

There was a pause, the air between them thick with everything unspoken over the past decade.

"I know you’d do it again," she said, quieter now. "Even now, after all this time. You’d still pick the crown over me. That’s why I can’t trust you."

He looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"And the good thing is," she continued, stepping back, "I’m not that naive little girl who was stupidly in love with you anymore. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. So forgive me if I don’t fall for your games this time."

Astrid turned and walked away without looking back, her silhouette melting into the moonlight.

And Magnus Thorn..... was left standing in the courtyard, alone.

Lorraine’s POV

Kieran had sat up now, his back resting against the hospital bed’s headboard, and I was curled up beside him, my head resting gently on his chest. His arm was wrapped around me, strong and reassuring, holding me close like he never wanted to let go again.

We didn’t speak for a while.

After that intense, breath-stealing kiss, all I could do was focus on the sound of his heartbeat against my ear, steady and warm. His breathing was slower now, calmer... like he was finally himself again. I hadn’t even realized I was trembling slightly until his thumb grazed softly over my shoulder, grounding me in the moment.

He shifted a little and looked down at me. His brows furrowed. "Lorraine..."

I didn’t lift my head.

"You’re covered in blood." His voice was low, but sharp with something that sounded like alarm. He reached out, touching the dried streaks on my jacket, then looking down at the tattered fabric.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

I hesitated.

"Lorraine." His voice was firmer now, his body tensing.

"I was attacked," I finally said, sighing. "By some elites."

And just like that, I felt his body coil like a tightened spring beneath me. He sat up fully, eyes darkening, flaring with red.

"The elites who dared to touch you..." Kieran stood, his muscles flexing with rage. "I’m going to find them. And I will end them all."

I looked up, leaning forward. "You don’t have to."

"Don’t have to? They laid their hands on you and they will pay with their lives. I am going to kill them all"

"I already did," I said, quieter this time.

He froze.

Slowly, Kieran turned to look at me, his expression unreadable at first. His gaze swept over me, not just my face now, but my arms, my frame, the shape of me beneath Astrid’s oversized jacket. His eyes softened. And then... a small, dangerous smile tugged at the edge of his lips.

"You’ve grown," he murmured. "Your muscles are a little more defined. You’ve been training."

I nodded once.

He took a slow step forward, then another, and returned to where I sat on the bed. But now, his gaze dropped to my chest, his eyes filled with both heat and lust.

"You’re not wearing anything under thaat jacket," he stated.

I blinked.

"No," I answered, dryly. "Your wolf saw to that. Ripped off my shirt like I was nothing but a toy." I exhaled sharply. "This jacket is Astrid’s. She gave it to me after..."

His jaw tightened slightly, his hands curling into fists, whether from shame or protectiveness, I wasn’t sure. But then, his expression shifted again. He stepped in even closer and lifted his hand slowly to my face.

His palms were warm, large, and comforting. I leaned into them without meaning to.

"There are so many things I want to do with you," he said softly, his thumb tracing along my bottom lip. His voice was low, hoarse, almost reverent. "So many things I want to do to you...."

My breath hitched.

Kieran’s eyes locked with mine, deep and burning with something intense. He tilted his head slightly, brushing a loose strand of hair from my cheek.

"What do you say...." he murmured, his thumb still lingering on my lip "we leave this place? Just for a day or two. You and me. Away from the academy, the rules, away from everyone. No wolves. No war. No politics. Just us. So what do you say Lorraine??"