The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 116: Found

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Found

Lorraine’s POV

I finished tugging on the shirt and sweatpants Kieran had given me, the fabric soft against my skin. The shirt hung off my frame, a little too large, brushing the middle of my thighs. I grabbed the towel and rubbed it through my wet hair, trying to soak up the dampness.

When I finally opened the bathroom door and stepped out, Kieran was standing by the window. He had changed too, black trousers, a fitted casual shirt, and a jacket that hugged his frame perfectly. His long black hair was tied neatly into a ponytail, a few loose strands framing his face. And the face itself?

Godses help me.

He looked too good. Too refined. Too powerful. Sometimes I wondered how the universe could sculpt someone like him and then toss him into my path like a weapon I could never wield safely.

"This shirt’s a little too big," I said, tugging at the fabric awkwardly.

Kieran turned to look at me, his eyes trailing slowly over my form. "I think it fits you perfectly," he said, voice low, eyes lingering.

His gaze made my breath catch for half a second, but I forced myself to focus. "Before we leave," I said, clearing my throat, "Can I ask you something?"

He nodded, his expression softening a little. "Go ahead."

I hesitated, then let the words slip out before I could change my mind. "Your mother.... the Alpha Queen. How did she die?"

The shift in him was immediate.

His jaw clenched. His body, just moments ago so fluid and at ease, went still, too still. The soft warmth in his eyes hardened like ice freezing over a lake.

"I’m sorry, I shouldnt have asked" I added quickly, "You don’t have to..."

"No," he cut in, his voice quieter now, but rougher. "It’s fine."

But it wasn’t.

He walked away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, just stared at the floor, his brows furrowed like he was battling something inside himself.

"She’s not dead," he said quietly.

My breath caught.

I blinked, unsure if I heard him right. "Your mother... she’s alive?"

"Barely," he said, his voice almost detached, like he’d said it to himself too many times to feel anything anymore. "But still alive."

I was stunned. For all this time, I, and practically everyone else, had assumed she was gone. The Alpha Queen was a ghost in every conversation, never mentioned, never honored like the King always was. I thought....

"What happened...." I began, but Kieran raised his hand and I stopped.

He stood, his movements graceful and fluid, and crossed the small room with slow, sure steps until he stood right in front of me. Without saying a word, he slipped his arms around my waist and gently pulled me closer to him. My palms instinctively pressed against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

He looked down at me, his eyes softer now, the storm behind them quieting just a bit.

"Can we not talk about my mother right now?" he asked gently, his voice low, brushing against the shell of my ear. "I’ve had enough exhausting battles inside my head this past week. I don’t want to think about any more pain. Not right now. I just want to be with you. And get lost in the calmness that comes with that."

There was something so raw in the way he said it, like a man barely holding himself together but finding a thread of peace, and he was choosing me to be that thread.

I nodded, lips parting to apologize for bringing it up again, but I didn’t get the chance.

Kieran leaned in and pressed his mouth to mine in a sudden, gentle kiss that stole every thought I had.

It wasn’t like the previous kiss, hungry and primal. This was softer, slower, like he was pouring everything into it that he didn’t want to say out loud. I melted into it, my hand reaching up to the back of his neck, fingers tangling lightly in the ends of his ponytail.

When he finally pulled back, just an inch, his lips still brushed mine as he whispered, "You ready to leave?"

I smiled, dazed from the kiss and his presence. "Yeah," I breathed. "Let’s get out of here."

"Before we go," he said, voice lower now, almost like a growl. "We need to cover you up"

Before I could even ask what he meant, he was already slipping off his jacket. I blinked as he draped it over my shoulders

"The shirt is a little too thin, I could see your boobs from underneath" He stated

I looked up at him, both surprised and amused. "And you are only telling me now?"

I smacked his chest lightly, and he smirked, those red eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "I can see them," he said simply. "But no one else is allowed to."

My cheeks burned. I couldn’t stop the tiny smile that curled at the corner of my mouth, even if I wanted to.

He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Hold on to me," he murmured. "We’re leaving now."

Then the world blurred.

Wind whipped past my ears, trees and buildings smeared into streaks of color, and then suddenly.... we stopped.

The academy gates towered in front of us, tall and iron-forged, and very much closed.

A guard, tall and massive, a lycan, bowed the moment he saw Kieran. "My prince," he said, voice gravel-deep. "Apologies, but we’re under lockdown. Directors Voss and Director Thorn gave strict orders thag no one leaves the Academy." _{fre/ew.ebnovel.c om}

Lockdown?

"What’s going on?" I asked, heart tightening.

Kieran shook his head. "I don’t know either."

He paused, his gaze scanning the grounds, then sharpened as if spotting something, or someone. A second later, his arms were around me again, and we blurred forward once more.

When we stopped, we were standing in front of Astrid and Director Thorn, flanked by dozens of Lycan students marching out of the auditorium. Astrid’s expression was as serious as ever.

"You’re just in time," she said briskly. "We’re sweeping the Lycan dorms for any traces of Crimson Hunt activity. Join us."

I glanced up at Kieran. His brows furrowed. "Crimson Hunt?"

"My prince!" a familiar voice rang out, too sweet and too loud.

Varya. Of course.

She pushed forward from the group, her red hair fluttering in the wind like some dramatic character in a fantasy film. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at Kieran. "You’ve returned."

He didn’t even look at her.

Kieran’s attention was still on Astrid. "How long will this lockdown last?"

"Until the entire academy has been searched," Magnus Thorn replied. "Top to bottom."

Kieran sighed, the muscles in his jaw twitching. "Let’s go then."

But of course, Varya wasn’t done.

"The feral can’t come with us," she said, her voice sharp as broken glass. "She’s not a Lycan. She doesn’t belong in our dorm."

Every Lycan student standing around her suddenly went very still. Watching. Waiting.

I didn’t move. I didn’t flinch. I was used to this.

But then Kieran turned to her, slowly. His eyes darkened, his voice cold as steel.

"She’s with me," he said. "And anyone who has a problem with that can try to stop her."

He stepped forward, gaze locked on Varya like a challenge.

"But be ready to die trying."

Varya’s lips parted, then closed again. Her smirk faltered for the first time.

No one said a word.

Kieran took my hand.

And together, we walked toward the Lycan dorms, like equals.

The Lycan dorm towered in its dark, gothic grandeur, a fortress of privilege. My hand was still in Kieran’s as we walked through the doors like we belonged. Like no one could touch us. And maybe now, no one could.

The moment we stepped inside, a voice echoed through the grand hall.

"My prince!"

Thorin.

He ran toward Kieran, throwing his arms around him in a desperate, boyish hug. But Kieran didn’t hug him back. His body remained stiff, eyes unreadable, and after a pause, Thorin pulled away quickly, bowing low instead.

"I’ve been looking everywhere for you," Thorin said breathlessly. "You... abandoned me. I didn’t know where you went... I...."

"My father relieved you of your service to me the moment he stripped me of my privileges in the academy," Kieran said coldly. "You should have left with him."

Thorin’s face crumpled. "I swore to serve you until the end of my life. My service doesn’t end until I die, my prince."

Kieran didn’t respond.

Behind us, heavy footsteps echoed as Astrid and Magnus Thorn entered the dorm, flanked by the growing wave of Lycan students. The entire dorm was about to be torn apart, and I could feel the tension rise like a stormcloud ready to break.

"We start with the prince’s villa," Astrid said, voice sharp as a blade.

Every room, every drawer, every shadow was pulled open and exposed. The living room, quiet and immaculate. The library, untouched. Bedroom after bedroom, searched and cleared.

Then came the last door.

The bathroom.

Kieran’s bathroom.

Magnus reached for the handle, sniffed once, and narrowed his eyes. "Something’s wrong."

He opened the door.

The second the door swung open, a wave of blood scent hit my nostrils like a punch. I stumbled forward instinctively, and then I saw her.

Lying on the marble tiles of the bathroom was a girl, bruised, bloodied, and barely breathing. Silver chains bound her hands and ankles, biting into her skin like they were meant to kill her slowly. Her brunnete hair was matted with blood, her face cut and swollen.

Elise!!!!

My breath caught in my throat. "Oh my God..."