The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 28: Aftermath

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Aftermath

Kieran looked murderous.

He stood over Alistair Ashthorne’s crumpled body like a god of war, untouched, furious, power practically vibrating off his skin. His sharp jaw was clenched, and his red eyes burned like wildfire. His fists were balled tight, and I could see it, he was about to finish it. Right there. One swift move and Alistair would never get back up.

But Selene got to him first.

A blur of blonde hair and lightning, fast movement. She shot across the courtyard and grabbed her brother, dragging his semi-conscious body into her arms. She didn’t look back at Kieran. Not at me. Not at anyone.

She just ran.

And like a well-trained pack, the rest of the elites followed, fleeing with the wind in their heels. Disappearing into the distance like ghosts.

I watched them go with a strange, hollow ache inside my chest.

They didn’t run because we won.

They ran because..... they feared him.

Kieran.

But there was no satisfaction in that. No surge of triumph. No taste of justice on my tongue.

Only blood. The scent of it soaked the air, metallic and suffocating.

And silence.

Heavy, cruel silence.

My legs trembled as I turned around, slowly taking in the sight we were left with. It was worse than anything I had imagined.

Ferals littered the stone courtyard like broken things. Some groaned, others sobbed, and a few didn’t move at all. Blood painted the ground in streaks and puddles. Gashes so deep they exposed bone. Faces mangled. Limbs twisted. My people, my dorm, my pack of the forgotten, were left in ruins.

And for what?

A protest.

A stand.

A fight to be seen. To be heard.

My throat tightened, and I bit the inside of my cheek hard, just to stay grounded. Just to stop myself from unraveling.

"Felix!" I choked out, scanning frantically. "Elise?!"

"I’m fine!" Felix called, limping toward me from a few feet away, one hand pressing a deep gash in his side. "It’s not deep. I’m okay."

Elise stumbled beside him, blood matting her curls, her lip split, but her eyes still burned with fire.

Then my eyes landed on him again.

Callum.

My knees gave out, and I dropped beside him so fast I scraped my palms on the ground. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, eyes still open, barely. His arm... gods, his arm was gone. Just gone. A jagged, bleeding stump remained where it had been, and the blood hadn’t stopped.

"Callum!" I cried, cupping his cold face in my hands. "Good job not letting your eyes close, stay with me Callum. Look at me, okay? Don’t you dare close your eyes."

His lips trembled. A weak breath escaped them.

He tried. I saw it. His eyes fluttered again, trying to respond. Trying to obey.

"That’s it," I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks. "You’re going to be okay. We’ll get you help. Just keep those eyes open. Please, Callum. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave us."

I held his face like it was the only thing anchoring me to this moment. Like if I let go, he’d disappear.

And then, I felt a movement.

I turned, searching for help, and saw Kieran.

He was walking away. Quiet. Composed. Cold.

His back turned to all of this, to us.

No words.

No orders.

Just silence.

I stared after him, mouth open, a hundred things I wanted to scream lodged in my throat. He had saved me, yes. But now he walked away, like none of this mattered. Like we didn’t matter.

But I didn’t have time to care.

"Lorraine!" Felix shouted. "We have to move them! Now!"

I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand. My voice cracked as I turned to the group still standing.

"Everyone who can still walk, help the others! We need to get to the infirmary. Now!"

My voice wasn’t strong. It wasn’t commanding. But it carried, because it was desperate. And desperation has a power all its own.

I watched as bloodied ferals staggered to their feet. No one refused. No one complained. The broken carried the barely breathing. Elise lifted a smaller girl, one arm wrapped around her waist. Two boys dragged their unconscious friend between them.

Felix limped to Callum’s side and dropped to his knees.

"I’ll carry him," he said, voice hoarse. "He spoke up for the first time in his life. I won’t let him die for it."

I nodded, throat tight, and helped steady Callum’s limp form as Felix lifted him, grunting, his knees nearly giving out, but he held on.

"We’ve got you," Felix muttered to Callum. "We’re getting you help. Just hang on."

I stood beside them, heart hammering, blood on my hands and clothes and face. We were a mess. A bloodied, limping, battered mess.

But we were still here.

We moved slowly, a line of wounded and weary students, dragging ourselves through the academy grounds. No one stopped us. No guards helped. No medics ran to our side.

They watched.

Just like always.

They watched as the ferals dragged themselves to safety.

As we passed, other students whispered and stared. Some with pity. Some with disgust.

But none with help.

We finally reached the Academy hospital, barely.

Our footsteps echoed in the sterile, white-marble corridor, stained now with muddy footprints and drops of blood. The doors swung open with a mechanical hiss, and I didn’t even hesitate.

"We need help!" I screamed, my voice raw. "Please—someone, they’re bleeding out!"

Felix collapsed against the wall, still clutching Callum in his arms. His face had gone pale, and Callum, he wasn’t even groaning anymore. His head lolled, his eyes unfocused. I didn’t know if he was still with us.

Several medics behind the reception looked up, startled, and then a nurse, tall, with sharp glasses and a perfect white uniform, stepped forward. She held a tab in her hands and didn’t look at any of us for more than a second.

Just enough time to scan our faces. Our injuries.

Our status.

Feral.

I could see it happen, the moment we became numbers to her. Data. Unworthy.

She tapped a few times on her screen, then glanced up at me.

"To begin treatment," she said flatly, "you’ll need to pay a deposit of 2,000 lunars."

"What?" I blinked. "We don’t, we don’t have that kind of money!"

My voice cracked, thick with disbelief. I stepped closer, panic rising in my chest. "We’re ferals! Most of our allowance got stolen from us on our first day here. They’re dying, please, you can’t just stand there—"

She cut me off with a single, impassive shake of her head. "If you don’t have the funds, I’m sorry, we cannot help you."

She turned and walked away like we were a stain on the floor. Like this was just another Tuesday.

"No—wait!" I called out, chasing after her. "You don’t understand—he’s going to die! They all will!"

But she didn’t turn back.

She didn’t care.

My feet stopped moving. My knees nearly buckled.

Behind me, Elise dropped to the floor, holding a girl whose stomach had been torn open, her blood soaking both their clothes. Felix looked like he was about to pass out. The boy who’d been carrying someone else collapsed entirely.

And Callum... Callum was still bleeding. Still unconscious.

I looked around at the pristine white walls, the fluorescent lights above, the glassy floors that reflected every inch of our suffering.

This wasn’t a hospital.

It was a business.

And right now, we couldn’t afford to survive.