The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 30: Blood, Bruises, and the Prince

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Blood, Bruises, and the Prince

I bolted out of the administrative building like the floor was on fire beneath me. My legs burned, my lungs screamed, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Every second I wasted meant another drop of blood lost, another breath someone might never take again.

I searched the classrooms first, bursting into one after the other. No sign of him. Not even a trace. I ran to the training fields, the student lounges, even his personal study room—nothing. Kieran was nowhere. My heart thundered louder than my footsteps. Panic clawed at my throat. He had to be somewhere. He had to.

My last hope was the Lycans’ dormitory. _{f.r(e)e\webn.ovel.co\m}

Every inch of my skin prickled as I stood in front of it, towering and heavily guarded by red-collared Lycans. I knew I wasn’t welcome. I was a feral, dirt beneath their boots, a mistake that somehow slipped through the cracks of their perfect world. But I didn’t care.

Not anymore.

I stepped forward.

"Stop right there," one of the Lycans snarled. His voice was a growl, his posture relaxed but dangerous. "Are you out of your mind, feral? You must want to die."

"I need to see Prince Kieran," I said, trying to sound steady, but my voice cracked. "Please. It’s urgent."

Another one laughed darkly. "You think a mutt like you gets to demand an audience with the Prince? You’re not even worth his time."

I opened my mouth to speak again, but a boot met my stomach before I could get the words out. Pain exploded through my body. I was airborne for a moment, and then I hit the ground hard, gasping for breath, dirt caking my tongue and blood rushing to my head.

They’d meant to kill me with that kick. They didn’t care. I was a feral. An insect.

But I forced myself up, trembling, legs weak beneath me. The pain was blinding, but I dragged myself forward, staggering back toward the entrance.

"I need... to see Kieran," I gasped. "Please..."

They advanced again, fury in their eyes now. This time, I knew they meant to end it.

Then everything blurred.

Wind rushed past me. A sudden whoosh sliced through the air, and the Lycans vanished from my sight. I couldn’t feel the ground anymore. For a second, I floated, like I wasn’t even in my body. And then—

I blinked.

I was under a tree. A secluded courtyard bathed in the sunlight and silence. My knees buckled, but strong arms steadied me

Kieran.

He was standing in front of me, tall, composed, and regal as always. His golden eyes burned into mine, unreadable, cold, and yet something else lingered there.

I staggered back, overwhelmed by the whiplash of it all

One second ago, I had been bracing myself for death at the hands of red-collared Lycans. The next, I had felt myself lifted like a feather, flying through the air. Now, Kieran stood before me, tall and impossibly composed. His golden eyes swept over me, unreadable. Not a strand of his dark hair was out of place, as though he hadn’t just rescued a half-dead feral girl.

I could barely breathe. But I didn’t have time to fall apart.

"I need your help," I gasped, chest heaving as I fought to steady myself.

Kieran didn’t respond. He just watched me. Not with concern. Not with annoyance. Just... curiosity, maybe. Or disappointment. Or maybe something more.

"They’re dying," I said, stepping closer. "My people, they are at the academy hospital. The ferals. They’re covered in blood. Callum, he’s losing too much. They won’t treat us unless we pay two thousand lunars."

Still, he said nothing. He only stared

"Astrid refused to lift a finger. She told me if I wanted care, I should pay. And if I couldn’t afford the cost, then I shouldn’t have led a ’pointless protest.’ Her words." My voice cracked with the memory. "They’re going to die. All of them. And there’s nothing I can do."

Kieran finally blinked, but there was no sympathy in it. "So you came running to me."

I nodded, breathing heavily. "You’re the only one who can help."

"I’m not your savior, Lorraine." His voice was low, edged with disdain. "I’m a prince. A Lycan. Why would I involve myself in a problem you created and led?"

I took another step forward, fists clenched. "Because you can. And because they’re not just numbers. They’re lives. They’re, Callum, Elise, Felix, and a whole lot of other wolves and they matter."

"To you, maybe," he said coolly. "But the academy doesn’t see them that way. Neither does Astrid. And frankly..." He took a measured breath. "You shouldn’t have expected any different."

"I didn’t expect anything!" I snapped. "But I had to try something! I couldn’t just let them suffer in silence. You dared me to try bringing them together, and I thought if I actually pulled it off, if we stood together, if we showed them we weren’t afraid to be seen, things would change."

"Did things change then?" he asked.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The silence between us was heavier than any words.

"No," I whispered. "But I’ll take the consequences. Just help me save them. Please."

Kieran’s gaze softened slightly, but not in kindness. It was more like interest. Like a predator deciding whether a prey animal was worth toying with.

"And what will you give me in return?"

I stared at him. "What?"

"Everything has a price, Lorraine. Even compassion." He stepped closer, his scent overwhelming, spice and snow and something dangerously addictive. "If I’m to intervene, I want something from you."

I swallowed hard. "Like what? I have nothing to offer"

He paused, letting the moment stretch until my skin crawled.

"You’ll be mine. For one month."

My heart dropped. "What does that even mean?"

"You’ll act as my personal servant," he said simply. "Attend to my needs. Fetch when I call. Sit when I say. Be where I command. You’ll eat when I allow it. Sleep when I dismiss you."

The words landed like blows.

"You’re joking," I whispered.

He tilted his head, silver eyes gleaming. "Do I look like someone who jokes?"

My breath caught.

"That’s not help," I said, shaking my head. "That’s slavery."

He gave a slow shrug. "Call it whatever you like. You want my influence, my name, my lunars? Then earn them. Or go back and watch your dorm bleed out on the floor."

I felt sick. Rage burned in my chest, thick and unrelenting. But under it was fear. Not of Kieran, but of what would happen to my friends if I didn’t accept to be the Lycan Prince’s slave.