The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 53: The Cost of Defiance

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Cost of Defiance

Lorraine’s POV

Pain.

That’s all I knew.

It swallowed me whole, wrapped around my body like chains made of fire. I couldn’t move at first. I wasn’t even sure I was alive. But the screams.... the laughter.... Adrian’s name in my head like a fading echo....

That was enough to make me try.

I opened my eyes and the world tilted sideways, dark and swimming with pain. My body was mangled, I couldn’t feel my legs properly. My shoulder was a mess. Breathing hurt. Moving was worse.

But I moved anyway.

"Adrian...." I whispered, blood coating my lips. I dragged myself forward. The stone ground bit into my palms, tore at my skin. My ankle throbbed with each shift. My ribs screamed. But nothing compared to the terror choking me as I looked ahead at Adrian’s still body.

He was dying.

And I was too late.

"No," I hissed through clenched teeth. "You don’t get to die too. Not for me. Not again."

Gasps filled the courtyard as Lycans finally registered who I was.

"That’s the feral girl," someone muttered. "The one who started that dumb feral rebellion."

"What the hell is she doing here? In our dorm?"

"She jumped out the damn window. Is she insane?"

I ignored them all.

I kept crawling. Hands. Elbows. Knees that wouldn’t bend. I reached for Adrian.

But before I could touch him, a strong hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me up. I screamed, stars burst behind my eyes. My feet barely touched the ground as she hauled me up like a ragdoll.

It was a Lycan girl with long, vibrant red hair pulled into a brutal braid. Her amber eyes glinted with malice, and a sick smile spread across her face.

"You and this noble really have a death wish," she sneered. "Well then.... let’s just fulfill that wish, shall we?"

The Lycans around her cheered. Laughed.

Her fingers elongated before my eyes, thick claws pushing through her skin like talons. I couldn’t move. My body wouldn’t respond. My blood pounded in my ears as I stared up at her.

I’m going to die.

Just as her clawed hand began to swing.....

Swish.

The air shifted.

Suddenly, she froze, her arm caught midair by another hand.

A hand I recognized.

Kieran.

He was standing between us, gripping her wrist with a calm so dangerous it made the whole courtyard go still. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned red.

"My prince....." the girl stammered, lowering her head in sudden fear.

"Enough, Varya," Kieran said coldly. His voice was a blade, slicing through the crowd’s bloodlust like silk

Her hand dropped instantly. The claws retracted. The courtyard held its breath.

Varya, who moments ago wanted to rip me apart, backed away, trembling. The Lycans stared in stunned silence.

Kieran turned to face me, his gaze slow and sharp.

"You sacrificed your body to defy me," he said, voice low and laced with threat. "And you will pay for that."

I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t speak.

"But for now," he added, stepping aside, "take your blonde-haired noble.... and leave. You earned hus survival at the expense of your broken bones."

I staggered forward, barely holding in a sob. Adrian wasn’t moving much, but his eyes blinked open slowly at the sound of my voice.

"I’ve got you," I whispered. "I’ve got you.... I’m here."

"Aveline....." He muttered as I helped him up

I looped my arm under his, and he did the same. Together, we leaned into each other, two shattered bodies dragging themselves through a crowd of predators.

No one stopped us. _{fre/ew.ebnovel.c om}

No one moved.

They just watched.

Watched as two bleeding nobodies made their way across the Lycan courtyard.

I didn’t know how long we could walk. I didn’t know what came next.

But one thing was certain.

I jumped for him.... and I’d do it again.

Because no matter what Kieran thought....

My body might belong to him.

But my soul?

That was still mine.

********

The Elite dormitory was painted in deep royal blue, its walls lined with imported silk tapestries and modern crystal lighting. Though not as vast as the Lycans’ dorm, the building exuded opulence, polished floors, velvet seating, and a cold kind of perfection that screamed wealth and status.

Inside the marble-floored common room, Selene Ashthorne lounged on an indigo chaise, her hair cascading down one shoulder like a blade of moonlight. Across from her, her brother, Alistair, sat with a bitter expression. The air between them was silent, thick with unspoken rage, until a sudden crash of footsteps echoed down the corridor.

An Elite wolf, panting and wide-eyed, burst into the room.

"My Lady Selene, my Lord Alistair," he bowed, voice trembling with urgency, "you will not believe what just happened at the Lycan dormitory."

Selene raised a brow lazily. "Speak."

"It was chaos," he rushed out. "The noble boy..... Adrian Vale, he went to the Lycans’ dorm looking for the feral girl. They beat him half to death in the courtyard. Everyone thought he was done for. But then.... the feral girl.... she she jumped from an upstairs window."

Alistair sat up straighter, eyes narrowing.

"She landed hard," the Elite went on. "Should’ve broken every bone. But she crawled to him. Tried to reach him. Then Varya, one of the strongest lycan student, she tried to end the feral girl. Swung claws at her. And Prince Kieran, he stopped her. He came to save her yet again."

Selene’s face twisted into a scoff. "Pathetic," she muttered. "The Lycan prince lowering himself to save a feral. Again and again.... it’s disgusting."

Alistair’s hand curled into a fist. "He should have let her die," he said through clenched teeth. "She is the reason I almost died. She humiliated us. That filthy feral girl..."

"I know," Selene interrupted softly, her tone laced with venom. "And for that ... she’ll suffer."

She rose from the chaise with eerie grace, her high heels clicking softly against the floor. Her expression was as elegant as it was deadly.

"I offered the Lycan Prince an alliance before but he was dumb enough to reject me, now I do not care if I have to cross him," she continued. "I will kill thst feral girl. I’ll rip her apart so slowly she’ll beg for death by the time I’m done."

Alistair didn’t speak, but his eyes burned in agreement.

Selene turned toward him, her lips curling.

"When is the next hunting class?"

"In two days," Alistair answered without hesitation.

Selene smiled, eyes glinting like frost.

"Well then," she said, already envisioning blood, "our poor little feral girl only has two more days left to live."