The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 63: Mate?......

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Mate?......

Kieran’s POV

Everything went still.

The wind, the glow, even the thundering in my chest.... silenced.

I blinked the dirt from my eyes and pushed myself up from the ground. "What the hell just happened?" I muttered, voice rough from the surge of power that had just blasted through us.

Lorraine.

I rushed to the center of the circle. She lay there, her body still, her pale skin now kissed with a faint glow. I dropped to my knees beside her, eyes scanning her frame, then I saw it. The wound on her chest, it had healed. Not entirely. But enough. The bleeding had stopped. The skin had begun knitting itself together. Her breathing was shallow.... but there.

"Astrid," I called sharply, glancing back.

She was just pushing herself to her feet, her hair disheveled, face streaked with dirt. She didn’t answer immediately.

"What just happened?" I growled. "Why is she still unconscious?"

Astrid’s eyes darkened. "I underestimated it.... her wolf," she said, voice low and tense. "It was only awake for a moment, just a flicker, and then it went dormant again."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why would it go back?"

"I don’t know." Astrid’s voice faltered slightly. "That surge of energy, that explosion, yt was her wolf. Awake. Alive. But only for a heartbeat. It healed her, yes, but not completely, it was not awake long enough to complete healing all her injuries before it disappeared. Her wolf doesn’t want to be awakened. Not yet."

That made no damn sense. Why would a wolf fight to stay dormant? Why.....

A weak sound pulled my attention back.

"Kieran?" a hoarse voice whispered.

Lorraine.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, dazed and glassy. Pain lined her features, but she was awake. Conscious.

I moved instantly, slipping a hand behind her back to help her sit up. "Lorraine," I breathed, relief crashing through me like a tide. "You’re okay. You’re here."

"What.... is going on?" she murmured.

"You’re safe," I said, brushing hair from her face. "You’re...."

Then I heard them.

Footsteps. Heavy. Fast. Too many.

I turned, shielding Lorraine instinctively.

A sea of black poured in from the edge of the Hollow Grounds, guards, tall and brutal, dressed in dark leather and steel, their presence smothering the air itself. Dressed in black. Black eyes. Black purpose.

The Disciplinary Committee.

And they weren’t alone.

Professor Cain stepped forward like a judge in his court, cold eyes flickering over the ritual site. At his side, Alistair stood smug and silent, his lips curled in sick satisfaction.

The bastard had followed us.

How?

"They’re from the Committee," I muttered to Lorraine under my breath. "They don’t come unless it’s serious. They’ve been trained from childhood to be merciless. Loyal only to the council, they are the only group of soldiers we Lycans don’t have full control of. If they’re here then...."

Cain’s sharp eyes snapped to Astrid. "I heard you performed the forbidden ritual of awakening a dormant wolf," he said flatly.

Astrid didn’t flinch. "I did."

"You know what that means, don’t you?" Cain asked. His voice was low, but it echoed like a verdict.

Astrid looked at me. Her expression was unreadable.

"Find a way to heal her completely," she told me. "I’ll be back."

And then, before I could even ask what the hell she meant by that, Astrid Voss stepped forward, toward the guards. Toward Cain.

Alistair’s irritated voice cut through the tension like a whip.

"Why are you only taking Astrid Voss?" he barked, gesturing wildly. "What about them? The Lycan prince and her? They were part of the ritual too! You should be taking all of them!"

I stood slowly, standing protectively in front of Lorraine

And then I spoke, my voice low but laced with a cold finality that echoed across the Hollow Grounds.

"Anyone who takes a step into this circle," I said, eyes fixed on him, "won’t live long enough to draw another breath."

The guards paused.

Professor Cain turned toward me, his expression unreadable, before shifting his gaze back to Alistair. "We came for the perpetrator of the ritual," he said simply. "And we have her. Let’s go."

And just like that, the black guards turned, forming a wall around Astrid. She didn’t resist. She lifted her chin high and walked with them, unflinching. Proud.

I watched her disappear into the dark line of uniforms.

Then Theron came running, his face pale. "This is bad," he said breathlessly. "What should we do, my prince?"

"She said she’ll be back," I murmured. "Meet me at the suite."

Before Theron could respond, I bent down and scooped Lorraine into my arms.

"I think I can manage to walk," she whispered, brow furrowed in pain.

"I know," I said, and then I was gone, the world blurring past as I sped us out of the Hollow Grounds.

In a flash, we were inside my suite at the Lycan dorm. I laid her down gently on the bed.

She winced, a soft whimper escaping her lips. "Still in pain?" I asked.

"I’m fine," she muttered, trying to sound strong.

She wasn’t. I could smell the pain on her. See it in the way her muscles trembled.

Moments later, Theron returned. "Would you like me to tell the chef to prepare something? You must be hungry after all that happened."

Lorraine groaned quietly again. I stood up.

"No," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "We need to figure out how to heal her completely."

Theron hesitated. "If only she were a Lycan. If she had a Lycan mate, she’d already be healed. A simple mark and...."

"I know," I said quickly, cutting him off. "Thank you, Theron. Go. Tell the chef to bring something. Something warm."

He nodded and left.

Then his words replayed in my head again

If she had a Lycan mate, she would be healed.

My mind reeled back to that moment, the explosion of light. The surge. The howl that had erupted from my wolf’s soul.

Mate.

Could it really be possible?

Lorraine. A feral. My mate?

I looked at her on the bed, broken, fragile.... and yet, still burning with quiet fire.

There was only one way to find out.

I moved closer.

"I have to mark you," I said.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

I moved a step closer, standing in front of her

"To put it simply," I said, my voice rough, "if you want to be healed completely.... I need to claim you. Fully. With my mark. I must fill you up with my seed."