The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 73: His Arrival

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: His Arrival

Kieran’s POV

The pain was constant, sharp, burning, never-ending.

I sat hunched forward in the cold chair, sweat and blood sliding down my bare chest and back in equal measure. The silver blade was still lodged through me, its cruel length piercing from my back and emerging clean through my chest. Every breath was a battle. Every heartbeat sent a fresh wave of fire roaring through my veins.

The room was silent except for the steady drip of my blood hitting the tiled floor.

The healers stood clustered by the wall, exchanging tense whispers, too afraid to act. I could smell their hesitation. The silver embedded in the blade dulled my healing, turning my Lycan resilience into a fragile thread barely holding me together. If they pulled it out without a plan, I’d bleed out before my body could catch up with the bleeding.

Some of them murmured about a blood transfusion, saying they’d already sent for my blood type. They wanted to remove the blade while replenishing what I was losing. Risky. But it was all they had.

I didn’t speak. My jaw was locked too tightly for words. The pain was manageable, I’d been trained for agony. But the waiting.... the helplessness.... that was harder to endure.

Then the doors burst open.

I didn’t move at first, thinking it was just another healer.

But the scent that hit the air was unmistakable, steel, storm, and command.

Astrid.

She strode in fast, her usually composed demeanor frayed at the edges. Her eyes, normally sharp and unreadable, looked panicked.

Without even glancing at me, she rushed straight to the doctors.

"How is he?" she demanded. "What’s the plan? You can’t leave a silver blade inside him like this, his vitals are dropping."

The lead healer stammered something about blood supply, coordination, and timing.

"Astrid," I croaked, my voice rough like gravel. "What’s going on?"

She turned to me slowly.

And I knew, with the way she hesitated before speaking, I knew, that whatever she was about to say would be worse than the sword in my chest.

She exhaled sharply. "Your father, the Alpha King, he is on his way to the academy"

I stilled.

Every muscle in my body, every flicker of pain, every throb of my heart, gone, in that single instant.

Ronan Valerius Hunter.

The Alpha King.

My father

The apex predator of our world. The man every other wolves feared to speak of aloud. The one who ruled not just with power, but with terror.

If he saw me like this, skewered, weakened, bleeding....

This academy would burn.

"Astrid," I said, forcing my voice steady despite the silver in my chest, "he can’t see me like this."

She didn’t argue.

She knew.

If he walked into this room and saw his heir in this state, someone would pay. And not just one person.

Everyone.

Everyone involved. Everyone responsible.

The academy wouldn’t survive his fury.

Gritting my teeth, I forced my trembling legs to move.

Agony exploded through my chest and back as my muscles clenched around the blade, but I didn’t stop. I pushed through the searing fire licking up my spine and stood, my body screaming, my veins ablaze with silvered pain.

Gasps filled the room.

Astrid’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Pull it out," I said coldly.

"What?" she breathed.

The healers froze.

"You know the Alpha King, Astrid," I snapped, voice hoarse but commanding. "You know what he’ll do if he sees me like this. He cannot see me weak. He must not. Everyone in this room, everyone in this academy, will burn from his wrath if he does."

"But they said you’ll bleed to death if....." Astrid started.

"All my life, I’ve been trained in ways so brutal even you can’t imagine," I cut her off. "I’ve danced with death more times than I can count, and it’s never beaten me. I promise you, a silver sword to the chest won’t be the thing that ends me."

I looked her dead in the eyes. "So pull it out."

She stared at me for a long moment, then turned to the healers.

"Do it," she ordered.

One of them hesitated, swallowing hard as he moved behind me. I felt his shaking hand grip the hilt.

"My prince," he said quietly, "are you sure you really want to....."

"Pull the damn sword out!" I roared.

The words had barely left my mouth before the sword was yanked free.

Pain like no other ripped through me as the silver exited my body. Blood sprayed across the floor, hot and fast, and for a moment, just a moment, my knees buckled.

But I didn’t fall.

I cannot

I stood there, breathing hard, my fists clenched at my sides. My eyes shut, jaw tight, body swaying.

I summoned everything inside me, every ounce of strength and rage and sheer will I’d been forged with since I was a child.

Heal, I commanded my wolf. Heal faster.

Because if I was going to face the Alpha King.... I needed to look like the prince he raised.

Everyone was still.

Not a word. Not a breath. Just silent stares, like they were holding a collective prayer for me not to fall down lifeless

But I could feel it, my body stitching itself back together, slow but steady. The blood that had once gushed now trickled. The burning silver was gone, and with it, the weakness that had tried to chain me down. The wound was closing.

I was healing.

Then the doors slammed open.

Thorin burst in, his face pale, eyes wide with urgency. "The Alpha King," he announced, voice tight. "He and his entourage are approaching the academy gates."

A cold calm washed over me.

I turned to Astrid. "You all should leave," I said quietly. "Go and welcome him. I’ll join you soon."

She nodded quickly and motioned to the others. The healers and doctors packed their things in a silent rush, throwing occasional glances my way before filing out one by one.

The door clicked shut behind them.

I looked at Thorin. "Prepare a new academy uniform."

Thorin bowed, the concern in his expression unspoken but heavy. "Yes, my prince," he said before hurrying off.

I made my way to the bathroom, my steps slower now, not from weakness, but focus.

Steam curled around me as I stepped under the showerhead. Warm water washed over my skin, mingling with the remnants of blood. I watched it swirl down the drain, red turning pink, until it finally ran clear.

By the time I stepped out, tge pain had dulled. The wound had healed faster than I expected.

Good.

On the bed lay the pristine red-collared academy uniform, neatly pressed, freshly set out by Thorin. I dried off, pulling on the shirt, then the jacket. Fastened the buttons. Tied the crimson tie. Slid into my shoes.

I looked in the mirror.

No more blood. No more sword. No more weakness.

Just the Lycan Prince.

Straightening my collar, I took a deep breath.

Time to meet my father.

The siren wailed like a banshee in the dead of night, long, sharp, and urgent.

As I stepped out of the Lycan dormitory, the sound vibrated through the stone walls and echoed across the academy grounds. This siren wasn’t just an alert, it was a command. One that no wolf, no matter their rank, could ignore.

An emergency assembly. In the middle of the night.

Students flooded the courtyard, sleep-wrinkled uniforms and wide eyes, their expressions morphing from confusion to panic. Nobles, Elites, even Lycans rushed to take their places, forming into clean lines under the eyes of the academy enforcers.

The moment I stepped forward, the tide seemed to part naturally for me.

Varya approached from the side, her steps light. Her posture was regal. No trace of the injuries she had suffered remained. _{free we\bnove(l).com}

"Good to see you back stronger and so fast, my prince," she said smoothly, dipping her head.

I gave her a curt nod. "You’ve fully recovered from the wolfsbane too. That’s commendable."

She smiled faintly. "Still nothing compared to you, my prince. You were drowning in wolfsbane and still managed to kill them all. That was something we.... none of us, could do."

I gave a low hum, my gaze already pulling elsewhere.

Then I paused.

My eyes narrowed slightly, and I turned to face her fully.

"If I remember correctly," I said slowly, "you were the last one I saw speaking to Lorraine today. Any idea where she is?"

Varya’s breath hitched, just barely. Her hesitation was small, but I caught it. She blinked, then quickly shook her head.

"No idea, my prince. I left her in front of the auditorium"

I stared at her for a moment longer, then nodded and walked away without another word.

Astrid was already in position, flanked by other senior staff members. I moved to stand beside her, the weight of command settling back into my shoulders like a familiar coat.

"You cleaned up nice," Astrid said without looking at me.

I gave a silent nod.

But my eyes weren’t on her.

They scanned the sea of students standing at attention, row after row of uniforms, red, green, blue. All accounted for.

Except Purple

Except her.

Where thee hell is Lorraine?

The courtyard fell into a tense, expectant silence. Even the air held its breath.

And then.....

The gates.

They groaned open with a low, metallic rumble.

Dozens of sleek black cars streamed into the courtyard, their engines humming in unison like an oncoming storm.

Every head turned.

Every heartbeat seemed to stop.

The Alpha King was here.

My father.