The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 77: Betrayal

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Betrayal

Kieran’s POV

The air grew warmer as closer we got to the Hollow Grounds.

Adrian was silent for once, thankfully. I didn’t need his voice clouding the thoughts already clawing through my head. My fists were tight, curled so hard my claws threatened to break skin, and I hadn’t even seen him yet.

The Hollow Grounds stretched out before us, wide and empty, barren dirt and scorched patches

But Alistair wasn’t there.

Not yet.

"Is this a trap?" Adrian asked beside me, scanning the openness with narrowed eyes. "Why would he even want to meet here of all places?"

I didn’t answer.

We stood in the stillness, waiting.

Then he came.

A figure stepped from behind one of the few dead treed, crossing the dead stretch of ground with the arrogance of someone who believed he was already victorious. As he came into view, my body tensed. That smug walk. That self-satisfied posture.

Alistair.

The bastard who laid hands on Lorraine.

The moment our eyes met, something inside me snapped. My vision blurred at the edges. My wolf surged forward, hungry for blood.

And my eyes.....

They burned.

Crimson light pulsed in my vision, and for a split second, all I saw was red. My hands twitched at my sides, ready to tear his throat open and leave his body for the crows.

Rip it off.

Now.

End him.

But.....

If I killed him here and now, Lorraine would die.

She was still his captive. So I had to hold back. Had to grit my teeth, swallow the rage threatening to consume me, and stick to the plan.

The plan to do anything..... everything, to save her.

Even if it meant standing here like a chained dog in front of the scum who hurt her.

Adrian stepped slightly in front of me, as if he sensed how close I was to snapping. His voice was calm, diplomatic. I hated him a little less in that moment.

"You are late Alistair," Adrian said to Alistair, who smirked like he’d already won.

I said nothing. I couldn’t. Not yet.

Because if I opened my mouth now, it wouldn’t be words that came out.

It would be a snarl, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop after that.

Breathe.

Focus.

For Lorraine

So I stared him down, eyes still glowing faintly, and forced my body to stillness.

Alistair stepped closer, his boots crunching against the gravel as though he had all the time in the world. His gaze didn’t even flicker toward Adrian. No, his eyes were locked onto mine, like a man who thought he could tame fire by staring it down

Then he had the nerve to smirk.

"I can’t believe it," he said, voice dripping with mockery. "A whole Lycan prince.... answering my call over a mere feral." He chuckled like it was a private joke. "You must’ve really lost your mind over her"

I couldn’t hold back again

In the blink of an eye, I moved.

My hand clamped around his throat, lifting him clean off the ground with one arm. His smirk vanished, replaced by a choked gasp as he kicked uselessly in the air.

"Where is she?" I growled.

His hands clawed at mine, trying to pry my fingers loose, his face reddening with each second. His eyes bulged.... not so smug now.

"Kieran!" Adrian rushed in, his voice sharp with panic. "You kill him now, and we’ll never find her. Think! She’s still alive because he wants her alive. But if you lose control, if you kill him...."

I didn’t want to hear it.

Didn’t want to think.

I just wanted this bastard to suffer.

But Lorraine’s face, bloodied, shaking, her eyes silently begging not to be left alone, cut through the fog of rage.

I growled low, furious at everything

With a snarl, I let go

Alistair dropped to the ground like a sack of filth, coughing and sputtering as he clutched his neck. He wheezed, barely able to speak, but the smug glint in his eyes returned far too quickly.

He thought he’d won.

He thought I was weak.

No. I wasn’t weak.

I was controlled.

Because Lorraine’s life demanded it.

But one day soon, when she was safe and far away from his reach, I’d make him choke again, only next time, I wouldn’t let go.

Alistair managed to prop himself back up, coughing hard as he dragged in air, his hand still gripping his throat. He leaned forward slightly, face twisted in irritation

"You better listen to your little n.oble friend," he rasped. "Control yourself, Lycan prince. Because if anything happens to me.... your pretty little feral dies too."

I clenched my fists. Every bone in my body begged to snap his neck, but instead, I exhaled, long and slow.

He straightened, dusting off his coat like he hadn’t just been seconds from death. "So? Have you figured out an escape route for me and my father? A way to get safely out of this cursed Academy?"

I nodded stiffly. "There’s a tunnel. A secret one that leads out of the Academy grounds. No one knows about it except for the Head of the Academy.... and me."

Alistair’s lips curled into a tight smile. "Tell me where it is."

"I can’t," I said flatly.

His expression darkened. "Don’t try to play tricks with me, Kieran. You will tell me where that tunnel iss. Adrian will follow us through it. And once we’re far away from the Academy, I’ll give him the location of your little feral. He’ll pass it to you. That’s how we are going to do this"

"Smart plan," I admitted coldly. "But even if I wanted to tell you.... you’d never make it out of the tunnel alive."

Alistair frowned.

"The tunnel’s old, built like a labyrinth," I explained. "It has dozens of false paths, loops, and dead ends. Without me, you’d get lost before you ever reached the surface. You’d starve down there. Or go mad. So if you want to escape safely.... I have to take you through."

Alistair’s eyes narrowed. "You’ll lead us? Just like that?"

"If I see Lorraine first."

He shook his head immediately. "No. We’re not doing that."

"Then this is pointless," I said, taking a step back. "Because if you refuse to bring her to me, then how the hell am I supposed to know you haven’t already killed her?"

"I promise you, we haven’t....."

"Your promise means nothing to me," I snapped. "Bring Lorraine to me now, and I’ll take you and your father through the tunnels. That’s the only way this works."

Alistair narrowed his eyes. "And how do I know you’ll keep your word?"

"You don’t," I said calmly. "But I’m the only option you have. My father, the Alpha King, is already hunting you and your father. If you remain here trust me, he will find you, and he’s not going to give you and your father a swift death either. He’s going to make an example out of you both."

I took a step closer, voice low and razor-sharp.

"So, you can refuse me, stay here and definitely die.... or you can take your chances with me. Right now, I’m the lesser evil for you"

Alistair didn’t respond.

But for the first time, he didn’t look so sure of himself either.

Alistair finally let out a breath and glanced at Adrian, then at me. "Fine," he muttered. "You’ll get what you want. Wait here."

He turned and walked off, disappearing into the trees beyond the Hollow grounds.

As the silence returned, Adrian stepped closer, keeping his voice low. "That was a risky move, Kieran."

"I know," I muttered. "But I have to see her."

We stood there, tense, every second dragging like a blade across my nerves. Then the air shifted, faint footsteps crunching on dead leaves.

Alistair returned.... but he wasn’t alone.

Behind him, Desmond walked forward, dragging something, or rather, someone. My heart dropped.

Lorraine.

She was barely conscious, arms bound, blood crusted down the side of her face. Her clothes were ripped, her breathing shallow, and her skin marred with fresh wounds. My wolf snapped. It roared in my chest, demanding I kill everyone for what they did to her. It took everything in me to hold him back.

Desmond met my eyes and smirked darkly. "You really beat the odds, boy," he said. "Survived a silver sword to the heart. You are strong, I’ll give you that. But don’t get cocky, this isn’t the end of our fight. I’ll come back for you.... another day."

I didn’t flinch. "I’ll be expecting."

Alistair, panting slightly, turned to me. "You’ve seen her now. She’s alive. Satisfied?" His eyes narrowed. "Now take us to the tunnel."

But before I could respond, the air changed again.

A sudden gust of wind slammed against us, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of figures surrounded the clearing. Lycans soldiers in full armor. They came from everywhere, encircling us with impossible speed.

"What the hell is this?" Alistair shouted, stepping back.

"You lied!" he roared at me. "You said....."

"I didn’t call them!" I snapped back. "This isn’t me!"

"Idiot!" Desmond spat at his son. "You trusted a Lycan prince. You deserve to die for your stupidity."

Even I couldn’t understand what was happening.... until the soldiers began to part.

And then I saw him.

The earth felt like it trembled beneath his steps. A wave of power pressed against my skin like gravity itself thickened. The Alpha King strode into the circle of Lycans, towering, regal, lethal, his silver-streaked hair ruffling in the wind like a lion’s mane. At his side walked Astrid Voss, stone-faced, unreadable.

Desmond and Alistair froze. Still as statues.

Ronan Valerius Hunter’s voice cut through the air like thunder. "So here you are, Desmond. Hiding like a rat."

The sheer weight of his presence made the air hum with tension.

"I always knew you were arrogant," he continued, eyes locked on Desmond. "Filled with that old, festering rage of yours. But I didn’t think you were this foolish. To lay a hand on the only heir to my bloodline?" His lip curled. "To stab my son?"

He stepped forward once more, and the Lycans tensed. "That.... was your final mistake. Now you will die and your entire bloodline will die with you."

But before the Alpha King could move again, before anyone could blink...

Alistair vanished in a blur of motion.

He ripped the sword from the sheath of one of the stunned soldiers and in a flash, reappeared behind his father. Desmond barely had time to turn.

The blade plunged deep into Desmond’s chest.

Desmond’s mouth fell open in shock, a harsh gasp leaving his throat as blood burst from his mouth. His eyes went wide with betrayal, before they rolled back. His body dropped like a sack of stone.

Dead.