The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 86: The Apex of Apex Predators

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: The Apex of Apex Predators

Lorraine’s POV

The air turned colder the moment Astrid turned toward the guards stationed at the door.

"Barricade the room," she commanded, her tone firm, void of hesitation.

The guards obeyed instantly. Heavy iron bars screeched into place as they sealed off the entrance. A soft click followed, a sound that somehow rang louder than any scream could.

Then, with the same detached poise, Astrid walked to the far wall, where a massive sword hung like a relic of war. It wasn’t just for decoration. It was long, cruel, and built for the kind of violence that left no survivors. She reached up, unhooked it, and carried its weight without so much as a tremble in her arms.

Her footsteps echoed as she returned, the blade glinting under the chandelier’s glow. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. That sword wasn’t just sharp, it was ancient. Hungry. The kind of weapon you used not to fight.... but to end.

Astrid bowed low and extended the hilt to the Alpha King.

He accepted it slowly, deliberately, as though savoring the moment. Then he planted his hand on the hilt, letting the point rest on the polished floor beside his boot.

When he finally spoke, his voice filled the room like a rolling thunder.

"Currently in this room," he began, eyes sweeping the hall, "we have wolves. From different regions. Different backgrounds. Different bloodlines. But you are all under the same roof. The same law."

No one moved.

"We are powerful," he continued, "primal by nature. But there must be order. There must be structure. That is why we have a hierarchy, one made of power, that is why we have the Lycans, Elites, Nobles.... Ferals."

"And among all these factions," he said, "there is one that stands above the rest. One that holds the purest blood, the strongest lineage. One that is untouched by dilution or weakness."

His grip on the sword tightened.

"The Lycans."

A few heads lowered instinctively. Mine included.

"And even among Lycans," he said, stepping forward, "there is one line, my line, that stands above all. Royal Lycans. We are not like the rest. We are the apex of apex predators. We are your rulers not by choice, but by right. That is why the Alpha King has always been chosen from my bloodline. That is why I sit before you as your King. That is why my son will succeed me."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle like stones on our backs.

"That is why you should not look us in the eye. That is why you should never cross us. Because we. Are. Not. The. Same."

And then someone huffed.

A sharp breath. A scoff of disbelief. A single mistake.

I couldn’t even see who it was before it was too late.

The King was gone from the center.

In a blink.... no, faster than a blink, he was in front of the Elite who had dared to huff. I caught only the blur of movement, the flash of silver, and then ... .

Shhhhk!

A clean slice.

A single heartbeat.

Then..... hud, tge Elite’s head hit the ground and rolled across the room like a discarded stone.

Blood sprayed across the marble, hot and bright.

Gasps filled the room. A few choked. I clutched my own stomach, fighting the urge to be sick. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Kieran hadn’t moved. His expression hadn’t changed.

The Alpha King flicked the blood from his sword with a small snap of his wrist and turned back to us, expression unreadable.

"Let that serve as a reminder," he said coldly, stepping over the body like it was nothing more than trash. "A single drop of disrespect will cost you everything."

The room was silent again.

And for the first time since I entered the academy, I truly understood what it meant to be powerless.

There was a sudden broken by a cry of rage like it took the elite a minute to comprehend what just happened

"That was the Alpha of my pack!" the Elite shouted, stepping forward, his voice trembling with fury and disbelief.

He shouldn’t have spoken. The words had barely left his lips when the Alpha King vanished from his spot again.

I didn’t even blink this time. I didn’t have time to.

One second the Elite was standing, defiant, and the next, his head was sailing through the air, severed cleanly from his shoulders. It landed with a sickening thud, rolling toward the feet of another wolf who staggered backward in horror.

Blood gushed in a wide arc, painting the marble floor in glistening red. His body stood for a second, as if it hadn’t realized it was dead yet, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Gasps erupted through the hall.

Someone screamed.

And still, the Alpha King showed no remorse. No hesitation. Only cold, brutal precision.

He turned slowly to face the rest of us, his face still composed, still calm, as if he were discussing the weather. Then his voice cut through the panic, harsh and sharp.

"Everyone. On. Your. Knees."

No one hesitated now.

I dropped instantly, my knees hitting the cold marble, heart thudding like a war drum. All around me, others scrambled down, some tripping over themselves, some collapsing in tears or fear.

But even that wasn’t enough.

The Alpha King’s dark gaze swept across the sea of trembling wolves until it settled on one unlucky noble man near the far edge of the hall. He was shivering, sweat dripping down his brow as he knelt, a second too late.

The Alpha King moved.

Not fast. Not like before. This time, he walked.

Each slow, deliberate step echoed like a countdown, and the noble man’s shoulders hunched lower with every sound.

The Alpha King stopped in front of him.

"Stand," he ordered softly.

The noble hesitated. but obeyed, legs wobbling as he rose.

And that’s when the Alpha King’s claws pierced straight into his chest.

The noble’s mouth opened in a silent scream, his eyes wide in agony as the King’s hand plunged deep. Then. just as slowly, he withdrew it, holding the boy’s still-beating heart in his blood-soaked fist.

"You knelt too slowly," the Alpha King said.

The noble’s body hit the ground with a heavy, final sound.

The heart slipped from his hand and landed beside it.

I couldn’t breathe.

None of us could.

There was no justice here. No mercy. No reason.

There was only power.

And this.... this was the man that birthed and raised Kieran...

Gods....

The Alpha King stood tall, drenched in blood, his dark coat soaked, streaks glistening against his skin and dripping from his sword. His eyes, like two pits of endless red abyss, scanned the carnage he’d created as if it were a canvas of divine artistry.

Then he spread his arms wide, standing amidst the bodies like a god in his temple.

"Do you see now?" he thundered, his voice booming through the conference hall. "Do you understand who stands before you?"

The air trembled. My lungs felt too small.

"I am not merely an Alpha," he growled. "I am the Alpha King. I have conquered lands older than your packs. I have crushed rebellions before they ever had the chance to breathe. I have stood on countless battlefields soaked in blood and emerged without a single scratch. And you lot dare to plot against me and touch my son?!"

He laughed, low and chilling, flecks of blood flying from his lips.

"We, the royal lycan family, are not like you," he said, his voice thick with disgust. "We are gods among wolves. Our bloodline is sacred. Pure. Primal. Untouchable. You should worship us. You should fear us."

He stepped forward, the floor slick beneath his boots, and raised the blood-soaked sword into the air.

"If any of you ever dares to raise a hand, a whisper, or a thought against the lycan royal family again...." he paused, letting the weight of his words anchor deep in our bones. "I will wipe out your entire bloodline. Every pup. Every elder. Every last name tied to you... gone."

Then he turned.

Toward Alistair.

He was still kneeling in the center of the room, shackled, beaten, and shaking. His once-proud face was now a mess of bruises and dirt.

The Alpha King walked slowly toward him.

He stopped, towering over him, his sword dripping beside his thigh.

"You killed your father," the King said, "to prove yourself. To earn my mercy."

He tilted his head, almost curiously.

"But your father’s life?" He sneered. "It’s not worth a drop of my son’s blood."

My heart stopped.

"You dare injure a royal lycan?" the King spat. "You dare? Then you will pay, with your life."

He raised the sword high.

And I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"STOP!"

The word ripped out of me, raw and wild, and the moment it left my throat.... the entire room vibrated.

It wasn’t just a shout. It wasn’t just a plea. _{f.re(e) w.e(b)nov el.c.om}

It was a command.

A howl in human form, thick with something powerful and untamed.

Every candle in the hall flickered wildly.

Every breath caught.

Even the Alpha King froze, his sword suspended in the air.

All eyes turned to me.