The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 92: The Queen of Blades

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Queen of Blades

Lorraine’s POV

The Lycans had strode confidently to the front like they owned the academy, because in every cruel sense of the word, they did. Their footsteps were measured, heavy with dominance, and unapologetically arrogant. They didn’t flinch under the weight of hundreds of stares. They welcomed it. Drank it in.

Kieran led them like a king in everything but title. Varya took her place beside him, her expression blank, composed, terrifying. The rest fell into their seats, spreading out along the front row like a silent red wave of power.

Suddenly, the stage lights flared on with a low hum, drawing every eye forward.

The side door opened, and from the shadows emerged the venomous head of the Academy.

Director Astrid Voss.

She walked with purpose, each click of her black heels against the stage deliberate and sharp. She was dressed in an obsidian leather suit that looked like it had been stitched from shadows and blades, her silver hair pulled back into a tight ponytail that only sharpened her already severe features. The woman didn’t just enter a room, she dominated it.

She stopped center stage, her eyes sweeping over us all, elites, nobles, ferals, Lycans, like everyone were nothing but pawns on her chessboard.

"Good morning, everyone," she said, her voice smooth, controlled, and ringing with authority. "I trust you’ve all had a restful night."

I could almost laugh.

Restful?

Elise was still missing.

And I was about to be publicly hunted like sport.

Astrid’s voice cut like a blade across the auditorium.

"This is the second monthly assembly we are having this academy year," she began, her tone calm, deliberate, laced with the kind of confidence that made your skin crawl. "A lot has happened in the past month...." Her glowing red eyes flickered with something unreadable. "And I have no doubt this month will be even more..... interesting."

Her lips curved slowly into a smile. A warning.

I felt chills in my bones before she even said anything about the bounty

"As usual," she continued, her heels clicking as she paced the length of the stage, "each of you will receive 100 Lunars to take you through the month. You can use them for food, medicine, weapons, favors.... In this academy, everything has a price, everything can be bought if you have enough lunars. And as you’ve all learned by now...."

She paused, looking over the sea of students.

"You can never have enough Lunars."

"Lucky for you," she said, "the Alpha King has granted you all the chance to earn a few more. A game. A simple task."

A ripple of amusement ran through the crowd.

My breath hitched.

Here it comes.

"It’s more of a hunt, really." She tilted her head like a predator admiring its next kill. "The rules are simple: track the target, catch them, kill them, claim the prize. The first to succeed wins an extra 30 Lunars."

The room buzzed, energy rising, students already leaning forward.

I felt the moment before the axe fell.

"The prey," Astrid said, her voice velvet and violence, "is the feral... Lorraine Anderson."

My name struck the silence like a gunshot.

Gasps. Whispers. Laughter. Excitement.

Dozens of eyes turned at once.

They found me.

Of course they did.

I could feel it. A hundred gazes pinning me to my seat like knives. My skin crawled. My body shook. I didn’t try to hide it. There was no point in pretending bravery when the whole academy had just been given permission to hunt you for sport.

I felt Adrian’s hand tighten around mine.

Felix grasped my other hand, his grip firm, grounding.

But I couldn’t look at either of them. My eyes found the one person I didn’t want to be looking for.....

Kieran.

He didn’t turn.

He didn’t shift in his seat or glance back like the rest.

He sat still, back straight, jaw hard.

As if none of this surprised him.

As if he didn’t care at all

The room was still buzzing, students laughing, whispering plans.

But all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.

I was the prey now.

And they’d just declared open season.

Astrid raised a single gloved hand and instantly, the buzzing crowd stilled.

"Before you all go rushing off with bloodlust in your eyes," she said, her voice a purr that slithered into every corner of the room, "there are some rules."

The silence was absolute now. Even the Lycans up front sat motionless, sharp and composed, like they were already calculating strategies.

Astrid’s heels clicked once more as she paced the stage with surgical precision. Her silver ponytail swayed behind her like the tail of a viper.

"To maintain order within the academy during the duration of this.... exciting game," she said, "the hunt for the feral, Lorraine Anderson" she spat my name with relish ".... will only be active between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m."

Murmurs flickered through the crowd.

"No hunt will be permitted outside those hours. No one is allowed to touch her during the day," she continued, pausing to let that sink in. "This ensures that your classes and combat schedules are not interrupted by your.... enthusiasm."

More laughter. A few snickers. Some students glanced back at me again. The corner of Astrid’s mouth curled like a blade.

"Now, the prize."

She turned toward the Lycans’ row, her voice rising.

"Whoever succeeds in catching Lorraine Anderson first, and brings her dead body to the faculty, will receive thirty Lunars like I said before."

The crowd erupted again. Cheers. Shouts. Whistles.

I felt the words punch into my chest like iron. Dead body.

She wasn’t hiding behind metaphors. This wasn’t symbolic. This wasn’t a warning.

This was a death warrant.

My death warrant.

"And for those of you who enjoy a little performance," Astrid added, her voice sharpening to a sickly-sweet tone, "we are offering an additional five Lunars—" she held up her fingers "... if you make her death a brutal public spectacle."

The students gasped. They howled in sick excitement.

"Creativity is encouraged," she said. "Let the academy be reminded of what happens when a feral forgets her place, what happens when any wolf tries to fight against the system, what happens when anyone dares to speak against the Alpha King"