CHAPTER 44: UNTIMELY INTERVENTION.

Bella’s lungs burned.

She wasn’t sure if it was from running like her life depended on it or from the smoke she’d just escaped, but every step felt heavier than the last. Her strength was failing.

Branches snagged at her sleeves. The ground was uneven, damp in some places and muddy. Her shoes slipped on wet moss, but she didn’t slow down.

She didn’t dare look back.

Somewhere behind her, the fight was still raging. She could hear it, the demon’s whip cracking, the wolves snarling, the deep roar of their anger.

But slowly, it was fading away, swallowed by the distance she was covering.

Then, out of nowhere—

"Bella!"

She skidded to a stop so fast she nearly lost her footing.

Principal Maren stood in the middle of the path, perfectly composed, as if she’d been waiting there the whole time. Her wine red scarf danced all around her face in the night air, and her expression was unreadable.

Bella’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

Maren’s voice was calm, but there was steel under it. "Where do you think you’re running to at this hour?"

Bella’s pulse was still hammering. "I—I was—" She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling. "There’s something back there. We were under attack. I was trying to get away—"

Maren’s brows knit together. "We?"

"Some students," Bella said quickly. "My friends, four boys. They’re still there—"

"Four boys? With you Bella. Out of your rooms this night. Take me to them." The words weren’t a request.

Bella blinked. "What?"

"Now, Miss Rivers." Maren stepped aside, gesturing for her to lead the way. "Show me."

Bella hesitated. She didn’t want to go back, not toward the demon, not toward the whip, not toward the brutal fight, but the authority in Maren’s voice left no room for refusal.

Luca would be disappointed, but she had to obey.

"Okay," she said quietly.

They started walking, her steps reluctant.

Her mind raced. How had Maren just... appeared? She hadn’t heard footsteps, no rustle of leaves, no sign of anyone coming through the forest.

---

Bella’s retreating footsteps faded into the smoke.

Luca didn’t watch her go, he couldn’t. Every shred of his focus was locked on the whip demon’s massive frame. He slashed at the tendon of its ankle, feeling the flesh fall off beneath his claws.

Killian lunged in beside him, teeth snapping. "She’s clear, right?"

"Yes she is," Luca growled, springing back as the whip split the ground where he’d stood. "She has to be."

Cassian darted up the creature’s side, his claws raking deep into its side. "We have to defeat this thing right here, we’re not letting it near her again. Not after—"

A whip strike cut him off, the air hissing where it passed.

Rafe landed beside Luca, panting. His ears twitched, nose flaring. "Wait... no."

Luca’s head whipped toward him. "What?"

"She’s not gone."

For a split second, none of them moved.

"You’re sure?" Killian asked, disbelief under the rasp of his voice.

Rafe’s gaze didn’t leave the trees. "Her scent’s stronger. She’s coming back."

Luca’s chest tightened. "Damn it, Bella..." His voice cracked with fear and frustration. "She should be running."

"You know her," Cassian said grimly, dodging another strike. "She wouldn’t leave while we’re still fighting."

"She’s not supposed to protect us," Luca snarled. "It’s our job to protect her."

Killian’s muzzle wrinkled in a grim half-smile. "Your lover can’t stand the thought of you in danger."

He suddenly yelped and the demon’s whip caught the side of his neck.

"Serves you right," Luca shot back. And that thing you just said was not funny."

He ripped into the demon’s leg so hard black smoke poured out. "No matter what she would have gone. Doesn’t she realise what she’s coming back to?"

Rafe froze again. "She’s not alone."

Cassian’s ears flicked. "What?"

"There’s someone with her," Rafe said, "An older person, not a student."

Luca’s stomach sank. "Who?"

Before Rafe could answer, the whip demon’s head snapped toward them. It understood what they said.

Suddenly, the ground vibrated as it straightened to full height. Its pale eyes narrowed, and then, like a candle snuffed in an instant, it vanished. The whip went with it, leaving only the stink of char and rot.

"Shift back," Luca ordered sharply. "Now."

They broke for the bags stashed near the treeline. Their furs rippled back to skin, claws changed back to fingers, bones reshaping in a matter of seconds, their minds registering the pain they didn’t have time to acknowledge. They threw on their clothing from their bags in frantic, jerky movements.

"Do you know if whoever’s with her saw anything?" Killian muttered, shoving his arms into a shirt.

"They shouldn’t have. We shifted fast enough. And if we’re even faster, no one would notice what happened here," Cassian replied, dragging a jacket over his bare chest.

"It’s Principal Maren," Rafe said finally, his voice certain now.

Luca cursed under his breath. "Perfect."

The crunch of footsteps through the undergrowth reached them then now, lighter and uneven. Bella’s silhouette broke through first, Maren following right behind her.

Luca’s chest eased just a fraction, seeing Bella alright. But his relief soon turned to wary calculation when Maren’s gaze swept over them like she was already measuring the trouble they were in.

The four boys stood waiting, looking nothing more than caught out of bounds.

—

When they broke back into the clearing, Bella froze.

It was empty.

The air still smelled faintly of smoke, but there was no demon. No scorch marks. No burnt earth from the whip strikes.

And no wolves.

Just four boys, Luca, Rafe, Cassian, and Killian, standing near the edge of the clearing, looking like they’d been doing absolutely nothing.

Bella’s mouth went dry.

Cassian even had the nerve to raise an eyebrow, like this was the most boring interruption imaginable.

Maren stepped forward, her eyes scanning the space. "Where are the students you said were under attack?"

The boys glanced at each other to agree on what not to say. Bella’s mouth opened, but Luca gave the slightest shake of his head.

Bella turned to her, completely thrown. "There was—" She looked back at the boys. "They were—"

The four of them just stared at her, stone-faced.

Her voice faltered. "I swear, they were fighting something. It was right here. You must’ve—"

"I see no ’something,’" Maren interrupted crisply, cutting her off. Her eyes darted to the treeline. "No danger. No reason for you to be here."

Bella’s stomach sank.

"You five," Maren continued, her gaze sweeping over the group, "what exactly are you doing outside at this time of night? You have curfew for a reason."

No one spoke.

Her eyes narrowed. "Well?"

Killian shifted his weight, looking at the ground. "We were just... taking a walk," he muttered.

"Taking a walk," Maren repeated, her tone making the word sound absurd. "In the forest. After midnight."

Cassian’s lips quivered like he might say something, but he caught Luca’s warning glance and stopped.

Rafe finally said, "We couldn’t sleep... so we decided to walk around a bit."

"Couldn’t sleep," Maren echoed flatly. "So you decided to break school rules and wander into the most dangerous part of campus. At midnight."

Bella opened her mouth, but Maren’s gaze snapped to her. "And you, Miss Rivers? What’s your excuse?"

Bella flinched. "I—" She glanced at the boys, then back at Maren. "I—I really can’t explain Ma’am. It’s complicated."

Maren’s expression didn’t change. "I’m sure it is. Unfortunately for all of you, the disciplinary committee doesn’t care if you couldn’t sleep, if you were just taking a walk or if it’s complicated," she made quotes in the air.

A flicker of guilt passed over Luca’s face as he made eye contact with Bella, but he said nothing.

"Since none of you seem able to offer any reasonable explanation for what you were doing outside by this time of the night," Maren continued, "you will all report to your dormitories immediately. Tomorrow, you will explain yourselves to the committee. And I suggest you think very carefully about your stories before then. It better be a reasonable excuse."

Her tone was flat, but her stare lingered on Luca longer than the rest, as if daring him to contradict her.

No one spoke a word. There was a finality to her voice that made room for no argument.

The group turned, moving slowly toward the path back to the dorms.

Then—

A wind picked up, sudden and sharp. It wasn’t the gentle rustle of night air, it was strong enough to whip Bella’s hair into her face and send dry leaves spinning in frantic circles around their feet.

The boys stopped. Something was off.

So they turned.

But looking at the clearing where their Principal once stood—

Maren was gone.

They didn’t see her walking away, she wasn’t hidden at any spot, she was just gone.

"What the hell—" Rafe began, but his voice caught when he realized she hadn’t just stepped out of sight.

All four boys knew. She had just disappeared.

The wind died instantly, leaving the clearing silent again.

Bella’s skin prickled. "She was right there."

Luca’s jaw tightened. "I know."

Killian glanced at Cassian. "You thinking what I’m thinking?"

Cassian’s expression was grim. "Yeah. And I don’t like it."

Bella looked between them. "What’s going on?"

No one answered.