CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173: THE ACADEMY WALLS

Lorraine’s POV

His lips tasted like fire.

The moment Kieran kissed me, the world around us simply.... ceased. There were no trees around me, no distant echo of crickets and birds flying around, no pain clawing at the place where my arm used to be. There was only him, Kieran Valerius Hunter. His mouth moved against mine with a desperation I felt bone deep, his grip on me unyielding, as though he feared that if he let go even for a second, I would disappear.

I didn’t just kiss him back, I surrendered.

The rough press of his lips softened into something unbearably tender, and then turned fierce again, like a storm that couldn’t decide whether to break me or shelter me. My fingers, my one trembling hand, found his shirt, clutching it as though my survival depended on the feel of his heartbeat beneath.

We broke apart only for for air, but it wasn’t enough. His forehead pressed against mine, his breath mingling with mine, both of us panting, both of us too stubborn to let go. His arm locked around me, pulling me so close my chest ached with the force of it, as if he was trying to fuse me into him, erase every distance, every scar, every curse between us.

I couldn’t look away.

His eyes, dark, endless, burning, searched mine, and for the first time in a while, I wasn’t afraid of being seen. Not by him.

And then...

"Not bad." A voice purred faintly in the back of my head.

My heart lurched. I froze, my lips still parted, my body still pressed to Kieran’s. The voice wasn’t his. It wasn’t mine. It was hers.

My wolf.

"You’ve been silent for a while," I whispered in my mind, my heart clenching at the sound of her, aching with a longing I hadn’t even realized was festering inside me. "Why are you barely speaking to me?"

But she was gone. Just like that. Like a shadow slipping back into the dark. One moment there, the next, silence again.

The absence hit me harder than her sudden return.

Why is she doing this to me?

Kieran’s voice pulled me back. "Lorraine?" His brows furrowed, the sharp lines of his face carved deeper with concern. "What’s wrong?"

I blinked, realizing I was staring past him, dazed. Shaking my head quickly, I forced a weak smile. "It’s nothing. I’m fine."

The lie burned, but it was easier than explaining something I didn’t understand myself.

He didn’t look convinced, but I pushed on before he could press further. "We should go."

That was when he fixed me with that look, the one that said he knew I was about to do something reckless and he wasn’t about to let me

"No, Lorraine." His tone was sharp, weighted with authority, but beneath it, I heard the plea. "I thought you would actually listen to me for once."

The frustration in his voice, the ache laced into those words, almost unraveled me. He wanted to protect me. He always did. And goddess help me, part of me wanted to let him. But I couldn’t. Not now.

So I did the only thing that could quiet him, I closed the tiny space between us again, lifted my trembling hand, and pressed my finger gently against his lips.

The effect was immediate. His words cut off, his breath stilled, his jaw tight beneath my touch. For once, the Lycan Prince didn’t speak. He only looked at me.

"I understand you, Kieran," I whispered, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "I do. More than you think. But you’re forgetting something."

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as a familiar name clawed its way out of me. "Adrian killed Elise."

"He tortured her," I forced out, every word scraping against my heart like glass. "He murdered my best friend. And I swore... I swore, I would make him pay for it."

Kieran’s eyes darkened, his hold on me tightening as though he could absorb the fury threatening to split me apart.

"As you can see," I said bitterly, gesturing to the emptiness where my arm used to be, "I’ve already lost so much. I can barely fight anymore. So I doubt if I will actually be able to kill him myself"

The words shook, but I pushed them out, because they had to be said.

"So if this...." I sucked in a breath, my chest burning, "if this is the only way I can contribute, the only way I can keep my promise, then don’t stop me. Please."

My voice broke on the last word, softer than I wanted it to be, but truer than anything I had ever spoken.

His lips brushed against the tip of my finger, still pressed to them, as he inhaled raggedly. For a moment, I thought he would argue. For a moment, I braced myself for his wrath, his refusal.

But he only stared at me, his forehead still against mine

The silence between us stretched, until Kieran finally broke it. He exhaled slowly, like he was forcing out every last argument he’d been holding in.

"Fine," he said, his voice low, resigned. "It feels like there’s nothing I can say that will change your decision. Your mind is already made up."

A small, defiant smile tugged at my lips. "Don’t worry about me," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "I have a whole ascended Lycan to protect me. No one can possibly dare to harm me."

He scoffed at that, though I caught the ghost of a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. For Kieran, that was as close to laughter as I’d probably get.

We began walking again, weaving deeper into the woods. The moon had risen higher, its silver glow spilling over the treetops like a spotlight that refused to let us hide. My steps crunched against dry leaves, my breathing already heavy from exhaustion. The air was cold, sharp, and smelled faintly of pine and damp soil.

After several long minutes, I let out a groan. "Wouldn’t we have been faster if we had told Cyrin to get us a car or something?"

Kieran snorted, shooting me a sidelong glance. "And announce our presence to the Crimson Hunts before we even get to the academy? Brilliant plan."

I grimaced. "Then what, you’re telling me we’re going to walk the whole distance?"

I was already panting, each step heavier than the last. My legs burned, my lungs felt raw. I hated showing weakness, but my body betrayed me.

Suddenly Kieran stopped, his broad shoulders stiffening. He turned toward me with that unreadable look he wore so well. I frowned. "What? Why are you...."

Before I could finish, he closed the space between us in two strides and bent slightly. His arms slid under me in one swift, startling motion. I let out a squeal as he lifted me up, cradling me in his arms like I weighed nothing.

"Kieran!" My voice came out half shocked, half scolding.

"You might want to close your eyes," he said, his tone annoyingly calm, like this was the most natural thing in the world. "Otherwise you’ll feel dizzy."

I wanted to argue, to tell him to put me down, but his gaze was steady, commanding. Against my better judgment, I obeyed. My eyes fluttered shut.

For a moment, everything was still. Then, air rushed past me, fierce and cold. My stomach lurched, and I clutched at his shirt like my life depended on it. My body felt weightless, suspended, almost as if I was being ripped from one world into another. My heart pounded so violently I was sure he could feel it through his chest.

"Open your eyes," his voice came again, softer this time.

I hesitated, then peeked them open.

We weren’t in the woods anymore. Just beyond us, looming like a predator crouched in wait, stood the towering walls of the academy. Dark stone stretched high into the sky, the moonlight casting jagged shadows across its surface. The forest seemed to die at its feet, trees thinning out like even nature was too afraid to grow near it.

He set me down gently, his hands lingering just long enough to steady me before pulling back. My legs wobbled, and I had to take a second to catch my breath.

"So," I said, exhaling sharply, "what’s the plan exactly?"

He didn’t answer right away. His jaw clenched, his eyes scanning the walls with a predator’s focus. Finally, he spoke. "You will go in there acting like you’ve defected from us. You’ll try to garner as much information about their army as you can."

"And..." I pressed, narrowing my eyes at him. "And also ask about your father, right? I have to find out if he’s really still alive, like your mother believes."

His head snapped toward me, eyes dark and stormy. "You don’t have to do that."

I folded my arms, lifting my chin stubbornly. "Well, guess who doesn’t like being told what to do?" I smiled tightly. "Me."

Kieran scoffed, shaking his head, but there was that trace of a smile again. It softened him, even if just for a fleeting second.

"Remember this, Lorraine." His voice dropped lower, colder. "You have less than twenty-four hours. I am sneaking into the academy as you enter. I’ll always be in the shadows, following you around. The moment anything goes wrong...." He paused... "I’m getting you out. I don’t care whose body I have to shred through to do that."

The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. He wasn’t exaggerating. I knew, without doubt, he meant every word.

For a moment, I just looked at him, the monster everyone feared, the Lycan prince whose name alone could silence a room, and I didn’t see death. I saw the strange, quiet way he cared for me. The unshakable shield he had become without me asking.

Before I could think twice, I stepped forward. My arm slipped around him, hugging him as tightly as I could.

His body stiffened at first, startled. Then slowly, almost reluctantly, he relaxed. His hand brushed lightly against my back, not quite holding me, but not pushing me away either.

"Thank you," I whispered against his chest, so quietly I wasn’t sure he heard.

But then he murmured back, voice rough, "Don’t make me regret this, Little wolf."

And somehow, hearing him call me Little wolf again, made me smile.