CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 176: A DOOR IN THE DARK

Lorraine’s POV

Adrian’s eyes flickered. For a moment, I thought I saw the boy I once knew, the one who had laughed with me in the moonlight, the one who had saved me when the rest of the students nearly ripped my throat out. His gaze wasn’t steady, it trembled, wavering between defiance and submission. His hands clenched into fists, jaw tightening as though he were silently fighting a battle deep inside himself.

But then, like a flame snuffed out by a gust of wind, his hesitation vanished. His face hardened, his shoulders squared, and his voice, when it came, was firm and cold.

"If killing Lorraine is what you want," Adrian said, his tone flat "then I’ll do it. Her life is nothing compared to mine for me to be bargaining with you. And I cannot dare disobey you."

The words struck me like a blade to the chest. My heart twisted, an ugly ache blooming in my ribs. He had chosen. He had switched yet again. Whatever remnants of the boy who once stood beside me had been buried beneath the shadow of this man, The Leader.

The Leader tilted his head, watching Adrian with sharp eyes that gleamed like a wolf scenting blood. Slowly, the edge of his mouth curled into a satisfactory smirl.

"There," he murmured, lowering the Jade sword that had been pressed against Adrian’s neck. "That is the Adrian I raised." His voice was almost tender, but the cruelty in it was unmistakable.

My stomach churned. Raised. Those words clung to me. This wasn’t just Adrian’s master. This was his maker. His corrupter. The hand that had shaped him into a betrayer, into a weapon. And now, here I was, standing before the one who had built the Crimson Hunt, the monster whose shadow stretched over thousands of graves.

The Leader’s eyes left Adrian and pinned me once more. They bored into me, unrelenting, a predator’s stare laced with something that felt like amusement.

"The truth is," he said, voice dropping lower, silkier, "I don’t want you dead. Not yet at least"

"Like I told you," he continued, taking a measured step closer, "you are the answer to all of my problems. You, Lorraine Anderson, are a very.... very special being."

A cold shiver slid down my spine

My wolf stirred faintly, restless, but still silent. The air itself seemed to hum with tension as he drew nearer, until his presence swallowed all the space between us.

Before I could move, his hand shot out. His grip clamped down on my only arm, iron strong, cold and unyielding. I winced, trying to pull away, but his hold was like steel.

Then the Jade sword flashed.

The blade grazed across my skin in a clean, precise motion. The ain flared as the cut opened, blood welling instantly. I bit my lip to stop a cry from escaping. My blood slid down the curve of the blade, and then, something happened.

The sword glowed.

Where my blood touched its green surface, faint golden sparkles shimmered, like embers catching fire. My eyes widened, my heart pounding violently against my ribs.

The Leader’s laugh exploded in the yard. It was a deep, guttural sound, triumphant and wild, like a man who had waited years for this single moment. He threw his head back, laughter rolling, filling the court yard with an unsettling echo that made my skin crawl.

"You are indeed everything I’ve dreamt of," he declared, eyes gleaming as though he had just discovered a long buried treasure. "Everything."

My knees nearly gave out. I was confused. Why had my blood done that? What did it mean? The jade had glowed like it recognized me, like it wasn’t a sword at all but a vessel waiting for.... me.

The Leader’s face sobered as suddenly as his laughter had burst forth. His gaze, sharp and unyielding, fastened back on me.

"You said you want to become part of the Crimson Hunt, didn’t you?"

My throat was dry. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod. It was the only thing I could do. The truth was, I didn’t even know what I was agreeing to anymore. My heart was pounding too fast, my thoughts tangled in the memory of the glowing blood.

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, a smile touched his lips, slow and deliberate.

"You’re going to have to prove it to me," he said.

The words were soft, but his gaze held a different emotion

I blinked, still reeling, still fighting the sting of the cut on my arm. "How?" I asked. My voice cracked despite my attempt to steady it.

"How do I prove it?"

The Leader’s smile deepened, and there was something chilling in it, like he already knew the answer but was savoring my desperation.

"You’ll find out soon enough," he murmured.

Then, as though the conversation had already ended, he turned his back to me and looked at Adrian. His presence filled the space like a shadow stretching wide, his authority absolute.

"Take her to one of the empty rooms," he commanded, voice sharp again. "Lock her up."

Adrian hesitated only a fraction before bowing his head.

"Yes, Leader."

The Leader didn’t spare me another glance. His figure retreated, steps echoing with the surety of someone who had already won. He walked off into the dim hall, the Jade sword glinting faintly in his hand, leaving me confused, and with words that wrapped around me like chains.

You are the answer to all of my problems.

Just what the hell does that mean?

Kieran’s POV

I crouched in the shadows, concealed in one of the broken watchtowers that overlooked the Academy’s yard. The stone wall had long since cracked and hollowed with age, creating a dark alcove deep enough for me to disappear into. From here, I had the perfect vantage point. Below, at the very center of the yard, stood Lorraine, caught between hardened soldiers, Adrian and the man they dared call The Leader.

The man himself was unlike anything I had imagined. His presence alone twisted the air. Tall, broad shouldered, cloaked in black with his crimson insignia glinting on his armor, he carried himself with the unshakable weight of someone who had commanded death too many times to count. His gaze on Lorraine was sharp, predatory, yet amused, as though her existence was an inside joke only he understood.

And when he spoke "I’ve seen you long before you even came here, Lorraine Anderson" I felt my jaw clench. His voice was a serpent’s hiss, designed to coil around her and squeeze.

I gripped the stone edge of the tower so tightly it cracked beneath my claws.

Lorraine’s face was pale, confused. "I don’t understand. What do you mean?" she asked, voice steady though I could see the tremor in her stance.

He tilted his head, a mockery of tenderness. "Oh, don’t you worry, Anderson. You will soon understand. You... you are the key to all my problems."

The key to his problems? My instincts didn’t like that. No.... no, this wasn’t some coincidence. He hadn’t just stumbled across Lorraine. He was waiting for her.

Then his voice cut the night again, sharp as a blade. "Get me my Jade Sword."

Then, I was seconds away from moving, my muscles coiled, ready to drop into the yard and rip his throat out if he so much as lifted that blade at Lorraine. But before I could spring, Adrian stepped forward.

Adrian.

"Please, don’t kill her," he said, voice desperate. "Lorraine isn’t stupid enough to walk in here like this. She works with the Lycans. There must be a reason why she is here. Let us hear her out first before deciding her fate, please."

My chest burned with rage and confusion. Adrian. Pleading for her. But why? He betrayed her, he killed my father!

But my attention snapped back to The Leader. His expression didn’t falter, didn’t soften. He simply stared at Lorraine like she was a puzzle he had already solved.

This... this was why I hadn’t wanted her here. She didn’t understand the scale of danger, didn’t understand that she wasn’t walking into an ambush, but into the jaws of the very beast himself. Who could have predicted that the leader of the Crimson Hunt would be here, waiting for her?

But why? Why Lorraine? What could she possibly have that this monster wanted?

When The Leader finally turned and strode away, I knew I couldn’t stay hidden any longer. My instincts screamed to follow him. Whatever answers he had, they were locked behind those eyes and cruel words.

I descended silently, sticking to the edges of the yard where the shadows clung thickest. My steps were soundless, my breathing controlled. Every nerve in me was sharp, honed, focused on one thing, trailing him.

He moved through the Academy like with he owned every stone beneath his feet. His soldiers bowed as he passed, none daring to question. I followed at a careful distance, my senses stretched taut, my body pressed close to the walls.

Finally, he reached his office, Astrid’s former office. He entered swiftly, and before I could slip inside, he turned and locked the doors.

I stilled, cursing under my breath.

Too late.

I pressed my ear against the heavy wood, straining for any sound, but it was sealed tight. My only reward was the muffled echo of his boots pacing inside. I needed to know what he wanted with Lorraine, needed to understand why she was suddenly the center of his schemes.

But then.... their were footsteps.

My head snapped toward the corridor. The steady thud of boots rang closer, a patrol of guards sweeping through. There was no cover here, just bare stone walls, no alcoves, nowhere to vanish.

Damn it.

I shifted back into the shadows, searching desperately. Their footsteps grew louder. Ten seconds more and they’d round the corner, and I’d be standing here, exposed.

Then....

A door creaked open behind me.

Before I could react, a hand shot out, gripped my arm, and yanked me inside. The door slammed shut and locked.

I spun, claws half extended, ready to gut whoever dared.....

I froze.

The man standing before me, cloaked in darkness, his sharp features illuminated only by the faint flicker of a torch he was holding...

"Alistair Ashthorne?!!!"